During this stay-at-home order, I am lucky enough to have discovered different ways to stabilize my peace that have kept my routine productive and me feeling healthy. Most involve running, moving and not sitting still.

Normally, the first thing I do when I wake up is to go for a run around my neighborhood or a power walk on the beach. However, when I woke up today, a heavy rainstorm was pounding the coast, so I decided to get right to work. After checking off a few to-do's before the office was up, I took a break and laid in bed listening to the rain, and fell into a deep meditation.

Now, if you know me, you know it's very hard for me to meditate since my mind is constantly racing from one thought to the next. But, after my serendipitous "stillness" session, I was more productive than usual, thinking less about my to-do list and focused more on the present moment and achieving the goal at hand.

I called my friend Emily, a yoga instructor and meditation guru, and texted with my friend Claire who also practices meditation, and told them about my short but worthwhile moment of bliss. After they both hit me back saying that they had "Told ya so!" Emily recommended products to help anyone who wants to try meditation.

These seven props are the best way to cue into that peaceful practice that will help bring inner peace and calm followed by small spurts of joy and focus. They work for athletes and Type-A personalities and will help you get started if like me, you generally resist meditating. Claire recommended a crystal to hold in my palm during the time of stillness. Some of these I already had in my home and others I had to head to the computer to access.

Meditation is the fastest growing health craze in America, up three-fold in the past several years, and that doesn't even take into account how people are coping while under stay-at-home orders. Of course, you can download Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer.

Not a meditative type by nature? Most athletes aren't either, so here I included a free 5-minute guided breathing mediation video published on Rewire, a new favorite fitness app that helps improve overall athletic performance and mental resilience. Listen to this before you start your day, to help you focus before that caged animal feeling sets in.

Meditative  Prop Number 1. A Foam Roller

Stretch and roll! Foam rollers are one piece of workout equipment that's easy to keep stored in a small place and are good to have around for exercises or just in case you experience any body pains or soreness. You may think of it as a muscle masher, but as you roll, breathe in and out deeply, to allow the pressure to relax not just your muscle but your mind. Think of it as literally wringing out the tension, physically, emotionally and mentally. What can I say—it works!

To use, just find a spot on your body that feels a little achy and lay it on the roller and move side to side or up and down. Rollers come in different sizes and they have small ones with handles almost like a rolling pin you use for baking, but these ones are good for small areas where you need to dig a little deeper like your neck or calve muscle. Before meditating, roll out your muscles and find comfort in your body. By rolling, you will feel ready to let new energy into your muscles and your whole system.

Meditative  Prop Number 2. Young Living Essential Oils

Defuse your at-home exercise space with essential oils from Young Living. There is a full guide for each oil and how they work to help you. For example, lavender oil should be applied for relaxing routines like yoga, mediation, or simply sleeping. If you don't have a diffuser, you can purchase one on their website or dab a little oil onto your pointer finger and rub it into your temples. These are good to have around as reminders to breathe in and let your mind be clear. And because they smell fresh and can give you a dose of calmness or energy, depending upon which oil you use.

Meditative Prop 3. CLAYER Pain Relief Masks

CLAYER is a skincare company that sells hydrating mask for both your face and your muscles. The Beet team is a big fan of the CLAYER face mask for clear skin, and uses it on a frequent basis to treat acne and prevent blemishes. But before they launched that product, the company started out as a pain relief product, used by athletes with injuries. Rub the clay into sore muscles and heal any aches and pains. The earthy smell and the fact that it penetrates deep into sore muscles reminds us that we are all connected to the natural world.

Meditative Prop 4. Harney & Sons Tea

Always have some tea bags handy because when you head to the kitchen for a mindless snack it brings you back to being mindful and taking care of yourself. This type of comfort drink tastes naturally delicious and warms you up, so breathe in the aroma and think about your next few minutes, not the larger tasks that overwhelm you.

When practicing stillness or mediation, tea is your go-to sip. In addition to Harrney & Sons Tea, matcha tea is also extremely healthy and has other benefits that regular tea doesn't have. Click here to read 6 health benefits of matcha.

Meditative Prop 5. Iconic Facial Steamer

When you want to create a hot yoga sensation in your room or basement turn on this facial steamer because it emits an atmosphere that reminds me of a yoga studio. I use this product and love the white noise as well as the steam to signal that now I am in my 'yoga room' (aka my living room) and to put my phone away and spend the 20 minutes on stretching and being quiet.

Meditative Prop 6. Amethyst Healing Crystal 

In case you're looking for a deeper spiritual connection, crystals have many healing properties and this crystal, in particular, is believed to possess superpowers.  It is known as nature's “tranquilizer” because amethyst is thought to be able to balance mood swings, neutralize anxiety and lessen stress.

Hold the amethyst crystal in your palm during your meditation practice to feel the peaceful energy and sense of wholeness. Or, during your yoga flow, lay these small crystals around the edges of your mat and relax into your meditation practice. For more information and free lessens about crystal practices, go to @clairecrystalcreations. They're also pretty.

Meditative Prop 7. Theragun

The Theragun is one of the best massagers you can use after an intense workout or sitting at your desk for hours and feeling tense or tight. Before you go into relaxation mode and meditate, massage out your muscles using this high-end massager. It gives you a deep-tissue massage and digs into your muscles while it soothes and works out the pain. My hips are always tight because I do a lot of running, and I'm not the best at taking time to stretch, so before I feel the signs of soreness, I immediately use the Theragun and prevent the pain from happening. That way when you do meditate your muscles quiet down and  your brain can be free to think about something other than your pain spots.

 

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