There are a few things that came up during my cleanse that are worth sharing. One was that I had a tooth that started having a lot of pain, like it was developing a cavity. This situation was worsened by the fact that I was drinking so much maple syrup in the lemonade and it would have been hard to brush my teeth every time I drank some. What I did start doing was thoroughly swishing water in my mouth each time I would drink more of the lemonade. In addition, after brushing my teeth I would swish my mouth with a little water and some Myrrh tincture for teeth and gum health and follow it with a mouthwash with Neem in it. These are both known to contribute to teeth and gum health. I could tell this was working because initially it would cause the sensitive area to react, but over a few days it went away. I also used the dental program in the biofeedback I work with to help relieve the stresses in that area.
During the entire course of the cleanse I was also swishing a tablespoon of organic sesame oil in my mouth each morning while I showered and got ready for work. I understand this is good for helping to detox radiation from the system and an energy healer in the healing arts complex I work in said this would also help with any type of infection in the body. The suggestion is to do this for 20 minutes before spitting it out. Anyway, the combination of things resolved the issue with my tooth and allowed me to complete the cleanse.
I also want to say that I began the cleanse with the hope of "resetting" my system and slowly reintroducing healthy foods to see what worked best for my body related to maintaining an optimal weight. It was wonderful to lose weight during the cleanse and to feel so much energy, and I have put the weight back on after I started eating again, even though I have kept my diet very basic and not introduced foods like wheat and dairy. I still feel the benefits have been wonderful, and I just want to be honest about the potential of regaining weight, so that this isn't undertaken as a quick-fix, weight-loss program. Starting with rebalancing and supporting the body's healthy functions is always the best approach for weight loss. Believe me this has been an area of struggle for me, even doing all the "right" things, like healthy eating and exercise, so I understand the temptation to take any measures to change this. This is definitely an area of surrender for me and loving what is.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Cleansing Experiences
A big part of what inspired me to begin this blog was doing a cleanse called The Master Cleanse. I had heard about this for years and just never got around to doing it. Detoxifying is something I am often doing in one form or another, since it is really beneficial to overall health. Our bodies are required to deal with more toxins from processed, chemical-additive foods, drugs, environmental pollutants, and mental factors than ever before in history. While the body is absolutely a miracle in terms of all the functions it performs simultaneously to keep us ticking along, it is often pushed past the limit of what it can handle and requires help from us to get rebalanced. Detoxifying is a primary way to do that. Once the gunk is cleared out, the body can get back to the business of maintaining health.
People often focus on all of the external beauty regiments and bypass this very essential core of health. It's somewhat like having your yard landscaped, your house painted, and other external beatifications but never taking the garbage out of your house. You can imagine that after a while you are not going to want to live there.
Before I go into more details about my most recent cleansing experience, I will say that I have spent many years working with my system and creating a dialogue with my body so that I get very clear information on what is working for me and what isn't. If you are considering doing a cleanse for the first time in your life, and you are new to what I will call alternative, self-care, then it would be good to start out slowly and with some support from someone like a nutritionist. Detoxifying too quickly can bring on a healing crisis, which is not likely to be fatal, but can be uncomfortable. Best not to add unnecessary stress to the body.
The Master Cleanse is aimed at clearing mucus and old fecal matter out of the intestinal tract, balancing pH and detoxifying chemicals, etc. The recommendation is to do a minimum of 10 days. During the cleanse you drink only the lemonade made from fresh squeezed lemons, pure grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I can give the exact recipe, but it would be better to find the complete directions for the drink, preparation, and support during the cleanse. I imagine this can be found online, or the booklet may be available at health food stores. I also noticed that there is now a product at the health food store called Master Cleanse, although I don't know the manufacturer. This product is a combination of all of the elements in the proper ratios for the drink. This would make it pretty handy and convenient.
I think the general rule of thumb for doing cleanses is to aim to do them in the spring and fall, because as the weather turns cold it is not the best time for the body to be cleansing. You can end up getting too cold if you cleanse in winter. My timing happened to be perfect, catching the tail-end of the 100 degree temperatures.
I will say that my energy was fantastic on the cleanse and that I never really felt hungry. The most impressive part for me was that in the first day it completely got rid of some brain fog I had been experiencing. I felt like I was plugged into a power grid and given complete clarity for moving through things that I had been painfully slogging through before. After completing the cleansing and returning to eating, the clear headedness has remained.
