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Meditation – Pool Idea For Ego Daily Calm

Meditation is underrated. And so is sea salt therapy especially for cooling Pitta. And my favorite way is in a pool that you’ll learn about below.

Pink Himalayan sea salt therapy for cooling.

One of the intentions of Meditation is to quiet the mind that’s always running. And that’s how I came to discover pool meditation.

In any meditation, the peace is in the silence. And I have a pool meditation idea that worked for me… and I’m passing on to you in case you want to give it a try!

BTW, I am the first to admit I’m not a good half-conscious meditator. I prefer to silence my mind awake fully conscious and eyes open. And whatever works for you, works!

Specifically isolating the mind’s ego is a good goal for your meditation 🎯

…Because we’re stuck with our ego for life, and good or bad, whether we’re meditating or not.

And our ego is a good part of why life goes back to the way it was after the recent meditation effect gradually wears off. Even if that’s just ennui (boredom) that the ego can turn into woes-me.

When we go back to our lives from peace and meditation, the ego snaps right back into active mode. And it wants to be right (not necessarily happy).

So it’s a great idea to enhance the calming meditation effects and have it last longer.

I tried this for the first time years ago when I was practicing how to be conscious of the mind-body connection.

…Long before my first meditation experiences (when photos were fuzzy and taken from snap cameras 😉). Like traditional meditation, we could sit still in a chair or Indian-style sitting position on the floor.

Meditation Room at the Chopra Center

And today for any of us, ongoing calm can be the day and every day when focused and engaged in the moment (that’s part of our modern day self-awareness movement).

And long before my first meditation experience, I stepped into this calm discovery decades ago in an indoor swimming pool… 💭

In one temporary corporate job I held many moons ago, there were two great job benefits. The first one was leaving at 5 pm that was not a common occurrence in any modern work in the Western world. You probably know what I’m talkin’ about!

And the second benefit (and first ever perk for me) was use of the indoor pool attached to the conference center I worked in.

That summer, every weekday at 5 pm on the dot I got excited about my day change. I jumped into my swimsut and I transformed into my meditation calm.

The first few minutes in the pool cooled me off (both in mind and body). And the longer I stayed in, the more calm I felt.  Even on the drive home I could feel the stress of the world melt away.

pool meditation with a rainbow decorated unicorn float is always fun!

I still felt alive when I got home, that’s not the usual feeling from an exhausting work day around work people. And on some days I had a second job to go to. I had caught my second wind in the pool environment.

I didn’t need any special breathing techniques or calming meditation narration. The pool created a naturally calming effect on the Pitta summer side of things that’s heightened in the heat.

When you step into a cooling pool, it does your body good. Your body recognizes the environment as healing. Yes, it’s a healing pool of water. And our bodies are mostly water, so it’s natural osmosis.

You cool down with the shimmering body of blue water around you, and take yourself out of the usual dry earth we’re mostly around. Your mind can travel a million miles away from your life.

So it’s also an escape. 💭

And that’s how calming pool meditation can be for you where you dip your toes in this tranquil setting. You slip away from the earthly troubles and enter a new realm. Not to mention the blue ripple color is mesmerizing, serene, and good for eye-open meditators like me (…and maybe you too 👀).

You get a part two in your day like you’re starting a new day in the same day. And sometimes a start over if the first half wasn’t so good or relaxing.

Some cool pool meditation tips:

Sit by the pool steps to start with so your body is partially in the water. Then gradually enter the pool water. For indoor pool meditation, I like to hang along the pool’s edge like I’m reading a book, but I’m actually reading the calm in myself. I’m just chillin’ and forgetful of time. 😊

You not only cool and calm from stress, you work on letting go of those negative thoughts that your ego feeds you non-stop throughout the 9-5 day. So you do yourself healthy good.

Also, pool meditation only works well in a quiet pool setting. Not an outdoor pool with splish splashing kids playing or a pool class with instructor and a headset.

You’d be better off under the shade of a tree or in a cool spot inside, but it won’t be the same as an inside pool. Hotels usually have these indoor pools that are almost always quiet.

…Then when you get back home, capture the way you felt.

