Hi everyone,
This week I write you from home where I have forced myself to stay put for the day in an effort to rest and recoup from a nasty case of bronchitis.
Lame.
This time, I fought against feeling bad for a little too long, didn't take proper care of myself and then before I knew it I was sick as a dog and everything seemed to be a nightmare spiraling out of control.
I went from strong, grounded yogi to lonely old bag in a day’s time!
So this week I have decided to send you a letter chock-full of my own wellness tips for the modern yogi.
These offerings can be stored in your back pocket for a rainy day or for when your own immunity is down. They can assist you in getting better fast and surrendering rather than entering the nightmare I just did. (Yes, I am human and spiral out into nightmare land from time to time too.)
These tips can also be practiced or used as preventative care. They may inspire you to think outside, inside and all around the box when it comes to self-healing. Listen to your body. Be your own advocate.
Don’t wait till it is spiraling out of control before you settle in for a little Wellness Gone Wild.
Here we go!
1. Listen and surrender. Already mentioned above. This is important. If you have an awesome relationship with the practice of listening to your body you can detect signs of low immunity early and catch it with consciousness on the onset. Say that five times fast. We can of course apply this to the emotional body as well. Yoga is a great tool for fine tuning the craft of listening. A bitchin tool in self-healing right off the bat.
2. Affirmations. Try them. The mind is so powerful and so are your words. I share some thoughts on this in Yoga For When You Are Sick. Practice “My immune system works perfectly” while you rest in bed. Or mute your commercials and do it then. Or while you bathe. (If you are a person who bathes.) This week I practiced, “I breathe full and easy. My body is amazing.” WHY NOT? I chanted it to myself in between coughing fits. It was frustrating for sure. But the mind is so powerful. Heal thyself! Stay conscious. Try to avoid the “I want to die” and “no one cares about me being sick” talk. It is not true and your body is listening.
3. Neti Pot. Is. What. Is. UP. I have been meaning to do a neti pot video for you for quite some time. I’m sure it will be hilarious. The neti pot is an excellent tool for preventative care. It can be a little daunting at first but once you get the hang of a nasal cleanse... oooowheee! You won’t ever go back…
4. Dosha do’s and don’ts. In the coming year I plan to share more Ayurvedic talk and studies with you. But for now, whether you are familiar with your body type/dosha or not – consider everything. Sometimes watching or staring at a TV screen for 6 hours can be zapping for the system. While it is good to take a day off when you are sick – do listen to see if after 4 straight episodes of The Killing you are feeling calm and rejuvenated. Take a break from your screens if you can. I go all the way. I light a candle (or two) for myself. Read or listen to some healing mantras. I suggest Mantras For Precarious Times. One of my go to playlists on my Spotify too - where you can find it for free. Healing jams. You can do some gentle yoga to them too.
5. Fluids. Seems like a no brainer but I fear we simply are not drinking enough water. I know I am not. I used to be so good at drinking water. Wha happened? So, now, you’re sick and dehydrated. No good. Drink lots of water.
Avoid sugar, coffee, wine and whiskey shots.
A very kind and beautiful person made this for me at the coffee shop near my house. I then went and got the ingredients to make my own. It is a great and natural expectorant. It’s healing agents are also magic and mysterious – just like yoga.
6. Vitamins. Yes, I try to make it my mission in these letters to not write a bunch of stuff you already know – or that you can readily find on Huffington Post. However, do take your healthy doses on the onset. I like to take Wellness Formula when I start to feel yucky.
More importantly, make sure you are getting vitamin rich foods into your body every damn day. This is the best preventative care. I made a fresh and nutritious veggie soup last night with some comforting basmati rice. It was what my body was craving all weekend.
Focus on what is comforting. Work with what you got. I also made a baller Mishlerstrone last week. As promised, you can find that recipe here. I’m not normally a minestrone gal - but this version definitely comforts my bones.
7. Yoga. Duh.
But really, who wants to do yoga when they are sick? Not me! But oh, if I can get myself to turn off the screens and take a deep healing breath. It is so worth it.
Sick time yoga can be dropping some eucalyptus oil in the hot shower (HEYO!) and doing a little safe yoga in there. I do that. I also like to do a little bedtime yoga. Or, as mentioned above, blast those mantras or your favorite healing music and get on the mat. Remember, it’s all connected baby. Heal yourself from the inside out. Find What Feels Good yoga. Use this opportunity to cleanse out the demons and remember, the come back is the best part! Bouncing back from being ill is like rebirth. Enjoy this as is shows up in your practice.
It's like the 7 deadly sins - but the opposite.
