We are happy to announce that Diamond Way Ayurveda is now able to offer what used to be called Continuing Education Credits now called CUs for distance learning for three of our treatment.
AYURVEDIC FACE REJUVENATION
TIBETAN SHIRODHARA
PEDIKARMA
Each course requires you view our DVD on the subject, read the chapter in Ayurvedic Spa and answer 25 questions to gain 3 CUs.
The course costs $80 with a $30 credit for the book and /or the DVD if you already have these in your posession.
We hope this serves you all well and will be of use especially to those who cannot travel to our in house classes.
Check our website or call for more details 866-303-3321
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Benefits of Abhyanga
ABHYANGA is a traditional Ayurvedic technique that is designed to bring
beauty and vitality to the Body by the application of customized oils.
Abhyanga pronounced ABBEY ANGER actually more like ABBEY UNGER with the unger being like the second part of Younger is a Sanskrit word. Like many words each syllable has a meaning. In this case ABHY means to rub and ANGA means limbs. It is also described in ayurvedic classical texts as, “Smearing the body with unctuous or oily substance” or “Stroking the hands all over, all around the body in a gentle manner” or the translation i feel is at the heart of the technique, “TO TOUCH WITH LOVE.”
Practiced for thousands of years as a self massage technique to support health, beauty, and longevity it is recorded in many ancient writings including the Charaka Samhita. Today is it is practiced in spas in healing centers all over the world.
Traditionally men work on men and women with women. It maybe offered by one, two or more therapists whose hands must work in harmony in perfect coordination.
Traditional benefits listed in Sutrasthanam V. 78-93
The body becomes
•Firm
•Smooth-skinned
•Free from disturbances of vata - that otherwise prematurely age the body and cause pain
•Tolerant of exertions of hard work and exercise
•Not affected much even if subjected to accidental injuries or strenuous work
•Endowed with pleasant touch
•Trimmed in all body parts and
•Strong, charming and least affected by old age.
A beautiful quote which offers a perfect comparison says,
“Oily substances infused into the human organism imparts a tone and vigor to its tissues in the same manner as water furnishes the roots of a tree or a plant with the necessary nutritive elements and fosters its growth when poured into the soil where it grows.” Susruta
So is Abhyanga for estheticians or massage therapists or both? It can be called a full body facial or a full body massage depending on the way you describe it and the claims you make for the outcome.
Full Body Facial
•oil selected according to skin and body type
•optionally - skin cleansed in bath or shower
•oil applied to the skin all over the body with caring touch
•oil allowed to penetrate the skin which maybe helped by a warm linen wrap or steam treatment
•oil removed with herbal cleanser – ubtan
Full Body Massage
•oil selected specific therapeutic benefits
•oil worked into the skin with repeated strokes
•time allowed for oil to penetrate the skin
•oil removed with herbal cleanser – ubtan
What is unique to Abhyanga?
Intention of the therapist
Customized oil selection according to body type, condition and/or season
Importance of the type and quality of oil used
Working with the natural flows of subtle energy in the body
Stimulating marma points
More time spent on the abdomen and joints
Use of ubtan – herbal cleansing powder
INTENTION
Mind always precedes body
The greatest gift is CONNECTION
“The mechanics for the fulfillment of any desire are inherent in the desire itself.” Dr. Chopra
•time
•space
•presence and full attention to see for your client that the highest good arising from your care
CUSTOMIZING OIL
Vata oils – warm, calm and nourish
Pitta oils – cool, sooth, and relax
Kapha oils – warm, comfort, stimulate
Think of these oils as foods that is served in ways to please and nurture
Vata – long, slow, deliberate, predictable
Pitta – precise, lifting, giving a sense of
expanse
Kapha – more intense, warming, varied,
quicker
BENEFITS FOR BODY AND SKIN
Reverses/prevents aging - increasing longevity
Removes fatigue and stress from the body
Enhances flexibility in the muscles and joints – Trims and firms the body
Mobilizes impurities and flushes toxins from the tissues
Heals and strengthens the nervous system
Promotes good vision and sharpens the all senses
Nourishes the body and balances appetite
Makes the body firm and trim
Creates an electromagnetic balance in the body
Stimulates antibody production which boosts the immune system
Rejuvenates the skin – improving texture, tone, color, vitality and hydration
Oils are a major anti-oxidant and is bacteriostatic, so they discourages growth of germs, bacteria, fungi, and viruses and scavenges free radicals.