This is an amazing power and tool that you have control over. You don’t have to wait until the next free day or moments you have. You just reset yourself in that pool calm place in your imagination.

Your body may even cool down just from the thought. That’s the healthy power of the mind-body. 🌱

You may even want to have a blue wavy color or pool photo in front of you as a reminder. Visual cues are so powerful to empower you. 🎉

In contrast, a bright photo or retro Barbie colors in front of you invigorates, that can just heat things up in your mind. Bright red is even more alarming than the color of hot chili peppers and fire trucks (but BLUE is a soothing color in all shades).

…If you’re a bit Kapha minded these days, maybe that’s what you need! 💕

We had a neon pink light outside the meditation room that looks like a photo developing room (…maybe you remember those where the negatives 🎞️turned to positives 📸?).

And from this room, we came out as transformed half-asleep meditated beings 😉

You may never have this glowing experience that I had, BUT you can do your own meditation wherever you are… or test pool meditation and see if that’s your meditation jam. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And from there you can get your creative personal essence back in case you’re having a creative mental block or dry spell season of ideas… or searching for your life’s purpose. And this is just one of many techniques that can get your cool-calm-and collected swag back as a first step. 😎

Enjoy these other ego-less calming articles for your inner peace:Shadow work to find love over ego, Ego block removal for the life you’re meant to live, and Love over ego for extraordinary life

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7 Best Habits For Forgetfulness Sometimes

Peach and cherries are summer fruits that pair well together in a bowl. 🍒

Do you experience forgetfulness regularly or daily? Before you start freaking out that you have cognitive decline or dementia running in your veins… or even brain fog that gets described as a common daily symptom… realize that if you worry about this often, then you’re panicking for no reason… as those who aren’t aware are the ones to be more concerned with.

There’s no person out there who has never experienced short-term memory loss or forgetfulness. That’s why we setup reminders so we don’t forget. And why we use calendars to write or type on.

So if you forget easily and often these days, most likely you’re busy, stressed, or not getting enough sleep. And maybe that’s your natural way, as is for Vatas who have this built-in DNA feature along with worry. 🧠

BTW, forgetfulness can sometimes work to your advantage as you recall the important things, and let go of the unimportant ones.

Lists help sometimes and have their place: e.g. grocery store lists, important to-do’s, and details. But lists can also be distractions from priorities.

And some priority items calling you today could lead you to your life of meaning, if that’s important to you. When you focus on the things that matter most in the moment, that’s when you get to experience the best use of your time. You don’t get mired down in  what you ought-to-do minutiae that can often turn into negative moods as your good hearted spirit isn’t there.

In balance, daily re-routing your thoughts is healthy along with some planning.

If you’re in the balance flow already allowing in some daily breathing space changes, below are 7 good habits to intake so you never miss anything important!

Plus, the tips (below) can be practical prevention for forgetfulness. You don’t want to leave a bag of groceries or umbrella behind if you can avoid the inconvenience.

You probably don’t remember the first time you forgot something small, but you do remember some of the momentary forgetfulness you experienced in the past as long-term memory is different than short-term blips. It’s just part of the human quirks. None of us are perfect.

When we forget to do something, often the thoughts vanish into thin air or get lost. But instead of beating yourself up, it’s better to think it must not have been important. Because unless it’s a safety hazard, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not important and that helps us with daily contentment and joy.

And sometimes those thoughts reappear later when they are no longer needed. They can confirm how unimportant and no big deal the forgotten is or teach us a lesson to learn about how we can let it go.

Even better, is to set up consistent habits no matter how much you rely on your memory to serve and save you. Consistency will serve you will well in your life, where it’s more important than what you don’t say. And it helps with not forgetting.

Putting focus and energy on being consistent with healthy habits lead to your successful outcomes one (consistent) step at a time.

So here are some habit builds you can make for common important items.

Habit #1: Use a timer for the important items.

For a stove or oven, this can be a matter of safety. There are always interruptions, so setting a timer for your cooking not only gives you perfectly cooked meals, it can save you from burning up the kitchen. And if you’re a Great British Baking Show fan like me, ya know how critical that can be!

And for anything you want to be reminded of you can set a timer. It’s like the trick of tying a string around your finger that some did.

Habit #2: Use a timer when you have a 10-minute break.

