Karma Living Blog

Creating a Bed Time Ritual Through the Senses

2012-03-01T08:59:00.000-06:00

Do you have a tough time getting your child to relax for bedtime or to fall asleep easily? Do you find yourself dreading the bedtime hour, knowing the resistance that may lie ahead? If so, creating a consistent bedtime ritual using tools known to relax your child through their different senses can be a very fun and helpful way to end the night.

Incorporating rituals at bedtime that use your child’s different senses helps your child to fully experience relaxation and helps your child’s body to associate these activities with bedtime in a fun and pleasant way.

The following is a list of things that you can do to help you and your child enjoy this time more:

· Draw your child a bath with natural sea salts/Epsom salts and Lavender essential oil to relax his/her muscles and calm his/her mind. Look for a natural product that uses essential oils, not synthetic fragrance.

· Massage your child’s feet, legs, arms, hands, and/or chest using either an unscented oil such as sunflower oil or a kids’ massage oil made specifically for sleep such as Karma Healing "Sweet Dreams" kids massage oil

· Try stretching or practicing different yoga poses. Each family member can choose a pose for everyone else to do. Get creative, making up new poses and giving them fun names.

· Let your child spray his/her pillow with aromatherapy spray made of lavender and distilled water. Lavender will help your child to produce his/her own melatonin, which will help him/her sleep better. Try Peaceful Mist

· Buy a CD of nature sounds or a white noise machine to block out any distracting noises that may get in the way of your child’s falling asleep or staying asleep.

· Have your child close his/her eyes and walk your child through a visualization. Help him/her to imagine being at the beach or somewhere calming. Encourage your child to use all of his/her senses by asking him/her to think about what he/she can smell, see, hear, taste, and touch in his/her visualization.

Have fun with your bedtime routine by experimenting with it to see what your child responds to. Get creative and allow your child to be part of the experience. This is not only a great opportunity to bond with your child through a fun and relaxing ritual together, but it will also help both you and your child feel more relaxed about bedtime.

For more information on aromatherapy and how it can support you and your family, please visit www.karmahealingsolutions.com

A New Perspective on the Winter

2012-01-20T08:58:00.001-06:00

For those of us living in Chicago or any other cold climate city, the wintertime can be brutal, and downright depressing. Many of us experience symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D) as the days get darker and darker. Up until recently, I would dread the very thought of the impending cold and the many months of snow to follow. Every year around January, my husband and I would seriously consider moving to a nicer climate, but ultimately decide that it was not worth moving away from family, friends, and jobs that we love. So what changed you ask? Why do I no longer go into the winter kicking and screaming and wishing the months away?

The inspiration for this shift came for me after learning the meaning of the seasons from the perspective of Chinese medicine. In ancient China, the people believed that human beings should follow the natural cycles of the seasons and that with each season came a new and different chance for growth and wisdom.

The Meaning of Winter

The wintertime is a chance for us to sloooow down by spending more time inside our homes, conserving our energy, and less time being active. While resting more at home under our blankies, we might be nourishing our bodies with warm soup, hot baths, and a nice cup of tea or cocoa. This kind of hibernating may even give us more free time to spend with our family or to read a good book. Instead of looking at the winter as a time to be stuck at home and disconnected from others, perhaps it is exactly this forced time and space that gives us the opportunity to connect with ourselves. A time to re-evaluate our own needs and plant some new personal seeds for a renewed spring.

Because the winter is ruled by the water element in Chinese medicine, I decided that maybe my attitude about the winter should be more like the nature of water. I would just go with the flow and stop resisting the change in season, much like water effortlessly flows over rocks and anything else in its way. Choosing not to resist whatever comes our way ,whether it be something like the winter months or any other curveball we are thrown in the life, is the key to acceptance and moving foreward. And if I was going to live happily in the Windy City from the months of December till March, acceptance would have to take place.

In addition to having a more positive attitude about the winter, the following is a list of other measures you can take to support yourself during this time.

