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!

LIVE! Madison & Manas Show

Join us for the premiere episode of LIVE! Madison & Manas Show on
Friday, July 22nd @ 7PM.

Come meet the faces of Serenity Spa | Soul Yoga! Madison & Manas will be talking about the topic of Ayurveda in the current Pitta Season and how it effects your mind, body and spirit!

Madison

Instagram: @thesagespirit

Manas

Instagram: @ayurvedaman

We will be filming the live premiere at our Folsom Palladio location.

Enjoy the show and participate in Q&A.

Important Notes:

Waivers must be signed by all members of
the audience, before filming begins.

You MUST have one ticket per person
for admission into this premiere event.
Doors close at 6:30PM, and filming begins
promptly at 7:00PM. Be sure to get there
early enough to get the perfect seat!

Lomi Lomi Massage

Photo via Pinterest.

Have you ever heard of a Lomi Lomi massage?

You may be familiar with traditional Swedish techniques, or maybe you like Deep Tissue work. If you're interested in experiencing a wonderful, unique and energizing massage, you will want to book a Lomi Lomi!

Lomilomi practitioners use the palms, forearms, fingers, knuckles, elbows, knees, feet, even sticks and stones. Lomilomi practices varied by family, Atahualpaʻa (traditional region) and island.

Traditionally in ancient Hawaii lomilomi was practiced in four contexts:

1. As a healing practice of native healers -- kahuna lāʻau lapaʻau (healers) and kahuna hāhā (diagnosticians)
2. As a luxury and an aid to digestion, especially by the ruling chiefs (aliʻi)
3. As restorative massage within the family
4. By ʻōlohe lua (masters of the Hawaiian martial arts)

When you book a Lomi Lomi massage with one of our specialists, you will experience a deep sense of balance and harmony inspired by the ancient Hawaiian “dance of massage." We use energy flow combined with fluid, fast-paced, rhythmic motion to achieve an energizing, rejuvenating experience.

Book yours today!

The Health Benefits of Massage Therapy

Photos via Pinterest.

We all know that getting a massage is a great way to relax and let go of muscle tension. But the benefits go further. Research shows that massage can provide relief from back pain, headaches, osteoarthritis, cancer and anxiety.

"Massage is no longer just a stress-relief modality. People are seeking it as a preventative medicine for their health and for wellness," says Dr. Leena Guptha, president-elect of the AMTA, in an interview for Forbes magazine. "Some of the immediate benefits of massage are that it reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and increases blood and lymphatic circulation."

It's also important to note that peoples' reasons for getting massages have shifted toward overall health and wellness. 

Check out these facts from the American Massage Therapy Association:

• Instead of seeking massage therapy solely for relaxation and pampering purposes, individuals are turning to massage therapy to assist with medical conditions.
• As few as 31 percent of individuals believe massage therapy is only a form of pampering.
• 19 percent of respondents said they received a massage at a spa in the 12 months prior to the survey compared to 23 percent in 2011. This decline, and the presence of chiropractor’s offices, health clubs and physician’s offices/medical clinics on the list of locations where people receive massage, indicates consumers identify massage as an important component of overall health and wellness.
• 50 percent of people have received a massage for one or more of the following reasons: soreness, stiffness or spasms, to relieve or manage stress, for prevention or to improve quality of life, injury recovery or rehabilitation, to keep fit or healthy/maintain wellness, or to control headaches or migraines.

Once you've considered the amazing benefits of massage therapy, you won't think twice about booking your next appointment. Here's to your health! Namaste. 

Shirodhara

At Serenity Spa, we offer a variety of Ayurvedic treatments. One of these is shirodhara.

Shirodhara is a simple, yet profound treatment that works specifically on balancing and stabilizing the activity of the mind. Warm, dosha-specific herbal oils are beautifully streamed over the Ajna Chakra or third eye, taking the participant on a journey deep within. This helps bring balance to emotions and the mind, and is balancing to the nervous system, creating ecstatic feelings of relaxation and pleasure. 

At Serenity Spa, we offer this 45 minute service for $90. Call our front desk at (916) 797-8550 or see our website to schedule an appointment.

Shirodhara is a form of Ayurveda therapy that involves gently pouring liquids over the forehead (the 'third eye'). It was developed by vaidyas (practitionars of Ayurveda) in Kerala, India for use in sukhachikitsa (restorative therapy) and can be one of the steps involved in Panchakarma. The name comes from the Sanskrit words shira 'head' and dhara 'flow'.

To read more about shirodhara, check out this article from the California College of Ayurveda.

Yoga Inspiration

Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.

-The Bhagavad Gita

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.