The Power Of Sandalwood

Harvested from the Santalum tree, sandalwood originates from India and Australia. With its vibrant, fresh, and woody aroma, sandalwood has been revered and used in ceremony for thousands of years. In fact, it's one of the most popular used scents in China, India, and Japan. Sandalwood is a wonderful base note in any blend and its scent lasts much longer than most others single notes.

Here at Serenity Spa | Soul Yoga we are known for the intoxicating vanilla sandalwood scent that draws you into our temple. This scent that draws souls who are simply walking by our doors into our temple is the Chopra Centers Satwa.

This scent is heavenly, burns clean, and lingers for hours after burning. We literally cannot keep this incense on our shelves. Still not sure? Stop by and buy a box! I promise you will become a believer and consumer of this sacred scent.

The Power of Stones

Healing stones are a holistic, natural approach to maintaining harmony within the body mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. For thousands of years, ancient civilizations have used the structure, wavelength, and frequency of these naturally formed stones to match the different frequencies of the various parts of our body.

Combining nature's natural healing stones with the energy centers in our body is important to cleanse, revitalize, and balance our health. 

We carry many of these stones in our boutiques in Roseville & Folsom, so please stop by and pick up a few after your next yoga class or spa treatment!

Pick A Chakra, Then A Stone

Source: http://infographicjournal.com/the-power-of-stones/

Healing With Reiki

Reiki, pronounced ray-key and is a Japanese term that translates to universal (rei) and life force energy (ki).  This is an energy-centric healing technique with Japanese roots that has only officially been around since the 1920s. Reiki is a simple and natural healing method that reduces stress, induces relaxation and promotes deep healing within oneself.

When you experience illness, depression, anxiety or any other sickness, it's because your life force energies are off balance. Reiki Masters can work with you to tune into those energies and re-balance the body so it can heal itself.  This is done by placing their hands on, or slightly over the head, torso and legs in a series of positions near the body's major energy meridians and centers. Energy is then transferred through these centers allowing your body to self-heal. 

Reiki's Roots

Reiki was created by the Japanese scholar Mikao Usui who developed it after a 21-day fasting meditation trip to Mount Kurama.  Following this spiritual revelation, he returned to develop the practice. He worked with locals, healed his neighbors and "gave away" his energy.

During this time, he trained reiki's next grand master: Chujiro Hayashi, a naval officer and physician. Hayashi then opened a reiki clinic in Tokyo, where he worked with many sick individuals, including Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American woman from Hawaii. She became the third grand master and is credited with introducing the practice to the Western world in Hawaii in the early 1940s. Over the last 70 years Reiki has become more common, with countless certified students and masters.

Managing Misconceptions

It's important to understand what reiki isn't. reiki is different from massage because it is the movement of energy, not tissue or muscle.  Also, reiki practitioners don't diagnose or treat medical or psychiatric conditions. They simply offer supportive therapy that can promote balance, comfort and pain relief during treatment but is not to be a primary source of care for health concerns.

Book a Reiki Ritual Today!

Satsang--Weight Loss For Your Dosha with Manas

Weight Loss Made Easy

In Ayurveda there is an emphasis on determining the cause of your health need, and then offering treatments individually that include diet, daily routine and herbal formulas.

This is a safe, holistic way to lose weight that is better for your body than popular fad diets and quick cleanses.

There are three main doshas: Kapha, Pitta & Vata. Once you know your dosha you can then decide how to combat your weight problems.

Find Out Your Dosha

Vata

Vata types are normally thin and wiry, but can still struggle with weight gain.  Sometimes they can be thin their whole life, but suddenly gain weight because their metabolism has changed. They can be susceptible to stress and forget to eat regularly, which disrupts digestion.

Things you can do to counteract weight gain as a Vata is by reducing mental stress, nourishing the body with light, easily digestible food, eating at regular hours and practicing yoga and meditation.

Do NOT use stimulants or eat raw/cold foods and drinks.

Pitta

Pitta types usually have a strong and efficient digestion system which allows you to eat just about anything.  When this gets off balance even slightly, you can gain weight. It's very important to understand what's happening when you skip meals.  You need a steady supply of nourishment to stay in balance.

DO Drink lots of pure, room-temperature water throughout the day.

Do NOT eat sour, spicy or salty foods.

Delay eating when stressed, angry or frustrated. 

Kapha

Kapha's are comprised of earth and water elements and generally have a slower metabolism. Being skinny as a Kapha is not a healthy goal, as you are usually 5 to 10 pounds overweight no matter how little you eat. In order to actually lose weight you should balance your metabolism, increasing your ability to digest sugars and carbs.  Doing so will make you feel better, look healthier and allow you to lose that excess weight.

DO eat spicy, warm foods, drink honey and hot water.

Do NOT eat frozen or cold foods or iced drinks, fatty, salty, deep friend foods or alcohol.

Herbal Remedy

1 Part each: Triphala Powder, Turmeric Powder & Trikatu Powder
2 parts Raw Honey.

Take half a teaspoon of this paste with a
half cup warm water everyday before lunch.

Lemon Water With Himalayan Salt

Benefits of This Simple Morning Tonic

Routines play a big part in how we live our daily lives. We may like to do a few yoga poses, meditation, or a walk with your dog around the neighborhood in the mornings before getting started with the day. These routines are vital to our health and happiness.

One thing you can try to add to your daily routine is a quick and simple glass of warm lemon water with Himalayan salt. All you need is a small 10-ounce glass of this daily and you can see increased immune function, improved digestion and balance in your body. These benefits come from the Vitamin C in the lemon juice as well as the essential minerals contained in Himalayan salt.

Lemons fight inflammation and can help build and repair bone, tendons and ligaments. This is beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. A daily glass of this drink may provide better overall mineral balance and proper food and water absorption allowing nutrients to get where they need to be.

Source: The Nutrition Watch Dog

Follow Your Bliss

Photo via Yogurt Yoga.

“You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.”

― Deepak Chopra

Online Resources for Yoga, Meditation and Wellness

Photos via I Can Read on Tumblr.

Are you looking for resources and tools to help guide your journey toward physical, mental and spiritual health? Here are a few links from around the web that we find inspiring.

http://www.chopracenterhealingwisdom.com/
A Chopra Center blog with scientific and spiritual findings.

http://www.yogajournal.com/
A leading publication in the yoga world offering insight from master teachers and healers.

http://kripalu.org/blog/thrive/
A blog from the Kripalu Center which focuses on yoga, health and wellness.

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
A site to help you learn how to sit in stillness for a few minutes during your busy day.

http://www.dailyom.com/
Daily inspiration for achieving self-fulfillment 

http://www.elephantjournal.com/
Elephant Journal covers quite the mix: yoga, sustainability, politics and spirituality.

http://www.spiritualnow.com
Articles on topics such as enlightenment, compassion, wisdom, relationships and strength. 

The Law of Least Effort

Nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease . . . with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease.

We put this beautiful principle into effect by:

• Practicing acceptance for what is.
• Having accepted things as they are, we practice responsibility for our situation and for all those events we see as problems. We acknowledge that problems are opportunities in disguise.
• We remain in defenselessness, relinquishing our need to defend our point of view.