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Inspiration for living a luxuriously and balanced life

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Mind and Body

After the long dark, snow filled and extreme cold winter (especially for those of us in the GTA) many of us are already counting the days to spring. YES! Days we are just days away from the official start of spring!!!

As we look around our homes we start making lists of spring cleaning projects: de-cluttering closets, swapping out cold weather clothes (and shoes too!) for warmer temperature ones, washing windows to let the sunshine in, opening doors to air out our homes after being tightly closed all winter ... you get the picture. Interestingly many of us while we take great care of our homes - tend to forget (neglect) the care of the one home that we occupy from the day we are born - the vessel
that houses our soul.

Here are some tips for Spring Cleaning Your Mind and Body:

Your Mind...
Cluttered surroundings, toxic relationships, negative thinking and yes, digital clutter all impact our ability to to function and think with a clear mind.


1. De-clutter your surroundings ~ whether at home, work space, or in your car clean up, put away or toss anything that your no longer use or serves a purpose.


2. Relationships ~ sometimes the people in your life can really way you down mentally and emotionally and just as you need to remove things that no longer serve your highest good - so holds true for people that way you down. Are you in need of  a "toxic people detoxification" learn more here and here .

3. Unplug ~ in today's world the need for instant gratification has you connected 24/7 to the outside world. This constant "being on" gives your mind little time to take a break and recharge itself and this affects your whole body. Make a conscious effort to turn OFF - yes I said OFF, your digital gadgets when you are with family and friends (especially if you are sharing a meal) - how can you enjoy their company if you are busy answering and clicking away on your digital gadget? Get a better night's sleep make your bedroom a digital free zone (this includes televisions too). Unless you are paid for 24/7 - I'm pretty sure your work day has a start and stop time, no need to check emails in the middle of the night.


4. Think Positive ~ With spring just around the corner it's a perfect time to clean up your mind of negative thoughts which have been weighing you down and keeping you from moving forward.

Work Out Your Mind ~ It's funny we take better care of our computers and technical devices than we do our most important computer - our mind. After all it is with our mind that the rest of our body functions, so why not give a little TLC? Here are 7 tips to get you started

Your Body...
Even if you consume a fairly healthy diet it's important to remember that your body still accumulates toxins through everyday life - chemicals and pesticides in food, too much sugar, caffeine (coffee, sodas, tea etc.), bubbly or wine (alcohol) and the pollutants in the air we breath and water we use.


1. Detox - give your body's filtration system a little helping hand by avoiding: coffee (all caffeine products), processed foods (especially sugar and flour products), alcohol, dairy, red meat and pork. Be sure to drink plenty of water during this time to help flush out toxins.


2. Movement - whether it's through working out at a gym, dance, yoga, up your daily movement - now that the weather is warming up it can be as simple as adding an early morning or evening walk to your day.


3. Add more of the delicious seasonal local fruits and vegetables...did I mention drink more water?


4. Pamper Yourself -  whether it's a day at the spa or an at home spa day, pamper yourself head to toe.

Below are some links I think you will enjoy reading and inspire you from the HHL blog archives:

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing ~ Exfoliating the Body~Deep Cleansing Facials ~ Scalp, Hand and Foot massage and Get Moving as part of helping our body's filtration system. 
Everyone wants great skin ~ facials and masks ~ Eating for a Healthy Glow

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

7 Tips for Working-out Your Mind



Loss of self and the life I knew is what started me on my journey of meditating, post accident. In my early attempts sitting still and quietening the countless thoughts that filled my head seemed next to impossible. I would start and stop my meditation practice many times over the course of those early years. Today I meditate 1-2 times a day and am enjoying the benefits meditation provides for the body.

I know what some of you are thinking ... that's all great but who has time to sit in a day doing nothing? Well, yes you may not be physically moving about or be connected to technical gadgets - but my friends, you are doing something you are giving your mind a chance to rejuvenate.

It's funny we take better care of our computers and technical devices than we do our most important computer - our mind. After all it is with our mind that the rest of our body functions, so why not give a little TLC? Here are some tips that I found worked for me and I hope they will inspire you to take a few minutes in your day to Work Out Your Mind.

Meditation - Getting Started

1. Commit ~ to 5-10 minutes each day to meditate. By making it part of your everyday schedule will help you stick with it. In the beginning I found it helpful to sit in the same spot at the same time each day. I actually started during my afternoon tea time as I sat in my comfy chair (spine straight and head to the sky, feet flat on the floor).