Set an egg timer or the timer on your phone when you have minutes until the next activity. More likely than not you will distract yourself in those minutes on your phone or doing something that takes longer than a few minutes. So setting your timer on 9 minutes for a 10-minute break is a good idea to make use of that valuable time and keep track of the minutes. ⏲️

Habit #3: Reminders – write or type reminder notes that you check regularly.

Using the available reminder tools on your phone or tablet is a good habit. Let the reminder ping you on that date/time so you can be in the moment. And that can be a life saver for not missing important events and things to do.

Once you start, reminders are a hard habit to break. When you have a few minutes, you can go over your past and future reminders and sometimes you even pick up new ideas from old reminders. 💭

Habit #4: For your email inbox, use the snooze feature (on some programs, it is represented with a clock icon 🕓).

Snooze reminders are especially good for monthly reminders that are very easy to forget because the habit isn’t frequent enough for you to automatically do. And if forgetting calendar dates is one of your challenges, then this could be a life saver.

When you use a snooze feature, after you complete the task, set the snooze for the next month date. As a bonus, then you won’t doubly forget later whether you competed the task this month as you already set a new future date.

That’s genius… and an assistant assurance better than any AI tool can do! 😉

Habit #5: Have a backup calendar reminder.

Besides your natural memory, a backup reminder like a second calendar to rely on is a best bet, which btw… is s not askng another human to be the calendar. They can just as easily forget, get distracted, or never have prioritized you lists.

It’s a burden when you say: remind me to ______. Unless someone else asks to be used as a calendar or timer, don’t get in this old-fashioned habit that can be disappointing to you and annoying to others in this day and age.

Habit #6: Improve your memory with cardio exercise.

Getting oxygen to your brain helps energize your brain to function better. The more energy you have, the quicker your reaction time is, and sometimes that allows a little break for your brain (like witnessing a break in the clouds) to remember something important.

Plus, walking improves memory, but it won’t necessarily jog your memory. And lowering blood pressure is a good idea that taking a nature walk can help achieve.

Habit #7: Habit stack often.

When you do the activity that you already have a formed habit with and then add your new habit to, it’s proven to be a quicker way to form a habit. It works your automatic memory reflexes that takes less energy.

Animals in the wild do this well. They are natural habit stackers through instincts. They bypass forgetfulness, remembering to stick to what’s simple, natural and essential for survival and thriving in their habitat. Just a thought.

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Neck Yoga Exercises + Easy Coconut Cookies

One part of our body that gets ignored often is our neck. It’s like a shadow to our face. …so neck yoga is needed and the best poses are below.

And a recipe you’ll love that you can prepare in in 5 minutes and bake in 10-12 minutes.

Jump to Recipe

How to make easy coconut cookies below (that are so easy that NO recipe is needed!)

Our necks vary in length even though we have the same number of neck vertebrae as giraffes. 🦒And our neck sizes vary as do our  Adam’s apples that are larger in males than females.

Our necks serve us to not just help support us in eating apples. 🍎Without our neck, we couldn’t use our brains. And we wouldn’t be connected to our body.

So regularly doing neck yoga exercises protect this vital body part and can work out some of the kinks from our bad computer postures and pillow sleeping habits.

Restoring your neck is a gentle way to get your groove back. And if you haven’t been in your yoga routine recently, this could be a good way to start again. Plus you can do it anywhere and everywhere. That can’t be said for many yoga poses.

And yoga is a great way to get your relaxation and breathing space back. 🧘🏻‍♀️

Sometimes all you need is just 5-10 minutes of yoga to reset your day and how you feel. So let’s begin… ⏲️

Take baby steps, Child’s pose is a great way to begin if you have floor space and a mat. It’s a calming move to set your relax neck intentions.

For neck yoga benefits, instead of tucking your neck down, try an Active Child’s pose where your neck is upward and out forward like the neck of a plane at take off ✈️

You can look at your pointed hands and fingers stretched forward on the mat. The intention can be to focus.

FYI, beginner poses like this are healthy good for anyone Advanced or Beginner.

You can use balancing (Hatha) poses. And go with a flow (Vinyasa) where you insert a Downward Dog in between the face down mat and face up poses… or anything you like if that’s too much or intimidating.