Because I wanted to have the best experience possible, I also walked everyday, did yoga, applied Castor oil packs over the liver and intestinal area to help dissolve mucous and pull out toxins, and did an ionic foot bath. For elimination support, I drank herbal teas for that purpose and one morning drank the suggested quart of warm salt water. I also did my routine of skin brushing everyday.
The more intention and support you bring to any process like this, the better the results will be.
Whatever you can do in any season to help your body clear toxins and relieve stress is a wonderful thing.
Here's to a clean start . . .
People often focus on all of the external beauty regiments and bypass this very essential core of health. It's somewhat like having your yard landscaped, your house painted, and other external beatifications but never taking the garbage out of your house. You can imagine that after a while you are not going to want to live there.
Before I go into more details about my most recent cleansing experience, I will say that I have spent many years working with my system and creating a dialogue with my body so that I get very clear information on what is working for me and what isn't. If you are considering doing a cleanse for the first time in your life, and you are new to what I will call alternative, self-care, then it would be good to start out slowly and with some support from someone like a nutritionist. Detoxifying too quickly can bring on a healing crisis, which is not likely to be fatal, but can be uncomfortable. Best not to add unnecessary stress to the body.
The Master Cleanse is aimed at clearing mucus and old fecal matter out of the intestinal tract, balancing pH and detoxifying chemicals, etc. The recommendation is to do a minimum of 10 days. During the cleanse you drink only the lemonade made from fresh squeezed lemons, pure grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I can give the exact recipe, but it would be better to find the complete directions for the drink, preparation, and support during the cleanse. I imagine this can be found online, or the booklet may be available at health food stores. I also noticed that there is now a product at the health food store called Master Cleanse, although I don't know the manufacturer. This product is a combination of all of the elements in the proper ratios for the drink. This would make it pretty handy and convenient.
I think the general rule of thumb for doing cleanses is to aim to do them in the spring and fall, because as the weather turns cold it is not the best time for the body to be cleansing. You can end up getting too cold if you cleanse in winter. My timing happened to be perfect, catching the tail-end of the 100 degree temperatures.
I will say that my energy was fantastic on the cleanse and that I never really felt hungry. The most impressive part for me was that in the first day it completely got rid of some brain fog I had been experiencing. I felt like I was plugged into a power grid and given complete clarity for moving through things that I had been painfully slogging through before. After completing the cleansing and returning to eating, the clear headedness has remained.
Because I wanted to have the best experience possible, I also walked everyday, did yoga, applied Castor oil packs over the liver and intestinal area to help dissolve mucous and pull out toxins, and did an ionic foot bath. For elimination support, I drank herbal teas for that purpose and one morning drank the suggested quart of warm salt water. I also did my routine of skin brushing everyday.
The more intention and support you bring to any process like this, the better the results will be.
Whatever you can do in any season to help your body clear toxins and relieve stress is a wonderful thing.
Here's to a clean start . . .
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Finding My Way Home
As I sit here trying to think of what to say in response to the anonymous reader who wants to know more about inhabiting a world that we don't need a vacation from, I can only offer what I truly know from experience. Sadly, I must admit that knowledge is limited, but there is something on the edge of my awareness, dare I say at the edge of the collective dream that is calling us to this awakening. I feel it like a tractor beam, or one of the incredibly forceful eddys on the Grand Canyon that would grab our boat in seemingly calm waters.
While I think the home spa exercises or routines are useful for staying healthy and balanced, I must authentically admit that they are also a means of creating a peaceful sanctuary, i.e., a place to renew and love myself in the absence of a deeper connection in my day to day world. My soul longs for something it isn't finding in the world and the awakeness in me knows it never will, at least on the level I am looking--thus the tractor beam has been engaged to pull me home against my egoic will. What that will ultimately be like can't be known from the perspective of present mind story.
However, in the process of surrendering to the greater will , I don't think it hurts to employ certain tools that just make life more fun. One is innocent perception, or seeing the world through the eyes of a young child who has not yet been conditioned to judge what they are seeing or to fit it into a certain story. Byron Katie asks the question in her work, "Is that really true?" Everytime I have genuinely let go of reactionary responses to allow what is more accurate to emerge, I have been humbled to realize that things are not always what they appear to be. As a matter of fact, probably more often than not this is the case, or at least things are far more complex than what they were reduced to. In these moments of unbiased perception there is nothing to resist, and I am filled with awe--flow returns and gratitude rushes in.
