Begin your day drinking 20 oz of spring water or purified water which starts the hydration process for all the cells of your body. Don’t drink coffee yet, or green drink. No supplements. Those choices will bring the body into the process of digestion. You want to start your day with hydration. Start with 8 to 10 oz. Drink it down. Slowly increase the amount as you go along in a couple of weeks. I now drink about 20 to 24 oz. first thing when I wake up.

Next, cool water on the face then splash argan milk on your skin followed by a combination oil of equal parts argan oil, rosehip seed oil and helichrysum oil. This will feed and nutrify your hydrated skin.

Go for a morning walk, write, meditate for 20 to 30 minutes. Now is the time for your morning beverage, coffee or tea.

Supplies for healthy skin shower:

Dry skin brush, body wash, apricot kernel oil, shea butter. Dry wash cloth.

When taking a shower begin with dry skin brushing. BEFORE you get into the shower. Slowly brush your skin with a natural bristle skin brush. Use long circular movements at your fingers and hands and move up towards the heart. Go to the feet and work your way up the legs, always move towards the heart. Be gentle if you are not used to it. Move the dry brush over your torso, front and back, hips and buttocks.

Now jump in the shower and always use a body wash with quality ingredients. Never use harsh soap that will strip the body of its natural protective mantle. Rinse. Turn the shower off and while the skin is still wet, apply a small amount of apricot kernel oil on the dry washcloth and rub it into the skin while the pores are still wide open. Practice the same sequence of hands up the arms to the heart, legs up towards the heart and finish applying oil on the torso and back. You may need to reapply the apricot kernel oil a couple of times as your skin drinks it up. You won’t even need to towel dry off as most of the water from the shower will be wiped off from the oiled- up washcloth.

When you get out of the shower step into a pair of flip flops. Balance on one leg and apply shea butter to your heels and bottoms of the feet. Keep this pair of flip flops just for shea butter wearing after the shower.

On a Personal note:

I learned this technique at a yoga retreat in the 1980’s. Dry skin brushes can be found online or at most health food stores. Yogis keep their skin healthy and glowing for better over- all health of their organs. Most use sesame oil. I prefer organic apricot kernel oil because it is so light and scentless.

I discovered if you apply the oil while the skin is still damp with a dry washcloth it soaks right in.

I use a body butter afterwards, especially during the winter. It will seal in the nutritious oil. Remember, you are “feeding” the skin, just like you feed the rest of yourself.

I buy a whole stack of wash cloths at some discount place and only use them for the shower. Use them just one time each shower. Once I have used of them all up, I wash them together in the laundry, but I don’t wash anything else with them, just the oily washcloths. You can use them for several weeks until they’ve had their day and you must throw them away. Buy cheap Cotton washcloths.

Everything else, I buy the best oils, body butters and lotions with quality ingredients. You will see. It will pay off. The products I use are not as expensive as the department stores. They have pure ingredients. Never ever put mineral oil on the skin. I have been reading ingredients of products for 40 years. So, you don’t want to put a petroleum product that will smother the skin. It can’t breathe. You want to nutrify and protect the skin. It’s your first line of defense from the outside world.

The post Radiant Skin, Radiant Spirit appeared first on Code Self Care.

My very first meditation teacher in 1980 was Marty, a Flower Essence practitioner.

She said, “You can sit for 5 minutes. Anyone can sit for 5 minutes to start.”

She would take me out in the desert outside of Las Vegas, NV, to gather herbs. We’d drive over a Mountain Pass and take a right on a dirt road leading to Lovell Canyon. Back then, you’d see wild Mustangs roaming around. The air was pure and sweet with sage. Getting out early was a must if you didn’t want fried skin.  Marty introduced me to the grandfather plants and how to ask permission of them before gathering their leaves. We were looking for Ephedra that day and came across a giant shrub. The herb is used for allergies around here and we needed some.

She said, “In order to get in touch with the plant, you need to learn how to meditate.”

So that’s what I did. I began with sitting for 5 minutes. Instructions at the end of this article.

About a decade later while on a Vipassana (silent) retreat in Joshua Tree, California, in the 1990’s, Jack Kornfield, the respected Vipassana meditation teacher said, “If you are looking for peace in the mind, good luck. Learn to look at the mind peacefully.”