Yoga is flexible and hopefully when you do any yoga, you’ll become more joint-muscle flexible as one of the main benefits.

You’ll feel less soreness all around if any, and hear less joint cracking when you bend a certain way. Usually you’re benefitting more than one area at a time.

And the neck is no different.

But if you want to isolate the neck yoga exercise, moving your head side to side and from shoulder to shoulder like sunrise to sunset is a good regular practice. 🌅

It’s a healthy mantra to get you loose and let go of the unhealthy or tricky areas of your life situations. And yoga is great to manifest new habits and old thought patterns that don’t serve you any longer.

Making a tradition a habit is not a good idea if it keeps you stuck. And making a good habit a tradition is!

So now that you’re warmed up for neck yoga, here we go:

Front facing down mat: 

1.Active Child’s pose

As mentioned start with the Active Child’s pose. If your tendency is looking down most the day, then this will carry a good stretch in your neck. Look as far up to the ceiling or sky as you can.

2. Table pose

This is a neutral pose that you can take into standing or front down poses. In Table pose, look up to the ceiling. Feel the back of the neck yoga stretch.

Besides yoga habits, another habit you can do is when you’re waiting in neutral, look up.

I do this when I’m waiting for the warm water to brew for tea making. Or when I’m filling the water filter with water.

Habit stacking neck yoga with waiting is a good idea. Even when you’re looking at your phone, try to get in the habit of holding your device up.

3. Mountain Pose 🏔️

You can ease into a Downward Dog and then stand up in Mountain Pose with hands in the air or prayer hands, and look up to your hands or ceiling.

3. Bow pose

Torso body facing down on the mat, bend your knees. With legs up in the air that you can move around, send your arms to your back and grab your ankles.

You’ll feel a nice stretch along your torso and back, and if you look up you really get to take advantage of the neck yoga bend.

Then transition to a seated position with Downward Dog if you like.

Bottom on the mat:

4. Boat Pose

Look up and legs up in the air so you’re in “V” shape with your bottom as your anchor. Your neck gets a nice stretch.

Instead of counting breaths, when you hold the pose, you could think of something today that you’re grateful for that you otherwise would’ve missed in a busier moment. That’ll add stress-drop points to your day. 🌻

5. Fish pose

This is a fun water animal pose. On your back, arch your back and let your head dangle downward so you’re looking at the wall behind you and upside down.

This is something you can do on your beach towel in case you’re on vacation 😉 And you can roll up your towel to use as a temporary pillow so your head drapes over the rollup (mimicking your neck yoga pose in Fish) that takes the pressure off your neck.

6. Seated Leg stretch

And finally to finish off, while seated you can stretch forward to touch your toes in front of you or as far as you can stretch.

Look up  (and out as far as the eye can see) and you’ll feel the effects.

And after doing these 6 look up neck yoga poses, you’ll feel lighter.

And you could be ready for a treat like these summer light delights that are suprisingly healthy with superfood coconut goodness.

Coconut Cookies 🥥

Coconut lover? Move over macaroons (and macarons!). You’ll love these healthy, lower-fat cookies that need NO recipe or butter…

These healthy coconut toasted cookies are so easy to make with 4 ingredients and even less steps 👣: coconut flour (plus about a TBSP of AP flour), coconut oil, an egg, and shredded coconut.
Mix these ingredients together by hand and make a loose cookie dough that will have falling crumbs.
Shape into small circles, and bake on a no-stick baking sheet. Bake until sides are lightly toasted brown.
For the toasted coconut, if you want to be sure they don’t over toast while your cookie is still toasting 🥠, you can use this ‘lil trick:
Add shredded coconut to cookie tops about 5 minutes before the cookies are done. Then flip the cookies upside down on the baking sheet.
They look like crab cakes as an illusion. They’re coconut cookies.
And after you’ve been looking down on your baking tray, habit stack back to your look up neck yoga 🙆🏻‍♀️
coconut flour cookies recipe.
Print

Low-Sugar Coconut Flour Cookies

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 1 Tbsp shredded coconut, sweetened

