Skin Support – Michelle Berry

What’s the difference between a regular massage and an Ayurvedic massage?

India is known around the world for its ancient culture and wisdom. One such form of medical treatment found in India, Ayurveda medicine has been used to heal people from all over this vast country for thousands upon millennia! The system uses food spices herbs remedies body work lifestyle changes which boost your health balance spirit throughout life’s journey.

Abhyanga is an oiling of the body that is based on the principles of Ayurvedic medicine. Which means it’s designed to relieve stress and release emotional blocks. This technique can be very beneficial for people suffering from anxiety or depression because they focus heavily upon relaxation during these massages as well!

HOLISTIC HEALTH

The pursuit of overall wellness can be achieved through gaining proper balance in life. The idea has been around since ancient times and was made popular by doctors like Hippocrates, who believed that all parts must work together for good physical shape- mind, body & spirit too!

Holistic healers take an holistic approach when they look at your environment, stress in life and medications you’ve taken before. Some people want only natural treatments while others may utilize both Western medicine AND alternative practices such as yoga, Ayurveda or meditation for their healing path.

A good Ayurvedic Professional will treat the whole person – not just what’s wrong with them so that their bodies can be functioning properly but also how it affects other aspects of our lives like mental health, diet and lifestyle to exercise and relaxation techniques.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AYURVEDIC MASSAGE AND A REGULAR MASSAGE?

The focus of an Ayurvedic massage is holistic- relieving emotional stress as well physical. The practitioners hands are used along with medicated herbal oils to help relieve tension from the body’s energy points instead joints and muscles which can be released through activating the body’s Marma points. These are vital points on the body are the junctions of the body and mind much like acupuncture in Chinese medicine but much larger and are not related to the meridians.

A typical Western Massage focuses on pinpointing problem areas such as tight shoulders while also working over time into strengthening those weak spots so they become less noticeable when someone applies pressure elsewhere.

The body is made up of three energies in Ayurveda, which can be balanced through diet and lifestyle. These are the Kapha (earth/water), Pitta(fire/little bit of water) & Vata (air/space) combinations that each person has one dominant dosha based on their individual makeup with an ability to keep it within normal ranges by following specific practices like eating wisely according to what type you are primarily represented at any given time as well taking care not only about your physical needs but emotional.

An Ayurvedic massage may include: mantras, oils, sound therapy, light therapy and more. Ayurvedic Massage is known as Abhyanga. The word ‘abhyanga’ is composed of two Sanskrit words, Abhi and Anga. Abhi means ‘towards’ and anga, in one of its meanings, refers to ‘movement’. It also means ‘oil massage’ or in sanskrit, ‘snehana’. Snehana means oil, but it also means love. So by receiving Abhyanga, we are oiling our bodies with love, comfort, and nourishment.

The experience of Abhyanga is deeply relaxing to your brain, nervous system and joints. It eases pain while feeling comforting warmth throughout the body – a super yummy way to nourish the body. It lovingly replaces your anxieties with a sense of calmness and contentment because the oils are warm, stable, and grounding.

The Abhyanga treatment can range from spa like a more clinical therapeutic procedure that uses herbalized oil to penetrate the skin and bind with toxins. It also provides joint lubrication, nourishment for your skin as well moisturizing it once bound together by this powerful natural substance! The medicated oil also helps your body achieve balance through mind and body.

Abhyanga is a sequence of massage that helps clear out toxins by encouraging quick removal from the body. The Lymphatic system has various pressure points which are targeted with varying degrees for each section being massaged, ensuring optimal circulation in order to remove metabolic wastes via this route as well!

The lymphatic system is a very important part of our bodies because it helps to remove fluids from your organs and transport them around so that they can be excreted by other body systems. The manual massage therapists use their hands as pumps, which increases circulation in the area being treated; this leads us towards getting more nutrients through better blood flow- all while feeling totally blissful! It is an amazing experience when there is the option for treatment includes having two people work together using tandem massages where both sides are being touched at once. Either way, this is a highly recommended experience and very unique to Ayurvedic Massage.

The massage helps in tuning up the functioning of our internal organs and optimizes how well they work. It also revitalizes cell self-healing abilities, which can have physical effects on you mentally or emotionally while stimulating parasympathetic nerves with psychological benefits as well! The body, mind and skin is transformed by regular Abhyanga simply by infusing it with the loving herbal oils making it more resilient, hydrated and vibrant that can better withstand the aging process ~ so you can have that vibrant glow!

