aka Immune boosting things for every day wellness, BEFORE the bugs get you ( and not just in winter either)
These three things will help your immune system do it's job of fighting bugs - keeping them at bay and helping you to recover more quickly if/when they do get a hold on you by:
- helping keep inflammatory processes down (which helps your immune system to do its job when it comes to colds and flu's and can minimise symptoms)
- giving your body the nutrients it needs to self heal and self protect (that's your immune system again)
- supporting your body in it's natural detox processes (again, so your immune system can do it's job
1. EAT WELL
You get out what you put in.
Drink plenty of fresh CLEAN water (filtered!) and herbal teas (use your filtered water - boiling concentrates the chemicals, and definitely DON'T microwave it!), eat lots of fresh food, especially plenty of green vegetables, healthy fats and quality meats (grass fed, free range, organic - find out where its from!), and for autumn & winter have lots of warm nourishing soups and stews to ease your bodies digestive load (so it has more energy for immune strengthening) ... MAKE YOUR FIRE CIDER, and drink it! here's the recipe
2. MOVE YOUR BODY
Go beyond (very tempting) winter nesting - get out from under that blanket and move EVERYDAY, in a VARIETY of ways.
Do yoga, come to yoga, get up from your desk regularly, walk outside in the sun ( Vitamin D bonus support for your body & immunity), get to the gym, walk the dog, climb a tree, walk in the forest, climb a wall, jump over puddles, walk to get your coffee....
Take as many opportunities to move in big, small and varied (and playful!) ways as possible to keep your energy moving and all your body systems in movement - it doesn’t need to be strenuous all the time, gentle, slow and nurturing is awesome, and a good sweat some of the time will help your body too.
3. Relax and DE - STRESS
You can't avoid stress, and stress is not inherently bad - in fact healthy stress builds resilience. You do need to manage and release your stress on a regular basis so that it doesn't build to unhealthy levels and patterns - which is the kind/level of stress that is said to be behind 99% of disease.
Here are a few ways that you can support yourself to do just that:
- do things you love, something you want to do everyday if you can - live beyond should would and could
- give yourself wifi/phone/social media free time - everyday!
- breathe consciously - with awareness of what you are doing, and your experience of it, easy to do and no props required, you don't even need a special technique/pranayama, most importantly, get to know your breath and let it teach you! If you aren't sure where to begin, come for some private lessons to learn ways that work for you and your body
- meditate to support your body, mind and nervous system - daily or most days (a little bit more often is better than a binge or big chunk once a week, and do what you can, no self judgement!) We practice and learn lots of meditation techniques in class, or you can come for private sessions to learn ways of meditating that are perfect for you
- come to yoga - classes are full of unwinding, balancing, heath building, breathing and meditation and varied ways of moving.
If group classes don't fit your schedule, or you need something more tailored to you, again private sessions are perfect to help you keep up on your schedule and/or build a home practice
- take time to unwind everyday - time to really relax your nervous system, time out from being busy and looking 'outward'/being in the world, looking after others needs, or being stimulated/entertained/distracted - what can you do instead of checking Facebook or binging on Netflix? Zoning out and true relaxing aren't the same thing for your body...
- make regular time to rest and restore - check in throughout the day with how you and your body are feeling (look inward),
- play, enjoy good company, connect with friends and loved ones, share delicious meals, practice yoga together - healthy socialisation is essential for your nervous system and builds immunity (stress and loneliness both negatively impact your nervous system and immune responses).
The Winter Solstice Session (23 June) is all about this - connection to you, time with like minded others in a healthy nurturing way with soulful exploration, and gentle restoration.
On a side note or perhaps this is a footer??
You don't have to think the same as someone else to be like-minded, or better said, like-hearted, and that is where group classes play an important role in our lives - we come from different backgrounds and arenas of life, and in class we are all there in our humanness, doing what we can, together.