I've always has strong healthy nails until a few years ago. Horizontal ridges grew deeper and deeper across my nail bed and so I experimented with vitamin supplementation to no avail. I just excepted it with each manicure buffing out the ridges myself. The last few months, however, I unknowingly rectified the problem with a daily power smoothie that I want to share with you!

It all started with achy joints. My body was in constant pain and that prompted me to research causes and remedies for joint pain. I had started taking a anti-stress multi-vitamin that emphasized vitamin A and I started feeling better. During this time I learned vitamin A helps regulate the thyroid. Then a friend left a book on my doorstep called Collagen Myths and Misconceptions. I read the book within a few days and had found a link to achy joints, body pain, thyroid issues, and a host of other ailments related to depleted collagen. The remedy was easy enough and I started taking the recommended 1000 mg vitamin C and lysine- taken internally to turn up our own collagen production. I knew that collagen keeps our skin firm and wrinkle free, strengthens bones, teeth, and hair, but I learned a myriad of other vital functions that collagen is the precursor for in our body. You see, you can't eat collagen or apply it topically to your skin. You have to manufacture it from within. Vitamin C and lysine turn on our internal collagen production. We think of our bodies as mostly water, but my new view is that this "water" flowing around our body is where the collagen is, lubricating all of our joints and carrying the signals for vital functions to our endocrine, cardiovascular, skeletal and other systems- like nothing happens without collagen. Since our collagen production decreases with age it only made sense to start pumping up the collagen. 

Not wanting to swallow pills everyday, I decided to open up the capsules into a smoothie for easy consumption. Mmm, mmm, easy! I started feeling better within the first week.

Shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with a tear at the apex of my patellar cartilage in my right knee. This was a wake up call that my joints and tendons were really weakening and, again, a friend to the rescue found out about 
an herb called eucommia. A yang herb that has natural latex qualities that translate to the tendons, ligaments, cartilage and skeleton. Upon reading the article I was immediately interested by this excerpt alone:
Eucommia has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a treatment for different types of arthritis and bone injuries. This is in part due to its qualities as a Jing tonic, beneficial for increasing the pliability and elasticity of the joints, ligaments and muscle tissue.

I bought the herb off Amazon and my smoothie recipe evolved. 2 months later all of my joints feel better and my constant body pain has subsided (tendonitis in elbow, a swollen pinky knuckle, achy neck and shoulders, etc).
​The added bonus? Smoother nails without ridges! So with nothing to loose, you might want to try stimulating your collagen production and focusing on your skeletal system to ease what's ailing, you just might be surprised at what get's better!

TART AND TANGY SMOOTHIE
Organic and made to taste. The above pic shows the brands I use for the ingredients.
In a blender:
1 banana
about 1/2 c. kefir
about 1/8 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
1 dropper ashwaghanda
1-2 grams eucommia
1000 mg vitamin c
1000 mg lysine
100 mg stabilized R-lipoic acid
1-2 tsp. maple syrup
1 TBS grated frozen lemon
2-3 ice cubes

The left over banana peel? I rub the inside all over my face for a morning banana facial before my bath. Super moisturizing to the skin:)

​Feeling scattered and off-centered? Balancing poses improve focus and concentration that stimulate our third eye, the ajna chakra, offering both physical and mental benefits. Strengthening and elongating our muscles connects us to our center of gravity teaching us how to align ourselves, improve the function of equilibrium receptors in the body, and learn the importance of getting grounded. Keeping our attention focused, undeterred by external stimulation, and staying steady in one place for a while, clears the mind and builds equanimity by instilling a deep sense of calm even though we are experiencing intense, unwavering alertness. Through this mental clarity, we can activate the ajna chakra - a visionary center of signs, symbols, dreams, intuition, and even psychic capabilities. Clearing the way to see the true nature of reality, dispelling illusion to better navigate our lives. Aligning ourselves in balancing poses translates to better alignment and awareness in our everyday standing and walking, improving the way we do everyday activities. This awareness transcends into our thought patterns and further into our emotions bringing a sense of mental clarity, calm, and balance on and off the mat.

