Summer is drawing to a close and vacations are now a beautiful memory, but what can we do to avoid losing the physical and mental benefits of summer rest? What tricks can we put in place to avoid getting sucked into the vortex of commitments?
I have gathered in this article some tips for resuming a daily wellness routine, which is useful for not compromising the beneficial effects of the vacation despite resuming daily activities. A slow, gradual routine-the perfect way to start taking care of ourselves by doing an enjoyable activity.
Some small things can come in handy to help us maintain the positivity of the holiday spirit. Of course, now we are no longer absolute masters of our time as we were on vacation, so we need to come to terms with our occupations, and it is therefore necessary and important to take some time for ourselves and our balance.
Breathing and meditation
Breathing and meditation are two allies who will soon be accomplices in our well-being. Meditation allows us to get away from all kinds of distracting thoughts allowing us to focus only on the present moment, on the breath flowing from the body spontaneously.
Now that the weather still permits I recommend beingoutdoors, possibly in the morning or evening. A brisk walk, perhaps with company or with headphones in our ears, can be a good way to try our hand at a kind of “moving meditation.”
The advantage of this type of meditation is the combination of the benefit of breath concentration with the benefits given by physical movement. Step by step through the slow rhythm of our feet we move toward a form of knowledge and awareness of ourselves. It can be a beautiful way to reconnect with our inner selves and the beauty that surrounds us (even if it is a walk in a city park).
Brisk walking as a natural movement, which is easy to perform, carries few risks and at the same time allows you to develop energy and especially meditate. Meditation requires concentration and mindfulness, which goes well with the physical exercise of walking.
Remember to keep the body upright, the back straight, not stiff but firm and perpendicular to the ground, and the gaze with eyes half closed, facing 2 to 3 meters away. We hold our hands arranged just below the navel, close to the body’s most important energy center and joined together (palms facing the body). It is necessary to feel our body rooted in the earth, firmly grounded, as with movement we will feel contact with the ground, which will bring a feeling of grounding and concentration.
Also essential isattention to the breath, which must be in tune with the forward movement of the legs and feet. A step corresponds to a phase of inhalation and exhalation: remember to breathe with the abdomen through the nose.
Readings and digital detox
Another suggestion to take care of ourselves and keep us from getting overwhelmed by daily occupations is to read a good book. A great time can be in the evening, before bedtime. This will allow us to disconnect and enact the digital detox, turning off the smartphone or activating airplane mode and facilitating a good night’s sleep.
The choice of book is purely subjective and personal: we can range from a book of poems to a novel, a historical book, a classic or an essay. Be careful, however, not to keep the wee hours by being passionate about reading: it is essential to distract ourselves from our daily commitments but without overexerting ourselves.
Probiotics as allies of our well-being
Next, let’s not forget our wellness allies: probiotics. Taking them daily can help us resume our wellness routine after the summer break (and some inevitable dietary transgressions).
As mentioned before, for example during my advice on how Yoga can help you sleep better, probiotics are colonizing if taken regularly on a consistent basis and incorporated, of course, into good eating and exercise habits. By now, the physiological and therapeutic roles of probiotics are well known, and since they are live microorganisms that can reach, balance and support the bacterial flora of our intestines, they therefore counteract the proliferation of bacteria that are harmful to our bodies.
If we can put these simple tips into practice, it will be mathematical to get to dispel the cliché that after the vacations the resumption of daily activities is always felt traumatically. So why not give it a try?
Eleonora Biliotti
Yoga Teacher
