One thing I struggle to do is slow down. Taking time out to relax, maybe meditate, have some alone time. It sounds great doesn’t it? Easier said than done for me. I am so highly strung, my body is nearly always tense, I worry and stress about everything that it’s so tiring. But I learned some tricks when on a recent press trip with Rituals Cosmetics to Amsterdam for their perfectly titled Slow Down Sessions to celebrate all things mindful and calm. I’ve long been a fan of Rituals; the ritual of Sakura has a permanent place in my shower. Their products are more than just nice smelling body care; they represent the time we could take to use our skin care routine, both face and body, as a ritual. A short time to take for ourselves. I had a personal interest on this trip to try and find ways to relax my mind and body that has been a big challenge for me.
AT HOME FACIAL
There were a few things that I took away from this trip that I plan on doing myself. The first is my own, at home facial. Rather than briskly cleaning my face every night and then lashing in the serum, it’s a nice thing for oneself to use your skincare routine as a means to relax. It doesn’t have to take long. So, when cleansing your face, try some facial massage. Keep your hair from your face, dampen, then apply a cleaners in circular motions all over your face. On the day I learned to do this, we used a cream based cleanser that works so well for a massage. The Rituals Gentle Cleansing Foam turns creamy when you go to add some water which acts as a great means to get your make up off. When it comes to your moisturizer, try the same method. Gentle circular motions will get your moisturizer right into your pores too!
TIME TO MEDITATE
My next take away was to try meditation. On the second day of the trip we did a full hour with a meditation expert who shared so many great tips to try it yourself. So this is how I have been applying this to my own routine. Sit with your legs crossed, or just in a position you feel relaxed. I like sitting as it means I can practice this anywhere without anyone knowing. Now imagine a moment where you felt completely content, happy and at ease. As you think of this place your two hands over your heart and breathe into that space, all the time concentrating on that thought and how you felt at the time. I tried this and could not believe how quickly my whole body began to relax by just channelling the warm feeling of my happy thought, through my breath and into my heart. It takes only a few minutes and is the nicest way to have a moment to yourself. I have lots of stressful times and now I find I am relying on this technique each day to help keep my mind balanced.
YOGA
I have always been a lover of yoga (here in Dublin I go to Yoga Hub which I love) and I find FLOW an enjoyable way to relax and get a work out too. At the Slow Down Sessions, we had an hour of lovely yoga to start the day and it reminded me of how much I love this practice and how it benefits my body so much. I’ve made a promise to myself to get this into my work out routine each week.
As I mentioned above, I have lots of Rituals products at home already and here is a little list of my favourites:
The Ritual of Sakura Shower Gel, €8.50
The Ritual of Sakura Bed & Body Mist, €16.50
The Ritual of Happy Budda Body Scrub, €19.50
The Ritual of Dao Relaxing Serum, €11.50
You can take a look at these on www.rituals.com
Take a look at some images from the trip below, I think I look kind of chill, right?