By adding vitamin A to you skin regimen and diet you can target acne, age spots, wrinkles and large pores for a smoother, more even complexion. For topical skin treatments try Tangerine Dream Night Treatment H2O Activated Powder. Applied at night the yummy tangerine aroma sends you into dream land to awake with renewed clarity and firmness in your skin! 
TANGERINE DREAM is very different...
Bacteria breeds in water so Monsoon Nectar formulas do not contain water. Tangerine Dream is water activated so it will feel a bit granular when you first apply it to your skin. Massage the emulsion into the skin on your face, neck, and chest, perhaps the back of your arms and hands. Wet your hands with water (or mist with a toner) to activate powders and massage a second time into skin. The powdered emulsion freshly activated by water or toner dissolves and melts into your skin to work on the cellular level. Activating Tangerine Dream on the surface of the skin creates a nutrient rich delivery system that penetrates deep into the cellular level. Freshly activated, these ingredients are at their most potent level and are instantly transported to the basal layer and the dermis – the target area of receptor cells. Tangerine Dream is special because tangerine peel butter is a natural form of vitamin A, which is highly effective in diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, fading brown spots, and smoothing out the texture and appearance of the skin without the harsh side effects of Renova, Retin A or Tretinoin, or Retinol.  

Determine How Often To Use: Start with 2-3 x’s per week at night only. As a treatment, use up to 5 days consecutively or when your skin starts to exfoliate (maybe fewer days). Then take a break. Take it slow gradually building up your skin's strength for vitamin A and figure out a balance in how often you use Tangerine Dream. Moisturize daily with Dream Cream, Green Tea Body Balm, or a Chakra Aroma Antiox Moisturizer. Dream Cream is a companion product (used together or alternately) that helps synthesize Vitamin A and works in conjunction with Tangerine Dream. 1o0% natural and organic ingredients (without chemicals, fragrances or stabilizers) will dispense in a creamier firmer consistency in cooler temps and will be more liquid in warmer temps. If pregnant or breastfeeding please discuss the use of any vitamin A product with your doctor. Citrus oils can create sensitivity when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Use only at night.

Active Ingredients: Vitamin A, Aloe, Kelp, Panthenol DL, Zinc Oxide       
VITAMIN A

• normalises blood flow and helps to reduce the symptoms of rosacea
• increases the rate of wound healing
• exfoliates – making skin smooth and even-toned
• repairs the cellular structure of the epidermis – optimising your UV protection
• decreases clustering of melanin granules – so reducing brown spots or pigmentation
• decreases sebum production and thus treats acne brilliantly
• promotes a healthy cellular membrane
• helps in the eradication of pre-cancerous skin lesions
• improves hydration both in and around the cell by doing all of the above


• ALOE VERA


• Aloe vera contains antioxidant vitamins A, C and E — plus vitamin B12, folic acid and choline. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that cause premature aging.
• It contains eight enzymes, including aliiase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, bradykinase, carboxypeptidase, catalase, cellulase, lipase and peroxidase that reduce inflammation.
• Four fatty acids are present, including cholesterol, campesterol, beta-sisosterol and lupeol — all providing anti-inflammatory results.
• Minerals such as calcium, copper, selenium, chromium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc are present in aloe vera.
• It provides 12 anthraquinones — or compounds known as laxatives. Among these are aloin and emodin, which act as analgesics, antibacterials and antivirals.
• The hormones called auxins and gibberellins are present; they help with healing wounds and have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Aloe vera provides sugars, such as monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and polysaccharides which moisturize the skin and maintain the acid mantle.
• Soothes rashes and skin irritations
• Treats burns
• Heals external cold sores
• Moisturizes scalp and soothes dandruff
• Boosts the Immune System
• Provides antioxidants and reduces inflammation

We know that inflammation is at the root of most diseases. Aloe vera provides an amazing number of vitamins and minerals that help reduce inflammation and fight free radical damage. Zinc is also an important component in aloe vera — making it a great source to combat zinc deficiency — because it’s essential to maintain immune function.

