Bringing a new face into the world makes it a whole lot brighter…but a lot more worrisome too.
What’s in that bubble bath? Is that burger grass fed? Is that car seat in correctly? Is he/she eating/drinking/sleeping/smiling enough?
Mamma mia is right!
Holistic Moms to the Rescue!
Holistic Moms Network is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization connecting parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. (Dads are welcome too by the way!).
For $45 a year, you gain access to a Holistic Moms Network chapter meeting near you. This network of like-minded people beats at the heart of your membership. Membership includes a slew of benefits, but I particularly like the FREE digital subscriptions to Mothering and Organic Spa Magazines in addition to the Wise-E Mom E-Magazine that HMN publishes. The HealthE Mama News is free to all.
What is Holistic?
Here’s how HMN puts it:
Holistic living is the art of living in balance with ourselves and our environment. Understanding and respecting that all things are interconnected is at the heart of a holistic lifestyle.
Holistic living is about taking responsibility for our actions and choices in the knowledge that these choices have consequences for all living things on the planet.
If that sounds good to you, consider the Holistic Moms Network. And as always, we welcome your ideas and comments on living life naturally, organically and happily right here!
“In my book, the word ‘rush’ is a four letter word.”
I overheard a woman saying this today as she got a neck and shoulder rub in the ‘Whole Body’ section of my local Whole Foods.
Easy for her to say! She has time for a mid-day rub down!
Relaxation Reality Check
As the day wore on, I thought more about ‘rushing’ as villain. Foodies have embraced the ‘no rush’ philosophy with the Slow Food Movement – a global collective of people devoted to relishing every bite they eat while recognizing and celebrating the origins of their food. They aim to counteract both fast food – and fast life.
Clearly, a similar philosophy is needed when it comes to personal care! The term ‘personal care’ itself needs a makeover; it needs to include a full-throttle enjoyment of cleansing, moisturizing, and spritzing, as well as include making time for restorative ‘do nothing’ time.
It’s time to redefine Personal Care as Person-All Care, a bath and beauty routine that takes the whole body, mind and soul into consideration. Here’s some tips:
- Schedule Relaxation: It sounds contradictory, but if you clearly schedule a half hour or more for meditation, deep breathing or just ‘chill time’ to your favorite music in a relaxing environment, you’ll make the time for it.
- Take a Bath: Bathing is therapeutic for both body and mind. Schedule one at least once a week – if not more – and you’ll feel stress melt away.
- Treat Yourself: You don’t have to spend a fortune at a fancy spa for a massage to indulge yourself. The aforementioned neck and shoulder massage at Whole Foods costs $1 a minute…so for 15 minutes and 15 bucks, you can get a 15 minute pick-me-up that will last all day!
- Breathe We breathe all day – but not the deep cleansing breathes that really detox and distress. Breathe deeply Follow these 5 steps to maximize your deep breathing:
- Lie down or sit in a chair.
- Rest your hands on your stomach.
- Slowly count to four and inhale through your nose. Feel your stomach rise. Hold it for a second.
- Slowly count to four while you exhale through your mouth. To control how fast you exhale, purse your lips like you’re going to whistle. Your stomach will slowly fall.
- Repeat five to 10 times.
Let us know what’s on your agenda to enhance your Person-All Care routine!