BENEFITS FOR MIND
The mind feels a sense of comfort which produces a state of relaxed or restful alertness
Remedies insomnia
Reduces anxiety
Helps balance the emotions so we feel happier and more connected
Improves self esteem
Helps overcome a sense of Isolation and loneliness
helps balance vata, pitta and kapha doshas
Works by producing Human Growth Hormone
Starts the “tend-and-befriend" response,women producing more oxytocin
Helps in lowering cortisol levels
Great resons why Abhyanga should be part of your weekly routine.
Now we suggest you take our Ayurvedic Body Type test and select one or two body oils then take out Ayurvedic Skin Type test and select one or two of our face oils and start doing abhyanga for yourself.
Simply apply 1-2oz of oil all over your body and 1 to 2 pumps of oil to your face. Use long strokes and rub vigorously over your long bones and circular movements over your joints. Leave on your skin for a maximum of 20 minutes and rinse off. You can use our Rose Ubtan for a more complete body polish, tension Lotion for tight muscles, joint lotion for stiff or sore joints and backs and breast oil if you want to offer extra love to your breasts.
beauty and vitality to the Body by the application of customized oils.
Abhyanga pronounced ABBEY ANGER actually more like ABBEY UNGER with the unger being like the second part of Younger is a Sanskrit word. Like many words each syllable has a meaning. In this case ABHY means to rub and ANGA means limbs. It is also described in ayurvedic classical texts as, “Smearing the body with unctuous or oily substance” or “Stroking the hands all over, all around the body in a gentle manner” or the translation i feel is at the heart of the technique, “TO TOUCH WITH LOVE.”
Practiced for thousands of years as a self massage technique to support health, beauty, and longevity it is recorded in many ancient writings including the Charaka Samhita. Today is it is practiced in spas in healing centers all over the world.
Traditionally men work on men and women with women. It maybe offered by one, two or more therapists whose hands must work in harmony in perfect coordination.
Traditional benefits listed in Sutrasthanam V. 78-93
The body becomes
•Firm
•Smooth-skinned
•Free from disturbances of vata - that otherwise prematurely age the body and cause pain
•Tolerant of exertions of hard work and exercise
•Not affected much even if subjected to accidental injuries or strenuous work
•Endowed with pleasant touch
•Trimmed in all body parts and
•Strong, charming and least affected by old age.
A beautiful quote which offers a perfect comparison says,
“Oily substances infused into the human organism imparts a tone and vigor to its tissues in the same manner as water furnishes the roots of a tree or a plant with the necessary nutritive elements and fosters its growth when poured into the soil where it grows.” Susruta
So is Abhyanga for estheticians or massage therapists or both? It can be called a full body facial or a full body massage depending on the way you describe it and the claims you make for the outcome.
Full Body Facial
•oil selected according to skin and body type
•optionally - skin cleansed in bath or shower
•oil applied to the skin all over the body with caring touch
•oil allowed to penetrate the skin which maybe helped by a warm linen wrap or steam treatment
•oil removed with herbal cleanser – ubtan
Full Body Massage
•oil selected specific therapeutic benefits
•oil worked into the skin with repeated strokes
•time allowed for oil to penetrate the skin
•oil removed with herbal cleanser – ubtan
What is unique to Abhyanga?