Let me know what you think! I invite you to share your own tips for self-healing and wellness DOWN BELOW!
Take good care!
Yours,
Adriene
PS: Here is my Yoga For Healing playlist. I plan to grow it so keep sending in those requests! Namaste.
PPS: Here is a look at my comforting fresh veggies and rice
Thanks for all the tips Adriene and I hope you feel better!
Thanks Nikki! Appreciate the good vibes!
One of my go-to drinks if I feel a cold coming on is organic echinacea tea. Drink a few cups of that and it's gold!
Yes! Good good! I like a good hot tea because I have to prepare it. I know that sounds odd - but it is an act of self love. Or, even better if someone steeps one for you. Its comforting. (The little things)
And if someone makes you delicious homemade soup!!
dear adriene
thank you for these great tips
i do hope you feel beter soon
Thank you dear Cathy!
Hey Adriene! Finally we get to see the soup you made! Looks delicious. Just wanted to say I loved this newsletter and hope you feel better soon, thanks for all the awesome wellness advice.
Thanks Adam! I love the #findwhattastesgood thread on the group page! I just posted my soup from last week. Also- its quite apropos as we are building a Find What Tastes Good tab for the site in the new year along with some cool cooking collabs.
Thanks for the love.
Yeah it's so fun right?! Interesting to see what people come up with, I saw the 'Mishlerstrone', love that name lol.
#findwhattastesgood tab would be so dang cool! y'all definitely should 🙂 Super excited to see all the fun stuff in the new year!
hope you're feeling better Adriene 🙂 My most amazing tip; Raw propolis, .at the first sign of a sore throat suck a ball of propolis the size of a pea or smaller. Suck it all day, you can even leave it in your mouth while sleeping tuck it up between your lip and gum. its the best healer for any oral problem (hence preventing the infection from travelling down to the bronchioles) Can be obtained from your local beekeeper otherwise try the health shop for the tincture. X
What in the what??? I shall look it up! Awesome, thank you!
Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks Kyle!
Get well soon.
Love from London,
D&M
Thanks you guys. I hope to visit you soooon!
Thanks for the tips! Don't forget the importance of rest while you are healing too. We can be so mean to ourselves sometimes, not taking care when we should. We push ourselves to hard, we don't listen to our bodies and we get sick (or injured). I guess illness works as a reminder to slow it down a little sometimes. Prayers that you are feeling better soon!
So true. So true. My boyfriend keeps telling me to sit my ass down. And now he is telling me to stop working! I won't listen to him. But I will listen to you.
Hahha!
jkjk
But, yes, true. I am going to take some cough medicine and watch some cooking shows. 🙂
Hello Adrienne,
Hope you feel better real soon ~ because being sick just plain stinks!
I am not sure it is going to help but I made my own elderberry syrup and have been taking it daily for a few weeks as preventitive and deinitely trying to keep my vit c (pure radiance) and d3 (Premier Research Lab) going daily. Also love a cup of Holy Basil tea whenever I start to feel under the weather.
My favorite cold and sore throat remedy is a lemon ginger honey tea. I just boil chunks of ginger and lemon for 15 mins and then pour into a cup with a teaspoon or tablespoon of honey. I love the taste and feel instantly better. Hope you have a speedy recovery!
I hope you feel better soon! I take an herb mix tablet called Cataplex AC from a brand called standard process. I am a teacher and have had my fair share of colds and other upper respriatory infections. It really helps! I also use silver water. I empty out and clean a saline bottle with water. I put the silver water in and squeeze it up my nose. It was recommended by nutritionist for a natural way to kill infection. Thanks for sharing your tips! Much gratitude.
This newsletter came to me at a perfect time!! I just got sick on Sunday and I'm still not feeling much better, but University has started again and I can't miss out too much. So I'm trying all I can to get better fast. Thanks for all the great tips! First thing I'm gonna do now is get out my mat and do your new "Yoga for relaxation" video (it's already my favourite!)!
Get well soon! 🙂
Hi A,
I wanted to share with you a little practice I do, even when I am Not sick... I try to do this every morning. It often happens that I have absolutely less than five minutes... and I am always sorry because once I start, I want to stay. It goes thusly: Run a very hot tiny bath that is not more deep than the length of your middle finger from tip to knuckle. Walk away from it so the tub is truly heated when you get in. You Can do it deeper, but the point is you're out of time and deeper takes more time!
You can also do it even more shallow... as long as when you lie down, your body is slightly submerged.
I find this to be like one of your wonderful yoga moments... total release before you rush off to the Day.
It feels like Love.
I hope you return back on your feet even more amazing than you already are!
