In this article, we will discuss how to practice mindfulness meditation and how it can help us become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

Why is Self-Awareness Important?

Self-awareness is a key component of emotional intelligence. It allows us to understand our own emotions and how they are impacting our thoughts and behaviours. When we are aware of our feelings, we can better manage them and stay in control during challenging situations.

Increased self-awareness can also lead to improved mental health.

The importance of mental health awareness can hardly be overstated. We become more accepting of ourselves and others because we understand where our behaviour comes from. This leads to less stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions that can cause mental health problems over time if left unchecked.

Also, skin may feel more sensitive when you’re sick, and that applies as well to mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. Working on your self-awareness can help you to manage the symptoms of those illnesses and feel more in control.

How does Mindful Meditation help Increase Self-Awareness?

Mindfulness meditation is a way to pay attention to the present moment, without any judgment or expectation. You don’t need to have access to retreat centres to practice mindful meditation. You can meditate anywhere and anytime, whether you’re at home or out in public—of course, it will be easier in designated retreat locations but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it elsewhere.

The goal is not about controlling your thoughts or feelings, but rather observing them as an outsider would observe clouds floating by on a clear day without letting what’s happening in your head affect how you act now.

This helps us to become more aware of our feelings, thoughts, and behaviours so we can better understand them. We also learn how these things affect other people.

Mindful meditation does not have any specific rules for how long or how often you should practice it. Some people choose to meditate for 20 minutes twice a day, while others may do so only once per week but with longer sessions lasting up to an hour at a time!

The key is finding what works best for your schedule and lifestyle as well as what feels most comfortable when you’re doing it. If you’re having a difficult time carving out time for yourself, we suggest looking into a meditation retreat where they will guide you through meditating as well as provide some space for self-reflection. Often held in meditation centres, these can also be run in yoga studios or at home if you want something more private.

What are the Benefits?

There are many benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual—to practicing mindful meditation and increasing self-awareness.

When you are more aware of your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours, it becomes easier to manage them. You will be able to identify the sources of those things so that they don’t control how you act in any given situation. This leads not only towards better mental health but also helps improve physical wellness too!

Additionally, if one is more mindful of what they eat and how much exercise they get, then their life will be better because it doesn’t just focus on one thing but all aspects that make up who we are as human beings.

When you become self-aware, you can also reduce stress levels in your body which leads to several different health benefits including lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and improved cardiovascular health. Finally, increased self-awareness can also lead to a greater sense of spiritual connectedness, if you are so inclined.

So How Can I Get Started?

As we’ve mentioned, mindfulness meditation is something that you can do anywhere at any time!

If you want some guidance on how to start or need a little more direction, we suggest looking into a meditation retreat. There are many different types of these out there and you don’t need to go very far from home to find one that will work for you.

If attending a physical location is not your thing or if funds are tight, check out some online courses or guided meditations that can be found with a quick internet search. Many apps can help you to get started with mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness is not a cure-all, but it can help you become more aware of your feelings and thoughts so that they don’t control how act in any given situation. This type of meditation has many benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—to those who practice regularly!

The next time you feel stressed or anxious, try sitting down for five minutes and focusing on your breath. Notice how it enters through your nose and out through your mouth as if there were an invisible string tied between these two points pulling them together while keeping everything else still around you. This will help calm any negative feelings that might be bubbling up inside of us here at present moment!

Mindful meditation is a great way to increase self-awareness, but it is important not only to practice this technique regularly but also to make sure that you’re doing so with an open mind and heart. Whatever way you choose to go about it, make sure that you find time for yourself every day to do something that brings you peace and calm. The world is a noisy place and we could all use a little more peace in our lives!

Credit: Aussy Aportadera

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Brief background

Rosehip oil – also known as rosehip seed oil – is extracted and pressed from the seeds of a wild rose bush. A wild rose bush is the layman’s term for a specific shrub namely Rosa moschata, Rosa rubiginosa or Rosa canina. These members of the Genus Rosa can be found along the southern part of the Andean Mountains in South America, Europe, and South Africa. It is also discovered that rosehip oil has long been known since the ancient Egyptian times, the Mayans, and the Native Americans. From healing to beauty, the rosehip oil served a lot of purposes – and it served well. The secret of the gods unveiled!

During the modern age

The rosehip oil became every beauty enthusiasts’ staple way back in 2012. This rose to fame in 2017, reaching the mainstream world through a great number of people including the influence of Britain’s sustainable fashion empress, Victoria Beckham, Victoria’s Secret angel and CEO of KORA Organics, Miranda Kerr, and the Duchess of Cambridge herself, Kate Middleton. Amazing and inspirational women with skin glowing to perfection? What a powerful combination!
 

Benefits of rosehip oil

 
Rosehip oil is loved by those fabulous women for a reason. This has been working wonders not only in the beauty industry but also on the medical field. Here are the reasons why rosehip oil is hip and healthy for you:

1. It is an anti-aging superstar.

Rosehip oil contains a high level of antioxidants rich in high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A, thus promoting collagen production making your skin look younger and softer. It also lessens the appearance of wrinkles, discoloration, and fine lines from the sun’s harmful UV rays. This oil has the ability to penetrate your skin up to the deeper layer making every drop worth it. Now that’s why it’s an anti-aging superstar!