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients.
  • Bake at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes until sides are golden brown.
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Fourth of July Nostalgia For The Happy Inner Child

 
Recent Fourth of July 🇺🇸 photo memories in the Cinque Terre via boat ⛴️
When a new season starts, it’s common to feel nostalgia. Seeing spring cherry blossom trees, fall fiery leaves, summer pool floats, serene lakes, and fireflies do this for me. 💬
 
Those are the common memories I grew up with living in the DC suburbs where July 4th fireworks still fly in star spangle awe over the Nation’s Capitol 🎇
 
Summer is a time of swinging transition. You can dream of fun memories you can make. And in nostalgia, bring back fond memories that you’ve held onto.
 
These days we’re all globally connecting with people from around the world. That naturally makes us think more (and are more aware) of places around the globe that we’re not physically in, but imagine in their different time zones, and what their lives could be like. 🌏
 
For me, working with digital nomads who scoot around the globe 🛹 with a backpack as easily as stepping out the door makes me more grateful for the world I’m in, and to not take life for granted.
 
They can be on a 12-hour time difference but working in the same synched zone. This brings us together. 👭
 
Like me in your situations you can realize how you have more similarities than differences with other cultures. Maybe you’ve felt that way from your work or school experiences.
 
When I was younger, we were world’s apart with no way to connect. But no matter what decade you grew up in, you probably dreamed up adventures. 🚀
 
I dreamed of going to Alaska from travel photos I had seen in magazines and television. The outdoor Alaskan experience seemed so different than my surrounding reality. And while I never made it to that outdoor nature experience, I did get a taste of international travel just a few years later.
 
I think of that first European vacation trip as unforgettable because I was just a kid. I haven’t forgotten the Venice gondola ride experience with the musician playing an accordion with soothing romantic melodies, fine dining foods such as spumoni ice cream and a view of a picturesque Swiss lake! That was a great modern Ayurvedic balancing experience especially at such an impressionable age!
 
And with that nostalgia I can bring back at any time, that serves as a source of calm and good mood change.
 
And, so then when I went back decades later, it was no less adventurous to see some of the same places with adult eyes.
 
Some tastes have changed, but some haven’t. And that’s for all of us. We all have those general experiences to celebrate.
 
And, what does that tell us?
 
…We’re naturally changing daily and we’re innately the same in our mind and bodies from when we were born. That’s the core of Ayurveda in a nutshell.
 
And we can see that in our daily experiences and in travel trying new foods and experiencing new languages, countries, and cities.
 
One city that makes the happiest place in the world list time and time again, is Copenhagen. It’s a strolling city. It’s also a bicycle city. 🚲
 
And I grew up always riding a bicycle (so that strikes nostalgia)…
 
The charming architecture and cobblestone street design make the historic European city postcard and travel magazine photo worthy.
 
Picturesque Nyhavn area of Copenhagen 🇩🇰
When you’re in a calm area like Copenhagen with lots to see, you can think of other nostalgia memories that are in your wheelhouse.
 
For me, I think of peaceful ocean boardwalk cotton candy 🎡memories.
 
The peaceful memories mean less stress today, and more joy and happiness.
 
And if you’re missing that wanderlust feeling in new experiences, you can try this…
 
Turn on media to watch PBS adventures showing the tropical jungle or the Savannah desert life. Instantly your mind switches to a new gear (and you didn’t need to get any vaccines to experience 😅).
 
Or, watch the wildlife of Alaska that satisfy my inner child that never made it there. I don’t need to travel there to experience. And when I think of the stress effort it would take to fly there, I’m actually relieved.
 
And that feeling of relief reduces stress which is always welcomed.
 
The brain, btw doesn’t know the difference of whether we see a waterfall on our screen or live and in-person. It’s how we choose to interpret the experience.
 
So believe you do have an immediate say in your mind-body balance! 🧘🏻‍♀️
 
And that’s why experiencing those great movies, books, and stories you encounter that make you laugh, cry, appreciate, and wonder… are the perfect escapes. 💭
 
They don’t get the ooh…ahh from your friends, but the memories and nostalgia feelings are just as real, and whenever you recall them.
 
