By Hillary Arrieta, 
LMT, MTI, and Certified Aromatherapist.

It's summer and I absolutely love walking and hiking in nature on warm, dry days. If it were up to me, I'd probably spend most of my time outdoors. However, mosquitoes are a problem everywhere you go. Sometimes these Texas summers require early morning or evening hikes, which can be an issue because those are the times of the day when they are the most active. 
A few years back, I was at an outdoor meditation retreat where I forgot about these pesky and unrelenting creatures. I came away with welts that were so itchy and miserable that I decided to blend something that could take the sting out and give me some relief. This aromatherapy recipe worked like a charm! I make sure to always have some of it handy for the summertime. 
For this recipe, you will need to gather essential oils of: 

4 drops Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia)
4 drops Blue Tansy (Tanacetum annuum)
2 drops of Tulsi (holy basil) (Ocimum sanctum ct eugenol)
3 drops of Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
(1) One ounce PET plastic flip top bottle.
Carrier options: 
One ounce of any of the following: Organic, unscented lotion, aloe vera juice (a nice and cooling option), or your choice of organic, cold pressed seed or vegetable oil. Fill the bottle almost to the top with your carrier product. Drop by drop, add your essential oils. Shake to mix and apply to the itchy bites as needed. Avoid the area if the skin is broken and/or bleeding. Pro tip: Add your blend to a glass roller bottle for on-the-go convenience. I find glass roller-ball bottles at Natural grocers for a very reasonable price. 
If you don't have any of this stuff and aren't interested in blending oils at all, try an old folk remedy of using a banana peel! Just peel the banana and place the inside part of the peel on the bites. That should ease the itch.
If you tried this recipe, Leave your results in the comments section! I'd love to hear how it worked for you. 

This summer has been a hot one. Yes, it’s Texas but the humidity and heat takes it's toll on me every year. It's nice to have refreshing beverages and a cool place to retreat to in the height of the afternoon. It's a perfect time for Hibiscus berry sun tea.
I learned about this delicious treat during an aromatic beauty care class at The Barefoot Dragonfly in Austin. The Barefoot Dragonfly is owned by Amy Kreydin, one of my favorite aromatherapists.  Amy Is an ARCB Board Certified Reflexologist and CCAP Clinical Aromatherapist, who specializes in working with pediatrics, women’s health, autoimmune conditions, and chronic health issues.
We had a wonderful afternoon learning and sipping on this really delicious tea. I’m so thankful that she shared her recipe with me so that I could enjoy it all season.
Let's learn more about these herbs first before diving into the recipe. We're using Hibiscus flowers, Hawthorn berries, Elderberries, and some raw honey. Adding the frozen berry mix adds to the refreshing qualities of this tea and makes it takes really great!

• Hibiscus is cooling and it has a tangy/sweet flavor. It's perfect for summer because it infuses well in cold water so there's no need to heat anything up. We will let the sun do our brewing but just know that you can infuse it into cold water very easily. It's traditionally used to cool down inflammation, lower uric acid (perfect for gout sufferers) and improve triglyceride levels in people who have diabetes.
• Hawthorn berry is used energetically to soothe a broken heart. Hawthorn is a heart-fortifying and nourishing herb. Herbalists will often use it to increase circulation and blood flow to the heart without raising blood pressure.
• Elderberry is a well-known herbal anti-viral. It's traditionally used to support the immune system. It's also really tasty too!
• Raw Honey is of course a natural sweetener and it also is a natural humectant which means it helps you retain moisture so it will be a good addition to this summer tea.

Hibiscus berry sun tea recipe.
*loose herbs can be found at natural grocers or ordered online from Herbiary or mountain rose herbs.*
You will need:
•1 part dried hibiscus flowers,
•1 part hawthorn berry,
•1 part elderberry,
• Filtered water,
•1 cup frozen berries,
• Raw honey to taste,
• Glass pitcher,
•Cloth tea bag or cheesecloth.

Directions: Place the dried hibiscus, elderberry, and hawthorn berries in the tea bag or cheesecloth and float them in a pitcher of filtered water. Set the pitcher out in the sun or a sunny window to brew for an hour or two. Bring the pitcher in and remove the tea bag/cheese cloth. Pour the frozen berries into the pitcher and place in the fridge to chill. Drink over ice and add raw honey to taste.

Miss Luna guarding my brew!

Guest Blog Post By
Michele Miller Cook of Body Ache Escape Massage Center in Pickerington, OH.