I also love living life as an adventure, present to the next clue. If I had to characterize the universe, I would say it is a mischievious trickster that loves to play, with a wonderful sense of humor. That's one of the reasons I love hanging out with children. They haven't forgotten this yet.
The following Rumi poem really strikes a chord for me, as much of my life has been spent seeking love in some form, while simultaneously knowing that it is all love.
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
~ Rumi
While I think the home spa exercises or routines are useful for staying healthy and balanced, I must authentically admit that they are also a means of creating a peaceful sanctuary, i.e., a place to renew and love myself in the absence of a deeper connection in my day to day world. My soul longs for something it isn't finding in the world and the awakeness in me knows it never will, at least on the level I am looking--thus the tractor beam has been engaged to pull me home against my egoic will. What that will ultimately be like can't be known from the perspective of present mind story.
However, in the process of surrendering to the greater will , I don't think it hurts to employ certain tools that just make life more fun. One is innocent perception, or seeing the world through the eyes of a young child who has not yet been conditioned to judge what they are seeing or to fit it into a certain story. Byron Katie asks the question in her work, "Is that really true?" Everytime I have genuinely let go of reactionary responses to allow what is more accurate to emerge, I have been humbled to realize that things are not always what they appear to be. As a matter of fact, probably more often than not this is the case, or at least things are far more complex than what they were reduced to. In these moments of unbiased perception there is nothing to resist, and I am filled with awe--flow returns and gratitude rushes in.
I also love living life as an adventure, present to the next clue. If I had to characterize the universe, I would say it is a mischievious trickster that loves to play, with a wonderful sense of humor. That's one of the reasons I love hanging out with children. They haven't forgotten this yet.
The following Rumi poem really strikes a chord for me, as much of my life has been spent seeking love in some form, while simultaneously knowing that it is all love.
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
~ Rumi
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Random Thoughts
I must confess that this blogging experience is new for me and in the beginning it seemed like a fun idea to share my home spa experience. Now, however, I'm wondering if I am just writing so that I have a sense of offering something useful, when in fact my thoughts are just more static in the collective field. The good thing about blogs is that if someone is not interested they just don't check in and this becomes my virtual diary. I suppose that's better than being with someone you think wants to hear what you have to say and half way through sharing your experience you realize they haven't really been present for any of it. Aaaahhhh, more opportunities for detachment.
The irony is that when I was young I had one of those locking diaries so that no one would pry into my private thoughts. Now I post them on the internet and consider what random idea I can throw in to snap the reader out of the daze of information overload. The truth is I think we are all ready for a bigger, juicier story--one that makes us sit up and pay attention, one that invites us to truly be alive in a new way because it is based on joy and playfulness.
I'll get back to the home spa vacation another day to finish sharing tips from my current experience, but what I am really interested in is talking about inhabiting a world that we don't feel we need a vacation from.
I have some thoughts on that, if anyone wants to hear them. I would love to hear yours as well.
The irony is that when I was young I had one of those locking diaries so that no one would pry into my private thoughts. Now I post them on the internet and consider what random idea I can throw in to snap the reader out of the daze of information overload. The truth is I think we are all ready for a bigger, juicier story--one that makes us sit up and pay attention, one that invites us to truly be alive in a new way because it is based on joy and playfulness.
I'll get back to the home spa vacation another day to finish sharing tips from my current experience, but what I am really interested in is talking about inhabiting a world that we don't feel we need a vacation from.
I have some thoughts on that, if anyone wants to hear them. I would love to hear yours as well.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep
Well it seems like skin care and spa experiences go together and there are several techniques I use for enhancing the health of my skin. Overall, I’m lucky to have some good genetics in this department. I have also probably spent too much time “unprotected” in the sun. I love the sun and the warmth of it on my skin. I’m not a sun worshipper who has spent hours sun bathing for the sake of a tan. My time in the sun has more to do with being a nature lover and transporting myself as much as possible by foot or bicycle.
