Self • January 9, 2025
Karen
Embracing New Wellness Experiences
If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for new ways to feel better, which is why I am always open to trying new services and experiences. Many wellness practices are more than just trendy fads - they can help you tap into your body’s natural healing abilities, improve your mental clarity, and restore your energy.
While we’re all familiar with the benefits of yoga, massage or meditation, there are a lot more unique and transformative practices like Qi facials, Gua Sha, Sound Therapy, Acupuncture, Aura Readings, Ayurveda, Equine Therapy and many more. So, if you're looking to up your wellness habits and discover something new, you might want to give these practices a try.
Qi Facials: Energizing Your Skin with Ancient Chinese Techniques
A Qi facial is a skin treatment that uses Qi beauty technology to activate the skin's bioelectric system. The technology is designed to resonate with the body's magnetic field, which can help improve skin health and performance. Qi facials are said to be low risk and can be suitable for all skin types
Why Should You Try It?
Reduce redness: can help reduce redness, especially for those with rosacea.
Reduce inflammation: can help reduce inflammation and depuff the skin.
Reduce fine lines and wrinkles: can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Boost hydration and collagen production
Improve skin tone and texture
Deeply relaxing
How to Try It:
Learn more and find a licensed practitioner who offers Qi facials here. Qi facials can be a great complement to your skincare routine, especially if you’re looking for a natural, non-invasive way to rejuvenate your skin. You can even purchase an at-home kit.
Gua Sha: An Ancient Technique for Glowing Skin and Muscle Relief
Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese healing method with powerful benefits, especially for your skin and muscles. It involves using a smooth-edged tool, often made of jade or rose quartz, to gently scrape the skin. This process stimulates blood circulation, eases muscle tension, and promotes lymphatic drainage. On the face, it helps reduce puffiness and improves skin tone, while on the body, it relieves sore muscles and stiffness.
Why Should You Try It?
Glowing skin: It boosts blood circulation, giving your face a brighter, more radiant appearance.
Relieves tension: Works wonders for sore muscles, especially in the neck, shoulders, and jaw.
Promotes relaxation: The gentle scraping motion can help calm the nervous system, making it a great addition to your evening routine.
How to Try It:
You can purchase a gua sha tool online and watch a quick tutorial to get started at home. Wildling is an excellent resource for products and tutorials. Or if you're looking for a more luxurious experience, many spas now offer gua sha facials and body treatments.
Sound Therapy: Healing Through Vibrations and Tones
You may have heard of a sound bath or the use of singing bowls, but sound therapy isn’t just about relaxing noises. Sound therapy uses instruments like crystal singing bowls, gongs, or tuning forks to create vibrations that resonate with the body’s energy fields. These sound waves are thought to reduce stress, improve mood, and even help with physical pain.
Why Should You Try It?
Stress relief: Sound waves help calm the nervous system and release stored tension.
Mental clarity: The vibrations can enhance focus and improve your emotional state.
Physical healing: The frequency can promote healing on a cellular level, reducing pain and inflammation.
How to Try It:
Look for sound therapy sessions or sound baths at wellness centers, yoga studios, or meditation spaces. You can also find sound therapy recordings on YouTube or Spotify if you prefer to unwind at home. Here are some good options to check out.
Acupuncture: Tiny Needles, Big Benefits
Acupuncture might seem a little intimidating, but it’s one of the most effective and relaxing treatments out there. It’s rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been used for thousands of years to help balance energy and promote healing. Acupuncture involves inserting very fine needles into specific points on the body to stimulate the flow of qi (life energy). It helps unblock energy pathways and restore balance in the body, which can alleviate pain, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being.
Why Should You Try It?
Pain relief: It’s highly effective for chronic pain, including back, neck, and joint pain.
Stress reduction: Acupuncture can help lower cortisol levels, promoting relaxation.
Improved digestion and sleep: It can help regulate bodily functions and improve sleep patterns.
How to Try It:
Look for a licensed acupuncturist: these are suggested resources. NCCAOM and AAMA. Some acupuncture practitioners also specialize in facial acupuncture, which can be a great alternative to invasive procedures.
Aura Readings: Understanding Your Energy Field
Aura readings help you tap into your energy field, offering insight into your emotional, physical, and spiritual health. It’s believed that different colors in your aura represent different emotional states or imbalances. An aura reading involves a trained practitioner who can interpret the colors and patterns in your energy field to gain insights into your well-being.
Why Should You Try It?
Emotional insight: An aura reading can help you identify areas of stress, anxiety, or emotional blockages.
Spiritual awareness: It helps you connect to your inner self and understand your deeper life purpose.
Self-healing: Recognizing patterns in your energy field can guide you toward healing practices that restore balance.
