Vegas? No, it’s your Vagus Nerve
“september is the doorway from summer’s glow to autumns embrace”
What is your vagus nerve?
Your vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body running from the brain to the abdomen, connecting all major internal organs through the heart, lungs and digestive tract. It sends signals from the internal organs to the brain and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the flight or fight response). The vagus nerve turns on the motor function in your muscles and turns on the sensory function in your ears.
When your vagus nerve is deactivated you may have poor digestion and symptoms associated with IBS, SIBO and other chronic gastro diseases. You may struggle with chronic inflammation, lower immunity, difficulty speaking and hearing.
When your vagus nerve is activated, your digestion is good, you enjoy restful sleep, lower stress levels, decreased inflammation and a good immune system. So how do you keep your vagus nerve activated?
listening to calming music
practise yoga, deep breathing and the Butterfly hug, (use gentle alternate taps on the upper body)
place your hand on your chest or stomach and repeat a grounding phrase like “ I am safe, this will pass”
grounding exercise. Name 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This is a mindfulness technique to reconnect you with your body
a low-tone humming or singing helps to send vibrations that activate your vagus nerve
gentle neck stretches. Slowly tilt your head to one side then slowly forwards. Repeat to the other side and backwards. This helps to release tension around the vagus nerve. Be super careful if you have neck problems, always go just as far as you can comfortably
Essential Oils can directly support the parasympathetic nervous system through inhalations and by applying oils to your skin, this helps to relax your mind and body, thus sending calming messages to your brain.
Feel relaxed with our NEW Balance Therapy Balm, organic, vegan and very nourishing for your skin
As the season changes to Autumn
in Chinese medicine, there are five seasons. The fifth season is Late Summer and is a time when we focus on strengthening digestion, supporting energy levels, and grounding the body after the high activity of summer (yang energy) to prepare to go inwards as Yin energy will continue to decrease. What you eat and how you care for yourself now can set the tone for your healthy in the seasons ahead.
Good foods to prepare your body are:
black or red fruits eg blackberries, black grapes, blackcurrants, plums - rich in lypocene, anthocyanins
green leafy veg eg kale, broccoli, beans, spinach
nuts and seeds
As Mothers Natures clock turns again to Autumn, the days can be beautiful, the most colourful and dramatic of all the seasons. The Autumn Equinox happens on September 21st as is a time of harvest, celebration for the fruits of summer. The trees seems to be turning colour earlier this year, I think they are stressed due to the hot dry summer. Its a nice thing to adopt your local tree and give it a drink often to help.
September sees the return of our Autumn scent, help me say hello to Autumn. We have blended organic essential oils of Pimento, Sweet Orange and Rose Geranium, the scent is fruity, spicy and vibrant just like an autumnal woodland. Available in a 150g soy candle, wax melts, essential oil blend and Little Box Of Essence gift set.
END OF SUMMER SALE !
We are making room for our new gift boxes and products, so we are having a summer sale. Its the perfect time to treat yourself or friends and family as there are savings to be had. The best before dates are for the end of this year but they smell amazing, from travel soy candle gift set, therapy balm gift sets, little box of summer and spring essence, room sprays, massage oils, there is so much to choose from!
Available while stocks last
NEW PRODUCTS
Balance Therapy Balm
The relaxing therapy balm has the most soothing scent. A blend of palmarosa, geranium bourbon, lavender and ylang yland will calm your stress levels, rebalance your thoughts and help activate your vagus nerve. Massage your abdomen if you struggle with PMS
Feel happy and relaxed with this Happy Therapy Balm
Happy Therapy Balm
The scent of sweet orange, rosemary, frankincense and cedarwood is happy, uplifting and will give you the best start to any day. The blend of organic butters, oils and berry wax will hydrate and nourish your skin.
New Letterbox Gift
We have been working on our Letterbox Gifts and have changed the 10ml massage oil to a roller ball bottle, this is perfect to apply to your pulse points. You will find an a5 mindful colouring page, we believe that arts and crafts is very beneficial to your mental and emotional health. We have also added a small sprig of dried flowers as everyone loves flowers and this way, the sprig can be enjoyed for much longer than fresh flowers!
Our Letterbox Gifts have just become bigger
And finally …..
As you know my passion is plants, nature and being outside. I take great care to garden for all the insects, birds, mammals and bigger but still beautiful visitors, namely badgers and foxes. September is the time when we take stock of what has worked and not worked in the garden and this year has been a great year for butterflies but not so great for many bees. I have noticed that my garden is filled with early spring and early summer flowers but not so great for mid to late summer/autumn nectar plants, I will fix this for next year and have managed to find some peat free late flowering plants for now to help. I am also learning about Forest Gardening. Forest gardening is growing multi layers, just like a woodland. From canopy layers (trees) to ground cover plants, climbers etc, you can grow foods whilst still caring for nature. I will share with you what I learn over the next months as I think this is the way to go. If you can do one thing this autumn and winter for our wildlife, build a ground level pond and consider designing a water source to it from your shed maybe. We have been desperately short of water this summer and we could all harvest much more to use for our wildlife and to grow our own crops.
Coming soon, help me have some moon therapy A blend of sandalwood and neroli, a quiet blend just like our marvellous moon. Available in a soy candle, essential oil blend, Moon Therapy Little Box of Essence gift set and the fourth member of the NEW Therapy Soy Candle gift set.
The Christmas Gift Guide will be available on the 1st October, full of ideas for gifts for friends and family
“did you know your mood starts in your stomach? 90% of serotonin is made in your gut”