Generally, Ayurvedic massage should not be done in the following conditions according to Ayurveda.

Fever
In any acute illness (unless permitted by your doctor)
Blood clots (like deep vein thrombosis) or bleeding disorders
Hangover
Dehydration
During Chemotherapy
During Menstruation

Schedule a consultation or a treatment today!

Love & OM,

Michelle

The New Kind of Smart Water

Its been a full summer and as many of you know I am deepening my practice of Ayurveda. Drinking liquids that nourish me instead of deplete me has been key in keeping me hydrated and helping to purify, stimulate digestion, help elimination, reduce gas and bloating, provide antioxidant protection, clear wastes and toxins from the body and helping me to feel nourished. I have been infusing herbs into water and adding the water to my drinking water throughout the day.

The overall purpose of this water is to keep it simple, nourish the liver and kidneys to help them function and clear out excess ama (waste material/toxins). This recipe must be made fresh each day. Use only whole seeds or tea-cut size pieces of ingredients. Use only organic, food grade flowers and petals, without stems or leaves.

Basic Wise Water Recipe:

1/4 tsp Coriander Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 quart of blessed water
steep for 15 minutes
add to water or drink straight up throughout the day either hot or warm to room temperature.

Why are these spices so important? They deliver hormone balancing effects at the same time that it gently clears out cellular wastes that may otherwise block the action of the hormone on the tiffs.

Coriander Seeds have a cooling effect and enhances urine flow and the removal of toxins from the blood, liver and kidneys. Overall it balances all three doshas (the three energies that define every person’s makeup) but especially pitta (fire and a little bit of water).

Cumin Seeds are cooling overall but this miraculous spice is a key digestive aid in many recipes and is especially helpful in moving gas and clearing out bloating. Cumin has specific detoxifying effect on the whole body. It helps to reduce inflammation. It also purifies both the blood and the uterus and enhances the reproductive essence.

Fennel Seeds are a premier digestive aid and are especially helpful in moving gas downward and out of the intestines. It helps reduce spasms. Balancing for both vata (air & ether) and pitta. It is also mildly phytoestrogens and balancing for the reproductive system of women.

You can also add other nourishing herbs and spices! I have been adding brahmi, it is known to rejuvenate the mind, enhance memory, improve concentration, and to directly influence the quality of consciousness. Alma is used to support normal ranges of blood sugar, build blood and support liver function. Cardamom aids in digestion and fat metabolism without creating excess heat in the body, and it tastes delicious! Rose petals can benefit your body in a number of ways, not only are they great for the skin but they can also help you relax and even relieve digestive issues.

Making this everyday has given my water a little flavor and the health benefits are numerous! Start making your own today!

Love,

Michelle

Juice Cleansing For Health

Its amazing how good I feel after a juice cleanse! Three days in and I can feel the subtle changes happening. I start to experience higher energy, great sleep, glowing skin, no more sugar cravings…the list goes on….. Five days into a juice cleanse and I feel absolutely amazing! Juice Cleanses and fasts are of course are nothing new. Cleanses and fasts have been around for thousands of years. I love reading new research that backs why juice cleansing is so powerful and important. Especially with today’s environmental stressors.

Studies are showing that juice cleansing is a powerful and effective way to keep the body’s systems in check. Recently, I stumbled across UCLA an article on the health benefits of a three-day juice cleanse. Their research illustrated that juice cleanses increase beneficial gut bacteria, promote weight loss and improve general well-being. How amazing is that?

UCLA found that a three-day juice cleanse reduced body weight and decreased lipid per-oxidation, while increasing nitric oxide, both of which are associated with heart health.

Here is a breakdown of how a juice cleanse can benefit your health:

Give your Digestive System a Rest

Bloated? Irritated bowels? Sensitive stomach? A juice cleanse can help reset your gut. When you drink only cold pressed, raw fruit and vegetable juice, you’re greatly reducing the amount of input and stress that your gut experiences. This gives your body the time to heal and recharge, while also taking in essential vitamins and phytonutrients. Adding prebiotics and probiotics to your cleanse will help you get back to feeling how you want to.

