Online Yoga

Visit www.simplepleasure.biz and click on online yoga.  You will find many different styles of yoga to choose from.  It is $5.00 now and $10.00 a month after that.  Enjoy yoga in the privacy of your own home.

10 Ways to Destress during the Holidays

The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful. With family time and festive holiday parties, also comes shopping in crowded department stores, planning epic dinners and completing work deadlines before the New Year. But don’t wait until January to get your head screwed on straight again. Take just ten minutes out of your day to try these simple stress reducers — we guarantee you’ll feel much better.
1. Take a Walk
The easiest way to beat stress is to walk away from the immediate source. Even if you only have five minutes to spare, get up and take a quick stroll to gather your thoughts, get your blood flowing and release mood-boosting endorphins.
2. Meditate
Just five minutes of meditating will lower your heart rate and blood pressure and relax your muscles. To get started, find a quiet place to sit and try to clear your mind of any thoughts. Then focus on one thing — your breathing, a picture in your head or repeating a mantra. Still having trouble? Follow an app, like iMindfulness, to keep you on track.
3. Pour Some Tea
Decaffeinated green tea is soothing because it contains theanine, an amindo acid that promotes relaxation. Avoid caffeinated versions because they can worsen stress.
4. Take Deep Breaths
Only have one minute? Stop whatever you’re doing, close your eyes and focus on your breath as it goes in and out.
5. Make a To-Do List 
Running down a long list of deadlines in your head is the worst thing you can do when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Instead, choose the three most important tasks and jot them down. Work on one at a time and check them off as you go. If you have time leftover, plop down a few more and keep going.
6. Pick Up a Trashy Novel
Ok, well it doesn’t have to be trashy. Reading any type of fiction will take your mind away from the present and essentially allow you to enter a new world. Sometimes, a little distraction is all you need.
7. Get in Some Pet Time
A study done by the University of Buffalo found that subjects who spent time with a cat or dog during times of high stress (the subjects were stockbrokers, go figure), their blood pressure was lowered. So grab your pet and get in some quick cuddle time. Don’t have a furry friend of your own? Take a trip to the local shelter.
8. Light a Lavender Candle
Light a lavender candle right before bed to help relax and clear your mind. A study by researchers at the University of Miami followed brain activity with an EEG machine, finding that those who were subjected to lavender aromatherapy showed brainwaves associated with drowsiness. The subjects also felt less depressed and had a mood boost.
9. Eat Chocolate
When you’re stressed you have low serotonin, a brain chemical that controls calmness. Sweet and starchy foods, such as chocolate, pretzels and ice cream, actually boost serotonin levels which in turn relaxes the body. A trial published in the Journal of Proteome Research found that eating an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks helps to reduce levels of stress hormones.
10. Listen to Music 
A 2010 study by researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center found that subjects who listened to their favorite music had better circulation as a result. Their blood vessels actually opened wider — slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, relaxing the muscles and creating an overall feeling of relaxation. Interesting word of advice: no matter how much you love a song, don’t put it on repeat. The doctors claimed that listening to the same song over and over will decrease the effects.

Tips for Managing Holiday Stress with Essential Oils

We set ourselves up for some intensity this season don’t we? The pace of life speeds up and we expect so much from ourselves and others. Our feelings and emotions can quickly get out of control and lead to some pretty serious stress. Here are 5 holiday situations that may bring on additional stress and some oil suggestions that can help stabilize our emotional health.
Why essential oils? Oils can create change in mood quickly and safely. Perfect for this time of year.
1. Shopping meltdowns. You’ve been to 5 stores already and haven’t found what you are looking for. You are trying to stick to your budget and not finding anything for the loved ones on your list.  Add in the crowds and dragging kids around with you, and it can be enough to make you want to sit down and cry. Whether it’s you or your kids who are in the midst of a meltdown, oils can be a great way to calm anger, frustration, and lift the mood.
Tip: Find a quiet corner and pull out your oils. Place a drop of your chosen oil in your hand and rub together. Place them in front of your mouth and nose, close your eyes, and breath deeply for a few minutes.
Some oils great for helping calm are:
•Wild Orange
•Geranium
•Grounding Blend (Balance)
2. Feeling Inadequate. I think it’s normal to want to create a perfect memory making holiday. We get a picture of what we want (looking at you Martha Stewart) and we can be really hard on ourselves if it doesn’t quite turn out the way we’d hoped.  Some wonderful oils to promote letting go, enjoying the present moment, buoyant feelings, reducing perfectionism, etc.
•Cypress
•Lime
•Peppermint
Tip: Inhale from the bottle in regular intervals throughout the day. Use a carrier oil and add a drop then apply the oils topically just below the navel, on the feet, and back of the neck.
3. Scarcity Mentality.  Money can be a hot topic during the holidays. The desired feelings of abundance and generosity can sometimes battle with whisperings of fear, lack, and scarcity. Try these oils to help us work through a scarcity mentality and live in a more abundant mindset.
•Wild Orange
•Invigorating Blend (Citrus Bliss)
•Joyful Blend (Elevation)
Tip: Diffuse your chosen oil throughout the day.  Inhale from the bottle, or apply topically with a carrier oil. Use an uplifting mantra to repeat while inhaling your chosen scent- “There is more where this came from” or “I have plenty” or something that brings you feelings of peace.
4. Overdoing it.  Yikes. It can be so hard to stick to health plan during the holidays. Excess and decadence is everywhere. We can do the best we can and try to avoid the feelings of next morning regret using essential oils as a support tool.
•Metabolic Blend (Slim and Sassy)
•Grapefruit
•Digestion Blend (DigestZen)
•Juniper Berry
Tip: Diffuse oils or apply topically. Add a drop of metabolic blend, or other citrus oil to your water. Drink throughout the day.
5. Late Nights and Little Sleep.  There is way more to do in the allotted 24 hours during this time of year. Sleep usually suffers. Lack of sleep is one of the biggest triggers to seasonal illnesses.  Essential oils can help support our system in good sleep.
•Lavender
•Calming Blend (Serenity)
•Vetiver
Tip: Diffuse, apply topically to the back of your neck and feet before bedtime. Add drops to a tissue and put in your pillow case.
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Here are a few DIY Roller Bottle Blend recipes to try for general holiday stress relief.
Happy and Calm
7 drops Lavender
3 drops Roman Chamomile
2 drops Peppermint
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Add drops to a 10 ML roller bottle and place on pulse points.