I also think that having a nice glow is generally accompanied by a similar inner state. At least I haven’t known that many people with constant bad attitudes who have radiant skin, no matter how many facials they get. There are different kinds of wrinkles too—the ones that are indicative of a soulful, heartful character and ones that speak to a life pulled down by the weight of the world. I remember years ago having a session with a Chinese medicine practitioner who did face reading. I was fairly young at the time and without a lot of what I thought of as facial characteristics that could be attributed to life experience, and yet I was blown away by how much he could tell about me just from the structure of my face. Some of the things he had to say had to do with my relationships, which made me wonder what my face might look like if the nature of those relationships had been different.
The light in someone’s eyes can really confuse my perceptions of age in a positive way. I had a friend, Barbara, who recently passed at 80 years young. Up to the very end her eyes were those of an inquisitive girl—full of life and exuberance. There was so much love in them, such a twinkle of mischief, awe, wonder and acknowledgement of other as divine potential that she always felt timeless to me. I never for a moment noticed wrinkles when such joyful eyes were engaging me. She was truly a wise elder, but that was always secondary to her eagerness to learn from whomever she was with.
All I know is that whatever lines develop to tell my story, I hope it ends up being a happy one overall. Right now I’m thinking about ways to add some regular laughter into my routine. This is one of those home spa exercises that is definitely easier with other people around, especially young children. I don’t generally burst into laughter when I’m alone, although I can find plenty of things to laugh at myself about. Minds left to their own devices seem to have a tendency to fixate on serious matters. I want to shift that default setting to something more playful and lighthearted. I know this isn’t normally what people associate with a relaxing spa experience, but it probably should be since it is such a potent way to relieve stress and accelerate health and vitality.
In the meantime, I will stick to sharing my surface skin care routine, which includes:
1) Dry brushing. This is done with a stiff bristle, vegetable fiber brush that comes with an attachable stick handle for reaching the back. As indicated by the name of the brush, it is always done with the brush dry. I do it just before showering. The brush I use is made by Yerba Prima. I began this in my early 20s after having a bicycling accident and rolling down and embankment with my bike. I had a really bad knot on my shin and my doctor at the time was concerned about this blood clot going to my heart. Anyway, the specialist he sent me to said it was in the superficial vein system and wouldn’t go to my heart. He sent me home without offering any suggestions on how to get rid of the knot that had persisted for weeks. I began doing research and learned about dry brushing for helping circulation and moving the lymph system. I began using the dry brush daily on the area and within a few days the blood clot was completely gone. I continued the practice as a way to remove the layer of dead skin, increase circulation and to make my skin feel really soft. In doing the brushing you just need to remember to only brush toward the heart, rather than downward or in circular motions. This is because the valves in the lymph system only open when the pressure below them is greater. Brushing in the manner described facilitates that movement.
2) Facial Massage. I came across a book in my mid-twenties for doing facial massage. This is a routine for enhancing facial tone and skin radiance through improving circulation and cleansing. I don’t have the book anymore and I have lapsed in my use of this practice, but I do pick it back up when time allows, and I feel like my skin could use some extra attention. In this case you do use a lot of circular motions. I do three rounds, starting with 25 repetitions in each of the facial zones, then 50 repetitions, and then 100. Use a cleansing cream with a nice consistency for allowing your fingers to glide. After each set of repetitions remove the cleansing cream from the skin with a warm washcloth and then begin the next round. The instructions are to use the middle fingers on both hands and to do gentle motions starting with the space between the eyebrows moving in an upward direction. Then from the center of the forehead outward toward the temples. Next use circular motions on the temples, followed by circular motions around the eye sockets in a clockwise rotation from the tear ducts. Then use a combination of downward strokes on the bridge of the nose and circular motions along the sides of the nose moving down to the cheeks. Again, use clockwise circular motions across the entire cheek area, over to the ears and down to the jaw line. After that, move to the mouth area and continue clockwise circular motions around the mouth, and then on the chin. Finally, come up the neck to the jaw line. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
3) Facial Steams. Another way I keep my skin healthy is by steaming it occasionally with herbs to help detox and tone it. I buy a specific blend of herbs for this purpose from a lovely woman who sells wonderful, handmade skin care products at the local farmer’s market. I simply boil some water then put a ¼ cup of the herbs in the pot and let it steep for a few minutes. Then I lean over the pot with a towel over my head and let my face steam for a good ten minutes, or however long is comfortable. If it feels too hot just move your face a bit further above the pot.
