What The Heck Is Sole?

I am feeling energized this morning as I've implemented the Ayurvedic practice of Sole. Pronounced SO-Lay, Sole is purified water that is saturated with Himalayan Pink Salt. The water gets saturated to the point that it cannot naturally hold any additional salt. 
Does this sound conflicting with reports regarding salt? So how, and why, would people do this? Well, first and foremost you DO NOT use table salt, which has been bleached and stripped of the minerals and elements that are good for us. You use a pure salt, such as Himalayan Pink Salt. Sea Salt is also beneficial, but with ocean contamination on the rise, when making Sole, I prefer to use Himalayan which comes from the Mountains, generally far from industrialization and, therefore, less toxins :).

Himalayan Salt contains 80+ minerals and elements that our bodies need. What else does Sole do? 

• Helps to rehydrate the body after it has used energy and water during sleep to repair our cells.  
• Helps nerve cell communication throughout the body.  
• Helps to rebalance electrolytes in the body (which is why nerve cell communication is enhanced).  
• Due to natural rebalancing, sleep begins to improve.  
• Stabilizes blood sugar.  
• Promotes clearer skin, healthy hair and nails.  
• Helps to reduce allergic reactions due to it's natural anti-histamine effect.  
• Reduces/eliminates muscle cramps.  
• Boosts energy and mood.  
• Increase bone health, which stands to reasons with all those natural minerals!
• Reduces/prevents vein problems (i.e., varicose veins).  
• Improves digestion, which in turn can have an added bonus of promoting weight loss.
• Often can reduce blood pressure.
• Due to it's natural anti-bacterial makeup, helps to detoxify the body.

Holy smokes! Where has this stuff been all my life?!! This is absolutely one of the easiest, and cheapest, ways to rebalance and promote health throughout my body. If you want to try it for yourself this is what you do…

1. Get a glass jar with a glass, or plastic (BPA free), lid. Do not use metal, as it can interfere with ionization. The ions are what makes the whole process good for you. Don't worry, I won't go into a science lesson here. If you are interested in the whole ion, electron, proton process visit this cool site I've used for my kids, okay, and myself too ;).
2. Purchase pure himalayan salt from a reliable source. Check a natural food store, Amazon (read reviews) or Salt Works. I happen to live by a salt cave that gets high quality, food grade, salt chunks.
3. Fill jar with pure, filtered water, making sure it covers the salt. If using grain instead of salt chunks be sure it covers the salt several inches above the grains. Close with lid, give it a shake and leave it overnight.
4. The next morning, get a fresh glass of filtered water. Do not shake or mix the sole, add only a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (remember, no metal utensils) of the Sole (salt mixture) to your fresh water, and drink. Be sure to drink this before eating or drinking anything else to allow the body full opportunity to assimilate the benefits.

That's it, how easy it that? Add water to the himalayan salt, set overnight, done. Because himalayan salt is anti-bacterial and anti-viral, the leftover Sole will keep indefinitely. You'll just want to add more salt and/or water as the mixture gets low.  

If using salt grains, and the next morning they have all dissolved, then add more grains to the water until there are grains that sink to the bottom. When you see grains sink to the bottom, and are no longer getting dissolved, then the Sole is at the proper level. Remember, Sole is created because the water can longer absorb the salt added to it, meaning, the water contains enough salt. The extra at the bottom is fine to leave and is a good indicator to you that the water is at the proper salt to water ratio.

The water really does not taste the same as when you've been at the ocean and swallowed a mouthful of salt water. Of course if you took a swig from the whole jar of Sole, that probably would taste the same as a mouthful of ocean water. It's an interesting experiment to perform to notice the slight weight difference of fresh plain water vs. the water with the teaspoon of Sole added. It is really hard to describe, it has a slight salt taste, but the water actually feels more weighty, or full bodied than plain water. You do the experiment for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

I don't think that water has much taste, but if it bothers you, when adding the teaspoon of Sole to your fresh water, also try adding a few drops of fresh lemon juice to your glass and see if that helps. 

If you give Sole a go, be sure to share your experience and what you think about it. If nothing else, you'll know that your body is getting lots of minerals! If you find you just can't stomach the taste, get creative in figuring out ways to add a tsp. (that's all you'll need, trust me), to your favorite dishes. I love adding it to rice, roasted veggies, soups, etc.

I am a firm believer in doing what makes my body naturally feel better. If I add, or eliminate something, I take notice how I feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. For me, noticing how I feel is a key indicator if it is or isn't beneficial, and a deciding factor if I want to keep doing it. A great example of this is gluten and refined sugar. They send my auto-immune disorders into a frenzy, so I don't particularly need a doctor or test to tell me otherwise, but that is a whole other blog post that I'll save for another day ;).

*Please note, I am not a doctor or Ayurvedic Practitioner. If you have concerns for yourself, then by all means, check with your healthcare professional before implementing into your routine.