Wind-Down Time

Something happened in the time between now and my last blog post. I had a baby. And in the short time she has been with us she has already taught me so many important lessons, such as:

Life is amazing.

Always wake up laughing.

Stop checking emails / texting / tweeting / posting on Facebook. The person in front of you deserves your undivided attention.

When you’re feeling sad, slow dance with someone you love. 

But perhaps the biggest gift she’s given me is our "Wind-Down Time". This is when we get into our coziest jammies, turn off the lights, turn on Renee and Jeremy’s It’s a Big World, Baby and silently stare at the neon yellow stars on the ceiling until our eyes get really droopy.

As I inhale the intoxicating scent of freshly bathed baby and run my fingers through her super soft hair, it doesn’t matter what craziness the day may have brought. She sighs her sleepy sigh and my heart rate slows down. The stress knots in my muscles begin to melt away. My breath becomes even. And in that precious moment, I am completely present.

In a world where everything seems to glow, beep or ring, demanding to be answered now, that kind of peace and is hard to come by. I’m so glad I get to enjoy it—even if it’s only for a little while. 

Soft Music Is As Relaxing As A Massage

Soft music can provide the same stress relief as a pricey massage.
(Photo © istockphoto/Neustockimages)

Musician and composer Jeff Gold recently sent me a copy of his CD, Escapes, which consists of 60 minutes of instrumental music designed for massage treatments, yoga, and just about any activity that requires a relaxing soundtrack.

As I sipped a cup of Eco Tea and listened to Jeff’s compilation, I began thinking about soothing music in general. I usually gravitate toward meditative chanting and ambient sounds when I want to wind down (think Krishna Das, Deva Premal, and Brian Eno), but I know that my playlist of calming tunes may not be the same as yours. Musical preferences aside, it seems that when any soothing track is combined with deep breathing, it will have the same effect.

A recent study by scientists at the Group Health Institute in Seattle showed that deep breathing and soft music are just as effective in relieving stress as a pricey massage. This is good news for those seeking affordable wellness since a CD costs about $10 while a 60-minute massage typically costs $100 and up. “We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of ‘thermotherapy’ or listening to relaxing music,” said Karen Sherman, a senior researcher at the Seattle-based health co-operative, according to the Daily Telegraph. “This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalized relaxation response.”

For more FREE relaxing sounds, download Todd Boston’s album Alive (and if you like what you hear, support the creation of Todd’s next album):

OR listen to this ambient sound design project by Matthew Wakem that was inspired by water (and contact him to design music for your spa, hotel, or lounge):

Ambient Water Mix by Wakem Sound Design

Yoga Improves Mood and Lessens Anxiety, Study Says

A study shows yoga results in increased GABA levels.
(Photo © Matthew Wakem)

I recently attended a Vinyasa yoga class during which instructor Ashley West Roberts asked us to stay low in Utkatasana for at least 10 breaths so that we could “sit with our negative feelings.” If you’ve practiced Chair Pose before, you know exactly what negative feelings Ashley was talking about. Your leg muscles burn, your arms start to get heavy, and you just want to stand up and shake it all out. But you don’t. You take deep ujjayi breaths instead. And if you’re feeling particularly masochistic, you challenge yourself to sit a little lower.

Strangely enough, it’s moments like these that keep me coming back to the mat. That’s because there’s a certain feeling of peace that comes with each deep breath. The tension in your muscles begins to release. Your heart rate slows down to a steady pace. And this happens regardless of how difficult the pose is.

I used to call this feeling the yoga bug and watched as more and more of my friends were bitten by it. But according to the results of a 12-week study conducted by doctors at the Boston University School of Medicine, the calming feeling yoga induces has nothing to do bugs at all. Rather, it’s the result of an increase in GABA levels in the body.

GABA (or gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter that suppresses the action of nerve cells. Think of it as a natural calming agent released by the brain that signals muscles to relax. Brain scans of study participants who reported a relaxed mood and decreased levels of anxiety after practicing yoga revealed that certain areas of their brains were flooded with GABA. Though more studies are required to determine the role GABA plays in lessening anxiety among yoga practitioners, there’s no doubt a regular yoga practice is a surefire stress reliever.

Of course, this study is just one more great reason to turn to yoga when you’re having an off day. So go ahead, unroll your mat, breathe through the tension, and let the GABA flow.

3 Reasons Why You Should Rest

Sleeping in is good for your health.
(Photo © istockphoto/Yuri Arcurs)

It’s a cold, gray and rainy day here in the Bay Area, which makes me just want to stay in bed snuggled up in a soft, cozy blanket all afternoon. But instead I’m trying to get a head start on my work week. I often wonder why I feel guilty about taking a load off. It’s kind of ironic since as a wellness expert, that’s what I tell everyone they should be doing. So, if like me, you need to justify why rest is actually necessary before you can feel good about taking a slow day, here are three good reasons to laze around:

1. Too much stress now could lead to dementia later on. According to a recent research study released by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, psychological stress in middle age can lead to dementia later in life, mainly in the form of Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Sleeping today can actually make you more creative tomorrow. In an article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, researchers found that the brain is not only consolidating memories during sleep, it is also reorganizing them—a process that is believed to enhance our ability to come up with creative, new ideas during waking hours.

3. A daytime nap may lead to better cardiovascular health. Ryan Brindle and Sarah Conklin, PhD, from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania conducted an experiment to examine the effects of daytime sleep on cardiovascular recovery. The results: Sleeping between 45 and 60 minutes during the day appears to facilitate blood pressure recovery after a mental stress task in the laboratory.

Related Links:
University of Gothenburg (2010, August 19). Stress in middle age could contribute to late-life dementia.
Association for Psychological Science (2010, December 17). Sleep makes your memories stronger, and helps with creativity.
Springer Science+Business Media (2011, February 28). Napping may help with blood pressure management.

3 Steps to Stress Relief

Lavender-scented aromatherapy oil has a calming effect.
(Photo © istockphoto/elenathewise)

Feeling stressed? A massage is one surefire way to relieve tension, but you don’t always have the time (or the money) to get one. So what do you do to get some peace of mind in a pinch? Here’s a 3-step process I personally swear by:

Step 1: Play an ongoing om. There’s a reason yogis chant the mantra “om” before a yoga class. This sacred syllable is believed to be the sound of the universe, and reciting it or reflecting on it has a deeply meditative, harmonizing effect.  (This is the Om CD I use at home.)

Step 2: Light some lavender essential oil. Lavender is one of the most powerful remedies in the plant world. When used in aromatherapy, the scent of lavender helps calm the nervous system, providing relief for mental tension, anxiety, depression, emotional stress, and even migraines.

Step 3: Put your legs up against a wall. Viparita Karani or Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose is an easy, restorative yoga pose that relaxes your nervous system and adrenals, lowers your heart rate, and reduces tension in your legs, feet, and lower back. Check out Yoga Journal for a photo of the pose along with some great tips on how to do it.

Bonus Tip: Five minutes will do the trick, though I highly recommend at least 15. Let me know how it goes!