My preference is to not wear any foundations or powders on my skin because I think it is healthier to let my skin breathe. I use a good moisturizer with minimal ingredients and ones that are organic, and recognizable herbs and oils. If it has a bunch of chemicals in it I avoid it. I also use a raw mineral blush and that’s it. When I am not cleansing my face with a facial massage I just wash it with a basic herbal soap. When it comes to skin I believe less is more and enhancing circulation is always beneficial.
Hopefully the following will elicit a smile. I consider this my warm-up exercise for the belly-laugh routine that I intend to be at the core of my home spa experience. I would love to hear from any of you who have this one mastered.
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
"If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?" ~Author Unknown
"Don't forget your wife's name...That will mess up the love." --Erin, age 8.
I also think that having a nice glow is generally accompanied by a similar inner state. At least I haven’t known that many people with constant bad attitudes who have radiant skin, no matter how many facials they get. There are different kinds of wrinkles too—the ones that are indicative of a soulful, heartful character and ones that speak to a life pulled down by the weight of the world. I remember years ago having a session with a Chinese medicine practitioner who did face reading. I was fairly young at the time and without a lot of what I thought of as facial characteristics that could be attributed to life experience, and yet I was blown away by how much he could tell about me just from the structure of my face. Some of the things he had to say had to do with my relationships, which made me wonder what my face might look like if the nature of those relationships had been different.
The light in someone’s eyes can really confuse my perceptions of age in a positive way. I had a friend, Barbara, who recently passed at 80 years young. Up to the very end her eyes were those of an inquisitive girl—full of life and exuberance. There was so much love in them, such a twinkle of mischief, awe, wonder and acknowledgement of other as divine potential that she always felt timeless to me. I never for a moment noticed wrinkles when such joyful eyes were engaging me. She was truly a wise elder, but that was always secondary to her eagerness to learn from whomever she was with.
All I know is that whatever lines develop to tell my story, I hope it ends up being a happy one overall. Right now I’m thinking about ways to add some regular laughter into my routine. This is one of those home spa exercises that is definitely easier with other people around, especially young children. I don’t generally burst into laughter when I’m alone, although I can find plenty of things to laugh at myself about. Minds left to their own devices seem to have a tendency to fixate on serious matters. I want to shift that default setting to something more playful and lighthearted. I know this isn’t normally what people associate with a relaxing spa experience, but it probably should be since it is such a potent way to relieve stress and accelerate health and vitality.
In the meantime, I will stick to sharing my surface skin care routine, which includes:
1) Dry brushing. This is done with a stiff bristle, vegetable fiber brush that comes with an attachable stick handle for reaching the back. As indicated by the name of the brush, it is always done with the brush dry. I do it just before showering. The brush I use is made by Yerba Prima. I began this in my early 20s after having a bicycling accident and rolling down and embankment with my bike. I had a really bad knot on my shin and my doctor at the time was concerned about this blood clot going to my heart. Anyway, the specialist he sent me to said it was in the superficial vein system and wouldn’t go to my heart. He sent me home without offering any suggestions on how to get rid of the knot that had persisted for weeks. I began doing research and learned about dry brushing for helping circulation and moving the lymph system. I began using the dry brush daily on the area and within a few days the blood clot was completely gone. I continued the practice as a way to remove the layer of dead skin, increase circulation and to make my skin feel really soft. In doing the brushing you just need to remember to only brush toward the heart, rather than downward or in circular motions. This is because the valves in the lymph system only open when the pressure below them is greater. Brushing in the manner described facilitates that movement.
2) Facial Massage. I came across a book in my mid-twenties for doing facial massage. This is a routine for enhancing facial tone and skin radiance through improving circulation and cleansing. I don’t have the book anymore and I have lapsed in my use of this practice, but I do pick it back up when time allows, and I feel like my skin could use some extra attention. In this case you do use a lot of circular motions. I do three rounds, starting with 25 repetitions in each of the facial zones, then 50 repetitions, and then 100. Use a cleansing cream with a nice consistency for allowing your fingers to glide. After each set of repetitions remove the cleansing cream from the skin with a warm washcloth and then begin the next round. The instructions are to use the middle fingers on both hands and to do gentle motions starting with the space between the eyebrows moving in an upward direction. Then from the center of the forehead outward toward the temples. Next use circular motions on the temples, followed by circular motions around the eye sockets in a clockwise rotation from the tear ducts. Then use a combination of downward strokes on the bridge of the nose and circular motions along the sides of the nose moving down to the cheeks. Again, use clockwise circular motions across the entire cheek area, over to the ears and down to the jaw line. After that, move to the mouth area and continue clockwise circular motions around the mouth, and then on the chin. Finally, come up the neck to the jaw line. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
3) Facial Steams. Another way I keep my skin healthy is by steaming it occasionally with herbs to help detox and tone it. I buy a specific blend of herbs for this purpose from a lovely woman who sells wonderful, handmade skin care products at the local farmer’s market. I simply boil some water then put a ¼ cup of the herbs in the pot and let it steep for a few minutes. Then I lean over the pot with a towel over my head and let my face steam for a good ten minutes, or however long is comfortable. If it feels too hot just move your face a bit further above the pot.
