Seeing Real Smiles | Beating Pandemic-Fueled Anger | How to Heal

There’s been an unlikely beneficiary of the pandemic—the world around us. Our planet. Our natural environments. Sheltering reduced air and noise pollution, made our beaches cleaner, let wildlife reclaim built-up land and even reduced temperatures in some cities by up to 5 degrees centigrade compared to pre-lockdown periods. It’s a huge win for the planet—and us—if we stop to think about it. So many of us are tentative about jumping back into life as we knew it. We must reestablish friendships, develop new routines and maybe even force ourselves to get out there and be social.

As a wellness consultant, here’s my recommendation to help you figure things out and improve your health and happiness—and at the same time get out in nature right now as much as possible!

It’s a well-substantiated fact that being in nature is critically important to our physical and mental wellbeing. Time spent outside might not only kickstart our new routines, but it may also help us develop more sustainable habits for ourselves and the world around us. And that’s something we should all consider undertaking to keep those environmental gains we reaped over the past 18 months from dwindling away.

So, if you sense a theme here, you’re right. With almost every restriction gone, this is the perfect time to boast about the benefits of the great outdoors and get out of the house. Make an “awe walk” part of your daily routine—preferably with friends. Smell a wildflower, follow a bee, jump in a puddle, hug a tree. And don’t forget your sunscreen!

Love,

BijaB

Neutralize Negativity and Cultivate Growth

Anger, or internalized negativity, is a normal response to unique circumstances, and it’s exactly what many of us have felt over the last 16 months thanks to the measures imposed on us thanks to the pandemic. Last summer pandemic-fueled anger was a topic of discussion everywhere, and by the time 2021 rolled around it developed into a clever portmanteau—“pangry.” In fact, our relationship with anger is complicated, which is the reason why we must understand it and use it to change our mindsets for the better. This belief inspired my first piece for Rolling Stone’s Culture Council—how to neutralize negativity and cultivate growth. I hope you find it helpful if your relationship with anger has been complicated during the pandemic and perhaps is still too intimate than you would like it to be.

How to Heal? Yoga Therapy Offers Restorative Solutions for All of Us

It’s more important than ever for all of us to sustain our physical and mental wellbeing right now thanks to the crisis we’ve survived. I mentioned this above, but this has had a huge impact on my work as a wellness consultant and yoga therapist. Yoga therapy is at the forefront of a new surge to embrace wellness practices and is rising in popularity and positioning in the public consciousness. Given my knowledge of yoga’s holistic offerings and specialized therapies for many of the health issues we face today, this doesn’t surprise me. As chair of the Global Wellness Institute Yoga Therapy Initiative, it also inspired my team’s latest contribution to GWI, this research piece on the six most significant and beneficial trends in Yoga Therapy. In truth, these are developments that reflect two certainties: yoga is millennia old, yet still so relevant and essential today that it has become an indispensable complement to modern medicine. This article will help you learn more about how yoga can change your life. I hope it encourages you to start your own healing yoga practice.

Communing With Nature as a Practice

After urging you to get outside and revel in nature, I couldn’t leave you without offering up some simple, effective and hopefully enjoyable ideas on how to make the most of the experience. For starters, get in the right mindset as you head outside. Then let go of your expectations. Here’s more on how to maximize the experience and become one with nature.

Breathing Into Life

“Breathwork” is now considered one of the top wellness trends according to the Global Wellness Institute’s 2021 Trends Report. Evidence-based research from neurobiology to physiology shows the transformative power of breathing techniques, indicating that how we breathe matters. As a breathing coach and consultant, I’ve always been an advocate of applying conscious breathing practices to improve both the body and mind. Breathing is good for you—and the intentional practice of inhaling and exhaling using certain strategies, such as nostril breathing, can help you reduce stress, sharpen your focus, worry less and live longer. Practice these yoga breathing exercises and let yourself experience the miraculous power of your breath! For more breathing lessons, get my book “Breathing Into Life” here.

Stay tuned, for a new breathwork program that I can’t wait to share with you.