The summer is ending, temperature drops and rain are signs that autumn is around the corner. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is quite common to begin in autumn when the leaves start falling. A mood disorder based on seasonal changes, studies found the lack of sunlight may be one of the causes of this.
SAD alone is quite a serious issue, on top of that the common cold among children and adults is usually back around this time of the year. The Dutch has a saying 'last van de vallende blaadjes' - troubles from the falling leaves. Before COVID-19, these are already difficult challenges to face.
Another Dutch saying 'Wie zaait zal oogsten' - you reap what you sow. It is important to get your body and mind prepared carefully to stay balanced throughout the year.
The Chinese word, Chi / Qi (气) describes the vital force of energy flow. In this context, it's been used for centuries as a term for restoring balance and harmony in body and mind. The elderly often say when someone's Chi is out of balance, someone usually experiences symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, hormone imbalance, muscle pain, depression, stress and so on.
So how do we balance one's Chi?
Getting your mind and body centred through eating healthy food, breath more fresh air, getting enough sleep and try to soak up as much sun as you can before the winter comes. Adding on mind-body activities such as yoga, meditation, yoga and massage. Everyone is different, so any ritual of self-care that you think would help to is adviseable.
On top of that, getting enough dose of daily vitamin D will help to balance the hormones and avoid SAD.
Here is a list of tried and tested places you can go to for yoga and massage in Weert:
Ashtanga yoga is quite different than the usual yoga that I knew before. It's quite intense with a sequence of postures linked together by breath and movement.
Plus point(s):
Mia, the yogi, teaches her classes in English at her private studio in Leuken. Her classes are that she gives individual attention and able to guide you personally to improve your postures.
For maximum stretches, aerial yoga is a very interesting activity to try on. I love my stretches and used to go for yoga flow and ashtanga yoga classes every week. One Sunday afternoon, I decided to try aerial yoga at Inka studio, slightly off the city area, off Roermondsweg.
Plus point(s):
Aerial yoga stretches a different part of the body deeply that you can't stretch in regular positions on the ground.
Sports massage is developed with muscle systems to promote flexibility and help prevent injuries. I enjoy sports massage for a strong, deep-tissue feel like. Both sports and deep-tissue massage share similar techniques. Maarten Corsjens is a sports massage practitioner that I would highly recommend.
Plus point(s):
Maarten speaks English well and highly knowledgeable. He is trained to understand the strains on the body and work on it.
To be honest, I have tried several massages since we moved to Europe. But nothing feels quite close to what we had back in Asia. I love a strong, deep-tissue massage but lots of so called 'Thai massage' in Europe do not understand their technique properly. Either they just rub your back with oil softly or the put in too much power that you came out with blue-black for days. This place just opened in April, just in front of Loods 37 near the fire station.
Plus point(s):
Pascal Kneepkens is trained and knowledgeable in Asian massage techniques, beyond the feel-good experience. He combined various techniques to help balance your Chi back.