Actually doing yoga - practicing the postures - has many well-documented health benefits.
… But sometimes the physical demands of the actual postures, or just the demands of life in general get in the way of a regular physical practice of the postures. If that is true for you… then this book is your perfect answer.
Burdened by food and self-esteem issues? Then this book is for you!
This author comes to a point in life where she wants OUT from under the burden of an “unhappy relationship” with food. Kimber begins to love her body, feed her soul and transform her life through the practices of yoga and mediation and the cultural understanding of Buddhism.
The first step in her journey was to learn to love herself, accept her body and to let her own heart strivings guide her forward. She worked to include her own body in the “circle of what is beloved.”
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
Marshmallow root, as the name implies, was once included as an ingredient in the original sticky-sweet marshmallow candy. Alas, commercial marshmallows no longer contain this herb, but you can still make your own "real" ones at home! Check out the recipe below...
For centuries mallows have been used for food - both the leaves and the roots are edible. Marshmallow is closely related to other beloved plants such as cotton, hibiscus, and okra.
Beyond its food uses, marshmallow is a gentle medicinal plant. The nutritive and sweet root imparts a unique mucilaginous quality when extracted in water. Marshmallow has a high concentration of polysaccharides that impart a viscous and soothing quality to the liquid in which it is extracted.
Finding the perfect gift for the mom(s) in your life doesn't have to be work! We've put together a few of our favorite products that are sure to put a smile on her face and some pep in her hard-working step.
Illustrations by Jessica Casler © 2015
Pukka Womankind Tea
This beautiful blend of herbs is perfect for bringing balance and bliss into your morning routine. Made with fragrant vanilla, hibiscus and rose, tangy sweet cranberry, earthy beetroot and licorice, and soothing chamomile and shatavari, this tea makes a wonderful gift for that strong, beautiful mama in your life.
Niche Boston succulent
Springtime calls for P L A N T S! We've been getting regular deliveries of these beautiful succulents, cacti, ferns and terrariums from our favorite urban garden shop across the river, Niche Boston. Complete with beautiful ceramic and metal pots, they make an excellent gift for the green thumb woman in your life.
100% Pure Mascara
This incredible mascara from 100% pure comes in colors like blackberry and dark chocolate - and they smell amazing, seriously! This company uses the cleanest
Urban moonshine joy tonic
Mothers of all kinds are the hardest workers! It can be a challenge to take time for herself when caring for so many others. This wonderful formula from the expert herbalists at Urban Moonshine in Burlington VT "promotes a positive mental attitude and promote a relaxed feeling when overworked or overwhelmed." A great gift for that powerful woman in your life.
Weleda Evening Primrose Body Oil
This luxurious organic oil makes a fantastic massage oil, belly balm, or overall body moisturizer. Evening primrose, olive, wheat germ, sea buckthorn and jojoba seed oils deliver essential fatty acids and omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9 to help restore and moisturize skin. Its rich, velvety texture offers a nourishing treatment that leaves skin healthy, firm and renewed. Perfect gift to help that special mama relax and rejuvenate!
Schmilk Chocolate
Let's just get one thing straight. Chocolate = Love. Show your favorite mamas that you love them with the gift of something sweet! This vegan milk chocolate from Schmilk leaves absolutely nothing wanting - rich, creamy, lightly sweet and completely delicious.
Thesis Rose Candle
We can't get enough of this lightly scented, completely beautiful candle from local body care company Thesis. Made with soy wax and essential oils and housed in amber glass, the candle will burn for many hours, giving off a soft glow and filling the room with the delicious scent of rose petals.
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
Oats are incredibly nourishing, especially for the nervous system. When used in the “milky” stage they feed nervous tissue and help to restore normal nerve function and vitality. This is one of my absolute favorite herbs since it is so gentle but so powerful, and makes a noticeable difference for anyone who is stressed, overly sensitive, depleted or worn out. To me, they are a prime remedy for most city-dwellers
Our herbalist-in-training on staff, Maribeth, created this wonderful tea blend to help us transition physically and mentally into springtime! The perfect beverage for a warm(er) day like today!
Ingredients: Nettle Leaf, Dandelion Root, Oatstraw, Lemon Balm, Red Clover, Raspberry Leaf, Calendula
As the weather warms and the plants stir under melting snow, so do our spirits return after a harsh north east winter. As the earth transitions, so do our bodies emerge to flow with the rhythms of Spring. Our inner fluids begin to move just as the sap runs through the veins of the tree. Our lymph system and organs of elimination are in need of support as we release the stagnation of winter.
Our General Manager recently went to Costa Rica to visit the organic turmeric farm of Gaia Herbs, one of our largest herbal medicine suppliers. She writes about the experience below:
When I think of Costa Rica, I usually think of rainforests and three-toed sloths lazing about the verdant splendor. I’m adding turmeric to that lush list, having made my first trip to Costa Rica last month to visit one of our favorite herbal companies’ organic turmeric farms.
The company I visited is Gaia Herbs, and we have been carrying their products since they first started doing business in the late 1980s. Their name is synonymous with high quality, and for good reason. Gaia tests all raw source materials and each batch of product for purity, integrity, and potency. They are so transparent in their manufacturing processes that they actually make their test results available to the public via their “Meet Your Herbs” page on their website. That’s right: you can find out which tests were performed on any of their products to guarantee it is what it says it is, and has the potency it claims on the package.
Visiting Gaia's turmeric farm and getting our hands on the freshest product!