My preference is to not wear any foundations or powders on my skin because I think it is healthier to let my skin breathe. I use a good moisturizer with minimal ingredients and ones that are organic, and recognizable herbs and oils. If it has a bunch of chemicals in it I avoid it. I also use a raw mineral blush and that’s it. When I am not cleansing my face with a facial massage I just wash it with a basic herbal soap. When it comes to skin I believe less is more and enhancing circulation is always beneficial.
Hopefully the following will elicit a smile. I consider this my warm-up exercise for the belly-laugh routine that I intend to be at the core of my home spa experience. I would love to hear from any of you who have this one mastered.
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
"If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?" ~Author Unknown
"Don't forget your wife's name...That will mess up the love." --Erin, age 8.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Non-resistance Exercises
A friend of mine, who knew I had reservations before moving into the house I'm now in, read my blog and said, “It sounds like things are working out really well.”
The answer to that would be, “Yes, they are, and the issues have not been resolved. If anything my reservations have been confirmed.” Does that change the very real and positive benefits I am experiencing from my home spa vacation? NO.
I’ve come to the conclusion that life just comes with opportunities for resistance and contraction, no matter how hard I may try to create the ideal circumstances. So why wait for it to be otherwise before beginning a nurturing spa vacation—as a matter of fact, what better time is there?
Here’s a little routine I began years ago as a way of “managing” my hair, but before I share it let me give you a little background. I have very fine, curly hair and as a young girl I wanted it to be thick and straight because that was what was in style. I would blow dry my hair, use a curling iron, etc. Then in the early 80s perms were in and not only did I not have perm-type curls, but I had beaten any curl I did have into submission, so I started perming my hair. As the years went by it became more of a struggle to get my hair to look the way I wanted. No wonder, it was probably waiting for me to make up my mind about what was acceptable.
Somewhere along the way I met a stylist who did something called hair balancing. She cut my hair in a way that she said would allow it to find its natural shape, and she said the best idea would be to just love it and work with however it wanted to lie. Wow, what a concept—just let something express the way it was intended to! It was probably the best hair cut I ever had. My natural curl returned and I slowly let go of artificial means of styling, i.e., blow drying. Although if I am totally honest I have to admit that I do henna my hair because I like how it conditions it and makes it shiny and as I’ve gotten older it covers the gray. Okay, so I’m not completely there yet on letting it express the way it wants to. Ha! Ha!
Well here’s the wonderful little practice that has transformed my hair and constantly has people commenting on how beautiful it is. It so easy, it is just massaging my head, and quite vigorously. After I have washed my hair and dried it really well, I bend over and let my head hang down while I massage the scalp thoroughly. Not only does this feel really relaxing it also helps my fine hair have more body. You don’t have to bend over to massage it, but that works well for my hair. I continue to massage it after I stand upright until it is dry, and run my fingers through it in a feathering type motion. In total I probably spend 5 – 10 minutes on this process.
I finally convinced my mother to try this, since she was constantly complaining about how she couldn’t do anything with her thin, fine hair. I emphasized the part about loving what she had to work with as being the most important element and said just try this for a month and let me know what results you get. Sure enough, when she finally gave into the process she was amazed by the results.
Remember: Resistance is Futile. Now relax and enjoy!
Aaaahhhhhhh!
The answer to that would be, “Yes, they are, and the issues have not been resolved. If anything my reservations have been confirmed.” Does that change the very real and positive benefits I am experiencing from my home spa vacation? NO.
I’ve come to the conclusion that life just comes with opportunities for resistance and contraction, no matter how hard I may try to create the ideal circumstances. So why wait for it to be otherwise before beginning a nurturing spa vacation—as a matter of fact, what better time is there?