You may not take an Instagrammable photo… but who cares?
Everything we know about in this world has been photographed and shared. So capturing your photograhic memory is what matters most. 🧠
 
 
The most photographed woman in the world you can capture in today’s memory 🧜‍♀️
Some other ways to get those instant happy nostalgia feelings:
 
You can share about your experience and what you thought in small talk or a book club. Being in community with those you have affinity for not only are feel-good moments, they also help extend our healthy lives.
 
Another way is to take a streaming voice map tour where you get to experience another place, city, country, or culture from the convenience of your digital device. Maybe you don’t get the full 3-D experience, but you do at least get a 2-D one for a fraction of the price and cost for traveling to another location.
 
A good goal is to make every day feel special in some way. This could be as simple as turning on those moody jams 🎶
 
And wherever you are and whatever you’re doing today (and on this SUPER special holiday day), commemorate with a moment of gratitude that you can recall next year in feel-good nostalgia.😊
 
 
Happy Fourth of July!! 🇺🇸 Be safe! 🧨
 
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Simple Pitta Season Reminders

Pitta season is usually when heat starts up in the summer, but sometimes that can be sooner.

We’re reminded of our planet. And we can celebrate with cooling foods like pineapple, cumin, and yogurts. A Hawaiian pizza with pineapple below.

Celebrating a brownie with pineapple, cherry, and Greek yogurt funfetti never gets old! 🎉

Heat, heat, heat. And more heat.

That’s what Pitta season is about. Along with the bloom and celebration comes heat that is deceivingly dangerous. The solution: cool moisture. And I have some reminder hydrating tips below.

You may not be a Pitta, but Pitta season is a scorcher. Jumping in a cooling pool will give you a few minutes of relief but won’t help you from leathering up or collecting sun-kissed freckles… that I probably don’t need to remind you, catch up with you in sunspots and wrinkles when you get to the mirror.

So in that vain, prevention is always the best and easiest method.

Especially when you’re on vacation, you may forget how much moisturizing love the skin really needs.

Your best bet is to moisturize throughout the day when you get a break. And if you get heat rashes or inflammation.

And if you’re like me and tend to forget the SPF before heading out, do it first thing and bring it with you.

We can’t get away with SPF 0 or 2 like we once did, especially if you want to look good at mid-life. Try 50 (or 52 😉).

And when you’re back home, revive your skin by washing off the layer of SPF skin protection not needed indoors.

Steam is going to restore you and your skin back. And your critical-minutes after shower routine minutes will set the tone.

The right moisturizing lotion after showering helps to embalm the moisture.

There’s no one-size fits all for products (and that’s probably one of the reasons why there are so many options available). And once you find your formula or brand that works for you, stick with that. 

And, use a spritzing facial spray. I like rosewater (good for Pitta moods). If you don’t like the scent, you can choose a mint cooling spray.

That sets you on your merry way to start the second half of your day.

Mint btw, is also good for keeping away some flying insects that can really kick up the Pitta annoyed emotions.

Also, Witch Hazel has become a favorite oldie but goodie astringent that draws oil out that irritates (Pitta) heated and dry skin.

And if you like floral scents like jasmine, lavender, or rose, go with that which also helps the body cool or calm from a mind-body perspective.

It’s also a good reminder to: stop and smell the flowers.

Or magnolias in my case (known for symbolizing joy, love, and purity):

Look at this moisture-rich magnolia flower 💮

When you’re out, you also want to use an SPF lip balm. The higher SPF, the better.

At home, I use Burt’s Bees brand when no SPF is needed.

And a lip scrub, and then dab a little honey on the lips that moisturizes and keeps lips supple… trust me I’m all about the lip management with full lips. 🫦

I learned early on that lips don’t tan. 😅

And honey also has been used for centuries for skin inflammation as well as dehydration.

As you age, you notice the drier spots. The good news is your moisture-love efforts, accumulate.

Same with drinking water. If you use an aluminum bottle over glass, that can be super cooling.
And keep plenty of juicy fruits around as sweet snacks, such as healthy tropical fruits: pineapple, kiwi, and peeled-off skin grapes.
Remember to keep these quick reminders in mind during warm Pitta seasons. They could save you from dehydrating and provide easy-fix headache remedies… we don’t need to complicate the simple.

 

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