Opening the Heart Chakra in Nature

   A few weeks ago, I was blessed with a relaxing, rejuvenating vacation to Maui, Hawaii. If you have never been there, you are missing out! It is a beautiful, gorgeous, unique island with breath-taking flora and fauna. The West Maui Mountains are green and lush. The Road to Hana is full of waterfalls, lava rock formations, and rolling green hills. The ocean is crystal clear with various shades of blue that highlight the colorful reef and tropical fish below the surface. Everyone is wearing flower lei's around their necks and plumeria blossoms above their ear. When you are in Hawaii, you are one with nature.    

   Throughout the island, I felt my heart chakra spinning wide open signifying a balanced energy field. When the heart chakra is balanced, one feels peaceful, loving, harmonious, happiness, and joy. The Heart Chakra is one of the most important chakras we have as it is the transitional point between our lower three and upper three chakras. Those who live their lives with a sense of compassion, unconditional love for all, and innate harmony are living their life from their Heart Chakra. Read our Healing Nurses blog to learn more about the Heart Chakra.

   Another unique attribute of the Heart Chakra is that it is associated with the color green. Whenever I was looking at the lush green landscape of Maui, I would immediately smile and my heart would fill with joy. I felt connected to the earth in ways I had never felt before.

   At the end of the Road to Hana, there is a gigantic 400 -foot waterfall that awaits you after you walk through a bamboo forest. The bamboo was perfectly, vibrantly green. As I walked through the bamboo forest, my senses were in overdrive. A strong breeze was blowing providing us with a natural wood chime as the bamboo clicked against each other and leaves rustled. The fresh air and smells of the forest were intoxicating. Everywhere I looked, green surrounded me. My Heart Chakra was so radiant and expanded that I felt I was walking through heaven. I realized that being in nature, in this perfect serene rainforest, was providing me with natural healing and balance.

   Through my Healing Touch training, I knew green was the color of the Heart Chakra. I had been in other tropical, beautiful locations before, but this was the first time I had felt my energy expand and my chakras stimulated on such a deep level. I felt other chakras open and expand as well during many more special moments on the island.

   We ventured to the top of Haleakala, Maui's dormant volcano that sits at 10,000 feet. We arrived at 6am, an hour before sunrise to watch the sun rise above the clouds. I was all bundled up, as it is very cold at 10,000 feet, and waited for the magnificent sunrise to occur. I found myself star gazing in awe as I pondered the vastness of the universe. My heart was beaming with gratitude as I recited in my head all of the beautiful things in my life I was grateful for. I even thought to myself, a shooting star would be the icing on the cake right now. A few seconds later, I was greeted by a blazing shooting star as it danced across the sky. My crown chakra (the seventh chakra that sits on top of your head) was spinning vibrantly. The Crown Chakra symbolizes your connection to the universe and your higher power. At this moment, I felt connected to a universal oneness. A second shooting star was another gift from above.

   The sunrise that morning on Haleakala was a spiritually invigorating event. My entire being felt balanced, peaceful, and overjoyed. I was connected in nature and witnessing the beginning of a new day with a magnificent display of color and light. Nature, mother earth, and the universe were all working in harmony to balance my chakras and promote my sense of peace and well-being.

   When you are in nature, pay attention to the subtle (or extreme) changes that occur in different areas of your body and the emotions that arise. Different colors will stimulate its correlating chakra, just as the abundance of green in nature helped to expand my heart chakra. Feel your feet connected to the earth. Envision the energy of the earth traveling up through your feet to your heart chakra. Allow this sensation to fill your heart with the earths unlimited supply of natural healing energy.  Opening your heart chakra in nature will bring you peace, love, harmony, and balance.

Loving my nature walk through the bamboo forest

                                                            Beautiful Green Bamboo
                                      
                                                              Awaiting the sunrise

                                              The sun rising above the clouds at Haleakala

7 Essential Tips for Wellness

I frequently get asked for suggestions on what I do to maintain my health and wellness.  Although this is not a complete list, I would say that it is the core of my routine.  By following these 7 essential tips on optimal wellness, you can find a balanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

1.  Yoga-  Yoga is known to lower stress, decrease anxiety, and promote a greater sense of peace.  All of that is just from a mental perspective.  The physical benefits of yoga include building lean muscle mass, improving flexibility, and gaining strength and endurance.  Yoga can decrease your blood pressure as well as your cholesterol.  Yoga focuses on asanas or postures that open different energy centers in your body- your chakras.  Basically, yoga is amazing.  It is a powerhouse activity that balances your mind, body, and spirit.


