Six salt solutions

Salt is definitely my friend – I have used it in many different ways for health issues, and here are the top six reasons I find salt so effective:

1). Swimming in salt water always makes me feel refreshed and relaxed. It contains vitamins, minerals, and microorganisms that can absorb through your pores to boost your immune system. It helps to dry out cuts, cleanse wounds, and clear toxins. And it definitely has helped clear out my sinuses! And swimming is a great exercise all round for those of us who are injured, as it is low impact, and an all body exercise.

2). If you aren’t up to swimming, use salt scrubs in the shower. Exfoliating with salt helps to remove bacteria from the skin as it has antiseptic properties and also unclogs pores. It’s easy enough to make at home – use 1/2 a cup of oil, such as almond, a cup of sea salt, about 10 drops of any essential oils you like (whether you want it be relaxing, refreshing, or invigorating). Put salt in a bowl, add the oil, and stir with a spoon. You can change the texture by adjusting the amount of base oil, and then tap in the essential oils and mix well.

3) If you prefer baths, then use Epsom salts. They are different to normal salts as they are made up of magnesium and sulfate, which can enhance the detoxification capabilities of the body. These two minerals are easily absorbed through the skin, into the bloodstream, and help to detoxify and reduce inflammation. Do not however use Epsom baths if you are pregnant, dehydrated, have open wounds, burns on your skin, or cardivascular disease.

4). I have investigated and used salt rooms in the past few years, namely the Salt Therapy Centre in Newcastle. They are supposed to be beneficial for conditions like asthma, eczema, psoriasis, and enhance immunity. The salt is broken down into micro-particles and sprayed around the room, where the particles embed into the lungs, absorb bacteria, fight infection and help with blockage. I can’t say I’ve been enough to notice any lasting benefits, but found each session to be very relaxing, and it did start clearing up blockages in my chest.

5). I love salt lamps, and my partner likes to lick them! They neutralise the Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) in our environment caused by electrical devices we have surrounding us and purify the air with negative ions, and decrease the number of airborne bacteria indoors. I have one in my bedroom, and it has definitely decreased my coughing at night.

6). My doctor advised me to put salt in my drinking water for low blood pressure, and dizziness. I just put a few pinches of Himalayan salt in my water bottle each day. And if I get sore throats, I will add some salt to a glass of water and gargle with it to kill bacteria.

Salt – so abundant, so easy to use, so beneficial:).

Yoga Nidra

Recently I spent a day at a yoga ashram where I got to experience Yoga Nidra, a relaxing lying down meditation (I sat in a chair due to injuries, but I think it would be preferable to be lying down, if suitable). Yoga nidra is the deepest possible state of relaxation while still maintaining full consciousness. It is that state of between being awake or asleep, and you remain aware of your environment while being in a dream-like state. Although some people do find it hard to keep awake during this meditation!

We began by tensing the muscles in different muscles of our body, then relaxing them. Our minds were brought to examine the physical environment outside the room and inside the room. Visualized imagery was used, as well as a personal affirmation called San Kalpa, which is a short positive statement of intent of what you want to change in your life. It is an instruction from your conscious mind to your sub-conscious mind, which should be uttered in the present tense as if it is already happening.

I opened my eyes after a 30-minute yoga nidra session and felt like I had slept for hours, when I had been completely awake and aware the whole time. I felt like I didn’t want to move; I was connected to my body – in that moment I was not feeling any pain, and it felt amazing:).

Regular practise of Yoga Nidra is helpful to rest, restore, and renew the whole body, mind, and spirit,  to process and release stress and tension that can lead to physical, emotional, and mental disturbances. Studies have shown that a single hour of Yoga Nidra is as restful and refreshing as four hours of sleep.

Yoga Nidra may:

Reduce chronic pain; strengthen immune system; lower blood pressure; reduce anxiety, depression, and addiction; balance the nervous system; calm and stabilize mind and emotions; reduce or eliminate pain medication; reduce or eliminate insomnia; strengthen endocrine system; lower cholesterol levels; effectively reduce PTSD (was involved in a study on soldiers with PTSD and subsequently used as a tool for them); remove unwanted physical and mental stresses and tensions, and enhance creativity.

So look up a yoga nidra practise today (I found one on You Tube), or even better find a yoga centre that includes yoga nidra in their classes, and get ready to relax:).