The beginning of the year is full of excitement and ambition. You have renewed energy to tackle your goals, whatever they may be. It’s a reset, a fresh start to move forward from the previous year. It is also a time of reflection because you get to think about what you did last year and how you can improve this year. Part of this process is letting go of what doesn’t work for you and creating a space for growth and opportunity. 

It’s not always easy to realize thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that hold you back. These negative patterns can cause you to self-sabotage and prevent you from reaching your goals. You don’t have to be a self-help guru to take back control of your life! A handful of rituals and routines can help nourish your mind, body, and spirit so that you can welcome the new year. Turn the page and start writing the next chapter of your life in a more empowered state because you can do it! 

Declutter Your Space

Out with the old and in with the new! Researchers note that inhabiting a cluttered space negatively impacts your mental health.This contributes to higher levels of stress and anxiety because breathing a sigh of relief proves difficult if you know that your entire house is a mess. You probably know how good it feels to walk into a clean closet and actually find the things you want to find. Maybe you walk into your child’s room and finally see that toys are in their proper places. When you organize your home, you feel empowered because you accomplished something and can finally relax. 

Burn Some Sage

Get the good vibes going and positive energy flowing by burning some sage once you declutter your space. For millennia, people have used sage to open or close a ritual and cleanse the air by increasing that space’s vibration. The antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of sage help to clean the area, and research suggests that the aroma alleviates stress and boosts overall mood. Just like burning incense, burning sage can help you both clear your head and cleanse your space. It’s a great ritual to begin the year anew. 

Write Down Your Reflections

If the beginning of the year is about cleansing, it is helpful to write down what you want to cleanse from your mind and body. Try to identify the source(s) of your struggles from the past year, for example, a toxic relationship or bad habit. It may feel uncomfortable to tap into this darker energy because intense feelings may arise. Writing all of this down is a way of purging your mind, and the beauty is that there is no right or wrong way to do this. Allow your pen to flow and don’t think about structure as you release onto the page. This ritual should help your emotions flow out in a fluid stream of consciousness. Once you finish writing, you can do a bonus ritual, during which you burn that paper in a safe receptacle and environment. 

Wash Away The Previous Year, Literally

There’s nothing like a soothing bath after a long hard day. Now imagine what it feels like to take this soothing bath after a hard year! Add some Epsom salt, essential oils, or other things that help promote relaxation or stress reduction. We recommend eucalyptus essential, peppermint, lavender, or tea tree essential oils for relaxing aromatherapy addition to your bath soak. With essential oils, a little goes a long way, so don’t add too many drops! 

Meditate And Let Go

Recently, there is a lot more buzz surrounding meditation, probably because people need it now more than ever. Finding a moment of zen is very rare, which is why intentionally carving out time to meditate can benefit your mental and physical health. For this final ritual, find a quiet, relaxing space and light some candles or burn incense. You can even play some soothing music if you don’t enjoy the quiet. 

Take a seated position, or lie down, and close your eyes once you are comfortable. Take five to 10 deep breaths to center yourself, breathing in through your nose and out of your mouth. Direct your attention to areas of tension in the body. Imagine a soothing ray of light shining on those areas, filling them with warmth to cleanse the stress away. Take 10 deep breaths and then try to identify any negative thoughts or emotions. You may notice grief, anxiety, or fear surfacing in your quiet mind. Welcome the emotions and then let them go with every exhale. Continue inhaling and exhaling until you don’t feel that these feelings or emotions are weighing you down anymore.

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Burning sage is a traditional practice in Native American culture. With metaphysical practices and new age energy theories in place, it’s hard to know if burning sage, or smudging, is beneficial or not. Some people consider smudging to be a trend, an alternative practice that has no history, science, or meaning behind it. To each his own, but there are many benefits of misting or burning sage in your home. 

Historical Use

Before your hippie aunt introduced you to burning sage, a practice she picked up in the 1960s, the Native Americans burned sage in Southwestern United States. Native American tribes typically burned white sage in purification rituals for centuries. In more recent years, sage has become the go-to plant for cleansing a space of negative energy. The theory is that it helps to expel bad vibes and create a more harmonious, calm space. 

Does Smudging Really Work? 

