Spring Cleaning for Mind, Body, & Spirit -3 Things You Can Do Today

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Oil Pulling

If you’ve never heard of pulling, what you are about to read may sound, well, gross. We thought so too, until we started applying this technique on a daily basis in an effort to alleviate sinus and allergy irritation. According the Wikipedia:

“Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional folk remedy where oil is swished or held in the mouth. Ayurvedic literature states oil pulling is capable of improving oral and systemic health, including a benefit in conditions such as headaches, migraines, diabetes mellitus, asthma, and acne, as well as whitening teeth. Oil pulling is known as “Kavala” or “Gandusha” in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. Its promoters claim it works by “pulling out” “toxins”, which are known as ama in Ayurvedic medicine, and thereby reducing inflammation.”

In simple terms: You put a couple of teaspoons of oil (coconut, sesame, or olive) in your mouth and start out by swishing it around for 5 minutes and eventually build up to 15 or 20 minutes. If you are unsure which oil to choose, start with sesame; a study showed that it had more bacteria killing power than coconut oil. 20 minutes is the optimum time, as it is the tipping point between maximum pulling of toxins without reabsorption into the body.

Don’t spit in the sink! Spit into a trashcan, rinse your mouth with a little water and brush your teeth.
The nice thing about this spring cleaning tip is that it is inexpensive, easy (once you get used to it), and cannot really do too much harm as long as you are not allergic to the oil. Give it a try and let us know what you think. We will publish updates on our experience, so check back!

Meditating

Very cost effective –as a matter of fact, it’s free. Start small, 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to 20 minutes or more. Meditating doesn’t have to be hard, or “obvious”. You can attain a relaxed state of mind sitting in your favorite chair, or lounging in the driver’s seat, parked at a scenic overlook. (or while pulling!). Ironically, most people “overthink” meditation and believe that unless they are completely clear headed and relaxed with no intrusive thoughts – they failed. This is not the case! One tip for getting started is to light a candle and stare at the flame for five minutes while concentrating on deep breathing. There are many free resources available for meditation online. Start with just a few minutes, and work your way towards a level that pleases you.

Drinking Clean, Pure Water

Add a water filter to your faucet. Tap water can stir up emotions in many health conscious people who feel very strongly that it contains dangerous chemicals and toxins. If you are on the fence, or think that it couldn’t hurt to give it a try, we can’t provide a scientific analysis of water filtration systems, but we can tell you about our recent experience with the Pur Faucet Filter.

The filter is small and stylish, and easy to install. We installed ours by hand, using no tools at all.

1: unscrew the aerator on the faucet
2: find the connector (they give you a variety bag of connectors) and screw that in where the aerator was
3: Snap the filter in place.

You’re done. The package will have directions which explain that you need to run water through the filter for a while to flush it. Once that is done, this little filter provides two great things:
Easy access to the regular faucet for rinsing pots and pans
Quick on demand filtered water, with great water pressure (something was lacking from the last several filters we tried)

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Pur Water Filter:

Five Minute Meditation:

Sesame Oil: