Dating back over 5000 years, yoga is considered by many to be the oldest defined practice of self-development. The methods of classical yoga include ethical disciplines, physical postures, breathing control and meditation. Traditionally an Eastern practice, it’s now becoming popular in the West. In fact, many companies, especially in Britain, are seeing the benefits of yoga, recognizing that relaxed workers are healthier and more creative, and are sponsoring yoga fitness programs. 
Many studies have found that a little yoga in the morning, at night, or even on a lunch break, can minimize stress and increase productivity. It is believed that yoga is so effective for stress relief because, aside from the physical benefits that yoga brings, it encourages a good mood, an increase in mindfulness, and a healthy dose of self-compassion.

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese study of the relationship between people and their environments. As it focuses on you and your natural habitat, it’s a very important aspect of your home design– everything from the layout of your house to the placement of your mirrors and houseplants, can have an influence on the feng shui of your home.

​To give a brief overview, feng shui incorporates the five elements, (water, earth, metal, wood and fire), chi and yin and yang. All Greek (or rather, Chinese) to you?  Read on to learn more:

It's common to confuse thirst for hunger, and if you're trying to lose weight it's important to know the difference. Confusing these two powerful cravings may cause you to consume more calories than you need and prevent your weight loss goals. The same part of your brain is responsible for interpreting both hunger and thirst signals which can often result in mixed messages. You should aim to eat every three to four hours, and if you feel hungry between meals, you may simply be thirsty.

If your daily liquid intake begins with a few cups of coffee, by the time you feel thirsty you may already be dehydrated. Dehydration symptoms include dry eyes, headache, sluggishness, nausea, and dizziness. Your urine may also be a dark yellow and your mouth may feel dry. Drink water at regular intervals throughout the day, even if you don't feel thirsty, and you'll have less of a chance of becoming dehydrated.

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Prevent back injury and keep your back muscles flexible by adding these exercises into your stretching routine.​

Spine Stretch

Before you get started with these back stretches, keep in mind that form is important. Read through the technique and see a professional if you experience any pain.

Technique: Sitting on the floor with your feet wider than your hips, nod your head forward and begin to bend forward by hinging at the hips. Breathe normally. As you go down, draw your chin into your neck. “It feels like you’re rolling down the discs of the spine,” says Margot McKinnon, director of Body Harmonics Pilates in Toronto, who trains Pilates teachers across Canada and the U.S. Slide your hands in front of you along the floor.

​“This stretch elongates the paraspinal muscles [the muscles beside the spine], and you may feel it in the hamstrings, calf muscles and the bottoms of the feet.” Your hands should not reach past your toes-you’re not aiming to lie on the floor-and you shouldn’t feel as if your back and spinal ligaments are being pulled. Once you feel the stretch through your back, slowly return to the starting position. McKinnon advises doing this several times daily, after the end of your workday.

Love yourself or nobody will. 

Everyone wants to be loved and we often think that means we need to seek it from other people. But when you seek love from external sources you are allowing it to be taken away from you, which can leave you feeling empty and broken on the inside. Speaking of inside, why don’t we look inside of ourselves for love?

​Learning to love and approve of yourself is one of the hardest things to do. It requires you to take the time out to put yourself first, focusing on your wants and needs over those of others.

It might seem selfish at first, but after a while, you will realize that before you can truly take care of others, you have to first take care of yourself. This could include engaging in activities that make you happy or spending time alone with your thoughts. You could even practice stating positive affirmations or reading uplifting quotes to help you view yourself in a better light. Nobody will stand to lose from you choosing to do so.

What is a CBD Dab?The most commonly used CBD dabs are treated so that they crystallize and solidify. These concentrated substances are derived from a process that extracts compounds like THC, CBD, and terpenes out of hemp oil. The resulting substances come in varying forms, the most common being wax, a sticky concentrate. Other similar CBD concentrates are budder, crumble, shatter, pull-and-snap, and honeycomb.

Beyond their texture and consistency, there aren’t many differences between these substances. Their texture is determined by how much moisture they hold, and how agitated they are during the extraction process. As their names suggest, “budder” is creamy and butter-like, while “crumble” has a crumbly texture. “Shatter” is transparent and glass-like, while “honeycomb” has a soft, honeycomb-like texture. “Pull-and-snap” extracts are taffy-like, and usually snap when stretched or bent.

Though most CBD oils cannot be used for dabbing, CBD dab oil is highly concentrated and designed specifically for dabbing. With a thick dark gold liquid, it’s also referred to as honey oil. Another dabbed substance is the CBD crystal, or isolate, which is a highly purified substance that is tasteless and odorless.

It’s no secret I’m infatuated with the importance of breath. From my daily practice of starting each day with 5 minutes of deep breathing to the HEPA air filter and air purifiers and essential oil air diffusers I have installed my home and office to articles I’ve written about breathing such as How to Breathe The Right Way and How Should You Breathe During And After You Workout? you could say breathing is a physiological function I focus on just about all day long.
In my quest to always become a better breather, I recently read a breathtaking (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) book entitled Breathe by Dr. Belisa Vranich.  

In the book, Dr. Vranich shows us how breathing the right way can help with stress, illness, and a whole host of issues. As one of the most comprehensive treatises I’ve ever read on breathing, the book contains information on why breathing is so crucial, how to do know if you’re doing it wrong, how to know if you’re doing it right and, of course, plenty of quick and dirty tips on a host of different breathing techniques—all of which you’re about to discover in this episode on 30 ways to breathe better. (Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a bonus exercise from Breathe, which you can only find in the audiobook!).

​Let’s delve right into each of these breathing tactics, shall we?