Reduce Inflammation

Studies have shown that juice cleanses followed by a plant based diet can greatly reduce inflammation in your body. Everyday I hear of people suffering of chronic inflammation; from the air we breathe, from meat, dairy, alcohol and the processed foods that we eat, to the products that we use. Your body responds to all of these toxins creating an inflammatory response. When you clean things up and cut out those outside toxins, while at the same time adding the beneficial nutrients readily available in cold pressed juice, you’re allowing your body optimal toxin removal and cell repair. Eating a plant based diet can greatly reduce allergies, arthritis, IBS and even cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.

Boost Energy

Within the first two days you’ll start to feel a wave of difference in your energy. Juice cleansing floods your body with nutrients in their natural state creating a lasting, clean energy; not the ups and downs and crashes we can get from coffee and sugar. With cold pressed juice, the enzymes and nutrients are liberated from fibre allowing them to be quickly assimilated into your body. Give it 15-20 minutes and you should be feeling a nice boost after each juice.

Healthy Weight Loss

Juice cleanses can be a gateway to a more balance diet. A kickstart to your healthy habits. When you remove harmful, toxic, and processed foods, saturated fats and empty refined carbs, and replace these foods with vegetable and fruit juices and plant based foods you’ll naturally lose weight.

Hydrate

So many people I meet are chronically dehydrated. Drinking adequate fluids like water and low sugar, cold pressed juice helps the body function more efficiently, improves energy, and helps remove toxins more effectively. Drinking water throughout the day, even while on your juice cleanse helps keep everything moving. I always recommend people drink half their body weight in ounces of water. Hydration also makes your skin glow. Regular hydration, helps remove toxins while juicing helps bring your cells healing nutrients that can transform how you feel and look. Start glowing by adding enough water to your regular routine!

More details on the UCLA study.

For details on the next group juice here.

Cheers to better health!

Love,

Michelle

Healing Effects of Sole

If you have ever spent any time with me, you would know that I am a huge fan of a simple solution called Sole (pronounced Solay) Water. This magical water is made with Himalayan salt, it contains 84 of your body’s 92 essential minerals we need everyday to stay in balance. In order for your body to fully benefit from these minerals we take in from our food, the molecules must be very small. To make the minerals easier for our body to absorb we can make a solution of Sole Water.

Many experts tell us that our soils are depleted of essential minerals. All diseases of humanity can be attributed to the lack of minerals in our bodies. This slow degeneration of society and of humanity is directly related to the lack of minerals in our food.

“YOU CAN TRACE EVERY SICKNESS, EVERY DISEASE, AND EVERY AILMENT TO A MINERAL DEFICIENCY.” – DR. LINUS PAULING, TWO-TIME NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

Regeneration is what we really need to thrive. Sole and juice together really create an amazing foundation for health and wellness!

Because Sole Water keeps us highly mineralized everything in our body works better, our cells communicate to each other more efficiently. Himalayan mineral salt is a superconductor of ions that charge our body.

“In a nine-week study undertaken in 2003 at the Inter-University of Graz, Austria examined the effects of Himalayan Crystal Salt on physical and psychological functions of the body. It is the only salt ever to have been the subject of comprehensive double-blind scientific research. The results of the study, presented in the book, Water & Salt – The Essence of Life by Dr. Barbara Hendel, M.D. and biophysicist Peter Ferreira, confirmed significant positive changes in respiratory, circulatory, organ, connective tissue and nervous system functions. Patients also reported increases in quality of sleep, energy and concentration levels, brain activity, weight loss, enhanced consciousness, and noticeable hair and nail growth.”

Sole is a great way to start your day! One teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach mixed in a glass of good quality artesian or spring water. Within minutes of taking this the whole stomach and intestines are being stimulated and absorbing the minerals. This in turn encourages healthy digestion and metabolism to get your day started off right!

How to prepare a Sole Solution:

Place enough Himalayan salt at the bottom of a mason jar or other glass container to cover the bottom inch of the jar. Make sure your jar has a lid so contaminants cannot get into your solution. After about 24 hours, look to see if the salt crystals have completely dissolved. If so, add a few more crystals. When the water can no longer dissolve any more salt the crystals will settle at the bottom of the jar without dissolving. At this point the solution becomes 26%, which is stable and ready for consumption. The isotopic parts in the upper part of the glass tend to be more bio-friendly and alkaline. In contrast, the enriched Sole in the lower part of the glass contains isotopes, which are less bio-friendly and tend to be more acidic. Therefore it is best if we only use the Sole at the top. This solution never expires or goes bad, so you can keep adding water and Himalayan salt to the solution as it starts to get lower in the jar.

