Article Archive

Water Workouts

For Body and Mind

When Cynthia Bialek could no longer practice yoga on land, she decided to try it in water. After several years of suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, this 38-year-old woman was determined to move beyond the limitations of her symptoms and regain her active lifestyle. Water helped her do just that. Bialek found that the supportive buoyancy and slight pressure of the water enabled her to once again enter yoga poses that brought strength and stability to her body.

Spa Specialties

Fresh Philosophies Empower Healthy Lifestyles

With consumers turning to complementary therapies, gentler forms of exercise, and more mindful eating practices, it’s no surprise that today’s top spas are focusing on a philosophy of overall health as well. According to a recent International Spa Association (ISPA) study, 27 percent of today’s spas offer exercise programs and facilities as part of their spa experience, while 71 percent offer yoga, 68 percent offer posture and alignment classes, and 51 percent offer spiritual or mind-body programs.

Lymph Massage

Armoring the Immune System

As the cold and flu season approaches, it’s time to bolster the immune system and give it a coat of armor against the certain onslaught that awaits.

Maybe you already take a defensive stand this time of year with a more diligent use of vitamins and herbal supplements, heightened precautions with hand-washing, or an extra glass of orange juice or serving of broccoli. But have you ever considered a lymph massage to help your body stave off the blues of winter illness?

No Sweat!

The Many Benefits of Sauna Bathing

When you’re exercising or working diligently, you probably give little thought to the perspiration your body is emitting (except for acknowledging the need for a shower afterward). But behind that odor and sticky shirt are immeasurable benefits for body, mind, and spirit. Perhaps that’s why for thousands of years cultures around the world have tried to harness the power found in perspiring.

The Holistic Pet

Raising Your Dog or Cat Naturally

Pets are part of the family. Raising them to be healthy and happy is not only important, it’s the responsibility pet owners accept when they bring companion animals into their homes.

To this end, holistic pet health provides a wellness plan for our companions, so owners can enjoy their company for as long as possible. Following are tips for raising your pet healthfully and naturally.

Freedom for Feelings

Bodywork and Emotional Release

It started as a typical visit. Jennifer was seeking help for chronic low back and hip pain and over the course of several bodywork sessions, we worked to clear areas of tightness throughout her legs, hips, and lower back. But on this day, as I gently freed the side of her hip, her facial expression changed from one of pleasure to one of puzzlement.

“That’s interesting,” she said. “I just remembered when all this started.”

I listened as she recalled the accident that began a pain cycle she had endured for years.

Bath Time

Create an Experience

A good soak in a warm bath is a wonderful wintertime ritual. Utilize some of Mother Nature’s simplest gifts in the process, and you’ve got an “experience.”

It really is hard to beat the relaxing, cathartic effects of lounging in a warm bath, where the mind can so easily find peace and calm. But add a handful of rose petals, several tablespoons of sea salts, or some sprigs of rosemary and see how the experience is enhanced. A sense of guilty pleasure will hopefully make way for the realization that you are entitled to these moments of indulgence, and all in the name of self-care.

Healing With Sound, Part II

The Power to Create, The Power to Heal

Sound has the power of creation. In the Bible, the world is created by way of sound: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and, further, “And the Lord said, Let there be light: And there was light.” According to Hopi myth, the Spider Woman sang the song of creation over all the inanimate forms and brought them to life. In the ancient Mystery Schools of Egypt, Athens, and Rome, sound was understood to be the fundamental creative force of the universe.

Our Internal Sea

Thalassotherapy and the Spa

Humankind has always turned to the ocean for balance and well-being. Ancient Egyptians understood the power of long soaks in seawater. Greek philosophers Euripides, Hippocrates, Plato, and Herodotus praised its therapeutic value. The Greeks and Romans used seawater for general hygiene and physical care, and they even built temples in seawater where soldiers retreated to recover after battle or during celebrations to receive underwater massage. Today, we still desire this stress-free experience of relaxing at the seashore while our worries melt away.

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