Intention of the therapist
Customized oil selection according to body type, condition and/or season
Importance of the type and quality of oil used
Working with the natural flows of subtle energy in the body
Stimulating marma points
More time spent on the abdomen and joints
Use of ubtan – herbal cleansing powder
INTENTION
Mind always precedes body
The greatest gift is CONNECTION
“The mechanics for the fulfillment of any desire are inherent in the desire itself.” Dr. Chopra
•time
•space
•presence and full attention to see for your client that the highest good arising from your care
CUSTOMIZING OIL
Vata oils – warm, calm and nourish
Pitta oils – cool, sooth, and relax
Kapha oils – warm, comfort, stimulate
Think of these oils as foods that is served in ways to please and nurture
Vata – long, slow, deliberate, predictable
Pitta – precise, lifting, giving a sense of
expanse
Kapha – more intense, warming, varied,
quicker
BENEFITS FOR BODY AND SKIN
Reverses/prevents aging - increasing longevity
Removes fatigue and stress from the body
Enhances flexibility in the muscles and joints – Trims and firms the body
Mobilizes impurities and flushes toxins from the tissues
Heals and strengthens the nervous system
Promotes good vision and sharpens the all senses
Nourishes the body and balances appetite
Makes the body firm and trim
Creates an electromagnetic balance in the body
Stimulates antibody production which boosts the immune system
Rejuvenates the skin – improving texture, tone, color, vitality and hydration
Oils are a major anti-oxidant and is bacteriostatic, so they discourages growth of germs, bacteria, fungi, and viruses and scavenges free radicals.
BENEFITS FOR MIND
The mind feels a sense of comfort which produces a state of relaxed or restful alertness
Remedies insomnia
Reduces anxiety
Helps balance the emotions so we feel happier and more connected
Improves self esteem
Helps overcome a sense of Isolation and loneliness
helps balance vata, pitta and kapha doshas
Works by producing Human Growth Hormone
Starts the “tend-and-befriend" response,women producing more oxytocin
Helps in lowering cortisol levels
Great resons why Abhyanga should be part of your weekly routine.
Now we suggest you take our Ayurvedic Body Type test and select one or two body oils then take out Ayurvedic Skin Type test and select one or two of our face oils and start doing abhyanga for yourself.
Simply apply 1-2oz of oil all over your body and 1 to 2 pumps of oil to your face. Use long strokes and rub vigorously over your long bones and circular movements over your joints. Leave on your skin for a maximum of 20 minutes and rinse off. You can use our Rose Ubtan for a more complete body polish, tension Lotion for tight muscles, joint lotion for stiff or sore joints and backs and breast oil if you want to offer extra love to your breasts.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Magic of Kansa
When Melanie first heard about kansa in France, she was amazed at how relaxing it was to receive a foot treatment, kansa vataki, on her feet. This lead us to create our PediKarma foot treatment.
During that time we thought kansa was a unique, but ancient metal and that it was only used therapeutically on the feet.
But, then we were approached by an Indian doctor who both de-mystified kansa for us and at the same time, broadened our understanding of just how effective using kansa anywhere on the body is.
The fact is, kansa is a highly refined and pure form of bronze, made of copper and tin, with a tinge of zinc. It was one of the first created alloys and one of its capacities is that it is a phenomonal carrier of electric, hence electro-magnetic currents. So, think of the nervous system, the acupuncture merideans, and the marma network. All are stimulated and all benfit from kansa on the feet, the face, the back, virtually anywhere.
Check out our face and foot kansa wands at our website. And, if you are already using and/or are a fan of kansa, we'd love to hear your experiences. We believe that kansa is the next big wave in the bodywork, aesthetic, and spa industries - something that has been around for millenium and is now come back into the light of day.
During that time we thought kansa was a unique, but ancient metal and that it was only used therapeutically on the feet.
But, then we were approached by an Indian doctor who both de-mystified kansa for us and at the same time, broadened our understanding of just how effective using kansa anywhere on the body is.
The fact is, kansa is a highly refined and pure form of bronze, made of copper and tin, with a tinge of zinc. It was one of the first created alloys and one of its capacities is that it is a phenomonal carrier of electric, hence electro-magnetic currents. So, think of the nervous system, the acupuncture merideans, and the marma network. All are stimulated and all benfit from kansa on the feet, the face, the back, virtually anywhere.