Vitamin D supplements: Vitamin D is otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin, because one of the ways that we get it is through sun exposure. It also naturally occurs in some foods such as fish and egg yolks, however most of us do not get enough of it in our daily diet, so we must rely on the sun or supplements. Some of the things we need vitamin D for are a healthy immune system, mood regulation, and strong bones. This is why many people may experience symptoms of depression, pain, or a weakened immune system during the winter months when we do not get enough sun exposure. A good quality vitamin D supplement is something that most people can benefit from. I use Iso-D by metagenics during the winter.

Aromatherapy: Research has shown citrus essential oils such as sweet orange to be helpful in combating Seasonal Affective Disorder. You can use these essential oils for topical application such as in our happiness blend or diffuse undiluted oils in an oil burner or diffuser using our joyful blend.

St. Johns Wort- St. John’s wort has been shown effective in more than 25 double-blind , controlled studies to support stress relief and mood regulation. St. John ’s wort increases serotonin (your brain’s happy hormone) and may help to buffer anxiety and mild depression. This herb is excellent when used seasonally for mild mood changes associated with the weather or for year-round support. My favorite place to pick up a great quality bottle of St. John ’s wort is at whole health Chicago’s fabulous apothecary. Make sure to read the bottle for dosage information and interactions. It can be found at http://shop.wholehealthchicago.com/hyperimed-st-john-s-wort.html

Exercise- Other than the obvious benefits of exercise for weight-loss and a healthy body, exercise has been shown to have positive benefits to your mood. Exercise naturally increases serotonin levels and helps your body to release endorphins when you work out for a minimum of 20 minutes at an ideal heart rate. The target heart rate that you want to shoot for is between 60% -80% of your maximum heart rate. To find your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Now take 60% of that number to get the bottom range of your ideal workout heart rate and 80% to get the top of the range. To check your heart rate during your workout, take your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6.

Following some of these suggestions may not completely transform you from someone who dreads the cold to someone who wants to pick up and move to Antarctica, however hopefully you may be able to see the wintertime as an opportunity to practice acceptance and make the best out of the situation. If not, there is always San Diego!

Arm Yourself During the Cold and Flu Season- Part 1

2011-11-16T16:05:00.001-06:00

Does it seem like just about everyone around you is either coughing, sneezing, or at home with the flu? Cold and flu season is undeniably upon us, but we don’t have to just sit back and fall victim to these nasty little germs. Taking matters into our own hands by using a few preventative measures may just be the difference between getting sick this winter and feeling great.

Essential oils have been used for centuries to boost immunity and help fight bugs. They are considered to be the blood and immune system of the plant, giving them an amazing capability of facilitating healing. Plants have been around for thousands of years and fought off microbes, and viruses, therefore they have developed a very strong immune system. Because of this most of them are naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and antiseptic. In addition to these qualities, essential oils such as lemon and tea tree help the body to fight infection by stimulating the production of white blood cells.

Some key immune boosting essential oils are:

Lemon: Lemon oil has the ability to boost the immune system by increasing white blood cell production. It also has anti-septic and anti-tumoral properties that have been shown in over 50 different studies.

Tea Tree: Tea tree oil possesses immune-boosting properties as well as being naturally anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal.

Eucalyptus: Eucalyptus is a powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal essential oil. It is also a strong anti-inflammatory and decongestant which is extremely helpful in treating sinus issues and preventing infection.

Cedarwood: Cedarwood stimulates the immune system and lymphatic flow. It also kills airborne bacteria.

Like anything else related to your health, prevention is the key. It is a lot easier to take preventative steps to boost your immune system, allowing your body to use its own defenses to fight disease rather than deal with it once you are already sick. Diffusing a blend of 100% pure essential oils such as lemon or cedarwood in your home throughout the cold and flu season may help to boost your own natural immunity. Placing a few drops of our"immunity" blend in a tea light burner with some water or diffusing it in a vaporizer is a perfect way to get the essential oils into the air. If you would prefer not to use a diffuser/vaporizer, using a room spray with distilled water and essential oils will help as well. Our "sacred space" uses essential oils such as cedarwood, lemon, and cypress, known for their disinfecting properties. Keeping your home and car clean by using an aromatherapy spray instead of one that uses toxic chemicals is an easy way to boost immunity and clean the space.

