Aromatic Christmas Ornaments

Oranges have been a traditional Christmas gift for centuries. Its origin stems from the rareness of these citrus fruits. Many years ago, it was very expensive to purchase oranges, and Christmas time was when they were "in season", so they could be purchased as elaborate and expensive gifts. As well, many children would put oranges, carrots and hay in their shoes for a gift for Santa's reindeer.

The Orange Christmas Ornament, is one of my favourite Christmas Traditions. I have previously mentioned how much I love Aromatherapy, and this gift has a fragrance that will fill your home with a wonderful warm aroma for about 2 weeks. It is also incredibly easy to make. 

Aromatherapy:

Orange Oil : Orange is delightfully bright, cheery, and a strong antidepressant! It is also refreshing and relaxing. Which makes it a perfect scent for the holidays!! 

Clove Buds : First, clove has a very valuable first aid benefit. It actually numbs the nerves, making it an emergency treatment for toothaches. It's scent is said to be an aphrodisiac in small quantities. It is also stimulating to the mind and memory, helpful in cases of fatigue and depression. It is also used for various pulmonary afflictions such as asthma, sinus infections and bronchitis. 

Pairing these two scents together will make a wonderful, uplifting scent for the Holiday Season.

What You Will Need :

- Oranges

- Bowl of clove buds ( best purchased in bulk from Bulk Barn )

- Ribbon

- Toothpicks

- Small ornaments for decoration

Step 1: Wrap the ribbon around the oranges in an "X" or cross pattern and trace out where your ribbon will be going to hold up the orange. This gives us a template for where we will be putting our cloves.

Step 2 : Use a toothpick and poke holes in the spaces where there will not be ribbon. I always do straight lines from top to bottom. It is MUCH easier to use the toothpick first instead of trying to push the cloves right in. Your fingers will get very sore if you don't use the toothpick! Once your holes are made, insert clove buds.

Step 3 : Repeat for all 4 sections

Step 4 : Wrap your ribbon around the orange, so that you can tie it at the top. I used two different styles of ribbon, so that the thicker style could be tied in a bow, and the thin style used to hang the orange.

Step 5 : Tie a small ornament onto the top of the orange for a decoration. I used small Christmas bells, purchased from Dollarama. 

Step 6 : Hang or give your ornament as a gift!!

These are an easy home-made gift done on a budget that everyone will love! They DO spoil, so they should not be kept longer than 2 weeks. Merry Christmas!! 

The Dr. Oz Show

I don't get the opportunity to watch very mutch day time television, but when I do I always try to catch the Dr. Oz Show. I personally enjoy the show because he tries to introduce people to the alternative styles of medicine and healing. As well, he is incredibly knowledgeable in nutrition. Now sometimes I must say, he can be a little over the top, but in all in all, this guy knows his stuff!

I would like to share a link to a video clip from his website. It is an Alternative Health Series and it focuses on Ayurvedic Medicine. It is a short segment but it will help to give you an idea of what Ayurveda is about! I practice quite a few healing modalities from Ayurveda and mention it on here quite a bit. I have found that my health has improved immensely since I started including some of the Ayurvedic principles into my routine, and most of them are easy enough for everyone to enjoy. In this video series, there's information on digestive issues, Alzheimer's prevention, anti-aging and much much more!! So check it out and enjoy some helpful information from a culture that has been taking care of their minds, bodies and spirits for thousands of years!!

Dr. Oz Alternative Health Series : India

Breathe Your Way To Better Health

I want you to pay attention to the way you are breathing as you read this. Are you breathing through your mouth? Does your chest rise and fall as you breathe? We are intelligent enough to figure out that we need to breathe to live, but do you know the way you breathe can influence your health? It may seem silly to write about the importance of breathing but this automatic response is not only necessary for life, it is also used in holistic medicine to help us to connect the mind and body through awareness.

When we get stressed we breathe shallowly, when we're startled we gasp. No matter the emotion, we experience it one breath at a time. Have you ever watched a an infant sleeping? Its abdomen rises and falls effortlessly as it breaths through the nose. Our breathing patterns have been altered by stress. Our breathing patterns are direct reflections of our physical, mental and emotions states of mind. Shallow breathing is associated with the body's flight-or-fight response. Habitual chest breathing causes the body to think it is in a constant state of stress. Breathing from the diaphragm however, sends a message to our body that everything is A-OK.

Full and efficient breathing forces the stomach to rise as air fills the diaphragm ( area between stomach and lungs ) and then the lungs. Proper breathing decreases anxiety, depression, irritability, muscle tension and fatigue. Having good breathing habits will enhance overall health, providing increased energy, better brain function, increased circulation and better nervous system function. 

The key to improving your breathing is to first take notice how you breathe. Make a point of checking it throughout the day. Again, the abdomen should inflate first, then chest and deflate with each exhalation. It's also important to breathe through your nose because if you breathe through your mouth, your lungs receive cold, unfiltered air. 

I would like to share one of my favourite breathing exercises that I use daily:

Alternate Nostril Breathing

We rarely ever breath out of just one nostril at a time. By doing this Ayurvedic breathing technique, not only does it have all the benefits I wrote previously, but it actually works in opening up the energy channels of the body. As well, breathing in through the left nostril alone will access the "feeling" hemisphere of your brain, and breathing through the right side will access the "thinking" side. Consciously breathing through each nostril at a time will allow you to energize and activate your whole brain. Not to mention it is INCREDIBLY relaxing and helps to clear out any stuffy noses.

Step 1: Breathe out fully through the nose, emptying the diaphragm and chest

Step 2: Use your right thumb to close off your right nostril 

Step 3: Breathe in deeply through the left nostril, filling the diaphragm first, then chest, until it is felt right up in the base of your neck

Step 4: Pause for a second or two

Step 5: Now close left nostril with your ring finger and release your right nostril

Step 6: Breathe out completely out of your right nostril

Step 7: Now inhale deeply through right nostril

Step 8: Pause

Step 9: Use thumb to close right nostril and release left nostril

Step 10: Breathe completely out of left nostril

You have just completed one round of Alternate Nostril Breathing. As a beginner, start with one or two rounds and try working up to five. Once you are done, sit quietly for a few minutes and return your breathing to normal. 

Including this exercise into your daily routine will make you feel great! It is a wonderful stress reliever and can even be done before bed to help get a relaxing night's sleep. Remember to try to breathe in fresh air whenever you can and combining breath awareness with nature walks or meditation is a great way to practice and appreciate the breath of life!