Check out our face and foot kansa wands at our website. And, if you are already using and/or are a fan of kansa, we'd love to hear your experiences. We believe that kansa is the next big wave in the bodywork, aesthetic, and spa industries - something that has been around for millenium and is now come back into the light of day.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Karmic Management - the next step
So we have read the book KARMIC MANAGEMENT by Geshe Michael Roche and friends through once together, that's Bbo and I, felt really inspired and then put it down and got into another great book by the same authors called HOW YOGA WORKS. It too is a really great read. Very simple prose but fantastic description of how yoga really works from the Tibetan prospective. We now read the yoga story at night and have gone back to Karmic Management in the morning. It is so interesting how even the most inspiring and worthwhile ideas take time to integrate themselves into our life and how much just doing something it takes to make it happen.
The book is set out in chapters with a TO DO list at the end of each chapter. The first task is to choose a project that you want to work on. Easy you might think, but our business and interests fly in so many directions we might just have to choose one dream each. The two dreams presently under consideration is KANSA - the massage tool for face and feet and AYURVEDIC OILS. Then of course there are my fairies that you can start to see on Facebook. They are always flying around wanting attention and making up stories. The chapter we read this morning was about not making decisions so this will be an interesting journey. Come along.
The book is set out in chapters with a TO DO list at the end of each chapter. The first task is to choose a project that you want to work on. Easy you might think, but our business and interests fly in so many directions we might just have to choose one dream each. The two dreams presently under consideration is KANSA - the massage tool for face and feet and AYURVEDIC OILS. Then of course there are my fairies that you can start to see on Facebook. They are always flying around wanting attention and making up stories. The chapter we read this morning was about not making decisions so this will be an interesting journey. Come along.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
THOUGHTS ON THE GULF
FEELING THAT TREMOR IN THE FORCE?
I first felt what is best described by the Star Wars phrase, “a tremor in the force” when I was around nine years old. I so clearly remember that morning. I walked into my parent’s bedroom as they were drinking their first cup of tea for the day when they told me The American President, President Kennedy had been shot to death. Suddenly and strangely I felt like my whole world changed that day even though I was just a little girl in England who had no idea then that one day she would become an American citizen.
I felt it again the day Princess of Wales, Lady Diana, died. I knew to the depth of my bones that day that my nation was in shock and mourning. Only this once in all the years that I have lived in American did I feel the need to reach out and talk to my British friends here and somehow link into the grief and sadness we knew was hanging over our island for some kind of group comfort.
Then came 9/11 and I sat and watched with my American family hardly able to take on board what I was seeing. In the following days I experienced for myself what it was like to be in and part of a nation in shock and sorrow.
Now, with America being engaged in the longest war we have ever fought and fairly regular news of terrorist attacks we each have found our own way to cope with troubling news stories that so rarely come to our doorstep. Until now most for most of us the pain and sorrow is felt in distant lands or in the scattered homes of our returning veterans. But, the events in the Gulf of Mexico in these last few months has changed that. Now we have an oil spill that might just be biggest man-made disaster in the history of the planet. This dreadful accident killed 11 good men and injured and burnt many others. It’s toxic plume has killed unknown hundreds of thousands of our fellow creatures and is ruining the lives and livelihoods of countless Americans. With no end in sight the trouble may well spread to Mexico, the Caribbean and where ever else the current will eventually transport this mess. We are now witnessing a silent but still deadly storm, moving from dark cold places through our blue waters, onto our white beaches and choking our pristine marshlands bringing with it death and destruction that will remain for generations.
