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Day: March 2, 2019

2019 Health Fashion

With a rep for attracting love and money, jade’s the low-key crystal hero we all need right now

4 min read

March 02, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If rose quartz is the Ashley Olsen of love-enhancing crystals, then consider green-hued jade to be Mary Kate—the cooler, more colorful sister to everyone’s favorite pastel pink sparkler. They’re alike in that Jade and rose quartz are both thought to help balance the heart chakra, the invisible energetic hub that’s believed to govern our feelings of love and compassion. But the jade stone meaning is a little bit different, energetically speaking. “Jade assists with accessing the dreams of the heart, and having the stamina and vigor to bring them into the physical world,” says Mariah K. Lyons, the crystal healer, herbalist, and reiki master who created gemstone footwear line Astara. Compare that to rose quartz, which has a softer, more soothing kind of vibe. “Jade works with the heart on both a physical level, helping assist with circulation, as well as energetically with the heart, helping to move trauma and past wounds to find a deep place of understanding, love, and openness,” Lyons adds. With that in mind, it’s no wonder cultures from around the world have long used jade for healing and spiritual rituals. Lyons points out that ancient Mayans called on it to clear negative energy; Traditional Chinese Medicine utilizes it in health remedies and beauty treatments; and Maori tribes in New Zealand carved it into sacred talismans. But how can you use it in your life? Let’s investigate. Photo: Getty Images/RapidEye Jade stone meaning: 3 key things you should know 1. Jade is

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2019 Health Fashion

How to make a mala necklace that’ll supercharge your meditation practice

10 min read

March 02, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC If you pay attention to your yoga teacher’s fashion choices—my personal favorite thing to focus on while balancing in dancer pose, call me shallow—you may have noticed a long, beaded necklace hanging from his or her neck. It’s not just there to complement the “Good Vibes Only” tank your instructor’s wearing; it’s called a mala, and its significance is actually more spiritual than it is sartorial. “Traditionally, a mala is a long strand of beads used to aid in meditation practice,” explains fashion stylist-turned-shaman Colleen McCann, author of Crystal Rx: Daily Rituals for Cultivating Calm, Achieving Your Goals, and Rocking Your Inner Gem Boss. “It has 108 beads strung together and one ‘guru bead,’ which is larger than the rest.” Focusing on a mala can help you drop more deeply into your meditation, especially if you’re someone whose mind usually pirouettes from your to-do list to your date this weekend to Friends trivia. Yogis have historically used malas to concentrate during mantra meditation, starting at the guru bead and moving their fingers from one bead to the next as they recite a given word, sound, or phrase. Once they’ve returned to the guru bead, they know they’ve recited the mantra 108 times—a sacred number in yogic tradition—and the meditation is complete. (Yes, it’s similar to saying Hail Marys with a rosary—which also has 108 beads—although the Catholic prayer beads in general were thought to originate from Hinduism.) Ultimately, focusing on a mala can help

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2019 Health Relaxation Vegetarians

5 healthy reasons to eat pumpkin in seasons that don’t rhyme with schmautumn

5 min read

March 02, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC When PSL season rolls around, you know it’s going to be a great couple of months. However, there’s no reason why pumpkin should only be savored when it’s “trending.” Pumpkin has a ton of healthy benefits to add nutrition to your diet and boost the taste of pretty much anything you’re craving. Sweet or savory—it complements both and is pretty low in calories, making it an excellent diet food. As if you needed more excuse to dig into pumpkin-spiced goodies all year long, here are five awesome benefits of your favorite orange-colored food. 1. It’s high in vitamin A… Eating pumpkin is good for your peepers. “One cup of pumpkin contains over 200 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which is an important vitamin for eye health and night vision,” says Maggie Michalczyk, RD. Pumpkin’s bright orange color comes from its high beta-carotene concentration, she explains, and beta-carotene is a carotenoid (an antioxidant) and a precursor of vitamin A. Beta-carotene also helps protect us from the sun’s harmful UV rays, so it’s great for keeping skin youthful and fresh. 2. …and it’s packed with vitamin C, too “Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant known for strengthening the immune system and boosting collagen production (one of the reasons why you see so many skin products with pumpkin in them!),” she says. What’s more, it also improves iron absorption and studies show it reduces oxidative stress, which can prevent premature aging.

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2019 Health Keto

This is *by far* the most intense mountain climber exercise you’ll ever do

2 min read

March 02, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Mountain climbers always seem to be on top 10 lists of exercises because, well, they get the job done. That fast-paced motion is already hard on the most basic level, making you sweat bullets as you bring your knees to your chest while simultaneously holding your body steady in a plank. But just wait until you see the amped-up version. Kirsty Godso, a Nike master trainer, recently shared a pyramid workout that’s so intense even watching it will make you go bug-eyed. Instead of doing a normal mountain climber, you’re literally mid-air half the time as you do a non-stop mix of climbs and jumps. “Try this heart raiser if you want to throw some sauce into your next workout,” she writes. And sauce is right: This move is spicy. Here’s how to do the pyramid exercise, according to Godso.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by KIRSTY GODSO (@kirstygodso) on Feb 19, 2019 at 11:55am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js The moves: 1x switch climber 1x tuck jump 2x switch climber each leg 2x tuck jumps How it’s done: Pyramid up as high as you can in 60 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds, then climb back down from the top, trying to beat your score. How intense does an exercise have to be for the “high” to kick in? Or, work your entire body with this two-minute plank series. Continue Reading… Author Tehrene Firman | Well and Good Selected by iversue

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2019 Health Relaxation

Announcing your March spirit animal: Hello, deer

6 min read

March 02, 2019 at 02:52AM by CWC So, what is the spirit animal for this month? That’s a question that “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles meditates on for Well+Good readers, as she divines each energy forecast for the next 31 days or so. And for March, it’s tktk. Get ready for tktk. After a month of many energies shifting and scrambling at times, we enter into March with a beautiful opportunity to step even more onto the path of the heart. In my walk as a mystic, one of the teachings that has presented with ever-increasing clarity, importance and power is being able to access your heart and its essence and feel. As you do practices and live a lifestyle that allows your heart to open (thus allowing you to get more in touch with it), you can begin to clearly feel the difference when you are making decisions from your mind, desires, attachments, or from your illuminated heart. While the mind is obviously vital for humans to function, to learn to be in communication with and take steps forward in life from the messages of your heart is a main factor in living a life that feels in alignment with what your soul really wants for you (which allows you to feel deep gratitude and fulfillment) and learning how to step with the light. This is all about making decisions that are not based on what your ego wants for you, or what you think will make you “look good”

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