Another instruction he gave back then, “If you have a lot of neurosis and expect meditation to fix you, you will become a neurotic meditator.”

As one teacher recently said, “Meditation is not for stress reduction. It is for attaining enlightenment.”

But, it registered with me, though, that when we meditate regularly the cumulative effect is inner peace which reduces stress. We all want that.

Sitting in silence gives us an opportunity to witness the mind and cultivate a strong backbone, if you will, to observe and not react to life here on planet earth. As we STOP every distraction and sit in silence an opportunity to connect with Spirit (or something greater than ourselves) arises spontaneously. We have a taste of inner peace and tranquility beyond the mind’s constant chatter.

There are a variety of techniques for meditating and I have practiced many. I’d like to share with you what got me started, all the way back in 1980 with Marty.

Instruction:

Let’s begin by finding a spot where you can close the door, turn off the phone and computer. Light some incense. As my Guru would later say, “Incense creates a harmonious atmosphere.”

It is best to sit in the same exact place every day. If you cannot sit on the floor on a pure wool blanket, meditation bench or zafu (cushion) then sit in a chair, put your wool blanket on it for support, but sit up straight. Rest your hands, palms up, on the thighs.

Direct the mind to the breath. Focus attention on the inhale, the slight expansion of the nostrils as you take in a slow stream of oxygen. Notice the warmed breath on the exhale coming out of the nostrils. You may complete three or four breaths before the mind wanders into some fantasy, daydream or To-Do list. Before you know it your 5 minutes are up. Do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next. By the end of the week, you’ll see how much headspace is taken up by repetitive patterns of the same old story you keep telling yourself. The same fantasies, daydreams and lists. When you become aware of those thoughts, gently bring your attention back to the inhale, the exhale. Begin again.

This is the first lesson – how unaware we are of our thought patterns and that they are patterns. Focusing on the breath gives the mind something to do in the present moment.

Our mind is constantly planning the future or reviewing the past which is basically a continuing cycle. The characters in our “stories” may change and meditation gives you a chance to notice it is the same story, same pattern.

Set up the intention to meditate for 5 minutes every day. Set up the posture of meditation with the Body. Focus the Mind on the breath. Light incense to invite Spirit in as you watch the smoke rise.

Five minutes is a great place to start. Do it. Then the following week as the body “settles” into the routine, sit for 10 minutes.

Continuing Series. More to come.

The post Meditation for Beginners Intro Part I appeared first on Code Self Care.

“Flower Essences are subtle liquid extracts, generally taken in oral form, which are used to address profound issues of emotional well-being, soul development and mind-body health. While the use of flowers for healing has many ancient antecedents, the precise application of flower essences for specific emotions and attitudes was first developed by an English physician, Dr. Edward Bach, in the 1930’s. Today flower essences are gaining world-wide professional recognition for their significant contribution to holistic health and wellness programs.”

From the Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminsky and Richard Katz

Dr. Bach observed patterns in his patients. States of mind such as worry, loneliness, anxiety, hopelessness, unconscious fears, depression etc. often preceded physical illness. There are many books on the Mind/Body/ Spirit connection authored by Dr. Bach regarding the benefits of flower essences healing patients’ emotional and mental patterns. Since then, thousands of flower essences have been developed and documented. The Flower Essence Society of California/ founded by Patricia Kaminsky and Richard Katz have researched and published case histories from Flower Essence practitioners for over 40 years using their own flower test garden as a laboratory. Pegasus, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Fox Mountain, Andean Orchid Flower Essences, Australian Bush and more are some companies that have track records. In addition, there are newer companies helping people all the time for stress reduction.

The highest concentration of active life force is in the blossom. The flower broadcasts this energy or life force at a specific frequency or rate of vibration unique to that plant. As the person ingests the homeopathic remedy the vibratory frequency is transferred to the body. This assimilation enables a shift to occur where the client can begin to recognize the negative thoughts at the beginning stage and use affirmations to “Code In” a more beneficial thought pattern. For example:

“I activate an attitude of joyous expectancy”

“I release the pattern in me that attracted this experience-I create only good in my life.”