Love, B
Hope you feel better soon! I use my nedi pot EVERY day... I don't know what I'd do without it! Plus, I love the yoga. 🙂
PROBIOTIC!!! I recently learned 80% of our immune system lives in our gut. So a happy tummy is a healthy you. Feel better adriene. And know that your pms video saves my life at least once a month. 😉
I haven't tried a neti pot yet. I've always wanted to though. When I'm sick, I drink lots of tea with honey and lemon. Oh, and soup. Love soup.
Hope you feel better soon, Adriene. 🙂
Hey sending you healing thoughts!!! Kisses
Hi Adriene! I discovered your videos a couple of months ago and they have made me a yoga convert! They are so fantastic - thank you so much for putting these out there! I'd like to introduce my parents to yoga - both are in their fifties and have a bit of trouble doing the exercise they used to (Dad has a dodgy knee and Mum has had four hernias - ouch - so anything to do with the core is probably out for her). Can you recommend any gentle practice that might be good for them, or anyone with reduced mobility who is looking for a way to get involved? Thanks so much. Keep smiling 🙂 Much love.
Hope you feel better soon Adriene!
Just watched the latest video... The first Yoga With Adriene merchandise you say?! We're very excited over here in the North East of England!
Big love! X
Ugh, I'm SO guilty of waiting until it's too late to do self-care, and then I regret it. Thanks for the tips about prevention and daily wellness. I constantly need the reminders.
Although admittedly, I'm still wary of the whole Netipot thing. It's just.. what? That comes out of my nose? No thanks. Heh
I loved your tips though I have to admit I haven't braved the neti pot as of yet. 🙂 I hope you're feeling better. I find I am where you were. I did your YWA when sick and it was great. Last night as I was hacking away at 2am when the thought of self massage came to me. I started with my scalp, neck...paid extra attention to jaw (those TMJ muscles). Then added a little lavender into unscented lotion for my feet and hands. After that I was able to get a few hours sleep.
Hello beautiful Adriene! I hope you have enjoyed this little break your body wanted and you're better now. Love,
Maria
Hey Adriene, I had being trying to learn yoga from scratch, like basically knew nothing and was disillusionec by most of the videos on youtube which required some form of experience of yoga or some other exercise. The foundation series has been so helpful for me. In some of these videos you mention the stages one could possibly be at. However, in Knees chin and chest there isn't any of that like "you could be here, You could be here, working from wherever your at" It's a really a strange posture for me I feel like I have no idea whats going on and I would really appreciate a break down or tips to build the arm strength or whatever is needed to not just hit the floor with a thud. Any guidance for an amateur with hardly any arm strength. It would really be nice to someway learn to do it and move past the perspective that it's impossible
We would go to that park lots to hike in beautiful nature, and I would get new stones every time.
Hi Adriene,
I only came across your videos tonight and I tried this one (bedtime yoga) about 20mins ago and I just had to say "thank you" to you. What you've created here is such a wonderful giving, generous thing and I am so grateful to have stumbled into this beautiful world of yours. Doing your bedtimeone yoga practice tonight made me smile, (and actually kind of 'happy cry' for a minute or two!) thank you for giving me (and everyone else!) permission to be kind to ourselves and to stop. even if only for a minute. You have just changed my world for the better.
wow, my earlier post says it's 5:27am!....but not in Australia (only 10:00pm here - perfect for bedtime!) Yay! 🙂
These exercise is very good for human body. Especially who have problem ins bones. These Yoga should implement by every people cause this is the only way that can heal some major problems without medicine.
As we enter the season where many get ill with one thing or other I will be sipping the Fire Cider that I have had on my counter for about a month and today is the day it is ready.
Been awake since 3:00 am with a “bed buddy” across my forehead. This blog is from 2014, so I guess you are over your cold. I attended a Christian conference with over 9000 people and came home sick. God’s telling me something. I’m not a person who knows how to be sick or accept help. I did say YES when a friend offered chicken soup. Waiting for the sun to rise so I can practice yoga for sickiesNamaste
Thank you, Adriene, feel better soon! Am currently down with a cold, too- missed the breaking point. Will now be good and curl up in bed and with your tips in mind. Get well soon! Elle
Dealing with this terrible head cold/sinus infection/viral infection-who knows? But now it's this terrible cough and laryngitis and was hoping to find some tips from Adrienne and I DID! What a great post this is! But most of the links are not available and was hoping they could be refreshed if possible. And I get it! It'snot (i'm leaving that error) the latest and most updated info, but I think it's still great! and relevant! The mantras in my head have not been positive for the past 6 days so I will be trying these out for sure! So either way, thanks for the tips and thanks again if you're able to refresh links!