People belong to two camps when it comes to smudging: those who believe and those who don’t. Your belief is yours and we can’t take that away from you, but maybe we can shed some light on the benefits of smudging. According to a 2007 study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacol, burning sage helped reduce bacteria in the air. In addition to refreshing your energy and spirit, sage also helps to purify and cleanse the air. Additionally, sage is an effective antibacterial agent, so it works to reduce the effects of pollen, mold, or dust in the home. This is great for anyone who suffers from allergies. 

What Is Sage Spray?

This is obviously not the same thing as burning a bundle of dried sage. The recipe in this article is a more modern way of smudging, harnessing the cleansing powers of sage without leaving a trail of smoke throughout your home. Sage spray is excellent for people with respiratory problems, or those who are sensitive to smoke. Using sage leaves or sage essential oil, you spritz the sage spray around the home, or in a specific room, to cleanse the space. After you spray your home, you may find that you help to improve mental clarity and improve intention. 

When Should You Sage?

Is there a “best time” to sage your home? Some argue that there’s never a bad time to do it. The most common time for smudging is when you move into a new space, be it a home or office. The idea behind this is to clear the previous inhabitant’s energy from the space, allowing you to set your own intention for your new space. Sometimes people want to reset the energy in their homes, or they simply want to promote calm and relaxation. For these reasons, smudging can be done at any time. Lastly, it’s very beneficial to smudge a space after the loss of a loved one. 

DIY Sage Spray

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 glass spray bottle (with a capacity of 2 cups)

Instructions:

• Break up the sage leaves to release their essential oils, and then add them to the glass spray bottle. 
• Pour the hot water (not boiling) into the glass bottle with the sage leaves. 
• Add the vinegar and salt to the bottle and store the bottle in a cool, dark place for at least 12 hours. 
• After this waiting/steeping period, the spray is ready to use. Spritz around your home as you please. 
• The sage leaves will turn brown after a day or so, but don’t worry because this is completely natural. It means the plant is breaking down in the vinegar. 

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We all know that diet plays an integral role in relation to physical health, but recent studies have found how big of an influence diet has on the health of your brain. It turns out that items in your fridge, spice cabinet, or pantry may be able to reduce your risk of cognitive decline and boost processes involved with thinking, remembering, understanding, and learning. We aren’t talking about processed, calorie-ridden, sugary or salty foods, though; we are talking about herbs and spices.

Diet And Brain Inflammation

Foods in the Standard American Diet are commonly rich in processed ingredients, antibiotics, refined grains & sugars, artificial sweeteners, and other hormones. These foods can lead to general health problems, including poor gut health. Since the gut helps to manage inflammation levels, eating for a healthier gut can also benefit brain health. People with poor gut health often experience lethargy, brain fog, trouble focusing, and have an increased risk of inflammation-related cognitive illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease. Due to higher rates of cognitive disorders, a  number of herbs and spices have been heavily researched for their brain boosting benefits. Let’s explore how they can help your brain. 

Thyme

Thyme has a specific flavor and you can almost always identify it in a dish. A lesser-known quality of thyme is that it is responsible for increasing DHA, which is an essential fatty acid in the brain. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are often recommended to intake adequate amounts of DHA for healthy brain development in their children. DHA also plays a large role in brain function, so don’t waste your time, eat thyme!

Chamomile

If you want to help lull yourself to sleep, you drink chamomile tea. If you want to soothe a sore throat, you drink chamomile tea. We know you know these things, but did you know that chamomile works some herbal healing magic on the brain? According to several laboratory studies chamomile contains compounds that bind to receptors in certain brain chemicals, which are responsible for reducing anxiety. A small study, which consisted of a group of people with general anxiety disorder, found that patients who took chamomile extract for eight weeks straight reported huge drops in anxiety, while those who took a placebo reported minimal improvement.

Sage

People love to smudge, also known as burning sage, to improve air quality and cleanse a specific space of impure or negative energy. We’re stepping away from that for a second and focusing on the fact that sage may benefit those with Alzheimer’s disease. A 2017 review found that compounds in sage might improve cognitive and neurological function. You can consume sage tea or season your food with sage; it goes great in soups and broths.

Peppermint

Peppermint tea is commonly consumed to reduce nausea or upset stomach, but it also has the ability to improve long-term memory, working memory, and alertness. Research that was presented at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference documented a study with 180 participants, who were divided into three groups. One group was given peppermint tea, one was given chamomile tea, and the other was given plain hot water. The patients had their cognitive function tested 20 minutes after consuming the liquid. The people who consumed peppermint tea drastically improved long-term memory.

