Your Alignment with Waning Sun and Expanding Moon Influences

Our Sun-Moon Cycle for Step-4 designates the waning influence of the sun as the moon's influence begins expanding around mid-afternoon. Also at this time, your internal energy is starting to wane and your mind-body is in need of sustainable replenishment to regain functional focus to complete your day. The Essential Mind-Body Balancer for Step 4 is ENERGY for FOCUS. The mid-afternoon presents unique challenges, with the day almost done, but, we still have room to be productive before our transition to early evening. In the practice of Ayurveda, we avoid over-caffeinated and heavily sugared drinks or snacks to counter your mid-afternoon energy wane because they disrupt the Metabolizing of your lunch and delay your appetite for a timely dinner - then, eating too late will disrupt your sleep schedule.

The Essential Mind-Body Balancer for Step 4 is ENERGY for FOCUS. In Ayurveda, we are guided to our optimal daily routine based on fulfillment of our personal needs in coordination with the duties demanded by of our roles in life. The mid-afternoon presents unique challenges with the day almost done but we still have room to be productive before our transition to early evening. The proper energy we need to focus for this home-stretch integrates our internal natures with natural sources to elevate both our physical function and emotional mood - without the surge then crash and burn before the end of our active day.

Aroma of Peppermint for the Mind

For the aromatherapy to soothe the mind, we use Peppermint as our Ayurvedic aroma for Energy for Focus - the aroma of Peppermint revitalizes and stimulates and has expectorant qualities to comfort your respiratory tract. Also important to meet the challenges of our mid-afternoon, the aroma of Peppermint enlivens your neuro associations with sweetness and you can feel your mouth start to water as you breathe it in. The value of this sweetness is your feeling of satiation - you feel like you ate something sweet without the calories.

Touch of St. John's Wort for the Body

For the touch-therapy to nourish the body for Energy for Focus, we use St. John's Wort as our primary Ayurvedic herbal rub - The sustainable energy provided by St. John's Wort comes in the form of increased levels of beneficial serotonin and dopamine. Also, as a natural, safe and effective remedy for mild to moderate depression and anxiety, St. John's Wort can provide mood elevation for productive focus without the anxiousness or appetite-suppressant of too much caffeine or a post-sugar crash. (Of course, if you are on prescription medications, we recommend consulting with your prescribing doctor for compatibility.)

TIME as Your Teacher of Energy for Focus

Our Step 4 Designator continues your steadily improving Relationship with TIME - this is your fourth 0:90 second increment of Self-Love for a total Self-Love-Fest, thus far, of 6:00 minutes. You have replenished yourself, in proper Ayurvedic discipline, to meet the challenges of mid-afternoon - without ingesting unhelpful calories or suppressing your appetite that will disrupt your sleep. In your overall Ayurveda strategy, this Step 4 Energy for Focus can be used anytime of the day when you are feeling overwhelmed and considering a bad choice - such as stress-eating a bag of sweets. That's the time to stop for a breath to smell the Peppermint and to feel the St. John's Wort then say something kind to yourself. "I am well and my challenges are met”.

Affirmation to Replenish Your Mind-Body

The practice of Ayurveda embraces that You are your Paramount Wellness Resource by tapping into your Love of Self during the challenges of waning energy and feeling overwhelmed at anytime but quite often in the mid-afternoon. Awareness to regain your Energy for Focus by releasing stress to liberate vitality begins with our Step-4 Affirmation, "Energy for Focus is manifested in me by replenishing my Mind and Body in challenging moments." Saying this affirmation rewards you with another productive stretch heading toward sunset.

Liberating Your Internal Energy with Self-Empowering Abhyanga

Let's Continue on our Empowered Path of Ayurveda as we directly apply OUR COMMITMENT to mind-body harmony that makes Empowered Wellness all our Destinies - Place a quarter-sized dab of Energy for Focus on the inside of your wrist and hold it together lightly with the inside of your other wrist. Now, Gently repeat after me "Energy for Focus is manifested in me by replenishing my mind and body in challenging moments".

While silently holding this affirmation in your forethought, begin to gently circle the inside of your wrists together - witness where feel energy entering your body as the St. John's Wort both soothes anxiety and elevates mood related to subtle increases in serotonin and dopamine. - Next, open your wrist like a book to deeply inhale the aroma of Peppermint - you can taste it's sweet flavor and the cooling sensation on the inhale - the neuro association that arises in your mind is most likely a dessert and perhaps your mouth is watering just a bit.

With continued focus on the flow of your breath, follow my self-massage process - pivot the wrists so your fingers softly stroke your opposite forearm - then pull your hands together - with the lotion on both hands and fingers - and move both up to massage the front and back of your neck and behind your ears - enjoying the stimulation from your own skin's pharmacy - as you also improve your immunity - until the Energy for Focus formula absorbs.