Vitamin A, for instance, plays a critical role in maintaining healthy vision, neurological function and healthy skin because it’s an antioxidant that reduces inflammation. Vitamin C is another important component found in aloe vera; it protects the body from cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease and even skin wrinkling. Vitamin E benefits include being a powerful antioxidant that reduces free radical damage, fights inflammation and helps naturally slow the aging of cells. These antioxidant properties are also helpful when you’re exposed to cigarette smoke or UV rays from sunlight — they protect the skin from skin cancer and fight skin inflammation after exposure to the sun. Aloe vera can also naturally treat acne and eczema since it helps the healing process in the skin. Bradykinase, also present in aloe vera, helps reduce excessive inflammation when applied to the skin topically.

        SEA KELP - mineral and antioxidant rich seaweed is incredibly nourishing for the skin.

• Potent anti-aging properties
• Prevent damage to amino acids and protects the cell’s membrane
• Protects against damage caused by free radicals
• "Re-organise" the cell membrane to reverse cell damage and restore them to their healthy state.
• High iodine, mineral and antioxidant content helps moisturize and soften the skin, helping it retain moisture. Elements in kelp easily penetrate the skin to remove toxins, soothe and hydrate the skin, keeping it smooth. If you suffer with breakouts then Sea Kelp is beneficial, it has anti-inflammatory properties which will help reduce the inflammation that causes red, painful breakouts.  
  
  ZINC OXIDE:
• Photo-Induced Aging - Heals skin and wounds, reducing tenderness associated with sunburns.
• Soften chapped skin
• Acne/Large pores - Astringent qualities reduce the appearance of blemishes, skin irritation, inflammation, and the number and severity of acne breakouts antibacterial
• Anti-inflammatory properties that help speed wound healing to help skin recover - Rosacea, Psoriasis, Eczema: mostly inflammatory diseases 
• Warts: Studies have shown that topical zinc was effective in treating viral warts in 80 percent of participants.
• Diaper rash
• Dandruff: Also called “seborrhoeic dermatitis,” zinc oxide is a proven treatment for the condition.

The spices of the season are such because they help with classic fall time ailments largely associated with the lungs. Fall time cleanses, according to Chinese Medicine, focus on the lungs and and "letting go". After the expansion of summer, fall is an internal, contracting time for cultivating the mind and body with introspection. This means a hot bath for me!
Allow your morning ritual bath or shower to set your day and Get in touch with your skin with the original apothecary of essential oils and botanicals from Mother Nature! Stave off colds and flu by anointing your body every day with Monsoon Nectar~ formulated with the highest percentage of essential oils for the antimicrobial, antibacterial, and powerful antioxidant properties. Stay healthy and strong by applying a shield of protection everyday. 100% pure essential oils and botanicals absorb into the skin to cleanse, moisturize, and protect by giving your immune system a boost!

A selection of products that pump up the spice for autumn:Black pepper and anti-inflammatory turmeric are the under notes in Madagascar Exfoliating Cleanser, an exotically herbal, foamy cleanser and body wash. 
Sandalwood, frankincense and rose mingle delicately in India Stimulating Hydrosol, a toner and liquid smudge.
Apply all Chakra Aroma Antiox Moisturizers to damp skin. Either towel blot skin after bathing or mist first with India or Morocco hydrosol. You skin is like a sponge and will readily absorb the moisturizer when damp. Just like you have to wet a sponge and squeeze it out to make it damp for absorbing. Slather up with omega 3,6, 9, beta, carotene, alpha lipoic acid, and ester C, in an essential oil and botanically based oil~ plant essences so nourishing and sweet to the skin I call these Chakra Aroma Antiox Mosturizers nectars.

Eh-heep-to means Egypt in Spanish. The history of essential oils dates back to Egypt and I use Spanish names for these Chakra Aroma Antiox Moisturizers, because our monsoon is regionally on the border of Mexico and the Southwest United States and directly related to the winds coming up from Mexico! Smoky low notes of frankincense, cypress, cardamon and cedarwood. Grounding for the root chakra.