Gingko Biloba

Gingko biloba, which has long-since been used in traditional Chinese medicine, has become well known for its ability to help dementia patients. The theory is that this herb works to improve cognitive function by increasing circulation and stimulating blood flow to the brain. According to a 2015 review published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, gingko biloba extract may slow cognitive decline in patients who suffer from dementia or other neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Turmeric

We can’t talk about brain health and exclude turmeric…we just can’t. The active ingredient, curcumin, has been heavily studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, two factors that can improve brain health. A 2010 review noted that turmeric may have the potential to ward off Alzheimer’s disease by ridding the brain of beta-amyloid. The build-up of this protein fragment is commonly responsible for Alzheimer’s-related brain plaques.

Rosemary

Not only does it enhance roasted potatoes, but it may also improve memory. Recent studies found that the scent of rosemary essential oil may improve prospective memory in people over the age of 65. Prospective memory is the ability to remember upcoming tasks, e.g. an appointment, someone’s birthday, or a dinner party. Consuming dried or fresh rosemary has also been known to slow cognitive decline in people with dementia.

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Burning sage is by no means a new health trend. Commonly referred to as smudging, the act of burning sage was well established by certain indigenous Native American tribes, including the Lakota, Cahuilla, Chumash, and several others. The Native Americans burned sage to help clear negative energy, which is what it is still used for to this day, but present day practitioners continue to seek new ways to benefit from smudging.

What Is Sage?

This aromatic plant can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Belonging to the mint family, sage has a powerful aroma and earthy flavor, lending itself to stocks and soups, even though it is commonly used in Thanksgiving dishes. Sage is rich in several nutrients, including vitamin K, iron, manganese, calcium, vitamin B6, zinc, copper, and magnesium. It is also loaded with antioxidants, which help to neutralize free radicals in the body. The chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid in sage have been linked to improved brain function and reduced cancer risk.

Burning Sage Vs. Palo Santo

Dried white sage is the most common variety to burn, and the act of smudging has been a popular method of purification. Smudging uses smoke to cleanse the space, object, or self, according to Rosalyn Lapier, Ph.D., an award-winning indigenous writer and ethnobotanist. Another common purification tool is Palo Santo, meaning holy stick in Spanish, which has erupted onto the self-care and spiritual healing scene. Traditionally, shamans burned Palo Santo to ward off bad spirits, and while it has health benefits, we encourage you to avoid purchasing it. The Palo Santo tree is currently on the endangered watch list, whereas sage is very abundant. There are only 250 mature Palo Santo trees in the wild, and it has become illegal in Peru and Ecuador to cut down these trees. While certain brands source Palo Santo responsibly, many businesses that jumped on the Palo Santo trend upset indigenous communities by sourcing it irresponsibly.

What Are The Benefits Of Burning Sage?

To this day, there isn’t a lot of scientific research on the benefits of burning sage. One study, however, found that medicinal smokes like sage helped to reduce airborne bacteria by 94 percent. Preliminary research also points to the fact that smoke-based remedies are easily, perhaps more efficiently, absorbed by the body. For more anecdotal and reported benefits, continue reading.

Getting Rid Of Negative Energy

This was one of the primary reasons that Native Americans burned sage. Smudging works to clear negative energy from your space, and this includes bad experiences or traumas that happened to you or where you live. Many people prefer to “sage the place” before moving into a new house, inviting positive energy and intention for self-improvement.

Mindfulness

According to Christopher Willard, Psy.D., bringing more awareness to what you are doing in life helps you become more in touch with your senses. One of the benefits of entering the present and becoming more mindful is stress reduction. Burning sage, combined with mindful meditation, has helped many people relax and enter a focused brain space.

Purifying Air

As we all know, poor air quality has been linked to a variety of health conditions, especially respiratory illnesses. Burning sage may be a cost-effective way to improve the air quality in your home. Sage contains antimicrobial properties that work to kill viruses, fungi, and bacteria in the air. That being said, burning sage will create smoke, which may cause problems for individuals with severe asthma or other respiratory problems.

Aromatherapy

Whether or not you believe in the metaphysical benefits of clearing energy or purifying the air, the inhalation of burning smoke can have a grounding effect on the body. Gina Smith Pasqualini, a certified aromatherapist, has found that the scent of burning sage helps reduce anxiety symptoms and establish a sense of calm. If you think the smell is off-putting, you can add dried lavender, rosemary, or thyme to the dried sage bundle for a better smelling aroma.

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