As you all may have figured out, I am an avid reader. My latest read is Sleep Smarter: 21 Proven Tips to Sleep Your Way To a Better Body, Better Health and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson. I wanted to do a run down of the points here. It’s some really good stuff!
1. Know the Value of Sleep– It is proven that lack of sleep actually makes you dumber and slower.
2. Get more Sunlight during the day– best sunlight is between 6-8:30am. This helps produce melatonin, the sleep hormone.
3. Avoid any screens before bed– Don’t look at your cell phones or computers for 90 minutes before bed. If you must, download an app designed to block the blue light. One is f.lux.
4. Have a caffeine curfew– If you want to be asleep by 10pm, avoid caffeine after 2pm.
5. Be Cool– Ideal sleeping temperature is 60-68 degrees.
6. Get to Bed at the Right Time– Ideal bedtime is 10pm.
7. Rub the “anti-stress” Mineral into Your Skin Each Day- 80% of the population is deficient in magnesium. Get a magnesium spray and use it before bedtime.
8.Create a Sleep Sanctuary– Only sleep and sex in your bedroom! Get a air ionizer or humidifier. Get a plant…like a Snake Plant.
9. Get it Blacked Out- Get Blackout Curtains. Block all your electronic lights. It made a big difference in my room when I unplugged my alarm clock.
10. Train Hard– Workout in the morning. Morning exercisers had up to 75% more time in the reparative stage of sleep.
11. Get your “friends” out of your room– get your ipads, cell phones, tvs, laptops, etc. out of your bedroom.
12. Lose Weight & don’t find it again– Insulin is a huge factor in getting the right sleep.
13. Go easy on the bottle– when you drink you don’t go through the full cycles of sleep. This is part of why hangovers occur. So have an alcohol curfew and drink lots of water!
14. Play your position– There are pros and cons to every sleep position. Figure out which one is best for you.
15. Calm your inner chatter- Practice Meditation!
16. Use Smart Supplementation– Chamomile, Kava Kava, Valerian, 5Htp, Gaba and L-Tryptophan are all supplements to look into to aid in sleep quality.
17. Be Early to Rise– Humans are not nocturnal creatures. Rise early to set the right circadian rhythm.
18. Dress for the Occasion- Wear fewer and looser clothes to bed to help with temperature control.
19. Get Grounded– Get your feet on the earth as much as possible. Getting grounded helps prevent free radicals which causes inflammation.
20. Ritualize your night– A bedtime routine will help you fall asleep faster. Read, take a bath, journal or meditate.

By Robert Gardner 

Client care is something that many will overlook but it's one of the largest factors in whether you get long term relief. Anything a massage therapist can do for you you can often do for yourself. It will never replace the luxury of a massage but we've all heard that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Working on yourself is as simple as breathing, stretching and some simple self massage. Here's a video showing how you stretch and open your gluteals and it often helps ease low back pain.
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Enjoying hours of restful sleep is on the top of my personal self care list. I don't know about you, but I've always loved sleep. It just seems to be the perfect reset button for me. If I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I do my little night time ritual and go to bed early. 
I wake up rested and feel like I can focus on problem solving with a clear head.

Lately, many of my clients have been talking to me about their lack of sleep these days. They say that they are having a hard time winding down in the evening. Of course we know that massage helps people get better quality of sleep and eases insomnia so they are already in the right place to received sleep related benefits. 
Recent seasonal changes and lunar events can also make it difficult on our sleep patterns.
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Some people turn to alcohol or prescription medications to help them achieve restful sleep.
I checked out the long list of side effects some people have experienced from medications, so I thought that I'd write about some natural ways to catch some high quality zzz's.

Lifestyle:
First, consider your current lifestyle. Look at it from a holistic point of view. That means examine all of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of your life right now.

• How much exercises do you get and how is your daily diet?
• Are you stimulated mentally?
• Do you feel balanced emotionally?
• Do you feel a spiritual connection regularly?

Make some changes to your lifestyle that feel good to you and see if it has a positive affect. I also love this list of questions to ask yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed. It's a big help to me when I need to put things in to perspective. An excellent self care list!

Bedtime routine:
Some of my favorite bed time routines are taking a hot bath with bath salts and massaging my feet with an aromatherapy salve. I also love to do a few restorative yoga postures to get my body ready to sleep. Spinal twists are my absolute favorite before bed. 

Sleeping space:
Now, set up your sleeping space.
Make it cool and dark. Consider removing electronics from your bedroom.
Make yourself a retreat that you enjoy going to every evening. I always have a book and a flashlight on my bedside table so I can read because i've found that it puts me right to sleep. Find out what works for you and make it easy to access. Some other suggestions are aromatherapy eye pillows or deep breathing exercises.
I've also included this great pillow spray recipe below the picture. 