Drink 1 teaspoon everyday in warm water. Do not use a metal teaspoon, use bamboo, wood or plastic. The metal interferes with the minerals amazing benefits. If its hot our or you are sweating excessively, you can certainly take more to restore you electrolyte balance.

Notice the effects in your everyday life:

Consuming Sole helps the body re-hydrate.
The minerals in Sole make it useful in the natural detoxification that the body already does. Sole is naturally anti-bacterial and can help remove bad bacteria in the body.
The minerals and stored energy in Sole help boost energy throughout the day.
Sole stimulates the digestive system promoting food absorption and regularity naturally.
Some people note improvements in blood sugar levels after using Sole.
Sole can work as a powerful natural anti-histamine. This action is likely due to its balancing effects on the body, and I have noticed this personally.
There is a theory that a potential cause of Osteoporosis and other bone disorders is the body utilizing calcium and other minerals from the bones for survival and to neutralize acidity in the blood. Sole is naturally full of minerals and alkalizing, so there is speculation that it is helpful with bone health as well.
By supporting the correct mineral balance in the body and blood, Sole can help reduce or avoid vein problems like varicose veins.
Contrary to what we often hear, many people notice a reduction in blood pressure from using Sole.
By improving digestion and nourishing the body on a cellular level, Sole can help promote weight loss.
Sole’s high mineral content makes it great for healthy skin (and acne problems), and for hair and nail growth.

Activate your self healing powers with a sole bath! Its amazing! As you float in this sheer ocean of energy, your body and soul become harmonized, you senses are soothed and your muscles relax. Bioenergetic deficits are rebalanced and weak links become strengthened, reactivating our body’s electric current. The organs functions begin to resonate with the natural frequency patterns of sole solution. This activates the natural regulatory mechanism of the body and its self healing powers, begin releasing toxins, allowing your skin to now absorb the vital minerals, reducing acidity in your body and balancing your skin’s pH. You skin becomes hydrated, you are strengthened and energy is renewed.

Studies have shown that you can achieve the best results taking a sole bath during the change of the moon cycle. The minerals and energies stored in the sole can optimally be absorbed during a full moon. The body’s healing potential is at its peak, bioenergetically weak points are harmonized, and the body’s own energy flow is activated. During a new moon, the cleansing effects are optimized because the body’s capacity for detoxifying is at an optimum. The concentration of the sole bath can slowly be increased from 1% to 8%. The higher the concentration, the stronger the cleansing effect, and the more severe the body’s reaction. It has been my experience that some people have to work up to the thirty minute bath as well.

The cleansing effects of a 30-minute bath are equal to three days of fasting. This is because it increases the body’s circulation and because our skin is our biggest eliminative organ the toxins are released into the bath water through osmosis, while the minerals from the sole are absorbed through the skin. You will feel amazing after this bath, let the minerals really soak in and DO NOT dry off after!

How to Prepare a Sole Bath ~ your own personal ocean in the tub:

You can find numerous bath salts on the shelves of many stores. Most of these have been chemically treated and therefore have lost their natural qualities. Ideally, for a salt bath treatment, try to find natural, untreated crystalized salt. Add 1-2 pound of salt to your bath tub and just enough water to cover it. After about 10 minutes the salt will dissolve and now you can fill your bathtub. Do not add any other bath products or essential oils.

The bath water should have. temperature of 98.6 degrees. This is important so that the body does not have to sacrifice its own energy to balance out the temperature. The bath water will remain at this temperature almost continuously. This is because the biophysical structure of the sole solution is so strong, it causes the molecules to move in constant rhythm. Sole baths have a positive effect on many ailments. They are, however, demanding on the circulatory system. Be aware of this if you suffer from weak or poor heart circulation, a foot bath may be more appropriate for you.

Blessings to you and your health!

Love,

Michelle

The sun is a daily reminder that we too can rise again from the darkness, that we too can shine our own light. ~S. Ajna