2.  Epsom salt baths- After that first yoga class you take, no better way to follow up a detoxifying yoga class than with a detoxifying epsom salt bath. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.   Some of the countless health benefits of epsom salt include: relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, soothing back pain and aching limbs, easing muscle strain, healing cuts, treating cold and congestion, and drawing toxins from the body. One of the simplest ways to ease stress and stress-related problems is to soak in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of Epsom Salt added. It has the beneficial properties that can soothe the body, mind and soul.  Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils and it becomes a heavenly retreat!


3.  Healing Touch-  As a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, of course I am going to mention Healing Touch.  Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing energy therapy where a practitioner uses their hands to release congested energy in the body and biofield around the body.  Healing Touch focuses on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, so it is a total therapy.  If you have pain, your stressed out, or grieving the loss of a loved one, a Healing Touch treatment will help you through all of these life issues.

All healing is self healing.  We all have this innate ability to heal ourselves.  One way this can be done is through a Self Chakra Connection.  Follow along with the picture and hold each one for about a minute.  Imagine healing energy being sent from your hands directly to the part of the body your are touching.  This technique opens all of the major and minor chakras in the body and will have you feeling your best in no time.     I make sure to do a treatment on myself at least once daily.   Usually it is before a yoga class while I lay on my mat and right before I fall asleep.  I usually fall asleep before I finish all of the pictures...what a great side effect of Healing Touch....a good night's sleep!  To schedule your appointment for Healing Touch, visit my website  www.healingnurses.com.

4.  Nutritional Healing-  Diet and Nutrition play a huge role in your wellness.  You are what you eat....so if you are eating tons of fried, fatty, and processed foods, you are not going to feel very good.  Sticking to foods as close to their original form is the best, so think veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean chicken or fish.  I personally start my day by drinking a green juice, a mixture of green leafy vegetables and green apple.  By drinking this on an empty stomach, all of the nutrients will go directly into my cells and infuse my body with some goodness.  I also enjoy drinking fruit and veggie smoothies   mixed with greek yogurt for that protein punch.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a glass of wine and some dark chocolate every now and then.  But moderation is key!


5.  Nature-  Have you ever walked along the beach or through the woods on a hike and felt stressed out??  Mother Nature with all of her glory has many calming, soothing effects.  Get outside!  Look around at all the beauty nature holds and appreciate it!  Go hug a tree.  No, really, go hug a tree and see how amazing it feels.  I play a lot of music during my Healing Touch treatments that have nature sounds and many times my client will comment how they felt like they were out in nature and it was so peaceful.  They realize how long it had been since they actually heard the sound of real ocean waves or a bird calling.  Try to spend more time in nature and find a calm, relaxing, peaceful mindset.


6.  Gratitude-  Studies have shown that people who practice gratitude tend to be happier, have fewer physical ailments,  are more optimistic, better able to cope with life stressors, and sleep better.  The University of California: Davis, recently completed a Research Study on Gratitude and its results will have you running to your nearest journal to start writing about what you are grateful for on a daily basis.  Sometimes, I will start naming off things I'm grateful for while I'm driving.  The time goes by so fast!   I feel so calm and at peace when I realize all that I am truly thankful for on a regular basis.


7.  Love-  Perhaps the most important tip for optimal wellness is Love.  I know you all love your family and friends, but the kind of love I am talking about here is Self-love.  Truly loving yourself is one of the most healing things you can do for yourself.  Letting go of negative talk, self-doubt, and resentment for previous mistakes will help you to find that self-love.  You are perfect just the way you are and deserve all the love this world has to offer.  So go ahead, look in the mirror and tell yourself, "I love you."  Your path to wellness is on its way.

What would your 7 Essential tips for Wellness be???  How do you maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit??  Leave your tips in the comment section and see how many positive changes you can help another person make on their path to optimal health and wellness.