2. It is an effective moisturizer.

Moisturizing is an important step towards a healthy-looking skin. With the help of rosehip oil, your skin will be deeply hydrated making it less dry. Rosehip oil contains some of the most essential fatty acids such as linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acid. According to a well-known New York City-based dermatologist, Kenneth Howe, M.D., rosehip oil has one of the most important elements of the skin’s main moisturizing component called ceramides – the linoleic acid. It is widely loved because rosehip oil can be easily absorbed by the skin making it less greasy and much perfect for everyday use.

3. It has rejuvenating properties.

Not only it can aid in slowing down aging, but it also optimizes the elasticity of your skin. As a result, your skin will appear bright, firm, and tight. Imagine the likes of Miranda Kerr gushing over this natural ingredient over high-end products? If you’ve always wanted to have that special kind of glow, rosehip oil is the answer.

4. It may remove or prevent stretch marks.

Stretch marks occur for different reasons. The common denominator of having it is the damaged collagen and elastin production. As much as we want it to go away completely, we can’t. Though stretch marks fade over time, the strong nutrients of rosehip oil can improve the cell and tissue regeneration at an optimal level. Using rosehip oil during pregnancy (Note: It is advised to consult first with your doctor) can prevent stretch marks from happening.

5. It boosts your immune system.

Rosehip oil goes beyond skin-deep. Its vitamin C component is not just protecting you from the damaging effects of being outdoors but it is also protecting you from bacteria and infection entering your body as well as improving your collagen production for healthier muscles and bones. Instead of oil, the latter is best achieved by taking rosehip in the form of a tea or a supplement. A strong immune system means healthy hair and nails too.

6. It lowers the rate of inflammation.

According to a study from the Arthritis Foundation, the seed pods of roses turned into rosehip powder aids in giving a soothing effect decreasing the presence of inflammation, so you can catch up with your yoga and exercises. You can add a drop or two on your bath or simply massage it onto your skin. Rosehip oil is also used in treating other skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis as well as skin burns and scars.
 

The essence

Rosehip oil doesn’t need diluting like essential oils, this means that you can use it straight from the bottle and apply, rub and massage it directly into your skin. No fuss, just fast.

I guess the secret to having healthy and glowing skin is not that hard and fancy as finding a wish-granting genie or collecting emblems or stones. So, whether you’re dreading about an unexpected pimple, having a vacation, or attending a yoga retreat, make sure there is a presence of rosehip oil in your purse. Remember: glowing (and healthy!) skin is always in.
 
 
By Joyce Fugnit for RetreatHub
 
 

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The post 6 Reasons Why We Love Rosehip Oil (And Why You Should Too!) appeared first on RetreatHub.

And it’s highly customizable – instead of Coconut oil you can use Olive oil, Grapeseed oil, Almond oil or a combination of all of the above. That is a big part of the fun – testing and trying what you like best. Same goes for scent – you can use any essential oils that you have on hand – Lavender, Sage, Tee Tree, Peppermint, Bergamot etc.

As for colour – you can use any dried herbs, flowers, food colourings or you can use nothing at all – that’s the part where you can go crazy or go home (kidding!) OR go minimalist – the choice is yours!

The reason I like using Coconut oil in my scrubs is because of its texture when set – solid but still soft.  Also, it has antiviral and antibacterial properties AND a long shelf life – at least 5 years. But trust me – your scrub won’t last that long – I bet you will finish that jar in a matter of weeks.

Today I’m using pink Himalayan salt in my scrub, but I’ve tried and tested  different salt types over the years and I found that regular sea salt and pink salt work best for scrubs. Whereas Dead Sea and Epsom salts are just a bit too soft for scrubbing, however you are welcome to try it if you like your scrub to be more gentle on the skin.

Today I’m using a combination of Lime and Grapefruit essential oils for their uplifting properties with just a few drops of Eucalyptus Lemon for freshness. I find that it’s really good to use Eucalyptus (regular or Eucalyptus Lemon) in bath products as it makes the scent more long-lasting, and you only need a few little drops. Other great essential oils to use are Tea Tree, Peppermint and Lemon Balm, again only 3-5 drops is sufficient to add that extra bit of long-lasting “freshness” to your scent.

For colour I’m using pink clay, strawberry seeds and dried rose petals. I’ve also added a pinch of milled olive stones for a bit of extra “scrubbiness” (is that even a word?).

I like using Kilner jars for my scrubs, because they are reusable, easy to clean and airtight which is important if we want to keep our scrubs fresh for longer. Also, please remember to keep your scrub away from direct contact with water to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.

COCONUT AND SALT SCRUB

Ingredients:

• Pink Himalayan Salt – 525g
• Coconut Oil – 150g
• Grapefruit Essential Oil – 60 drops
• Lime Essential Oil – 90 drops
• Eucalyptus Lemon Essential Oil – 3 drops

Instructions:

1. Melt the coconut oil, make sure not to overheat it.
2. Pour melted oil into salts and stir. If you are using any other oils together with coconut oil, you can add them now.
3. Add essential oils and stir.
4. Lastly, add colour and dried ingredients.
5. Transfer into an airtight container.

AND ENJOY! You can make these scrubs for yourself, for your friends and family or as Christmas presents. Also, it would make a great activity for your yoga retreat. Your participants will have so much fun making these and will have nice little souvenirs to take home after their retreat. Please send us pictures! Or tag us on Instagram @retreathub

Author: Olga Kidyuk

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