BY JOANNE BARRY COLON
Did you know that 40 million Americans over the age of 18 are affected by anxiety and three in five American adults take a prescription drug to help decrease anxiety.
As a Certified Personal Trainer and Reiki Master, I work with many clients that are affected by anxiety. I encourage them to manage their anxiety naturally by incorporating crystal meditation, essential oils and stretches into their practice. Below are nine crystals, two essential oils and three stretches that I encourage clients to use to help decrease anxiety naturally.
Photo courtesy Joanne Barry Colon. Joanne Barry Colon demonstrates the legs up the wall stretch.
Crystals:
• Fluorite mixed green, purple, clear: helps concentrate and balance the positive and negative aspect of the mind, while experiencing inner peace. Used for throat, third eye or heart chakra.
• Rose Quartz: helps raise your vibration to feel calm, love and compassion. Used for heart chakra.
• Lepidolite: A gentle loving stone to help balance the nervous system and wards off melancholy. Place lepidolite close to your heart chakra to calm your heart and keep your thoughts peaceful. Used for heart chakra
• Amethyst: A protective and inspirational stone. Will help you feel and act powerful. Carry a tumble stone in your pocket or keep a cluster on your desk to transmute any negative thoughts. Amethyst is great to use for migraines due to over thinking. Used for crown chakra
• Aquamarine: A stone for relief eases stress and tension, while helping the throat chakra when blocked for those moments you’re not speaking your truth or your words are not being heard. Used for throat chakra.
• Smoky Quartz: Hold smoky quartz in your non-dominate hand to help decrease tension, stress and panic attacks. Place smoky quartz on your root chakra to help get balance and grounded.
• Howlite: Helps decrease insomnia, pain, stress and or rage, while soothing your emotions and aiding in restful sleep. Keep howlite in your pocket or wear as jewelry to help absorb anger and negative energy. Used for third eye.
• Labradorite: Helps to decrease anxiety and stress while stimulating mental clarity. Used for solar plexus.
• Moonstone: Helps to calm the mind and minimizes overreacting, while balancing and restoring you to your whole perfect being. Used for sacral chakra.
For a restful night sleep, and to help decrease anxiety, place the nine crystals in a pouch then place under your pillow at bedtime.
Essential Oils:
• Valor: Apply valor on both feet to balance and ground yourself (rub one to two drops of oil on each foot). Apply on both wrist and spine to improve your mood and decrease stress (rub one drop on both wrist and one to two drops on the spine). Apply on your neck, chest, jaw and feet to ease tension (rub one drop on the neck, one to two drops on the chest, one to two drops on the jaw and one to two drops on the feet). For a restful night sleep, apply one drop to the right toe before bed.
• Peace and Calming: Use peace and calming to help decrease anxiety, over thinking, and for inner peace. Apply peace and calming to both shoulders, feet and wrist before bed time to get a restful night sleep and during the day to help calm your mind and have inner peace throughout the day (rub one to two drops on shoulders, feet and wrist).
Stretches:
• Seated Forward Bend: Can help a distracted mind unwind and relieve stress, anxiety in addition to stretching the hamstrings, spine and lower back while improving digestion. Keep the feet flexed and lower your forehead toward your knees.
• Extended Puppy Pose: This pose is a cross between Child’s Pose and Downward Facing Dog. It lengthens the spine and calms the mind while relieving symptoms of chronic stress and tension.
• Legs Up The Wall: A restorative yoga pose, great to relieve lower back discomfort and easing anxiety in addition to reducing insomnia and lowering blood pressure.
Please consult with your physician before starting this regimen. For best results work one on one with a Holistic Practitioner, Reiki Master or Certified Personal Trainer. Email your questions to healingwithin34@aol.com
