Researching and writing for our last blog had us learning so much about stretching, we felt the need to spread the educational wealth! Along the way we found that while there are substantial investigative reports to praise the abundant benefits of stretching, there are also some contrasting scientific views and studies. What better way to cover a self-care strategy than to lay it all out there and let you decide if or how to incorporate stretching into your own routine.

Kundalini is a universal mental and physical activity that expands beyond the yoga realm. It can serve as a successful coping mechanism during stressful or transitional periods for anyone without a traditional yoga background facing the ongoing challenges of life from the workplace to the home.

If breathing is something we unconsciously do, why is there an entire framework of physiological study on it? As it turns out, there are seemingly endless benefits when humans harness the power of simply breathing. In a brief definition, breathwork is the act of deeply focusing on each inhale and exhale for a specific amount of time. 

With commonly used phrases such as “It's like a sauna in here", the general idea of what a sauna actually is can be inferred, but what exactly does sweating in a tiny hot room really do? On our journey of exploring the various modes of self care, new and old, here's what we learned about the sauna and its role in health and wellness.

Epsom salt has long been a recovery modality for its pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. But did you know it is also aids muscle and mind recovery when used in the form of Flotation therapy. What is Floating aka Flotation therapy? Also referred to as REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy), this practice is centered around sensory deprivation as a way to provide comfort from not only physical pain but mental stress and fatigue as well.

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike have taken up ice water baths as an immediate form of post-workout recovery. Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion (CWI) or loosely referred to as a form of whole body cryotherapy, entails submerging yourself in a vessel of cold water (roughly 50-59 degrees) after vigorous workouts or exposure to high heat such as a sauna, steam room or hot bath. 

The act of meditation has been around for centuries with rich origins in countries like Japan, India and China. In the last decade, it has become increasingly popular in the US for the positive effects on both mental and physical health. In fact, the amount of people who practice meditation has more than tripled from 2012 to 2017.