Spring Forward into Wellbeing

As winter transitions into spring, notice nature's patterns changing. Birds begin to migrate, trees are budding, and bulbs sprout from dormant beds. Recharged from winter's hibernation period, nature awakens and begins to blossom.

The spring season is perfect time to change one's lifestyle and refresh daily routines and food menus. Making healthy lifestyle changes can seem daunting, hard, and even impossible. How does one find time and energy to add more on the daily agenda?

A CUE FROM MOTHER NATURE AND BILL MURRAY

Whether it's how leaves dress up an oak tree, or a daffodil appears from newly thawed ground, Mother Nature slowly blossoms new life. Same pace applies for weaving new lifestyle habits into one's daily routine. Go slow and favor the baby steps pace.

One of my favorite movies is "What About Bob". Bob wants to make a life change and feel more stable, confident and happy. But, he doesn't know how to begin. Dr. Leo begins to give advice.

Bob: I can't do that. It's too big.

Dr Leo: Baby steps, Bob. Baby steps.

In minutes, Bob is baby-stepping towards the door and embarks on new adventures, including the famous "I'm sailing" adventure.

AYURVEDA: SYSTEM OF BABY STEPS

Ayurveda is an ancients, holistic health system that supports wellbeing in the body and mind. It's the sister science to yoga and teaches people the art and science of self-care and seasonal routines. An Ayurvedic lifestyle supports optimal digestion, steady moods, strong immunity, blissful sleep, mental clarity, emotional balance, and sustained creative energy.

In this article, you will learn three easy, effective, and enjoyable lifestyle tips to reset and refresh your body and mind, thus, supporting you to spring forward into manifesting new career dreams and creative goals.

The self-care baby steps I suggest will help you create more healthy habits and daily routines for long-term success.

Daily self-care is the best trail map for successfully navigating lifelong wellbeing, career success, and creative possibilities. - Kellen

I am a certified Ayurveda lifestyle consultant and holistic wellness coach with 18 years experience helping thousands of clients feel better by creating positive habits that support their goals and dreams. I love sharing self-care tips on foods, lifestyle, fitness, and creativity that empower people to make the very best daily choices.

Here are two Ayurvedic self-care rituals and wellbeing tips to help you reset your daily habits in order (and holy chaos) to best enjoy holistic health, and, manifest career dreams and creative goals.

1. REJUVENATE & REFRESH

Take a rejuvenation spring break and refresh your body and mind.

When midday body fatigue flanks your energy, or mind becomes cloudy, do you reset energy levels with caffeine or sugar? No judgements here at the self-care confessional. Back in my early 20's as a corporate banker, my go-to afternoon pick-me-up was a Coke and bag of M&Ms.

Years ago, while summering at my Adirondack cabin, a little toad taught me the value of proper rejuvenation. After a long day teaching morning yoga classes, driving a 60-mile round trip for groceries, and stacking a cord of firewood, I felt exhausted. Yet, my mind said, "let's do a 3 mile kayak paddle before dinner". Walking down to dock, I paused to say hello to a little brown toad chilling under a pine tree. He hung out in his cozy, forest fort almost every afternoon.

I crouched to watch him. Mr. Toad quietly sat in his pine needle nest, eyes open, and breathing slow and deep. His calm and peaceful vibe yielded me. Mr. Toad didn't flinch as I sat down next to him. Imagining we were at a forest spa, I picked up a few pine needles and started scratching his back. Immediately his eyes closed halfway and his back arched where I massaged him. He was stretching! When I scratched other side of his back, he arched over there. I laughed at how much he enjoyed it. As I watched Mr. Toad, (I swear he was smiling), it dawned on me how much I was enjoying sitting still and resting. This poem popped into my head:

More nesting and resting; less doing and pursuing. -Kellen

I realized I had an unhealthy habit of forcing myself to keep going when my body's intelligence signaled me to rest. Since then, I rejuvenate my body and mind every afternoon by pausing to rest, instead of hitting the push or fast forward buttons.

REJUVENATE & REFRESH ADVENTURE

Remember rolling out mats for kindergarten nap time? Those short rests prevented meltdowns. This habit works great for adults too. When you notice "mind whine" creeping towards you, stop, drop, and unroll your yoga mat. A 5-10 minute stretch refreshes your body and mind. My favorite rejuvenation poses: downward dog, low runner's lunge, seated straddle fold, reclining twist, and legs up wall.

Here's link for bedtime rituals that will have you enjoying Zzzzz's instead of counting sheep. It's part of a Five Elements for Sweet Slumber article that I wrote for lululemon.

2. ENJOY A MENTAL RESET

Do a mental reset and avoid emotional upset.

Worry, doubt, and procrastination. The three stooges fogging and clogging the mind's faculties (focus, comprehension, discernment, memory) and creating stress in your body and relationships. Worry drains creative energy. Doubt is a wall of resistance blocking flow on Universal energy that desires to support your dreams and goals. And, procrastination is a pesky dingleberry devil, tempting donut runs or Instagram scrolls right when you neeed to focus on important tasks. To be more effective and efficient with time and energy, one must must learn how to unshackle from the three stooges.

Following is a mental reset for when your creative energy feels scattered. It uses writing and breathing as an easy, effective, and enjoyable way to remove mental weeds blocking springtime seeds of new career and creative potential. According to Ayurvedic psychology, breathing practices (pranayama) are the vacuum cleaner of emotions.

FRESH START ADVENTURE

Get a piece of unlined paper and your favorite pen. Go outside and sit under a tree. Write down these three things:

1. An old worry haunting your mind.
2. A doubt hijacking curiosity.
3. A pesky procrastination habit.

Then, crumple paper and toss it away from you. Later, throw paper in trash, or burn in fire pit or grill.

Settle against tree and close eyes. Place left hand over heart. right hand over low belly. Begin breathing slow, steady, and with a smooth quality. Stress feels rushed, frantic, and hard.

EXHALE: Release worry, doubt, and old habits that no longer nourish you.

INHALE: Visualize and root into your inherent creative gifts, wisdom, and life experiences. These are the vital elements for dreamscaping your ideal career, relationship, creative project, or new springtime daily self-care rituals.

Imagine your career dreams and creative goals beginning to bud as you spring forward into new possibilities. Continue this breathing meditation until you feel shoulders soften, jaw unhinge, and your mind feels like a stable, rooted oak tree.

DAILY SELF-CARE RITUALS CREATE LONG-TERM SUCCESS

Self-care, the eternal source of wellbeing, supports long-term success and happiness. Daily self-care rituals create foundation for expanding into unlimited potential in all realms of one's life. Health. Relationships. Career. Creativity. Spirituality. Financial.

I hope these tips help you spring forward and fresh start new habits that last a lifetime. For more tips and inspirations, visit my website www.kellenbrugman.com