Your self care tonic menu 2
Welcome to EMBODY week 2
This week’s Self Care Tonic Menu is here to inspire you with simple ideas across healthy habits, nutrition, hair/ body care and wellness routines. Think of it as your guide to creating a holistic approach to wellness—a way to recharge, reconnect, and embody your highest self.
Taking care of yourself isn’t just about physical fitness—it’s about nurturing your emotional, spiritual, energetic and mental well-being too. Feeling your best comes from creating small moments throughout your day that align with what makes you feel good.
These rituals work together to help you thrive so you can create your best self.
Here is a breakdown of how to do each Self Care Tonic:
🥥 DIY Hair Growth Oil
Ingredients:
Rosemary Essential Oil - Promotes blood circulation and hair growth.
Amount: 8–10 drops.
Carrier Oil (such as coconut oil or jojoba oil) - Hydrates and strengthens the hair shaft.
Amount: 2–3 tablespoons.
Peppermint Essential Oil - Boosts circulation and provides a tingling sensation.
Amount: 4–5 drops.
Castor Oil - Thickens and strengthens hair strands.
Amount: 1 tablespoon.
Vitamin E Oil (Optional) - Adds antioxidant protection and moisture.
Amount: 1 teaspoon or pop open 2 -3 Vit E capsules.
How to Make It:
In a small glass bottle or jar, combine the carrier oil with rosemary essential oil.
Add castor oil, peppermint oil, and Vitamin E oil (if using).
Mix well by shaking the bottle gently.
How to Use It:
Pre-Wash Treatment: Apply the oil to your scalp and hair roots, massaging it in with your fingertips for 5–10 minutes. You can also heat up the oil for a more deeply penetrating and luxurious moment.
Leave It In: Leave the oil in for at least 1–2 hours or overnight for deep nourishment.
Wash Out: Rinse thoroughly with shampoo, shampoo a second time.
Frequency: Use 1-2 times a week for best results.
📖 Journal Using 'Embody' Prompts
Carve out time to connect with yourself and set meaningful intentions for the day.
Gather Your Materials:
A journal or notebook.
Your favourite pen.
A quiet, cozy spot.
Use These 'Embody' Prompts:
Click here to use these weekly journaling prompts if you are a beginner
Click here to use these daily journalling prompts if you take journaling seriously!
How-To:
Spend 2–3 minutes per prompt, writing freely and without judgment.
Use this as a way to check in with your inner self and gain clarity for the day ahead.
💆 Gua Sha Facial Massage
Gua sha is a traditional Chinese medicine tool that involves massaging your skin with a stone. It stimulates lymphatic drainage to remove waste, produce collage and give a lifting and refreshing appearance to your face. Now who doesn’t want this?
Cleanse your face
- Remove all makeup with your gentle cleanser or use an oil cleaner to double as a cleanser and the slip for the gua sha routine. I have an instagram post on this here:Apply a generous layer of facial oil.
- I love using jojoba oil or rosehip oil.Using a gua sha tool, glide it along your jawline, cheekbones, and forehead in upward motions.
For lymphatic drainage
gently pump the collarbones in a circular motion with your fingertips to stimulate the lymphatic nodes, then perform long sweeps down the neck with your gua sha towards the collarbones, then with your fingertips do 10 circular motions behind each ear, then continue to move the tool from the centre of your face outward towards ear and down toward your neck.
Repeat each stroke up to 10 times on each section.
My top picks for Gua Sha tool:
My top picks for facial oil:
🛁 Cold Plunge or Contrast Shower
For a cold plunge: Fill a tub with cold water (or add a few bags of ice) and submerge your body up to your shoulders for 1-3 minutes. Breath calmly in through the nose and out through the mouth.
For a contrast shower: Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and 1 minute of warm water for 3 cycles, ending on cold if you do this in the am to promote alertness or end shower on warm water if doing this before bed to promote sleepiness.
Breathe deeply throughout to calm your nervous system and improve circulation.
🍵 Herbal Tea Meditation (15 mins)
Choose a calming herbal tea (e.g., chamomile, peppermint, or lavender) and brew it slowly.
While sipping, focus on the warmth of the cup, the aroma of the tea, and the flavours with each sip.
Practice mindfulness by observing your breath and letting thoughts come and go without judgment.
Rest the mug on the lower belly. Here’s why:
Promotes Digestive Comfort: The gentle warmth on the lower abdomen helps relax the abdominal muscles and stimulate digestion, supporting the body's natural processes after meals.
Eases Tension: The heat can soothe cramps, bloating, or general discomfort in the lower belly, often associated with stress or menstrual cycles.
Grounding and Calming: Ayurveda emphasises connecting with the body's energy centres, or chakras. The lower abdomen corresponds to the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana), associated with creativity, emotions, and flow. The warmth can help balance this energy centre and promote emotional well-being.
Encourages Mindfulness: Placing the mug on your belly connects you to your body and breath, deepening your meditation as you focus on the tea’s warmth and your internal sensations.
Nurtures a Womb Connection: For women, this practice is often seen as nurturing the womb space, which in Ayurveda is a centre of vitality and creativity.