Or

“I unconditionally allow the abundance of the universe into my life. The generosity of life flows through me without limitation.”

Flower essences can balance emotions and bring about mental health, physical well -being and spiritual upliftment by stopping the part of thought that circles. With counseling, meditation and affirmations, flower essences can aid in personal growth and transformation leading to increased self-awareness and behavior changes.

Flower Essence Remedies are available singly at most health food stores and online at the companies that make them.
Limited Consultations are available at Code Self Care to approved students.

Initial Intake Evaluation – $199

Formula based on the Intake Evaluation of the Individual – $40/bottle

Follow up Phone Counseling – $1.25/minute

The post What are Flower Essences? appeared first on Code Self Care.

Next time you are standing in line somewhere, practice Tadasana, Mountain pose. Have your feet a few inches apart with the inner sides of the feet parallel to each other. Keep your feet centered with weight evenly distributed from the toes, ball of foot to heel. That is all.

By practicing yoga in snippets throughout the day, whatever you are doing, your feet will be happy to carry you through life with stability. If you are a Yoga practitioner you may carry your attention up the body to have the feeling of lift through the spine, shoulders back and chin level with the floor. Feel the crown of your head ascend at the same time the feet descend and are planted. Your posture will improve and all the organs in your body will have more space to function instead of a heavy slouch putting unnecessary constrictions on body parts.

Treat your feet well by getting reflexology. Apply shea butter to heels and soles of the feet before bedtime. Wear supportive, cushioned shoes when you will be on your feet for hours. Go to “Code Self Care YouTube Channel” for more information.

The post Yoga Feet appeared first on Code Self Care.

Shiatsu (acupressure) always begins on the opposite side from where the pain is. If you have pain in your left hip, start the lunge with the right foot forward lunge.

Step 1.) Do the yoga warm up to get the blood flowing. Very gentle joint rotations are found on my YouTube Channel under “Easy Joint Rotation Warm Up.”

Step 2.) Lunge: Come on to the knees. Place a blanket under the knees for added cushion. Step the right leg forward on the floor with the ankle directly under the knee so knee and ankle are at a right angle. Extend the opposite arm up (Left arm). This reach to the sky movement with the arm alleviates pressure on the front of the left pelvis. Breathe in and out slowly and count to 10.

Bring the right leg back to kneeling position and switch sides.

Step 3.) Lunge: From the kneeling position extend the left leg forward on the floor with the left ankle directly under the left knee. Extend the right arm up reaching to the sky. Feel the stretch from the front of the hip through the ribs and open the armpit. Breathe slowly in and out and count to 10.

Step 4.} Stay in the pose and bring your arms forward in front of you interlacing the fingers. Stretch the arms away from your center which opens the shoulder girdle.

Step 5.) Repeat. Always do every yoga pose at least twice each side so you can experience the body releasing. Go slowly. Stay in the pose and observe what is going on in your body. No hurry. No place to go, nothing to do. You are present in your body practicing yoga.

Step 6.) Come to hands and knees. Slowly move the hips back towards the feet as if you are bowing. Press the hands into the floor and continue moving the hips back for a test run. Remember to have your knees on a blanket if needed.

Step 7.) Repeat the lunge with the right foot forward and left arm reaching up towards the ceiling, but this time press the 4 corners of your front foot down for stability and turn your head up. Look up at your hand for a little extra stretch. Breathe, count to 10 and extend that arm upward to create space in the front of the pelvis. As you stretch the arm up extend from the hip. Reach the hand up and lengthen the hip and ribs opening the side of the body through the armpit and fingertips. See photo. Switch sides. Lunge left foot forward and repeat.