Here’s a little routine I began years ago as a way of “managing” my hair, but before I share it let me give you a little background. I have very fine, curly hair and as a young girl I wanted it to be thick and straight because that was what was in style. I would blow dry my hair, use a curling iron, etc. Then in the early 80s perms were in and not only did I not have perm-type curls, but I had beaten any curl I did have into submission, so I started perming my hair. As the years went by it became more of a struggle to get my hair to look the way I wanted. No wonder, it was probably waiting for me to make up my mind about what was acceptable.
Somewhere along the way I met a stylist who did something called hair balancing. She cut my hair in a way that she said would allow it to find its natural shape, and she said the best idea would be to just love it and work with however it wanted to lie. Wow, what a concept—just let something express the way it was intended to! It was probably the best hair cut I ever had. My natural curl returned and I slowly let go of artificial means of styling, i.e., blow drying. Although if I am totally honest I have to admit that I do henna my hair because I like how it conditions it and makes it shiny and as I’ve gotten older it covers the gray. Okay, so I’m not completely there yet on letting it express the way it wants to. Ha! Ha!
Well here’s the wonderful little practice that has transformed my hair and constantly has people commenting on how beautiful it is. It so easy, it is just massaging my head, and quite vigorously. After I have washed my hair and dried it really well, I bend over and let my head hang down while I massage the scalp thoroughly. Not only does this feel really relaxing it also helps my fine hair have more body. You don’t have to bend over to massage it, but that works well for my hair. I continue to massage it after I stand upright until it is dry, and run my fingers through it in a feathering type motion. In total I probably spend 5 – 10 minutes on this process.
I finally convinced my mother to try this, since she was constantly complaining about how she couldn’t do anything with her thin, fine hair. I emphasized the part about loving what she had to work with as being the most important element and said just try this for a month and let me know what results you get. Sure enough, when she finally gave into the process she was amazed by the results.
Remember: Resistance is Futile. Now relax and enjoy!
Aaaahhhhhhh!
Home As Sacred Space
While I am often referring to home as the essential home within, how I create and perceive my physical environment is also an important part of my home spa experience.
Simple is always good for me. I prefer fewer things and a sense of spaciousness, and of course it has to be beautiful. It doesn’t take much to create beauty—fresh flowers, plants, a delicate and colorful scarf that is well placed, like the bright yellow sarong draped over a curtain rod on one window and a sheer piece of maroon fabric covering another window. At different times of the day when the sun hits each of them it alternately casts the room in gold and then rich rosy hues. When I see the room at these moments it calls me in to sit for a moment, bathed in warmth and richness befitting a queen. I love color and when it fills a room in this way it feels like angels hovering and gently flapping their luminous wings. It’s sort of like the pure light of heaven that beams through the clouds in what a former boyfriend used to refer to as “God Rays.” If I don’t have a moment to stop and take this in then what am I here for anyway?
I tend to perceive things with a childlike mind—a stone slab with the memory of leaves etched in and other brushstrokes of nature becomes a beautiful table; a bathroom with palm tree shower rings and a lush, leaf-pattern curtain next to photos of waterfalls, placid pools and leaping dolphins on the surrounding walls becomes a tropical paradise. Sort of like the spool of thread that became the throne in the palace when I was a child and not yet inured to wring imagination and joy out of the fabric of life.
During one of my leaner times my décor was a Flintstones motif—the Zen style dining table surrounded by cushions, the bed-side table next to the sleeping pad on the floor, and the tiered altar were all from the local quarry. Pretty much the only other things in the place were plants, a water fountain, a Buddha—you know the standard New Age accoutrements. Ha! Ha! Actually there have been lots of times when I lived in shared environments where I had little to say about the common space, and even if I was sleeping on a camping pad among piles of other people’s clutter (I’m sure it wasn’t clutter to them), I always found a way to place something that felt sacred close to me.