When I first heard the word ecopsychology I must admit I thought it was the latest wave of California madness supported by grey haired intellectuals, tree hugging hippies, raw food vegans and the like. It took a disaster of this magnitude to wake me up to the truth of what is a core belief of ecopsychology. That is, that we are all connected, consciously or unconsciously we all feel when there is a “tremor in the force”. There is indeed a synergistic relation between planetary and personal well being; that the needs of the one of us, plant, animal or human are relevant to the needs of all others. We are all connected and we indeed do feel one another’s pain. For me this time the impact is being felt slowly and deeply. Unlike the oil that continues to gush, real news about what is going on in our Gulf is only very slowly immerging. But it is on all our minds, and looms in all our mental peripheral fields. I know it is the minds of our clients.
We acknowledge the stress of city living, long commutes, noise, over stimulation by the media. I am suggesting we need to recognize a new and even more powerful stresser, alienation from our environment and the stress of the of the impact from the “crazy” decisions that are made when personnel in International companies are disconnected. We must open our eyes, hearts and minds and look become part of the ecopsychology movement. We must find ways through our spa facilities and spa treatment to contribute to it’s goal to find ways of healing alienation and to build a sane society and a sustainable culture.
The term comes from Theodore Rosak’s book, The Voice of the Earth. Written in 1992 he called for a study of why people continue to behave in “crazy” ways that damage the very earth that supports all our lives and for the development of new ways to motivate people to positive action and positive protest. Personally, I feel spa especially green spas have a huge role to play in this new field. First, we can reassure our clients that they are not nuts or alone in feeling stressed by environmental disasters be they manmade such as in the Gulf or natural such as the earthquake in Haiti. Then, we can hopefully be part of the solution helping by offering touch and connection with natural elements such as oil, water, warm and clay, to reconnect, raise respect and revitalize ourselves and our planet.
On a purely practical level if you have a client that says they have a deep sense of overwhelming, immobilizing sadness and anger about the oil spill you might connect them with this prayer by Dr. Masaru Emoto, the author of "The Hidden Messages in Water". He's the Japanese scientist who has researched and written about how our thoughts and words affect the molecular structure water. Here is the prayer, but watching the you tube clip is really a worthwhile way to use a few minutes of your precious time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U56ngpGDG_4.
To the water, whales, dolphins, pelicans, fishes, shellfishes, planktons, corals, algae and all creatures in our Gulf of Mexico:
I apologize.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you."
- Dr. Masaru Emoto
Melanie Sachs
I first felt what is best described by the Star Wars phrase, “a tremor in the force” when I was around nine years old. I so clearly remember that morning. I walked into my parent’s bedroom as they were drinking their first cup of tea for the day when they told me The American President, President Kennedy had been shot to death. Suddenly and strangely I felt like my whole world changed that day even though I was just a little girl in England who had no idea then that one day she would become an American citizen.
I felt it again the day Princess of Wales, Lady Diana, died. I knew to the depth of my bones that day that my nation was in shock and mourning. Only this once in all the years that I have lived in American did I feel the need to reach out and talk to my British friends here and somehow link into the grief and sadness we knew was hanging over our island for some kind of group comfort.
Then came 9/11 and I sat and watched with my American family hardly able to take on board what I was seeing. In the following days I experienced for myself what it was like to be in and part of a nation in shock and sorrow.
Now, with America being engaged in the longest war we have ever fought and fairly regular news of terrorist attacks we each have found our own way to cope with troubling news stories that so rarely come to our doorstep. Until now most for most of us the pain and sorrow is felt in distant lands or in the scattered homes of our returning veterans. But, the events in the Gulf of Mexico in these last few months has changed that. Now we have an oil spill that might just be biggest man-made disaster in the history of the planet. This dreadful accident killed 11 good men and injured and burnt many others. It’s toxic plume has killed unknown hundreds of thousands of our fellow creatures and is ruining the lives and livelihoods of countless Americans. With no end in sight the trouble may well spread to Mexico, the Caribbean and where ever else the current will eventually transport this mess. We are now witnessing a silent but still deadly storm, moving from dark cold places through our blue waters, onto our white beaches and choking our pristine marshlands bringing with it death and destruction that will remain for generations.
