Claire 4/15/2016 “Why Living a Holistic Lifestyle Makes Sense”

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to post a couple of weeks ago. I have been so busy with school and passing my classes that I haven’t really thought about much else. Especially since I was also singing in two very big events this past semester and was focusing all my time and energy on homework and memorizing and singing the words to the songs we sang. But here is my blog post for this week, all about why living holistically makes sense.

We’ve talked a little about what a Holistic Lifestyle is in general and ways you can live a Holistic Lifestyle, but we haven’t talked much about why it makes sense in more detail. So, I am going to explain why a Holistic Lifestyle makes sense not only as a person, but also as a member of my church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Living Holistically is all about realizing that Mind, Body, and Spirit need to be aligned and working together efficiently in order to be happy and have a healthy body. Knowing this, the happier you are the more you are balanced in these three aspects. But let me explain a little more about what I mean by Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Mind is all about keeping your brain healthy. It’s continually learning and using your brain rather than doing menial tasks that require little to no brain power. Your body is at its peak when you are using your brain to solve problems. This is why we are encouraged to never stop learning, keep growing and changing, keep finding new things that make your heart happy and you smile your brightest smile! It’s good! It means you are open and willing to change and become a better person. Always strive for that.

Body is exactly what it sounds like. It’s what your mind and spirit live in, so it is especially important to keep your body healthy. It’s eating healthy, exercising regularly, staying safe and knowing how to protect yourself from outside harm. Remember, when you are sick your mind and spirit aren’t as able to think or feel the spirit. When you are in shape and healthy you feel more energy to do the things you love and to learn more!

Spirit is all about your emotions and your beliefs. It allows us to feel connected and open to generations of people who came before us. Spirit means meditation, continually learning about what you believe in, and just generally practicing your beliefs. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that means that I try to pray to God morning and night, and read my scriptures daily, as well as meditating on a regular basis. Remember, God can only speak to us when we are willing and connected to our spiritual side.

If used effectively, these three aspects will heighten your life and patterns. If your mind is healthy it’s probably a good sign that your body is also in good shape and if you are in shape and your mind is healthy you are better able to practice your spirituality. It all works together as a whole.

So, keep learning and striving for knowledge, spirituality, and health! They all work together to create a happy and healthy life!

Live well,

Claire

Claire 3/18/2016 “What is Rest?”

Last weekend I definitely took Katie’s post to heart. The day she posted it, I went to a hair salon and got my hair cut. Afterwards I walked across the street to a bread store and bought a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Later that day I had a photoshoot with a friend for my upcoming graduation, then avoided homework like the plague the whole weekend. It wasn’t a very productive weekend, except for the fact that it was indeed quite productive for my health: mental, spiritual, and physical.

This week, however, was crazy-hectic!

Monday: I had two classes and Family Home Evening (we watched a movie), but on top of that I had to finish a book, read more of Northanger Abbey, and took a midterm for my Tuesday classes.

Tuesday: I had three classes back to back from 8am-1pm and a rehearsal for a big concert we’re doing in Salt Lake City today and in Rexburg tomorrow.

Wednesday: I just had my two classes, but I had to make sure all my homework for the rest of the week and Monday and Tuesday of next week was done. I also went on a date with my roommate to watch Peter and the Starcatcher which was being done on campus (she needed to do it for a class).

Thursday: I had my three classes back to back and then another rehearsal.

Today: I had to wake up at 6:30am so that I could be at the meeting point for the concert I’m in by 8am. I’ll be on the road, rehearsing, and singing in a concert all day today in Salt Lake City. Then tomorrow I have the concert again in Rexburg.

So, how do I balance all of this stuff? Well, the short answer is I don’t. The long answer is that I feel so overwhelmed that sometimes I let stuff slip, even though it’s all important. I’ve found that the best thing to do when I’m busy like this is to just relax, figure out what I need to do and organize all of that first, and then fill in the cracks with stuff I want to do.