Now I have stillness, which is ultimately precious after many years of having to tolerate the incessant mindless chatter coming from a television or radio. I don’t own a TV, not because I am above watching one but because I am a recovering addict. Having spent much of my youth in front of a television I am programmed to go into trance when I get in front of one. I used to joke that I should make a bumper sticker, “I did my time with television.” Now I have a life of my own and it feels great to be in the game rather than a spectator, especially when so much of what is aired fuels what Eckhart Tolle refers to as the pain body. Even in an environment with a lot of static I can create a home spa experience. I get a CD player with headphones and play some of my favorite chants. When I put it on repeat, and low volume, as I go to sleep at night I wake up feeling elevated rather than a sense of heaviness that accompanies the disturbed dream state many people experience after watching a violent program or the news before bed.
When I create a space I think of the kind of energy I want to feel in it. I use a lot of the elements of Feng Shui and I also ask myself, what elements would I find at a spa that I can easily incorporate here? Maybe a foot bath with some wonderfully scented herbs by candle light. I like incense but some of them can be too strong for me because I am very sensitive to smells. If I burn incense I generally do it in a room in the house that I don’t spend as much time in so that it is more subtle in the other parts of the house, or I might open a window, or light some before I leave the house for a while. Then when I return there is just a bit of the scent lingering.
What stands out for you as something that brings you peace when you are in a spa or rejuvenating environment? Now see how you can bring that element into your home, even in a small way.
Aaaaahhhhhhh! Sweet dreams.
Simple is always good for me. I prefer fewer things and a sense of spaciousness, and of course it has to be beautiful. It doesn’t take much to create beauty—fresh flowers, plants, a delicate and colorful scarf that is well placed, like the bright yellow sarong draped over a curtain rod on one window and a sheer piece of maroon fabric covering another window. At different times of the day when the sun hits each of them it alternately casts the room in gold and then rich rosy hues. When I see the room at these moments it calls me in to sit for a moment, bathed in warmth and richness befitting a queen. I love color and when it fills a room in this way it feels like angels hovering and gently flapping their luminous wings. It’s sort of like the pure light of heaven that beams through the clouds in what a former boyfriend used to refer to as “God Rays.” If I don’t have a moment to stop and take this in then what am I here for anyway?
I tend to perceive things with a childlike mind—a stone slab with the memory of leaves etched in and other brushstrokes of nature becomes a beautiful table; a bathroom with palm tree shower rings and a lush, leaf-pattern curtain next to photos of waterfalls, placid pools and leaping dolphins on the surrounding walls becomes a tropical paradise. Sort of like the spool of thread that became the throne in the palace when I was a child and not yet inured to wring imagination and joy out of the fabric of life.
During one of my leaner times my décor was a Flintstones motif—the Zen style dining table surrounded by cushions, the bed-side table next to the sleeping pad on the floor, and the tiered altar were all from the local quarry. Pretty much the only other things in the place were plants, a water fountain, a Buddha—you know the standard New Age accoutrements. Ha! Ha! Actually there have been lots of times when I lived in shared environments where I had little to say about the common space, and even if I was sleeping on a camping pad among piles of other people’s clutter (I’m sure it wasn’t clutter to them), I always found a way to place something that felt sacred close to me.
Now I have stillness, which is ultimately precious after many years of having to tolerate the incessant mindless chatter coming from a television or radio. I don’t own a TV, not because I am above watching one but because I am a recovering addict. Having spent much of my youth in front of a television I am programmed to go into trance when I get in front of one. I used to joke that I should make a bumper sticker, “I did my time with television.” Now I have a life of my own and it feels great to be in the game rather than a spectator, especially when so much of what is aired fuels what Eckhart Tolle refers to as the pain body. Even in an environment with a lot of static I can create a home spa experience. I get a CD player with headphones and play some of my favorite chants. When I put it on repeat, and low volume, as I go to sleep at night I wake up feeling elevated rather than a sense of heaviness that accompanies the disturbed dream state many people experience after watching a violent program or the news before bed.
When I create a space I think of the kind of energy I want to feel in it. I use a lot of the elements of Feng Shui and I also ask myself, what elements would I find at a spa that I can easily incorporate here? Maybe a foot bath with some wonderfully scented herbs by candle light. I like incense but some of them can be too strong for me because I am very sensitive to smells. If I burn incense I generally do it in a room in the house that I don’t spend as much time in so that it is more subtle in the other parts of the house, or I might open a window, or light some before I leave the house for a while. Then when I return there is just a bit of the scent lingering.
What stands out for you as something that brings you peace when you are in a spa or rejuvenating environment? Now see how you can bring that element into your home, even in a small way.
Aaaaahhhhhhh! Sweet dreams.
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