It’s proven that people who meditate daily are happier, healthier, and a whole lot less stressed.  And while it may not seem totally realistic to run off to India and become a spiritual leader, it’s actually not that hard to become the meditation master of your own life. 

There are a lot of common misconceptions revolving around meditation.  Like, that it’s something you can only accomplish in your yoga class.  It’s something so easy to practice, you can slip it into your morning commute to work, or daily shower.

Meditation is really just about existing in the moment.  It’s being mindful of your surroundings and in touch with your emotions.  It helps you be aware of what’s happening around you, your resistance and your reactions to these things.  And through this awareness, you also acknowledge your control over situations, and acceptance of what you can’t control. 

So, with that being said, these are a couple tips on how you can easily integrate meditation into your daily routine.

Commuting to Work

Whether it’s on the subway, in your car, or on a bus, you can practice meditation on your morning commute.  Instead of focusing on everything you have to do once you get to work, think about the moment you are in, right there, during your commute. 

It’s fine to acknowledge that there’s traffic and you wish there wasn’t, or that the bus is a little more crowded than you would like.  By acknowledging it, and accepting it, you are keeping yourself in this moment.  And, helping teach your mind to remain calm. 

Eating Breakfast

When you start your day off, sitting down and enjoying a nice breakfast, it can help set the tone for the rest of it.  Breakfast often gets lost in the hustle of our morning routine.  And when you actually sit down and enjoy (key word here) a nice morning meal to start your day, not only does it give you the chance to kick start your day with some meditation, but it’s also proven to improve focus for the day overall.

Even though meditation is all about being in the moment, it is also about setting your intention.  And, what better time to set your intention for the day than at breakfast?

At the End of the Day

At the end of your day, it’s important to clear your head of all the stresses you may have taken on, and what’s still yet to come tomorrow.  A popular method of meditation to do this is to imagine that you are taking everything that needs to be done out of your head and placing it in a box.  You will open the box and tackle each task tomorrow, but for now, it is out of your mind, and it won’t be on your mind again until it is time to open that box. 

This helps you give your brain the same rest and rejuvenation that you give your body when sleeping. 

So, hopefully these simple tricks will help you get out there and be your most mindful self.  Namaste.

Summer’s the perfect time to venture outside your city.  And while we all love a good vacation, sometimes all you need is a little day trip.  Day trips are a great way to get out of town and see something new, all while still making it back to the comfort of your own home at the end of it all. 

And since the summer seems to be just flying by, we put together a list of a couple day trip ideas for you to take advantage of.

Visit a Museum

Because the best kind of day trip is fun and educational, right?  We love going to museums.  And, just one more plus side, there’s basically a museum for anything.  So, no matter what your interests may be, there’s probably a museum for that.  Earth Science, Space, Art.  There’s even a Museum of Ice Cream. 

If you want to take your day trip even further, pick a museum in a different town.  You can explore a new museum and town, all in one fun summer day.

Take a Hike

We love hiking.  And, it’s another day trip that you can completely cater to your own wants.  You pick the length, the difficulty, and the location.  Hiking is a great way to spend a summer day because it feels so good to be immersed in everything the world has to offer.  Pack yourself some snacks and enjoy your time at the top.  

And, if you want your day trip to be an overnight trip, grab your tent and find a little camping spot close to your hike. 

Explore a Ghost Town

Depending where you live, you can probably find a small, secluded town within a few hours from you.  Which makes for a fun day trip, because it’s also like a mini road trip.  It’s fun to spend some time in a small town because when you spend a day somewhere so different than where you live, it really does feel like a little vacation.  We recommend a ghost town too, because it adds the extra element of potentially getting a little spooked and hearing some good stories.

It’s important to make the time for yourself, and to do the things you want to do this summer.  It’s so easy to get stuck in our everyday routines, but you know what, it’s also pretty easy (and, not to mention, rewarding) to make little day trips part of those routines.

We all have our own little “life hacks” to make every day run a little smoother.  Maybe it’s something that’s been passed down in our families, or that a friend says and it sticks with us. Really, don’t you just love when someone helps you out by arming you with the most important tool: knowledge.

And so, we wanted to share one of our pro tips with you.  Our secret ingredient to soft skin. A little something that we like to call Jojoba Oil.

What is Jojoba Oil?

If you’re unfamiliar with Jojoba Oil, here’s the rundown.  It comes from the Jojoba Plant, native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico.  And, contrary to its own name, it’s actually not an oil, but a liquid plant wax.  While Jojoba Oil has been used in products as a carrier oil for its essential oil uses, it actually has healing properties all of its own.  Hence, why it’s our skin softening superstar.   

What are the benefits?

Jojoba oil is the most similar to our skin’s oil.  And, it doesn’t necessarily have a scent of its own, but instead picks up on the natural scents of its environment.  So, for starters, we love it because it doesn’t overpower our skin with fragrance.  You get to just smell like you, while also helping out that skin.

And now, the healing properties.  As we said, this is our secret weapon when it comes to soft skin.  We have glands in our skin that create oils in order to moisturize itself and as we get older, our skin starts to produce less of this oil.  If you live in a dry climate, your skin may have never been able to produce enough of this oil naturally to accommodate your environment anyways.  So, jojoba oil replenishes the moisture our skin needs, but may not be able to provide for itself.

And, if your skin’s a little too oily, Jojoba can give you a hand with that, too.   It works to remove excess build up and balance the oil levels on your skin.  Making it awesome for fighting off both eczema and acne.

Jojoba oil helps keep our skin so smooth by keeping it healthy.  It helps repair damaged and irritated skin, and can even treat a nasty sunburn (because unfortunately, we all usually experience that, at least once, each summer).  And, on top of repairing our skin, it works to protect it in the future.  Consider jojoba the superfood of skincare.

So, we hope this skin secret can help make your summer a little bit smoother.