For example, this week I’ve somehow managed to do yoga every day. Even if it’s just a few minutes of peace in the morning, it is so worth it!

So as you go through the next few weeks and months and you start feeling the way I do now, just remember to slow down, breathe in deeply, and prioritize everything you need to do.

Live well,

Claire

Claire 3/4/2016 “Why Yoga?”

Hey all! 

It feels like forever since I wrote a blog post (I know, it’s only been a couple weeks)! Well, I’ve known for a few weeks that I wanted to write about Yoga, because it’s an important part of my routine. However, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about exactly. There’s just so much about Yoga! Most of it I’ve learned through personal research and by looking up videos on Youtube. Recently, however, I joined this online community called Zenward. This is an online Yoga community focused on providing Yoga routines for Yogis from Beginning to Advanced. I absolutely love it, because our instructors could be from anywhere in the world, and I can do one routine over and over until I get it! Plus, I don’t have to go anywhere to exercise, all I need is my computer and the internet.

However, today when I went to do Yoga, I couldn’t get through the first five minutes of a ten minute flow that I’ve done half a dozen times. I couldn’t figure out why. Sure, I haven’t done Yoga for a couple weeks, but could I really be out of shape already?

For those of you who exercise regularly, you know that the answer is yes, but it’s probably not that simple of an answer either. There could be any number of reasons:

• Not enough sleep
• Not eating enough/well enough
• Not drinking enough water
• The shot I got in my arm yesterday which is still hurting after a day
• And it could even be as simple as motivation

It's hard to tell, but this is Warrior Pose. I don't have my arms
up just because I was in between poses.

That is why it’s SO important to stay on top of your workout routines. Not only that, but to also stay healthy, eat healthy, drink healthy. Really, it’s all about making everything in your body work harmoniously so that you can be in the best shape possible!

This is really hard on me. I was always a healthy kid, but my family wasn’t big on the whole exercise thing, and we did splurge and eat candy and other foods that aren’t the best for our bodies on occasion. This isn’t bad necessarily, it just didn’t teach me healthy habits. I’ve had to learn to create my own healthy habits as an adult, which hasn’t been easy on me. And I’m still learning!

Yoga helps me to realize how each part creates the whole. If one thing is out of whack, everything else will be too, and Yoga understands this. I don’t want to just practice Yoga when I’m on the mat, but I want to practice Yoga in all aspects of my life! And I want to have fun with it while I’m at it! Oh hey, look at that! I AM having fun!

I hope that you will consider these things when you are deciding how to be healthier. And remember, Yoga isn’t just a way to exercise: It’s a way of Life!

Namaste,

Claire

Claire 2/5/16 "Unwinding From Stress"

By Claire

If you google or pinterest “Living a Holistic Lifestyle” you can find lots of ideas on how to start. In fact, I’d recommend you do that right now! However, I am going to start focusing on a few of the most basic ways of living a holistic lifestyle starting from the bottom and working my way up. These are simple ways of starting the process that will lead you to a new way of living without a ton of stress, which is one of the reasons you should try living a more holistic lifestyle because stress is terrible on you mentally and physically.

One very important aspect of living a holistic lifestyle is learning to unwind at the end of the day, and even in the middle because this will help you to feel less stressed overall. Here are a few ways you can unwind:

1. Read a book! I would recommend reading at least one informative book each month. This will keep you learning throughout your life and help you to become the person you want to be continually. Lately I’ve kept “The 5 Love Languages for Singles” in my backpack everywhere I go (even though it’s one more book I need to carry around on campus in my heavy backpack) and I try to read it whenever I get a free minute in between classes or wherever I am. I would also recommend reading a “fun” book at night in order to unwind, it allows you to think creatively and explore your imagination! (Both very good things if you ask me, the Creative Writing major).

