It’s amazing how much that time change changes things, right?

For me, the season of longer evenings, holidays, and chillier weather (though as a native New Yorker, getting away with wearing just a light sweater and a jacket in November is pretty awesome) means a desire to feel cozy, warm, and nurtured.

Holiday stress and SAD (seasonal affective disorder) are real, too, and so this is my annual PSA to encourage you to build in time to do the things that help you feel more grounded, relaxed, warm and nurtured. Some of my favorites are:

1) Drinking water and herbal tea (lots and lots). I’ve been loving this simple homemade tea boost your immunity and keep the sniffles at bay. Scroll down for the recipe.
2) Getting ye ol’ heart-rate going and blood flowing with regular exercise (sometimes feels counter-intuitive, but we all know it works).
3) Scheduling time with loved ones, and/or calling up long-distance friends and fam.
4) Making a visit to the hot tub, sauna and steam room (yay Kabuki Hot Springs!), or just taking a hot bath at home.
5) Eating nourishing, winter-friendly foods (the Ayurvedic tradition has some helpful wisdom about this. Google “Ayurveda + winter diet” and you’ll get all kinds of great info).
6) As much as possible, getting the sleep and rest I need, when I need it. (At this time of year, I seem to need more than usual — do you?)

And last but not least, scheduling time for bodywork. No bias, of course ; ) I was super impressed when I got bookings for later this month from a woman who said she was scheduling for herself and her boyfriend, as they were going to be traveling a lot for Thanksgiving and wanted to make sure they had their sessions to look forward to and help them recover. (If you think this sounds good, too, book your next session now). Preemptive health care, I love it!

So there you have it. There are as many ways to relax and healthfully nourish yourself as there are people in the world, so as always, I invite you to follow what feels good and better, and play around with it.

Love + warmth,
Helena

***

Easy Breezy Homemade Cold Fightin’ Tea

Ingredients:
1/2-1 lemon (organic preferred)
1 tbsp raw honey
one small garlic clove, diced
a dash or two of cayenne pepper
Thieves oil (optional)

Directions:
1) Boil water
2) As water is boiling, dice the garlic. Let the diced garlic sit for 5-10min. This allows time for it to form alliicin, a powerful health-promoting compound. You can read more about how that works here.
3) Squeeze the lemon juice into your favorite mug.
4) Pour in hot water, then add the garlic and honey.
5) Sprinkle on the cayenne pepper. Start with a dash or two and see how that goes : )
6) If you’re feeling fiesty, I like to stir in just a drop of Thieves Oil. Read about the health benefits of this time-tested, immune-boosting oil here.

Enjoy! And as my Nana would say: “Drink it in good health.”

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