relax with rennie
Living in the city can be stressful at times, and with the cost of living continually increasing – finding ways to unwind and relax can become a frustratingly tricky process. As much as many of us would like to get away for a mini break on the weekend, it’s not always something that’s possible for us to do.
As I’m passionate about health and wellbeing, I decided to write up some of my favourite, affordable practices you can try at home or out and about to help you find your inner calm and mental peace. I was particularly inspired by Rennie’s relaxing tips: http://www.rennie.co.uk/tips-advice/tips/how-people-relax/
yoga
I’ve been practicing yoga over the past three years, and it has honestly shifted my life completely. Not only has my body opened up an become far more flexible, but so has my mind. I either practice at home during the week along to Youtube videos, where they have thousands of free videos to follow along to, booking a private teacher to come to my home, or by going to classes at different studios in London. There are also plenty of different types of yoga to try. I practice and teach Kundalini Yoga as that was the variety of yoga I became most aligned to. However, I also enjoy yin and vinyasa classes.
sound healing
Sound healing is a beautiful, relaxing experience to try at home or in a studio. You can either go to a sound healing meditation session at a studio, or book a private 1-1 session at a centre or in your own home. Sound healing combines different ancient instruments like Gongs, Crystal Singing Bowls and Himalayan Singing Bowls for a unique type of meditation where you simply lie down and bathe in the relaxing vibrations and frequencies of different sounds. The sounds really send you into a blissful trance state where you can easily detach from your day and relax into the present moment. If you don’t want to pay to experience a physical bath, you can also listen to different frequencies for free online, like 432 hz (the vibration of creation) or 528 hz (the vibration known as the ‘love’ frequency) in the comfort of your own home. I love mixing it up and trying both, but find I really benefit from the physical feeling of sound vibrations when I receive a sound bath in person.
massage
Booking a massage is one of my favourite ways to take care of myself. Not only do massages feel great, but you also instantly notice the physical benefit from the practitioner stretching the body and reducing its tension through the movement of their hands. Nowadays its so easy to book a massage at home, or you can even ask your friends or partner for a favour and do a quick swap where you take 10 minutes and give them a simple shoulder or foot massage. I love the calming benefits of massage, and they are my favourite quick fix way to remove the stress from my day. Stress can trigger acid reflux, and therefore heartburn & indigestion, so massage is a great way to reduce the risk of this happening.
golden milk
Now, this addition may seem random – however it’s amazing the power that a simple hot drink can have on helping you feeling soothed and relaxed. Golden milk is a warming drink I like to make with some turmeric, plant based milk, coconut oil, black pepper and natural sweetener. It’s a comforting drink which has been made by people for hundreds of years to help relax before sleeping. I even find the preparation of making this on a hot stove before bed time meditative. Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol can cause discomfort in the body, so simple, natural hot drinks like this make a great way to enjoy a warming drink with out any of the consequences.
What are your favourite ways to unwind and relax at home? I’d love to hear about your practices in the comments below!
*This post is in conjunction with Rennie, but all thoughts are my own.*