While the holidays are a time of joy and giving, the season also brings a less welcome gift: Stress. Never-ending to-do lists, shopping for presents at stores with endless lines, heavy traffic, family gatherings and a busy social schedule on top of work commitments can make even the calmest among us feel frazzled, overwhelmed and just plain worn out.
However, it is possible to navigate a path through the holidays by embracing your own personal wellness, cultivating a serene and tranquil spirit. “It’s all about connecting to the internal source of your own wellbeing,” says Cindy Ciskowski, founder of House of Cindy. “We control our wellbeing with our choices, and when we set our intentions it gives the ability to make empowering choices for a better life.”
Carving out time during the season for mindfulness, relaxation and being well-rested and is one of the most important self-care gifts you can give to yourself this holiday. We’ve created a new line of lavender relaxing eye pillows to whisk you along on your personal path to wellbeing.
Each eye pillow is embroidered with intention-setting power words, filled with organic French lavender from Provence as well as well as organic flaxseed, which is known to promote calm, balance and peace. Lavender itself offers healing benefits in the form of calming the nervous system, easing restlessness and anxiety, and inspiring deep relaxation.
The eye pillows are encased in natural fibers, such as pure, eco-friendly linen and velvet, and are embroidered with positive, intention-settting words: Gratitude, Bliss, Peace on Earth and Love.
The ultimate self-care tool for wellbeing, lavender eye pillows are a powerful tool to balance the nervous system, says Cindy. When placed over the eyes, the weight of the organic flax seeds stimulates an ocular cardiac reflex effect. Kindling the vegas nerve – one of the 12 cranial nerves that originates in the brain – it travels into the chest and heart lowering the heart rate, then moves to the abdomen and digestive tract to relax the entire nervous system.
While there’s never a bad time to use eye pillows, Cindy offers several tips to ensure an optimal relaxation experience. For example, if you are tossing and turning while trying to fall asleep, place the pillow across your eyes and inhale deeply several times – the lavender works with your olfactory system to calm and relax you, while the mask will block out light to support you in falling – and staying – asleep. She also recommends an eye mask as a quick recharge when your energy is depleted. Take a five-minute timeout and place the pillow over your eyes. Slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth to be fully grounded and centered. Try the eye pillow after your yoga or meditation session for complete relaxation and to enhance a deep shavasana moment. Finally, eye pillows can be used anytime you are feeling anxious, depressed or stressed; this simple act of meditating on the intention-setting word will help you to release negative emotions and replace with peaceful, calm and serene vibrations.
Our packaging is as earth-friendly as our pillows are lovely: Each Relaxing Eye Pillow is packed in a compostable bag, made from polylactic acid derived from corn, so you can enjoy a guilt-free purchase. Why not treat yourself to something truly good for you this season (plus, a few for friends)? Your inner self (and sanity) will thank you.