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Recipe for a simple pillow spray:

2 oz empty and clean spray bottle
1 tsp. vegetable glycerine (can be found online) to help disperse EO's
Distilled or filtered water
7 drops of Lavender ( Lavendula angustifolia) essential oil
7 drops of Ho wood (Cinnamomum camphora ct linalol) essential oil
6 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil
​
First, fill the bottle almost to the top with water (make enough room for the other liquids that you're about to add).
Then, add essential oils drop by drop.
Next, add your vegetable glycerine.
Put the top on the spray bottle and shake it up. 
Spray your pillow before bed and enjoy!

February is here and it's almost time to celebrate Valentines Day!
Many people dread this holiday and I can see why with all the pressure to make it special. 
It can also feel pretty lonely if you're unattached. 

By making Valentines Days focus about self care and self love along with celebrating the love you have in your life, whether it's a romantic love or friendship, is a healthy approach to this months festivities. 

As a massage therapist, I see many people who are burned out on life. They need to refresh and rejuvenate themselves so they can better handle the everyday stress that comes from work, family, and other daily obligations.

I preach self care because it's a necessity that many people don't know about. That is why our bodies are breaking down, our spirits are empty. We're not traditionally taught the value of slowing down and taking a time out as an adult. 

I've included a list of fun things to do in the name of self care and have collected a few quotes from self care experts to inspire you!

Here's my fun list of things to do instead of stressing out over Valentines Day. You can do these with someone or by yourself.

1. Cook a healthy meal at home. Something that is going to nourish your body.
2. Decorate your space with fresh flowers.
3. Clear the energy in your home with a good cleaning. Burn some white candles for good energy.
4. Bring love in to your heart with some simple intention setting rituals or a prayer.
5. Begin a meditation practice.
6. Go to a yoga or fitness class.
7. Take a walk on a dirt path and enjoy nature.
8. Take a nap. Sleep in!
9. Brighten your appearance. Do something new with your hair or make
10. Make a bath with herbal salts, a cup of tea, and soothing music.
11. Visit a float spa and drift away.
12. Hire a massage therapist to come to your home.
13. Have a movie night and watch comedy's that make you laugh!
14. Make art.

Treating yourself to a "me" day once in a while is good for your soul!

Question:
In what ways do you take care of yourself?
How are you spending valentines day this year?

One of my New Years "resolutions" or goals is to be holistically well. To me, this means wellness across the board. 
My mind, body, & spirit are well. 

I've been thinking about ways that I can reach this goal and how I can change my life to create a daily experience where wellness is at the top of my "to-do" list.
This is easy when I'm working with clients and I'm helping them with their wellness goals, but like so many people, it's easy to forget our own path to better health.

Over the past ten or so years, I've done a great job getting regular massage and working with various mind/body relaxation tools.

 I've tried yoga, cranial sacral therapy, various Ayurvedic therapies, meditation, acupuncture, reflexology, Trager, yoga therapy, aromatherapy, herbalism, reiki, biofeedback, flotation therapy, prayer.

I've visited sweat lodges, and have had unique forms of bodywork.
All of these experiences have given me deep insight to how my bodymind works.

I am also reminded of the pillars of strength (Did anyone else watch Chasing Mavericks?)

Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual. 

I plan to think of these these four pillars as a guide to achieve a sense of holistic balance.  

• Addressing your bodies need for physical strength would look like daily exercise, a focus on good nutrition, and hygiene. 
• Mental strength to me means critical thinking, reading, feeding your brain with thought provoking information. Studying your craft and seeking understanding. 
• Emotional strength requires a development of emotional intelligence and awareness. Through meditation and practicing empathy,  you can develop a keen sense of awareness of yourself and others,  as well as developing skills to cope and handle your emotions and stress load in positive ways. 
  
• Spiritual strength doesn't mean that you must be a religious person. Spirituality is part of who we are as humans. Finding faith and a higher purpose is imperative to being balanced. What are you passionate about? What gets you in your "zone". 

My plans for this year are many! 
In addition to adding new habits to my life in order to strengthen myself, I plan on receiving regular massage therapy and other complimentary therapies because they keep me sane and are a big part of my personal wellness plan.

Question:

What commitments are you making this year? How do you plan to stick to them?

What unique therapies or forms of bodywork have you tried?
Which ones do you recommend and why?


Tell me in the comments section.