Quick Relief
3 drops Roman Chamomile
3 drops Lavender
2 drops Marjoram
2 drops Thyme
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Add drops to a 10 ML roller bottle and place on pulse points.

Fresh Winter
3 drops Peppermint
2 drops Wild Orange
1 drop Clove
1 drop Wintergreen
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Add drops to a 10 ML roller bottle and apply to the feet.
Visit www.simplepleasure.biz for all of your essential oil needs.

Elevate your Mood with doTerra Essential Oils

                            

One of the BEST things about essential oils is their ability to impact your mood. The science behind scent and emotion is pretty cool.
Basically, smells pass right into your olfactory cortex which contain your limbic system and amygdala- the place where emotions and memories are stored.
Because of their unique molecular structure, essential oils can help trigger a memory, change an emotion, alleviate stress, and help heal emotional trauma. This is why diffusing, or aromatic use, of essential oils is the best way to utilize smell to stabilize or enhance emotions.

doTerra Blends that can help your Mood:

Citrus Blend (Citrus Bliss)-Uplifting, Stimulating, Motivating, Amazing Aroma, Calming and Elevating
Calming Blend (Serenity)-Peaceful, Calming, Helps with Anxiety, Stress and Sleep
Uplifting Blend (Elevation)-Peaceful and Calming, Inspiring, Encouraging, Helps with Anxiety, Stress and Sleep
Grounding Blend (Balance)-Grounding, Reassuring, Balances the body, Helps with Anxiety, ADD/ADHD, Nervousness

Additional Beneficial doTerra Single Essential Oils:

Bergamot- Antidepressant, Helps with insomnia, Relieves anxiety, Relaxing and calming, Feelings of Self-Appreciation and Love
Frankincense- Antidepressant, Anti-inflammatory, Sedative, Helps create new perspectives, Crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier, Eases Impatience & Restlessness
Geranium- Antidepressant, Refreshing, Relaxing, Ease Nervous Tension, Balance the Emotions, Lift the Spirit, Foster Peace and Hope
Melissa- Assists in soothing action on heart and nerves, Benefits restlessness, insomnia and nervous agitation, Acts as mild tranquilizer, Penetrates deepest layers of human psyche, Restores clarity and security, Fights depression and feeling of foreboding, Eases grief and soothes sadness, Uplifting and calming
Patchouli- Allows oxygen to cross the brain barrier, Helpful with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Helps with ADHD and Autism, Reduces anxiety, Antidepressant, Stimulates the senses, Uplifts the mind, Calms the body, Reduces mental fatigue and lethargy, Helps manage anger
Peppermint- Reduces mental stress, Induces a state of relaxation and regeneration, Alleviates anxiety, Calming effect on the central nervous system, Reduces blood pressure, Decreases pain, Decreases depression levels, Helps with insomnia,
Roman Chamomile- Reduces anxiety, Antidepressant, Calming in distressed situations, Helps with insomnia, Muscle relaxant
Vetiver- Brain oxygenating, Increases production of white blood cells, Stimulates production of red blood cells, Brings thoughts and actions into focus, Helps stabilize mental and physical energy, Restores balance and harmony, Antidepressant, Relieves anxiety, Relieves absentmindedness, creates clarity, Helps with ADHD
Wild Orange- Antidepressant, Calming, Uplifting, Feelings of Abundance, Creativity
Ylang Ylang- Relieves depression, Soothes anger and frustration, Uplifts and creates sense of peace, Minimizes aggressive behavior, Stimulates enthusiasm, Helps to improve harmony and confidence, Helps to recognize enjoyable experiences
Experiment with what oils you like, what ones help you feel balanced, uplifted, and happy. Here’s a fun DIY blend from the spring edition of doTerra Living Magazine:
In a 1 oz. roller bottle:
10 drops Peppermint
5 drops Roman Chamomile
10 drops Wild Orange
2 drops Frankincense
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Add essential oils to your roller bottle and top with FCO.
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On the go methods of aromatic use for when you don’t have a diffuser handy.
Rub between your palms and cup your hands around your mouth and nose. Close your eyes and inhale.
Place on a tissue and put it over a fan, A/C unit, etc.
Visit www.simplepleasure.biz for all of your essential oil needs.