Weight Loss – 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

Spring Time ~ Kapha Season

In Ayurveda, the latter half of winter and spring are considered the Kapha season. It’s not the calendar year that defines the Kapha season, but the qualities of the atmosphere, the seasonal changes that take place in the world around us.

During this time, the weather is generally cool, damp, and muddy, with heavy fog or mist in some areas. These environmental factors influence the human system by increasing the same qualities in our minds and bodies. The damp, cold, dullness and heavy qualities manifest as accumulated toxins, clogging energetic channels and lowering our immunity. Maybe even having a foggy mind and grogginess in the morning. This time of year people are more susceptible to imbalances and this leads to seasonal allergies, colds, fatigue, and digestive sensitivities.

The good news is that there are many simple and natural ways to cleanse and take care of the system to stay balanced during this time of year. According to Ayurveda, the best way to counter the Kapha-aggravating effects of springtime is by following a Kapha-reducing diet and lifestyle.

Choose Light and Nourishing Foods

During the fall and winter, heavy foods help ground and nourish us, but during the spring these kinds of foods will overburden the system. Spring still is a cool season so we want to eat warm, light vegetables and soups, leafy greens, and warming spices like cinnamon, mustard seed, and chili.

Rise Early and Don’t Nap

Try rising at or before sunrise to beat the Kapha time of day. Sleep intrinsically possesses the Kapha Dosha, so when we sleep into the Kapha time of the morning, our Kapha levels automatically be higher from sunrise till about 10 am. This makes getting up and going more difficult – not just physically out of bed, but for all the body’s systems.

Amp Up Your Exercise

Regular exercise is key in maintaining balance during the spring season. As the weather begins to warm up it’s tempting to spend more time outside, but even if your daily routine doesn’t change you should try to get moving. A light jog, dancing, pilates, or a brisk walk are great exercises for springtime, anything that gets your heart rate pumping will help starve off the heaviness and stagnancy of the season.

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of warm liquids, water, tea, golden sun milk. By the time you feel thirsty you are already in the early stages of dehydration, sip warm water throughout the day and stay on top of your body’s hydration needs, you will perform better, sleep more soundly and your body will feel more energized.

Perform a Spring Cleanse

Ayurveda believes in the principle of cleansing not just the body but the mind and spirit as well. The transition of the season to spring signals “cleansing time” in Ayurveda. Not only is a cleanse beneficial for eliminating excess Kapha, the season’s elements actually support the cleansing process. An Ayurvedic cleanse includes a combination of dietary guidelines, herbal formulation, and supplements to enhance digestion and support toxin removal, therapeutic purgation, and rejuvenation techniques.

You can perform an at-home cleanse or schedule a consultation with Michelle for a more comprehensive cleanse.

Enjoy this season of renewal!

With 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

Cleanse

Cleansing has to be experienced to be believed. Its amazing how either a mono diet of kitchari or a juice fast can help with energy, weight loss, detoxification, better sleep, prevent disease and actually create more connection in our lives. When you feel great, you naturally strengthen your own sense of inner peace and openness, this in turn will deepen the intimacy and connection within.

1. You get rid of omnipresent toxins

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the truth is that you are constantly surrounded by toxins and pollutants. There is pollution in the air that we breathe, in the products we use to clean our homes and bodies, in the food that we consume, and even in our homes. You can definitely work on reducing your exposure to toxins but you can not really escape them (even your own body produces metabolic toxins). Hence why a seasonal detox/ cleanse is an excellent way to help your body get rid of some of these absorbed toxins.

2. You give your digestive system a much-needed break

Most cleanses and detoxes are based on avoiding junk foods and allergens. This helps balance blood sugar, reduce cravings and you also feel the benefits in your digestive tract. Problems such as gas, bloating, acid reflux, constipation, and irritation can all be reduced (if not completely eliminated) via a cleanse. Indeed, during a detox, there is less of a burden on your digestive system and you allow your body to get busy with other important biochemical processes, such as detoxification and rejuvenation.

3. You get more energy & a better sleep

Nutrition and most particularly the kinds of foods that you choose to eat will greatly influence your energy levels throughout the day and sleep at night. The heavier you eat and the more sugary foods you consume, the more likely you are to experience severe mid-afternoon crashes and/or poor sleep. That’s because these kinds of foods are very taxing on your digestive system and require a lot of “work” to be processed by your body.

Removing sugar-loaded foods and most common food allergens (i.e. gluten, dairy, soy, and sugar) from your diet for a period of time can go a long way in terms of giving you more energy and definitely better sleep. Test it out.

4. You experience a new sense of clarity

For many people, food and emotions go hand in hand. We eat when we want to celebrate, when we are depressed, bored, scared, … Emotional eating is a real issue and one great way to break through it is to try a cleanse. Through the removal of your favourite “comfort” foods, you learn to make healthier eating choices and you find new ways to cope with your emotions (e.g. daily movement, a new hobby, or socializing).

Moreover, the kinds of foods that we crave when we are emotional (sugary, salty, and usually fatty too) are known to make our minds foggy and unclear. Once you go through a cleanse, you start to see things in a different light – the fog lifts up and you get a new sense of clarity. How refreshing is that?!

5. You access a new level of creativity

When you go through a cleanse, you are forced out of your comfort zone. It can be annoying and uncomfortable at first but then when you push through, you reach a new level of creativity. You start thinking of different ways to prepare your foods. And you inevitably try new recipes – better yet you may even create your own! Creativity will not just stop in the kitchen, it will also expand to other areas of your life. Again, give it a try and see for yourself.

I strongly suggest you cleanse at least twice this year. It could be a 7 day juice cleanse, a 5 day kitchari cleanse, a week without dairy & gluten, or even something as simple as 21 days without sugar. There are many combinations out there. Once you have done your research and have been advised by a health care practitioner or nutritionist, I am positive that you, too, will be convinced that doing a cleanse is good for you.

Blessings!

Michelle