Visiting Gaia’s organic turmeric farm on the Nicoya Peninsula was nothing less than spectacular. Gaia founder, Ric Scalzo, guided our group of retailers on the farm while explaining every aspect of growing and harvesting organic turmeric. Scalzo waxed poetic about the plant “microbiome,” or the importance of growing plants that had a symbiotic effect with the turmeric and the soil microorganisms. A burgeoning worm compost pile further ensured Gaia provides its organic turmeric with the richest soil possible.
One of my favorite parts of the farm tour was after we finished watching turmeric being harvested, and we went to where it was being sorted, washed, and dried. Gaia’s local farm operations manager, Luis Iglesias, explained how he had sought to employ local women in an otherwise economically depressed area. News spread by word-of-mouth, and the number of Gaia’s female farm employees grew exponentially.
I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to visit Gaia’s organic turmeric farm in Costa Rica. It has further solidified my already quite positive opinion of Gaia Herbs and what they do, not just for raising the bar for herbal medicine manufacturing practices but also for demanding companies improve the lives of people who work for them and the world at large!
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
As I sit down to write this article about one of my favorite spring plants, the snow outside is flying, adding to our record-breaking, epic winter. But despite the piles of snow that remain in our streets and yards, the thaw has begun, the days are warming, and we will soon see the plants re-emerge from their slumber. This is certainly a month full of hope and renewal.
This guest post was written by Kristin Jorgenson, one of our favorite customers and sales brokers, who works with Dr. Hauschka skin care. Kristin has gorgeous skin and wears flawless, minimal make up, always looking completely radiant when she pops in the store.
The Minimalist Makeover is for anyone who wants to achieve a healthy, natural look using just a few skin-loving, non-toxic cosmetics. The look is also known as “YOU, on the best day of your life.”
You: hydrated, healthy, rested, and happy, on a gorgeous, breezy summer day, sparkling, in love.
Before applying any make-up, one must care for their skin with a gentle cleanser, toner and the appropriate day cream for their skin’s current condition. I love Dr. Hauschka’s Quince Day Cream for its clean finish and protective antioxidant ingredients.
Here are the top 5 products I use when performing a Minimalist Makeover, all by Dr. Hauschka Skin Care:
| ONE |
Dr. Hauschka Foundation: This is a brand new formula that I’m wild about. It goes on smoothly and evenly on a well-moisturized face. The foundation contains oils of coconut, apricot and macadamia, which sounds like dessert but lends to hydration and smooth, protected skin. The coverage is light to medium, never heavy, allowing the skin’s natural radiance to come through - but effectively concealing any blemishes or colorations that are inconsistent. I’ve found this new foundation to work as well as a concealer when sponged under the eyes - which was a nice surprise, and keeps us on our theme of minimalism.
|TWO|
Translucent Bronzing Tint: This product is well loved by make up artists everywhere for its perfected formula and unbelievable versatility. The liquid mineral tint contains olive oil and beeswax for a hydrating, blendable application, anthyllis (a healing botanical extract present in many Dr. Hauschka products) and witch hazel for a toning effect. The bronzing tint can be mixed with day cream, sunscreen, or foundation to deepen the shade. It can also be applied strategically with fingers, a makeup sponge or a makeup brush to contour areas of the face, which would naturally be touched by the sun.
|THREE|
Rouge: I love rouge. The right rouge brings the face back to life almost instantly. Dr. Hauschka has really accomplished minimalism by providing the only 3 rouge shades one could need- a bright coral, a rosy pink and a soft nude. These mineral rouge powders contain silk powder, lending a slight luminescence in the light, as well as witch hazel and sage to soothe and refresh. Dr. Hauschka’s International Make-up artist Karim Sattar taught us to ad a touch of rouge to the eyelids to give a youthful look. I’m hooked on that technique.
|FOUR|
Mascara: Natural mascara is sometimes the product that brings people to natural cosmetics due to eye sensitivity. Many people, however, transition to natural mascara more slowly because they believe that eyelashes aren’t as affected by chemicals as the skin is. I’d like to challenge this! Dr. Hauschka’s Mascara contains delicious smelling Rose Petal Wax, soothing eyebright and black tea and neem leaf extract the strengthen lashes. For more oomph, the volume mascara is a firmer formula with a great volumizing brush. Ingredients such as candellila wax, beeswax, neem leaf extract and cane sugar result in plump, long and healthy lashes for beautiful, expressive eyes.
|FIVE|
Novum Lipstick: This is my favorite decision to make when finishing a makeover. By this point, the person is relaxed and their skin is looking fresh and dewy. Using hair, eye, skin tone and colors/type of clothing I choose either a pop of color or a shade very close to their natural lip color. Dr. Hauschka’s Lipstick Novum is the most hydrating lip color I have ever used thanks to Vitamin E rich Moroccan Oil, Jojoba Oil and protective Rose Wax. Lipstick Novums come in 4 amazing shades, Sand Dune (a copper nude with hints of lavender), Miraculous Rose (a tawny pink), Laid Back Apricot (a warm peach) and Exhilarating Berry (a gorgeous shade somewhere between raspberry and wine that looks different on every person I’ve ever used it on).
Enjoy!
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
For thousands of years tulsi has been considered a sacred herb. Also called holy basil and “the elixir of life” it originated in India, where it became an important herb of Ayurvedic medicine, and was sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu. Amongst Ayurvedic practitioners it is known as a rayasana plant, which is a special group of herbs said to promote longevity and perfect health.
Tulsi’s popularity has now spread throughout the world and Western herbalists have also fallen in love with it. Traditionally used for a variety of ills ranging from respiratory problems to exhaustion to digestive issues, it is a remarkable plant for human health.