Lastly, applying essential oils that have been diluted into a carrier oil, to the pulse points, chest, temples, and even the feet can be a powerful way to boost immunity . To make a massage oil, use about 5 drops per tablespoon of carrier oil for adults and 2 drops for children. Essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, and peppermint that are found in our aromatherapeutic rollerball "deep breaths" can be applied directly to the skin, as they are already diluted in an organic carrier oil.

Deciding to take charge of your health is one of the most empowering decisions you can make for yourself. Stay tuned for part 2 of this series of articles intended to help strengthen your natural immunity as well as give you tips on how to fight bacteria once you are feeling under the weather.

Aromatherapy and Your Skin

2011-10-30T22:00:00.001-06:00

Using essential oils by smelling, applying, or bathing in them has benefits that go far beyond their pleasant odor. For over 5,000 years, cultures all over the world have recognized the medicinal properties of essential oils and the role they play in skin healing and balance from within. The healing properties of these oils have been well documented for centuries and have been used by people to support physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The true practice of aromatherapy uses only unaltered essential oils taken from plants, fruits, barks, flowers, and seeds. It is not to be confused with the use of synthetic perfumes or fragrances found in common skincare and body products. These chemicals do not have therapeutic value and may even be toxic to the body.

So how does aromatherapy work? Our nose is connected to the part of the brain called the limbic system, which is responsible for mood, emotions, and memory. When we inhale 100% pure essential oils, the body sends signals to the brain to feel calm, happy, sleepy, or full of energy depending on the oil. These signals greatly influence mood and tell the brain to feel, calm, happy, sleepy, or full of energy depending on the oil. Essential oils can also be used topically to affect our hormones, muscles, organs, lungs, skin, and blood vessels.

So what does this all have to do with the skin? Because our skin often reflects our physical or emotional health, we can affect it by creating more balance using natural support methods such as essential oils. We can also utilize essential oils for their anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties needed for healthy skin and anti-aging.

Because our skin is tightly connected to our sex hormones, we can use essential oils known to encourage hormonal balance that will directly affect our skin as well. If our hormones are not in balance, we may experience acne, uneven skin color, dryness, and even wrinkles. Many women can even track their periods or swear they knew they were pregnant because of the condition of their skin. Because estrogen increases collagen production (which in turn keeps the skin moist, firm, and healthy), a lack of it can cause the skin to feel dry and wrinkled. This is extremely common in women going through peri-menapause or menopause. While a lack of estrogen can cause dryness, too much male hormone can cause excessive oil, acne, and hair growth.

Essential oils that may have a hormone balancing effect on the body such as clary sage can be used to ease skin conditions. Because essential oils contain phyto-hormones that are similar to our own, they may act as chemical messengers to bring about hormone balance when it is needed. Because essential oils can be so powerful in hormone balancing, it is advised that women stay away from certain oils when they are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Stress is another major contributor to skin issues which can also be addressed with the use of essential oils. Many people experience breakouts and flare ups of Rosacea or other skin conditions under times of stress. When we are feeling tense, our body releases stress hormones such as cortisol, which can lead to excessive oiliness and acne. Because so many different essential oils such as geranium, sandalwood, and frankincense have a sedating effect on the body and influence the nervous system directly, we can use essential oils to keep ourselves in a state of calm. Our sense of smell is intimately connected to the part of the brain that manages mood, so we can influence our state of mind simply by inhaling an aroma that tells our body to feel calm and relaxed. These types of essential oils can reset the nervous system from a heightened place of anxiety to a restful state.

.Essential oils are easy and safe to use for most people. They can be used in so many different ways. Some people like to use essential oils in their bath salts while other like to dilute them in a vegetable carrier oil such as jojoba, sunflower, sweet almond, or safflower for topical application or massage. Essential oils that are undiluted can be used for burning, diffusing, and inhaling as well as to make aromatherapy sprays.

For more information about aromatherapy, beauty, and holistic wellness, please visit www.karmahealingsolutions.com