Lady LUX

Holistic Dry Salt Therapy

In NYC, one of the newest trends is dry salt therapy. At Breathe Salt Rooms, visitors experience dry salt therapy, which is also known as halotherapy. It’s holistic and drug free. It uses micro particles of pure salt to promote better breathing, healthier skin, sounder sleep, enhanced physical fitness and overall wellness. It also helps to alleviate symptoms of major respiratory and skin conditions.

Once in the salt room, 100% all natural salt is dispersed through a halogenerator. It will improve your immune system, skin, enhance sport performance and help ward off a common cold. The Eastern European inspired salt room offers the most natural way to improve health, prevent illnesses and enhance physical performance. This is beneficial to those who suffer from respiratory and skin conditions, or suffer from allergies, asthma, sinus infections, eczema or psoriasis. A treatment lasts 45 minutes.

Play Therapy

This one doesn’t cost a dime. Dr. Deborah Zucker, a naturopathic physician and author of the forthcoming book The Vitality Map: A Guide to Deep Health, Joyful Self-Care, and Resilient Well-Being, said that authentic play and relaxation are good skills to relearn, since they’re often forgotten after childhood.

“Much of what we call downtime these days can take the form of more of a surface level comfort or a social obligation, rather than an activity or level of rest that deeply restores. I’d strongly encourage you to experiment with weaving play and deep soul-nourishing relaxation into each day. Don’t think of it as a should, where the play gets co-opted into being yet another thing to do (or feel guilty about not doing). Try to embrace the spirit of ‘I get to do ___!!’ like a young child ecstatic at the joy of being alive and getting to play. A nap in the sun. A slow meandering walk with a dear friend. Swinging on a swing at the local playground. Renting a kayak for the afternoon. You know what you love to do and what brings you that exuberant, joyful, openhearted feeling inside. Go and do it, with no need for justification or excuses. This is your birthright,” Zucker said.

Technology Detox

Zucker said, “If you’ve noticed that your attention tends to be scattered and you’re always multitasking, you might want to experiment with ways to calm and focus yourself and develop the capacity to do only one thing at a time. As our lives become more and more tied to technology, many people are finding it helpful to create technology-free periods during their days or weeks, or even doing technology detoxes. I’m a huge fan of spending time in nature as a way to ground the frenetic attention and awaken a remembrance of the simplicity at the heart of life. It feels like it reconnects me to a bigger view and puts the attention-grabbing busyness in that larger context, refocusing my attention like nothing else.”

Meditation as therapy

Meditation shouldn’t be overlooked. Zucker said, “There are so many different styles, traditions, and approaches to meditation that I will leave it to you to explore what resonates and brings benefit to your life. Some types feel akin to strengthening the muscle of focus and attention, honing your capacity to stay attuned to one thing in all of its intricate sensual detail. Other types help you to widen the embrace of your attention and relax into being present to the whole array of what is arising at any given moment through all of your perceptual and sensory channels—simply noticing without changing anything.”

Better sleep is essential

And never underestimate the importance of a good night sleep. Zucker said, “I can’t emphasize enough the influence that sleep has on your state of vitality. I hear so often from friends, colleagues, and clients that they sacrifice sleep in order to prioritize other life responsibilities. To say that you can get by on only five hours of sleep has become, culturally, a thing to brag about. While there is a range of what different people need in regard to sleep, it can’t be denied that sleep, for all of us, is a vital time of regeneration and restoration in our bodies—detoxification processes, muscle building, breakdown of fats, normalization of blood sugar, release of growth hormone, and so much more happen during this time.”

If you struggle with sleep, or you never feel rested or energetic, there are skills that can help you shift your patterns.

“The number one shift you can make when it comes to changing your sleeping patterns is a mental shift: giving yourself full permission to let your body sleep as much as it needs in order to let you feel rested (yes, to actually wake feeling rested!).. Some people need nine hours a night on a regular basis. Listen to your body’s feedback, not your brain’s or culture’s idea of what is supposed to be enough,” Zucker said.

“Second, try making your bed and bedroom a place that feels really comfortable, cozy, and that lulls you into sleep. Reserve that room for sleep and sex only, if possible. Reduce clutter. Keep it dark. Remove electronic devices from around the bed. Try to have time before you go to sleep that is away from any electronic screens. Try to maintain consistent sleep and wake times. Listen to your body and notice when it first starts to get tired; prepare yourself for sleep then, and don’t wait until you feel you are nodding off or the second wind comes. An evening and bedtime routine can be super helpful, one that lets your body know that you are relaxing into sleep time. A bath, meditation, cuddle time with your partner, breathing exercises, reading a book—all of these can be gentle ways to ease into a restful and restorative night’s sleep,” she said.

Remember, it doesn’t take medications to make you have more energy and feel healthier. Knowing the right natural approach is the best avenue for living a healthier life.

Tagged in: fitness, nutrition, health, holistic medicine,

Lifestyle / Wellness