Our bodies are continually bombarded with environmental pollutants and chemicals. Movement is key to releasing and cleansing our bodies of accumulated toxins. Here are a few simple suggestions.

Breathe:  Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and visualize a bright white light of Source streaming down from above into your crown chakra. Allow this energy to move down your spine, down your legs and your feet into Mother Earth. Imagine this energy flowing out from you in all directions to everyone and everything in the world. Breathe from your diaphragm with deep inhales and longer exhales to stimulate the immune system. Deep breathing helps balance and detoxify your lymph system.

Move Your Body:  Stagnation and congestion in the body create pain, inflammation and rigidity. Keep your body flexible and pain-free with a daily active lifestyle. Stretch, walk, bike, dance, run, play, climb, swing, jump, skip and explore all the different ways to move with enjoyment. Bounce on a rebounder or use the chi machine to move the lymph. Research shows 30 percent lower risk of cancer with regular exercise.

Work or Play in the Sun and Dirt:  Go outside and get some sun to increase vitamin D. Breathe in the fresh air to take more oxygen into your lungs, blood and brain. Gardening is a healthy activity that nourishes the body, mind and soul by helping you experience peace and joy. Walking and hiking in nature is low-impact exercise that helps to balance your body and brain. Being barefoot on the earth has a grounding effect that balances electromagnetic energy and supports overall health.

Dance:  Whether on the dance floor or in your kitchen, dancing increase feel-good hormones including endorphins and serotonin while decreasing stress hormones such as cortisol. Turn on your favorite music and dance like no one is watching.

Self-Massage the Lymphatic System:  A crucial function of the lymphatic system is to isolate infection and debris and transport it through filtration points called lymph nodes. Another important function of lymph tissue is generating and storing white blood cells which fight infection. Since our lymph fluid moves slowly without its own pump, inactivity can seriously restrict its flow. Muscle contraction, as in the diaphragm with deep breathing, and manual manipulation, as in massage, are the primary means for our lymph to circulate and drain from the body.

Start the self-massage with the lymph glands in the neck and gently stroke down to the top of the collar bone. Feel the hollow spot behind the collar bone and gently stretch the skin from the shoulder down toward the center of the body. This opens the lymph passages before they empty into the circulatory system.

Self-Massage Muscles and Nerves:  This can be as simple as pinching the skin between your fingers where the muscles feel knotted, generally at the shoulder, neck and back. Apply essential oils and press pressure points. Breathe out with a sound to release more pain. This also helps release stress feelings and emotions.

Reflexology points (nerve endings) on the feet and hands can be easily accessed when you are in an Epsom salt bubble bath or anytime you take your socks off. The points to focus on are the spine reflex along the inside of each foot, the toes, the soft pad under the toes, and especially under the little toe which is the shoulder reflex. A foot massage is a great practice to perform before going to bed to balance and relax the body for a good night’s sleep.

Using your thumb and forefinger, massage as deep as you comfortably can to release soreness and tenderness on feet or hands. Stretching the fingers each morning upon waking also helps to remove congestion. Cross your hands and fingers and turn them inside out and give a good stretch.

Move toward using quality pure essential oils as an adjunct to any movement you implement, giving you multiple benefits simultaneously. These suggestions can easily become a natural tendency for practical lifelong self-care. The next move is up to you.

 

Joyce Sobotta is the founder/owner of Healthy Girls Breast Oil and is available for presentations, consultations and essential oil classes. To learn more, visit AromatherapyNaturesWay.com. See ad, page 25.