How to support yourself during the Coronavirus

My opinion on all of this is that we are meant to shift into our hearts.  Shift into a space of love, gratitude and connection with ourselves, the planet and one another.

Not only do we have to deal with what we are experiencing internally, we are also having to process what's going on outside of us as well.  This can provoke anxiety, stress, overwhelm, fatigue, uncertainty, which can lead to a depressed immune system, sleep problems and increase the chances of getting sick.

So how do we stay out of stress, support our bodies and stay as healthy as we can right now?

We must activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which is the system that is present when we are in a relaxed state, when we are meditating, present, happy.  Our bodies function to their greatest capacity when in this state. Our immune systems are strengthened with more resilience to the external bombardments of viruses. We also must provide proper nutrients for our physical bodies to have the proper tools to fight off illness.

I believe, most importantly, that we focus on staying in our hearts and radiating out love to the greatest capacity we can right now. It is a great time to go within, to meditate, to create a ritual, to pick up that hobby you've never had time for, to read those books. The more we can stay away from stress, the healthier your body will be and the higher the vibration of the planet will become.

Below I touch on how to best support our four bodies: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. All are important for optimal health and overall well-being.

Herbal support during these times:

Physical body:

Immunity boosters- these have an immediate effect on the immunity's ability to fight off the flu.

Astragalus

Cat’s claw

Echinacea

Elderberry

Reishi

Rose hips

Lemon balm

Licorice

Nervous system support

Rhodiola

Eleuthero

Cordyceps

Reishi

Holy basil

Schizandra

Ashwagandha

Astragalus

He shou wu

Shatavari

Chamomile

Milky oats

Hawthorn

Lemon balm

Skullcap

Gotu kola

St. john’s wort

Heart support

Linden

Motherwort

Passionflower

Kava

Cacao

Rose

Reishi

Lavender

Adaptogens for the immune system- These help boost immunity while also helping the body mitigate the stress that's going on internally.

American ginseng

Amla

Ashwagandha

Asian ginseng

Astragalus

Cordyceps

Dang shen

Eleuthero

Guduchi

He shou wu

Holy basil

Licorice

Lycium

Prince seng

Reishi

Rhodiola

Schisandra

Shatavari

shilajit

Food and supplements to support immunity:

Citrus fruits

Bone broths

Green leafy vegetables

Parsley

Probiotics

B vitamins

Comfort food- supports your heart

Ginger

Garlic

Apple cider vinegar

Raw honey

Thyme

Oregano

Shiitake

Turkey tail

Maitake

Horseradish

Cayenne pepper

Jalapeño peppers

Spiritual body:

Pray

Create a ritual

Connect to/spend time in nature

Herbs for psychospiritual support- These aid in meditation and deliver nutrients to the mind that are necessary for the experience of enlivened consciousness.  Can be used as aids to elevate the mood and spirit and to calm the mind.

Gotu kola

Reishi

Asian ginseng

Holy basil

Licorice

Shatavari

Mental body:

Meditate

Calm the mind

Become present as often as possible

Switch negative thinking to positive thinking

Emotional body:

Bring your awareness into your heart and come into a space of gratitude

Take a salt bath

Benefits of getting into our heart and out of our heads

“Brain coherence begins when the location of consciousness is shifted from the brain to the heart, either through focus on the heart itself or on external sensory cues and how they feel.”- Stephen Buhner.

Increased heart coherence boosts the body’s production of immunoglobulin A, a naturally occurring compound that protects the body’s mucous membranes and helps prevent infections.  Overall healing rates are enhanced when we increase our heart-brain coherence. There is also less anxiety, depression and overall stress.

“Heart entrainment leads to increased self-management of one's mental and emotional states that automatically manifests as more highly ordered physiological states that affect the functioning of the whole body, including the brain.  The practitioners of these heart focus techniques report an increased intuitive awareness and more efficient decision-making capability that is beyond their normal capacity form the mind and brain alone.”- McCraty

#herbs #immunity #adaptogens #nervoussystem