Step 8.) Come to hands and knees. Bring the feet together and the knees wide apart as you slowly move back into a low bow. Child’s pose asana. Press your hands into the floor. Drop you head down (eventually it will touch the floor.) Now lengthen the spine. Feel the muscles of the entire back stretch from the fingers to the tail bone. Lift the palms of the hands up until only the fingertips are touching the floor. Breathe in and out slowly and count to 10. Creep your fingertips away from you on the floor for added stretch. Come out of the pose and stretch your legs straight in front of you on the floor. That’s it. Probably takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Yoga is about repetition. You are re-training those muscles to open and stretch so take your time and practice twice a week. Increase a few times to relieve sciatica pain. Have patience with yourself. In Chinese medicine or Japanese Shiatsu the approach is to always open the shoulders to also open the hips and vice versa. This series is simple and works both areas of the body. Gradually you can increase to three to four times a week. When you experience how much better you feel you will want to increase this to 5, 6 days a week. Be good to yourself. Start slow. For more information go to Code Self Care YouTube Channel.

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Most of us have felt closed in this past year. Attention is drawn into a tiny cellphone screen we can hardly do without. We look down at the phone so physiologically our eyes are cast down as they would be in a depressed state. To counter- balance this effect, I recommend walking in nature. Go to a park or someplace awe inspiring that begs your eyes to look up. The effect on the brain is immediate. A twenty minute walk will affect your state of mind.

Or take a drive. 5O miles out of town you’ll have an attitude adjustment. Try it, you’ll see. 5O miles out! Look at the clouds passing overhead casting shadow shapes along the earth.

Just like Yoga, which creates space in the body and mind, Nature opens us up to the influences of the 5 elements: earth, fire, water, air and ether. Those very components make up our constitution as taught in Ayurvedic Medicine, the healing modality originating in India. The Ancient Yogis’ developed asanas (poses) by observing Nature. One can experience all of that by being outside under the sunbeams breathing in fresh air. It’s mandatory during these times of the daily news cycle. Information overload gets normalized, stress becomes a habitual state. So, to balance home and work life, get outside. Watch how it affects your state of mind. Pay attention to your mind, THE mind. Give it some Nature to rest upon.

Now the trick is to be in the present moment and really see the 5 elements at play around you. When the mind drifts back to work or relationships or unfinished stories you tell yourself over and over, STOP! See beauty around you. Feel it and breathe it in. Store this in your memory bank so when you are stressed out you can pull this file out and relive your experience in Nature. It will heal you. Find a quiet place outside and take some time to balance yourself. Breathe in, relax your shoulders, the neck and jaw. Breathe out releasing mental tension. Notice the habit of hurrying that will pull you out of the present moment of beauty as you sit still. Bring yourself back to the beauty all around you and immerse yourself in it for at least 20 minutes. Yes, your mind will jump around because of the nervous system’s habit of always being “on.”

Like a little puppy dog, one needs to train the mind over and over to focus attention on a treat. That treat for you is Nature. Sit still. Calm the nervous system. The physiology of the body will adjust to the new habit over time. It is a great way to begin to train the mind as you combine it with the feeling you get from being in Nature. All you do is sit still and look at the world around you. The flower buds, grand mountains. Weather changing. Breathe it all in as you look up. Breathe out and feel the release. Time to get started! Walk outside.

The post Nature Fix for Stress Relief appeared first on Code Self Care.

Chi force is life force. It is in everything that makes up our world. Ancient Asian sages mapped out pathways of energy throughout the body. These Energy Channels or Meridians become blocked just as a kink in a hose can obstruct water. Blocked Chi channels affect our body through kinks of muscular tension leading to constriction of nerves causing pain and discomfort. The Vascular Systems can constrict oxygen to the cells and brain. This affects moods and we become irritable. Then inner dialogue begins. We beat ourselves up for the thoughts we have and feelings we are experiencing. We express from old habit patterns and don’t know what to do about our recurring thoughts of irritation, anger, guilt and shame for our mindless outbursts and reactions. We may know what NOT TO DO. We feel frustrated. Low self- esteem becomes the new normal. Then, our perceptions (information we take in from the outside world) are filtered through the lenses of low self-esteem creating a constant state of pensiveness in our inner world because we don’t know what TO DO.

Body/Mind/Spirit can be altered by re-programming our habits through specific Self Care techniques. These will become new habit patterns over time that will help us lead a more balanced and peaceful life in our inner world no matter what the outer world is doing. Pujari, my first Vipassana meditation teacher in 1985 said, “If you can feel comfortable in headstand, you can feel balanced and comfortable right side up in an upside down world.”

Go to Code Self Care YouTube Channel for more information.

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