On airplanes we’ re taught to put our oxygen masks on first before we help the person beside us. We’ re of no use to anyone if we don’ t care for ourselves first. Yet, in our daily lives, we’ re so busy trying to do everything that our own wellbeing gets neglected. If we want to be our best selves, we must pay close attention to our own inner states and know when to put ourselves first.
Cultivating Your Self-Care Superpower
A Health & Wellness Reminder from gmhTODAY
by Crystal Han
On airplanes we’ re taught to put our oxygen masks on first before we help the person beside us. We’ re of no use to anyone if we don’ t care for ourselves first. Yet, in our daily lives, we’ re so busy trying to do everything that our own wellbeing gets neglected. If we want to be our best selves, we must pay close attention to our own inner states and know when to put ourselves first.
There are many ways to approach self-care, but if you’ re looking for a good place to start or want to try something new, here are a few excellent places to explore:
Pono Wellness Spa Inspired by traditional Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage, Bonni Kelley opened the Pono Wellness Spa so that she could share the peace she felt in the Hawaiian Islands with Morgan Hill. Not only does the spa look like an oasis, filled with tropical plants and aromas, but it also serves as an oasis for the soul.
Kelley chose the word Pono for her spa to represent this intention. It is a sacred Hawaiian word that translates to“ righteousness” or“ balance.” To live in Pono is to consciously and continuously do right by yourself, others, and the world by living in integrity and harmony with everything in your life. By doing so, it creates good for both you and others around you.
Our hectic, stressful lives make it easy to fall out of balance. We spend more time stuck in our sympathetic“ fight-or-flight” response than in our parasympathetic“ rest and digest” state.“ The brain wants to be in the parasympathetic state, but it forgets how to get there sometimes,” Kelley explained,“ We need to teach the brain that it’ s a good place, and the more we coax it there, the more it starts being there on a regular basis.”
Kelley and her team of certified massage therapists do this by offering a wide range of techniques, from deep tissue massage, hot stone massage, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, Lomi Lomi, trigger point therapy, prenatal massage, acupressure, microcurrent therapy, Thai herbal ball massage, and more. The spa features two infrared saunas, one indoors and one in their Hawaiian Bliss patio, where people can relax. They also recently added a Halo Salt Therapy chamber, which combines halotherapy, a holistic dry salt inhalation treatment that strengthens respiratory health, with infrared sauna and red-light therapy.
If you’ re new to Pono Wellness Spa, Kelley recommends starting with a regular massage, preferably 90 minutes. She is a firm believer in addressing the whole body, not just the parts that hurt, and so she likes to have the time to hear what your goals are and what injuries or health issues you have. No matter how much time you have, however, Kelley and her team will always make the most of it. They really take the time to listen and offer stretches and ways to help you attain better wellness.
Kelley cares a lot about keeping her services affordable. She offers three and five pack deals for massages and saunas, with a thirty minute add on for the massage five pack and a $ 15 discount off with the sauna three pack. There is also a year pack where the twelfth session is free. Massage sessions and packs can be booked at www. ponowellnessspa. com.
No matter how busy you are, Kelley invites you to carve out some time to visit the spa.“ My biggest mantra that I tell everybody is that self-care is not selfish. You’ ll have a much better quality of life if you take the time,” she said.
The Zen Room For anyone feeling stuck or lost in the daily grind, The Zen Room in Gilroy may be a missing piece to the wellness puzzle. Dawn Culp, The Zen Room’ s founder, describes wellness as a three-part system: physical, mental, and energetic.“ If you
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