Winter Harmony- Welcome Elaine Sauer

The Winter Harmony blog series is our gift to our beautiful community to help inspire and support you to live in harmony with winter. Join us and some amazing guest bloggers M-F during the month of January.

Click here to see all the Winter Harmony posts in one place.

 

Get your own Winter Harmony Mandala to bring a little peace and joy to your winter season this year and see what message it has for you.

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What a treat to be asked to contribute to this special segment to Living in Harmony with Winter!

 

The battle of winter has really caused me to rally and figure out how to get thru it. When June 21 hits and realize from there out the days get shorter I am trying to get as much in as possible!

 

Winter presents lots of challenges for me as I have suffered with Fibromyalgia since a bad car accident. I have to fight my body and my mind during this time and maybe some of you also find winter months challenging whether you get blue form lack of light or just miss the warm weather and sunshine. I wanted to share with you some of my tips for staying healthy and positive thru the season. If you can apply these ideas it won't be long before you are welcoming spring!

 

I like to look at several different areas of life to apply tips to & maybe some of these will resonate with you...

 

Bath Therapy & Daily Rituals

 

Community - being with people we love!

 

Something to look forward to

 

Daily Rituals - AM 

1. As you are stirring in your bed from a lumber sleep, remember to give a silent Thank you. A little gratitude goes a long way. Your day is started and you are acknowledging your being Alive! And knowing you have everything you need to face the day. Love from your heart, moving into the day with loving kindness. I'm reminded everyone is battling something in their life, so starting off with a positive affirmation or a simple Thank You can impact your life, try it!
   

    
2. Start to get the blood moving and wake up your body by simply stretching, move your feet and hands a bit, even before you get out of bed. 
   

    
3. Plan to do 15 minutes of movement- yoga stretching or a 15 minute walk, brisk to get the circulation going before your day gets ahead of you. If you need to set your clock a bit early - making this time for you is precious way of honoring you. And your will be better to deal with whatever life throws at you!

 PM Rituals 

1. Warm bath of epsom salt and lavender oil, this relaxes your muscles and prepares your body for restorative sleep! Who doesn't need that? I love a cup of Tazo Rest Tea, with the valerian root it helps me sleep. (There are other great bath salts with aroma therapy and a few of favorites are Ruby Room Immunity Booster, Kneipp Bath Therapy- they offer many choices from Eucalyptus to Melissa and Hops. Whole Foods would be a great place to look)
   
   
   
2. A few minutes of lying in savasana pose and thinking of your day what you are grateful for mentally just go thru it, try to find 3 things that made you smile, you were happy about etc. 

If you have trouble with seasonal sadness due to the lack of light, get a light box and use it for at least 15 minutes. Another option is to go out during the early morning as the Sun is coming up at the horizon and gaze at the sun for a minute or two not directly as it can be quite potent. But this can also help to set our circadian rhythm.

 

A Sense of Community - we are meant to be in groups .....

 

Especially important to make time for people. Is so easy to go to work in the dark, then come home from work in the dark, make something and veg out on the couch and be asleep by 7pm!

 

I like the idea of having a party with your bestie's - pot luck and rotate it every week or every other week. Plan to meet up and have a get together. It can be a card night, movie night or game night. People love to have something to get together for and everyone feels the same once the holidays are over! So plan a get together with your friends and make it campy and homey. S'mores in the fireplace? Sounds fun!

 

Find something to look forward to...

 

It can be an outing to the local high school to see a play...

 

A concert...

Enjoying a new movie or a restaurant...

 

A weekend of skiing or go local and cross  country ski, especially on a sunny winter day, what a great way to experience the crisp weather and enjoy the winter weather. Obviously you have to be dressed properly. Layers and hats, gloves make it bearable!

 

It's important to take care of you and keep healthy during time.

 

Rest when your body feels run down, listening and honoring your body is something to learn. And vitamins are very important during this time. I like Dr. Perricone Hair and Skin formula, they are portable and in a packet so I can take it on the run. It helps keep me healthy.

 

Stay positive and stay healthy!

 

Warmest wishes,

Elaine

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Elaine Sauer consults with global beauty & spa industry brands on business strategies. She is a founding board member of the Great Lakes Alliance -  an organization that hosts networking events for the fitness, hotel and spa industries annually.

As the former visionary behind the many spa services and skincare products available at Elizabeth Arden and Mario Tricoci Hair Salons and Day Spas, Elaine Sauer has ten years of experience managing multi-unit day spas having started her career with Red Door Spa Holdings, where she was National Spa Director overseeing 15 trainers around the country in 2000. In 2008, she was promoted to Corporate Director.

Combining her unique talents she lead the company in face, body and nails thru extraordinary growth period from 12 spas in Red Door to 30, and with Mario Tricoci Salons to 26 within the Midwest region over the 10 year period.

She developed 2 skin care brands with innovative technology providing superior results, making the brands a key focus for 2 spa businesses. Facilitating train the trainers, spa boot camp for spa managers and executing goals to meet company financial objectives.

With a number of awards to her credit, including Spa Spirit of Success Award from Aveda and Diplomat distinction with CIDESCO, the world’s leading international association of beauty therapists, Sauer is a sought after speaker both nationally and internationally including an appearance in Berlin, Germany on Spa Trends in North America, invited by the Suwelack company.

Sauer has served as a business consultant and trainer for Salon Systems with Aveda; was Midwest Regional Sales and training Manager for Murad covering 8 states in the Midwest and held the position of National Spa Director, Red Door Spa Holdings for 8 years.

She featured in print and on TV in notable articles in WSJ, Time magazine (2 times), Oprah, Prevention Magazine, Today Chicago Woman (2 times) and many others. Featured on CLTV, WGN, NBC and ABC in Chicago, IL.

You can find her on her website and her Facebook page.