How to Try It:
Find an aura reader or energy healer who can give you a reading. Many wellness centers, metaphysical shops, and spiritual practitioners offer this service. You can also learn more about it here.
Ayurveda: A Holistic Approach to Wellness
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian practice focused on balancing the body, mind, and spirit. It offers personalized wellness plans based on your body type (dosha), lifestyle, and overall health. In Ayurveda, your body is made up of three primary doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—which represent different combinations of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). By understanding your dominant dosha, an Ayurvedic practitioner can create a customized routine that includes diet, herbs, yoga, and meditation to bring your body and mind into balance.
Why Should You Try It?
Personalized healing: Ayurveda is incredibly individualized and can help address specific concerns like digestion, skin health, energy levels, and mental clarity.
Holistic approach: It treats the whole person, focusing on prevention rather than just symptom management.
Stress management: Many Ayurvedic practices, including meditation and herbal remedies, are designed to calm the mind and reduce stress.
How to Try It:
Look for Ayurvedic practitioners who offer consultations or you can learn a lot and even sign up for an online course here. You can also try Ayurvedic self-care routines like oil massages (abhyanga) or herbal teas.
Reiki and Energy Healing Work
Reiki and energy healing are valuable tools for anyone seeking balance, healing, and personal growth. With regular sessions, they can help maintain a healthy flow of energy and promote overall well-being.
The core idea behind Reiki and energy healing is that everything, including the human body, is made up of energy. This energy flows through pathways in the body, and when the flow is disrupted or blocked—due to stress, trauma, illness, or emotional imbalances—it can lead to physical or emotional pain and disease.
In Reiki, a practitioner uses their hands to channel universal energy into the client’s body. The practitioner may lightly touch the body or hold their hands just above it. The intention is to clear energy blockages, restore the body’s natural energy flow, and promote self-healing.
Energy healing techniques often focus on aligning and balancing the body’s energy field (or aura). This is thought to have an effect on the physical body, as well as on emotional and mental states, helping the client return to a state of equilibrium.
Why You Should Try it:
Stress Relief: One of the most immediate benefits of Reiki and energy healing is profound relaxation - activating the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting calmness and reducing the effects of stress.
Pain Management: Reiki is often used to alleviate physical pain, whether it’s chronic pain or pain from injury or surgery.
Emotional Healing: Reiki can support emotional well-being by clearing negative emotions, releasing trauma, and helping to heal past emotional wounds. It may also help people gain clarity or a sense of peace, making it easier to cope with anxiety, depression, or grief.
Improved Sleep: Because of its relaxing effects, Reiki and energy healing can promote deeper, more restful sleep.
Enhanced Immunity and Vitality: Regular sessions of energy healing can help boost the immune system by promoting overall balance and wellness. The increase in energy flow can improve circulation, support detoxification, and increase vitality.
Spiritual Growth: Energy healing, particularly Reiki, is often considered a path for spiritual growth. Many recipients feel more connected to their higher selves, gain insights into their life purpose, or experience a deeper sense of peace and unity with the universe.
Clearing Blockages: In the energetic sense, blockages in the body can be caused by unresolved emotions, past traumas, or limiting beliefs. Energy healing works to clear these blockages.
How To Try it:
IARP provides a directory of qualified Reiki Masters and Reiki.org is another well-known directory for Reiki practitioners and masters. Many wellness centers and spas offer Reiki and Energy Healing, so you can always seek it out if you are planning to visit one soon. I personally worked with Karin at Heart Flame Healing and she is wonderful.
Equine Therapy: Healing with Horses
Looking for something that’s a bit out of the ordinary, but magical? Equine therapy is a therapeutic practice that involves connecting with horses to promote emotional healing, self-discovery, and stress relief. You’ll work with horses in a safe, controlled environment. Whether it’s simply spending time with the animals, brushing them, or learning how to communicate with them non-verbally, this therapy helps you build trust, improve emotional regulation, and reduce anxiety.
Why Should You Try It?
Emotional healing: Horses are incredibly intuitive and can help you process trauma or emotional wounds.
Improved communication: Working with horses requires clear communication, which can help you develop trust and confidence.
Stress relief: The calming presence of horses has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and promote relaxation.
How to Try It:
Search for equine experience programs or centers near you that offer individual or group sessions. Many therapists combine equine-assisted psychotherapy with traditional counseling methods. Two wonderful equine experiences that we have tried are: Horse, Heart & Connection and Soulful Prairies. Miraval also offers an extensive equine program.
Trying new wellness practices is about more than just pampering yourself; it’s an opportunity to reconnect with your body, mind, and spirit and really can offer benefits for your overall well-being. So why not step out of your comfort zone and give one (or more!) a try? You never know - you may find your new go-to wellness routine!