by Lisa Blau
painting by Jessica Porter

Balance often eludes us. And as we try so hard to try to achieve it, we often unintentionally create even more work, stress, and havoc in the process. It’s time to seek alternatives—with the help of alternative medicine and healing remedies. Follow these easy tips to help get your act together …

Ayurveda to the Rescue

A massage is great, but an Ayurvedic treatment is even better. Ayurveda (”the science of life” in Sanskrit) has been restoring balance and harmony to bodies and minds in India for thousands of years. A trained therapist assesses your pulse to diagnose imbalances in your “doshas” (body energies) and recommends appropriate therapies (think herbalized steam baths or meditation with organic oil infusions) to strengthen the body’s healing ability. Check out About.com’s Ayurvedic primer for the full 411.

The Qi to More Energy

If you’ve mastered yoga’s three-part breathing, then it’s time to graduate to Qigong. Used widely in Chinese hospitals to treat illnesses from asthma to high blood pressure, Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that synchronizes breathing patterns with languid body movements—think modern dance meets martial arts. The end result? A great mind/body workout and free-flowing qi (energy) throughout the body—the foundation of optimal health according to traditional Chinese medicine.

Hands-on Healing

Reiki, an ancient Japanese form of energy medicine, believes that negative thoughts disrupt the flow of “ki” (Japanese for “life force energy”) in your body, leading to stress and illness. To restore it, practitioners place their hands in 12-15 positions on or over you. Reiki has been known to diminish pain, reduce stress, and speed recovery—so why not tack this on to your regular bodywork routine? Practitioners know just the spots to restore balance to your flow of “ki.”

Crystal Clear

Whether lacking focus, in need of a little R&R or desperately seeking stress relief, try crystal therapy to bring your body’s energy back into balance. For centuries crystals have been used to balance chakras, those seven energy fields circulating through your body. Feeling uncentered? Balance your first chakra by placing red jasper above the base of your spine to ground and stabilize. Feeling sluggish? Place carnelian at your second chakra located above the lower abdomen. Check out the Chopra Center’s chakra primer (www.chopra.com/chakras) for more information.

Stick It to Stress

During the Sung Dynasty (that’s 960-1270 AD), the Chinese—in the interest of their emperor’s happiness—used acupuncture to maintain the physical and emotional beauty of concubines. Today, by treating internal imbalances that lead to aging (like insomnia or hormonal imbalances), acupuncture continues to help restore beauty from the inside out. To reduce the signs of aging and stress, Vital Juice Daily acupuncturist Aimee Raupp suggests combining a regimen of the hair-thin needles (smaller than Botox!) with herbs (Goji berries, black sesame seeds) and lifestyle modifications (doing daily facial massage, eating pomegranates). Together, this trifecta can rebalance facial circulation and rid your body of harmful toxins.

Easy Stress Busters

Whether you’re stressed about a big presentation, recovering from a traumatic experience or about to lose your cool, have we found just the thing for you! Spray a little Bach’s Rescue Remedy, flower essences that are specially combined to create balance so you can calmly deal with any situation. You can also use your own DIY essential oil mixes—try citrus oils (sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit), or naturally anti-depressant bergamot, geranium, and clary sage to lift spirits. We spritz Rubyblaise’s ready-made Happy Mist (water, bergamot, grapefruit) to help keep our mood in balance. At the end of a long day we add a few drops of chamomile, lavender, or sandalwood to the bath or a carrier oil like jojoba oil and massage it into our skin. Now take a deep breath and say, ahhh …

Lisa Blau is a member of the New York City Incubator and co-founder of Vital Juice Daily, the health and wellness daily e-mail.