By Jak Burke
Happy New Year – new and expectant parents from the Baby Does … NYC team!
Most people experience a dose of the blues after the holidays. It’s not just a sudden drop in consuming rich food and alcohol that affects us. The holidays are also a massive boost in communal energy. For example, community celebrations like Hanukkah and Christmas bring us together in fulfilling tribal and spiritual ways. January in stark contrast can feel like a flat, dull month wedged in between the holidays and Valentine’s Day.
But it’s not!
January is a wonderful cosmic opportunity to re-energize our energy bodies and focus our attentions onto what is most important. The Roman god Janus, after which our month of January is named, was a double-faced deity that looked back over the year before as well as looked forward to the year ahead. This god was one of reflection and contemplation. We can draw from the metaphysical energy of Janus and use his relatively quiet month to reboot our consciousness, and to detox from all of the consumer junk fed to us by the media over the Holidays.
Energy detox v Diet detox?
For those of us who are pregnant or lactating going on a detox diet might not be a safe option. As our body is a support system for another growing human being we need to nurture it through adequate nutrient intake. If you are contemplating a detox diet check in with your MD and make sure that what you are ingesting is not harmful to your fetus or infant.
Alternatively an energy detox is a much gentler practice that is easy and safe to implement. It will not cost a fortune or demand austere measures. It is designed to bring back an energetic balance between us and our environment.
Energy Detox Hack #1
Shared spaces
Begin by reviewing who in your life is a positive influence and who is a drain. Relatives who parasite your time and energy should have severely restricted access to you and your family. If you cannot avoid daily interacting with a negative person begin your day by surrounding yourself with a bright golden light. Visualize yourself connected to the all-empowering Universe from your crown while at the same time supported and rooted by Mother earth through your feet. When in the company of a negative person never stand directly in front of them, keep your body turned slightly to the side, either left or right. Do not look directly into their right eye, look into their left eye instead and do not maintain eye contact for long periods of time. Do not allow someone to dump toxic thoughts like office gossip or personal attacks on co-workers or their own ailments – onto you. Make an excuse to cut them off and move away. Do not allow someone to rest their hand on you while they complain about their lives. Keep your personal space positive and clean.
Energy Detox Hack #2
Home
Organize a new year’s clean. If you are unable to do it yourself hire a cleaner to give every nook and cranny a good scrub. Do not use harsh chemicals or bleach. Instead use plant-based fluids and baking powder to sanitize your space. Next up – edit out all of the unnecessary clutter. Throw out or donate clothes and furniture that you no longer need or use. Use a sage smudge stick to cleanse each room. Say a prayer for peace and designate it a holy, positive space. Try to include living plants and mineral rocks as a part of your decor. These will bring a positive natural energy to a home and connect us to other realms of existence.
Energy Detox Hack #3
Body
Take a long bath using Himalayan salts, Dead Sea salts and Epsom salts. Salt is rich in ionic minerals that help to cleanse and detox the body such as Sulfur and Magnesium. The experience itself of soaking in a warm bath provides a psychological boost. It also gives us a quiet space (especially if accompanied by gentle candle light) to rest our minds. Use a solution of 1% salt to 99% water that’s roughly two pounds of salt per a two gallon bath. After your bath lightly pat yourself dry or air dry your body. This will allow sore or tense muscles to loosen up. A soothing bath before bedtime will also prepare our bodies for a good night’s sleep. Sleep is a powerful detox tool and if we are not getting enough because of a restless baby or a teething toddler – we should look to others for help. Our partner, or relatives, or close friends can provide us with a much-needed child care break.
Energy Detox Hack #4
Nature
Make an effort everyday to get out into nature. If you live in a densely urban environment find an open park to visit. A space that has plenty of trees, diverse plant life and grassy areas to sit down on are ideal. For most of us – good town planning allows most citizens access to small pockets of unspoilt nature where we can hike and picnic with our families. Nature is rich in negative ionic elements and being close to the earth (bare feet on grass, hands on trees) or the ocean or river (toes in water) will restore our energy bodies and leave us feeling invigorated. One of my favorite times to roam is directly after a storm when the rain and grey clouds have cleared and the air is heavy in negative ions. Others find that sunrise and sunset are excellent occasions to reconnect with our beautiful planet.
Energy Detox Hack #5
Share some love
We can tell our partners and children how much we cherish and love them. We can make time to catch up with friends. Our children and friends will appreciate the extra devotion and will most likely return it. Love is the greatest boost for our immune systems and souls. Sharing a smile with a stranger, opening a door for someone and saying hello to our neighbors are all ways we can share positive vibes. Remember love begins with self-love. So schedule some regular downtime – that’s time just to be, with no fixed agenda. Time alone is an excellent opportunity for recharging our soul’s batteries. (I love to take myself on little dates. A trip to a bookstore or a stroll along the river are sometimes all I need to bounce back from fatigue.)
January then is a wonderful time to contemplate the year gone by. What would we change or do differently? January is also a great opportunity to plan the year ahead. What do we really want? Allow the two-faced god Janus to blow the cobwebs from our lives and realign us with the celestial bodies. We are more than bodies or minds. We are complex human beings with an enormous potential to effect global transformation. Let us all make 2016 a year of personal and collective transformation and peace.
Do you have any good detox plans? What are your hopes and dreams for 2016?
photo credit: mystiquemuse.com/2012/07/a-non-toxic-you-and-us/