When I first heard the word ecopsychology I must admit I thought it was the latest wave of California madness supported by grey haired intellectuals, tree hugging hippies, raw food vegans and the like. It took a disaster of this magnitude to wake me up to the truth of what is a core belief of ecopsychology. That is, that we are all connected, consciously or unconsciously we all feel when there is a “tremor in the force”. There is indeed a synergistic relation between planetary and personal well being; that the needs of the one of us, plant, animal or human are relevant to the needs of all others. We are all connected and we indeed do feel one another’s pain. For me this time the impact is being felt slowly and deeply. Unlike the oil that continues to gush, real news about what is going on in our Gulf is only very slowly immerging. But it is on all our minds, and looms in all our mental peripheral fields. I know it is the minds of our clients.
We acknowledge the stress of city living, long commutes, noise, over stimulation by the media. I am suggesting we need to recognize a new and even more powerful stresser, alienation from our environment and the stress of the of the impact from the “crazy” decisions that are made when personnel in International companies are disconnected. We must open our eyes, hearts and minds and look become part of the ecopsychology movement. We must find ways through our spa facilities and spa treatment to contribute to it’s goal to find ways of healing alienation and to build a sane society and a sustainable culture.
The term comes from Theodore Rosak’s book, The Voice of the Earth. Written in 1992 he called for a study of why people continue to behave in “crazy” ways that damage the very earth that supports all our lives and for the development of new ways to motivate people to positive action and positive protest. Personally, I feel spa especially green spas have a huge role to play in this new field. First, we can reassure our clients that they are not nuts or alone in feeling stressed by environmental disasters be they manmade such as in the Gulf or natural such as the earthquake in Haiti. Then, we can hopefully be part of the solution helping by offering touch and connection with natural elements such as oil, water, warm and clay, to reconnect, raise respect and revitalize ourselves and our planet.
On a purely practical level if you have a client that says they have a deep sense of overwhelming, immobilizing sadness and anger about the oil spill you might connect them with this prayer by Dr. Masaru Emoto, the author of "The Hidden Messages in Water". He's the Japanese scientist who has researched and written about how our thoughts and words affect the molecular structure water. Here is the prayer, but watching the you tube clip is really a worthwhile way to use a few minutes of your precious time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U56ngpGDG_4.
To the water, whales, dolphins, pelicans, fishes, shellfishes, planktons, corals, algae and all creatures in our Gulf of Mexico:
I apologize.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you."
- Dr. Masaru Emoto
Melanie Sachs
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Beauty of Green Thinking
I was sent this piece by the Center for Eco-Literacy and thought it was so amazing and so thought provoking I wanted to share it. Please check newsletter@centerforecoliteracy.org.
and find "Toward a Beauty Centered Education" by Sandra Lubarsky.
and find "Toward a Beauty Centered Education" by Sandra Lubarsky.
Karmic Management
Bob and I have been reading a wonderful little book called Karmic Management by Geshe Michael Roach, Lama Christie McNally and Michael Gordon. Two of the authors are classically trained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Michael is the owner of Bumble and Bumble a very successful hair care and products company.
In the simplest terms karma means: what you sew so shall you reap or what goes around comes around. This book sets out very clearly now to sew the karmic seeds that will both make your business grow and make our world a better place. It is a completely practical guide through a process that many have followed with great benefit.
We are going to spend the next few months working through the process and we'll keep you posted with the results. If you want to join in the experiment the book is a quick one hour read.
Wishing all our clients and customers the greatest success and joy in their work.
Melanie
In the simplest terms karma means: what you sew so shall you reap or what goes around comes around. This book sets out very clearly now to sew the karmic seeds that will both make your business grow and make our world a better place. It is a completely practical guide through a process that many have followed with great benefit.
We are going to spend the next few months working through the process and we'll keep you posted with the results. If you want to join in the experiment the book is a quick one hour read.
Wishing all our clients and customers the greatest success and joy in their work.
Melanie
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