Reflexology
Who doesn’t love a great foot massage? While it’s delightful to receive one from a professional massage therapist, it’s also one of the few massage techniques that you can effectively give to yourself. I think in general many people tend to skip over self-care of their feet since they are kind of far away from our field of vision most of the time. Or they are so used to paying other people to give them pedicures that they stay disconnected from their feet even though they may look perfect all the time. Some people tend to think feet and toes are just plain weird looking and they actively avoid any relationship to them. I’ve looked at and handled many pairs of feet during the 12 years i taught yoga. One thing I always noticed was that the condition of someone’s feet were an accurate measure of their overall body awareness and vitality.
Becoming a stronger self-nurturer of yourself takes practice. … read more
In many Polynesian cultures, it is believed that a person’s errors (called hara or hala) caused illness. In our modern way of looking at it, we refer to it as the “mind-body” connection, or that one’s physical illness and “dis-ease” is related to unmanaged emotions and mental state of being. In Buddhism and Hinduism, this causal relationship is known as “karmic consequences”.
Hoʻoponopono” is a Hawaiian mantra to explain the same concepts. It is defined as “mental cleansing”: family conferences are held in which relationships are set right through prayer, discussion, confession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness.” (Hawaii Dictionary). Usually priests, or a kahuna (“healer” in Hawaiian), practice hana (healing on individuals) through involving the sick person’s family and ho’oponopono as part of the process. All the interpersonal relationships of someone’s life are believed to play a part in illness as well as health, and so are brought to bear as components for the healing.
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No matter where you live, chances are you’re experiencing the depths of dry winter skin and hair right about now. One cure all that natural living proponent like myself always urge, is to have a bottle of good old olive oil around to pour into the bath, or rub onto elbows and cracked heels.
But did you know about many other household uses and solutions olive oil has? It’s truly a miracle ingredient to save time, money, and decrease your exposure to harsh chemicals.
Try these uses for “liquid gold” and make your dark winter days a little brighter and softer:
Wood Furniture Polish. Wipe with a teaspoon of olive oil and a soft rag. Add a bit of vinegar of citrus juice to bulk up the cleaning power, and add a fresh scent. Fingernails. Use a bit of olive oil to moisturize cuticles, or mix oil and water and soak your hands before a manicure. … read more
“Let Food Be Thy Medicine”
– Hippocrates
The “Doctrine of Signatures” is a profound ancient health system, which states that every fruit and vegetable has a certain pattern that resembles a body organ, or system, and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the health benefits of a particular fruit or vegetable. The healing and nourishing properties of any fruit or vegetable is reflected in, and ultimately revealed by, that fruit or vegetables’ outer physical shape, form, or “signature” in relation to the human body. Modern science confirms that the “Doctrine of Signatures” is astoundingly accurate.
The Doctrine of Signatures was first theorized by a Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher named Paracelsus (1493-1541). Scholars consider him to be the father of modern chemistry. Paracelsus noted how the qualities of plants are often reflected in their appearance. He thus theorized that the inner nature of plants may be discovered by … read more
“Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends” – George Bernard Shaw
In the beginning days and weeks of this New Year, our tendency is to figure out how to become our best selves. We foreswear bad habits and weaknesses, and try to march ourselves down the path of righteous living, to gain some traction over our lack of will and to prove to ourselves once and for all that we are capable of change (when we really want it). The problem in sticking to our resolutions is that we sometimes don’t get the immediate reward that we naturally crave to help us alter behavior. Our head tells us one thing, our hearts or bellies or taste buds tell us another! For this New Year ahead, what if you undertook the goal of trying veganism? A vegan diet means no animal products are consumed including dairy products and eggs. There is probably no better way to … read more
“To sleep, perchance to dream- ay, there’s the rub” – William Shakespeare
There is insomnia, and then there is “Mother’s Insomnia”. You might know the kind: it starts as soon as you have a baby. I half think I put off having a baby until I was 40 because I knew I would have my beautiful childless nights of sleep and sex snatched away from me forever. Oh, I could see it coming. I had heard the stories from my friends. Kristina had a particularly difficult time with her son and his sleep schedules until he was about 5 years old. She and her husband used to take turns checking alone into a nearby motel every few months or so just to get caught up on their sleep. My friends Jen and Chris looked like prisoners of war after at the end of the first year of baby Lilly’s life. These were my horror stories – worse … read more
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