2. The Right Time ~ when you are not rushed. Sunrise and sunset when nature transitions between day and night are my choice now, but any time of day that works for you is good. If I'm not using a guided meditation I set my Smart phone on vibrate and set 10-25 (depending on how long I am meditating at that time) this way I'm not worried about the time and I'm gently notified when I have meditated for my desired time.

3. Environment  ~ Where you meditate does not matter - what you need is a quiet, peaceful area where you will not be interrupted. 

4. Posture  ~ it is a common myth that you must sit in a lotus position (cross legged on floor). What is important is that your spine is upright, your head up (imagine the top of your head touching the sky) and you are in a comfortable position. When I first started making meditation part of my day I would also sometimes lay on the floor on my back (after my cup of tea or in the morning) and sometimes sitting in my bed with pillows behind my back to help keep my back straight. Sitting in a chair with feet flat on the floor and back straight works for many people too.

5. Open or Closed ~ Whether you keep your eyes open or closed is up to you. I find that lowering my eyes and softening my gaze works well for me when closing my eyes produces a lot of thoughts. What is important is that you do what is comfortable for you - like me you may alternate between open and closed eyes.

6. All that chatter ~ Yes, thoughts will pop into your head - DON'T panic, this will happen. Acknowledge the thought then release it and return your focus back to your breath. 

7. Make meditation part of your Lifestyle ~ like anything that is good for you it needs to become part of your  regular life. If you are finding that you are always putting it off - try scheduling it in your calendar ... once you start seeing and feeling the benefits it will become second nature. And most important until you get to doing it regularly don't be hard on yourself for not meditating - start again fresh tomorrow.

I hope these tips have inspired you to incorporate meditation into your day.

I would love for you to share in the comments your tips for meditating.

Love and Blessings,

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Monday, March 10, 2014

Improve your mind, ideas, thoughts, dreams, intuition and psychic abilities - Balance Your Third Eye Chakra


Welcome to Over a Cup of Tea with Celia M.
Chakra Series ~  6 of 7



This week I have chosen this beautiful Christian Dior bone china teacup for its indigo colour which is the same color of our sixth chakra known as the THIRD EYE Chakra.


Sixth Chakra - The THIRD EYE Chakra ~  aka Ajna Indigo chakra located between and just above the physical eyes, in the center of the brows. The third-eye chakra is associated with the mind, ideas, thoughts, dreams, intuition and psychic abilities.


If the third-eye chakra becomes unbalanced, we may feel bombarded with our own thoughts, unable to process them effectively and may feel stuck in an emotional and intellectual rut.  Our judgement may become clouded resulting in poor decision making. We become closed to new ideas and fall off the paths of our true destiny. 


Symptoms of Imbalance:
Emotional : Unable to maintain a calm head in stressful situations, poor memory, lack of imagination and ability to visualize your future leaving you feeling detached from life and depressed about the future.

Physical : Head aches, difficulty getting proper sleep, hormonal imbalances, sinus and nose congestion, eye problems.

Three simple ways to help balance your THIRD EYE Chakra:

~ Sit or lay on your back comfortably. Relax all the external muscles around your eyes. Then soften the internal eye muscles, feeling the relaxation penetrating deep into your head. Rest like this for a few minutes. Take note of any images that arise in your mind's eye.

Steep a cup of lemon peel, chicory root, ginger, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon myrtle, orange peel, hibiscus, cinnaman and coriander and repeat the following affirmations as you sip your tea:

I am trusting my knowing
I am on my spiritual path
I am guided
I am a strong, intuitive being
I am open to the wisdom within me
I envision and create beauty and goodness

Sit comfortably, feet flat on the ground, close your eyes and visualize an indigo disk/ball spinning between your eyes - feel the vibration and motion of it spinning gently breath in and out - with each breath the disc/ball becomes stronger and spins at a consistent speed smoothly and balanced.

Benefits of balancing and opening the THIRD EYE chakra: Our innate psychic abilities and spiritual connections are enhanced enabling us to feel a deeper connection to the universal plan of our lives. We are able to approach life with an open mind and desire to seek truth. We are able to see and achieve our future with clarity, inspiration and innovation.


Click on the chakra ROOT SACRAL SOLAR PLEXUSHEART, THROAT to learn more.  Next week ... The Crown Chakra.
Love and Blessings,

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