Guide for body & mind retreat

In these modern times we have all become working machines, running around multitasking and achieving, with little consideration for our bodies and minds that can only take so much before we start seeing signs of a burn-out. With today’s rapid pace of life, a two-week beach vacation is simply not enough to rejuvenate us. We need something to help us be fresh and full of energy on a daily basis, and the good news is that we can do this for ourselves by cutting out old routines and introducing healthier ones that will benefit our overall well being the most. We can wind down each day after work and arrange our own mini health retreats at home, and here is how.

Bath

The first and best thing you can do for yourself after a long day is to have a nice long bath, Use bath salts like Epsom salts, organic bubble bath products, essential oils, pour a glass of milk or apple cider vinegar into your bath water, or make natural herbal tea and soak in that. Do a full-body scrub, soak, apply lotions and ointments, body milk, relax, and enjoy.

Silence

Switch off all your devices and make yourself unavailable. If you can’t do this all day, set a timeframe – pick an hour or two in a day and decide this will be your silence time in the house. Have a space where your can be alone without any distractions, and let people you live with know you will not be disturbed for a certain amount of time. Make this a daily routine and cherish your alone time. Use if for journaling, daydreaming, being creative, reading, or for simply being and connecting to your inner self.

Meditation

Become aware of your thoughts, observe them, let them pass without judging any of them, be neutral. Observe everything you do and do it with full attention – notice the sounds, the smells, the touch and the feel of something, the colors, and notice how they affect you. If you don’t have your daily meditation practice yet, search on YouTube for a guided meditations, there are plenty. Listen to the recorded sounds of the ocean and nature. Visualize your dreams and goals as if they are real already.

Yoga

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, there are plenty of recorded instructional videos you can find for free online, there are yoga journals with videos as well. Give your body the opportunity to stretch, be present and get into balance. Release everything that doesn’t serve your highest good. If you can’t dedicate an hour or two to yoga, do it in shorter increments, three 15 minute yoga sequences a day will do wonders for you.

Walk

Go for walks in nature as much as you can, ground – connect with the Earth. Visualize your feet sinking into the ground and being a part of it, be like a tree. Breathe consciously, inhale the smell of nature. Enjoy the green and let it take all your worries away, notice the beauty around you and let it heal you. Notice animals and plants, send them love and receive their love.

Retreats

Realize going for mental health retreats every once in a while has become a necessity in our times. Huffington Post suggests some good ones, but if you can’t travel far and long, there are sure some affordable retreats to be found in your area as well. Give yourself a weekend of rest and rejuvenation, you deserve it.