In fact, I could share an essay I wrote about reading literature and why it’s so important, but I won’t because it isn’t very good. However, the gist of it is (according to my awesome Psychology major roomie: “So we’re not uncultured swine!” Basically, reading literature (and other great genres) allows us to learn, grow, and become our best selves. It shows us a side of society we might otherwise ignore. And it allows us to experience a world outside the world we know.

Why did my blog post about how to unwind turn into a lecture about why reading is good and even important? I have no idea. But I’m an English major, so that could be why.

2. Meditate! Meditation is a great way to focus on your body physically and mentally, and even spiritually. It allows you to consolidate everything and de-stress. I try to meditate on a daily basis, as it helps me to focus on the good and get rid of the bad in my life. Even if it’s just a couple minutes here and there, meditation is great for just getting in touch with what your body wants and needs.

Here is a blog I found via Pinterest that talks about how to meditate and the health benefits of doing so. It is a great resource! (By the way, Pinterest is a great resource for all of your Holistic needs. And there are tons of blogs out there on this stuff as well, so definitely look some of them up yourself!)

3. Last but not least on my very short list: Try yoga! Yoga is so good for all of your needs. You can literally type anything from “Yoga for flexibility” to “Yoga for stress relief” and find a video with a routine. It is the perfect (in my opinion) combination of exercise and meditation. It is one of my favorite things to do before I go to bed because it helps me to de-stress and stretch my muscles while I’m at it. It is also very relaxing. Definitely try it and let me know what you think!

This is just a short list of what I do in order to de-stress, but there are so many other ways of de-stressing that are completely holistic, and you may not even realize it! Crazy! If you have any questions or comments, leave a message below or on our facebook page. I love helping others to come into themselves and discover the benefits of living holistically. Love and light to all!

Live well,

Claire

Claire 1/22/16 “The Benefits of Writing”

By Claire

Now that we’ve talked about food and healthy eating, I thought I’d post about something else entirely. We’ve already gone over what it means to live holistically. We know it means living in such a way that we realize that everything is interconnected. This means that our physical bodies, spiritual well being, and mental health need to be in balance. It’s when they aren’t in balance that we start to feel sick in one or more areas of our lives.

So, you may be wondering: Claire, what does keeping writing have to do with living holistically? Well, let me tell you. Writing as a whole can be healing for your emotional and mental states. It allows you to release your emotions and work through your feelings in a safe zone where only you reside. It also helps you to manifest what exactly you want out of life. A lot of living holistically is learning to manifest what you want out of life. It is setting goals and accomplishing them. So, I’m going to provide a few ideas of how to write regularly and how they will help you to manifest your goals and dreams.

1. Blogging is a great way of writing about things that are important to you and sharing your thoughts with those around you. In fact, it’s an effective tool used by therapists with their clients. It is a way of working through your feelings and thoughts in a productive way, and it allows you to do research on cool interesting things! (Like right now I’m reading an article on journal writing in order to write this blog!)
2. Letter writing is another great way of writing regularly. In my creative non-fiction class a couple semester ago I was first introduced to this way of writing. Basically, you write a letter to someone or some entity that describes how you feel. This can be kept in a personal place where no one will ever read it, or you can share it with others. Either way it will benefit you by allowing you to work through your feelings freely.
3. Journal writing is another great way of writing regularly. Here is the article I mentioned about this. It said that if you write your daily to-do list down each day, and go over your goals, that you’ll learn to manifest them. How awesome is that?! In fact, I was reading more about keeping a planner or journal and found this awesome video that I’m hoping to try out soon. It sounds like it would really work for me and is just what I was looking for! I’ll tell you how it goes once I start.

I hope that these ideas gave you some awesome things to think about. After all, holistic living is about all aspects of your life being in balance, and writing is a great way to balance everything out. Also, please remember that you don’t have to be talented to be a good writer! Writing is all about getting your thoughts down on paper or on the computer screen in a productive way. Journaling and letter writing is private, so let your feelings flow. No one will be grading you. It requires work to develop a writing skill, but talent is such a small portion of it. Never give up!

Live well,

Claire