​Cascada means waterfall and the element for the 2nd chakra is water. Emotions, sensuality, and passion for all things in life swirl in these deep waters of our Self. Top notes of ginger and lemon dance with an undercurrent of spicy sweet and warm bread to nurture our feelings and desires.

Rio is like the river of life: earthy, herbal, and spicy. Ignite third eye activation in the 6th chakra of inner knowing and intuition. Healing lavender and cedarwood mingle with ravensara and clove bud.
Hydration is always supportive so look for spicy herbal teas to enjoy along the way and enjoy the season!
Marna Woo

This morning a client contacted me regarding her shopping list of Monsoon Nectar products, inquiring if her choices would help an outbreak of rosacea she was experiencing.

Rosacea affects up to 10% of the population with unknown causes, but experimenting with diet and topical application of certain products that REDUCE INFLAMMATION is the key to discovering what works for you!

Here is my abbreviated response:

Dream Cream is a base of healing and soothing aloe and avocado butters with the predominant healing and soothing essential oil rose. I have seen dream Cream take hot fiery redness out of the skin- 50% with the first day application, 75 % by day 2 and by day 3 well on to healing and indiscernible.
Both my sister and mother have rosacea on their faces and Madagascar Exfoliating Cleanser helps them. The tumeric and geranium are mega anti-inflammatory. My mom uses Nube Chakra Aroma on her rosacea and she says that helps too.

Another Monsoon Nectar devotee' uses Beauty Bar Neutral Cleanser because it is soothing, gentle, calming to redness and irritation. She reports that her rosacea has been under control for years now with the consistent, exclusive use of the Beauty Bar- plus it build elastin in the skin to thicken the skin and ward off wrinkles.

Tangerine Dream rich in super healing vitamin A and vitamin E - powerful antioxidants involved in reducing inflammation through fighting free radical damage necessary for wound healing and skin re-growth, kelp + aloe, panthenol, and zinc oxide powders provide minerals to nourish and heal, diminish redness and sooth. 

Green Tea Balm (Lip&Eye and Body Balm) is loaded with healing jojoba oil and K2 (from green tea), comfrey leaf, helichrysum, beeswax- again mega anti-inflammatory, heal burns, sores, scars, dermatitis, acne, psoriasis and wrinkles.

Green Tea Mask - can be applied as a rinse off treatment with the above benefits. 
My astrologer had large raised red! capillaries across her cheeks and now swears by the GT Balm. The last I saw her her cheeks were smooth with just fine capillary lines beneath the surface.

Morocco Hydrosol is soothing, anti-inflammatory. Rosemary and lavender hydrosols are the major players in the formula to calm and remove redness. Both hydrosols will treat the area and you can determine if one s better than the other. Either way, antibacterial, anti fungal, cooling. 

India Hydrosol contains healing and anti-inflammatory witch hazel and rose.

Chakra Aromas Antiox Moisturizers are in a fractionated coconut oil base + omega 3,6,9 Alapha Lipoic Acid and Ester C.  Dr. Axe writes, “...strengthening underlying epidermal tissue, removing dead skin cells, protecting us from sunburns, and containing antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Research even shows that coconut oil is strong enough to fight fight chronic skin diseases characterized by defects in the epidermal barrier function and cutaneous inflammation, including atopic dermatitis (AD)."

What do essential oils (EOs), aromatherapy, and yoga have to do with manifesting your goals and desires? Can smelling delightful aromas have anything to do with your dream job, attaining a safe, comfortable home, enjoying full-filling relationships and loving yourself? Will adho mukha sivasana, or downward dog, really take you there?

As yogic philosophy permeated the West, from fringe to zealous trend, the East Meets West lifestyle has inspired us all, at the least through interior design. The appeal, however, for those who crave exploration and discovery of the Self in connection with cosmic consciousness, is the knowledge that we can control our brainwaves (thoughts) leading to bliss. The goal of yoga, afterall, in it's most simplified sense is finding a state of happiness.

happiness + satisfaction = success * satisfaction + success = happiness * success + happiness = satisfaction

Tune into the intricate system of your mind-body-cosmic connection (yoga) and you might find a portal to manifesting your goals and desires. "Like attracts like" is one principle for concentrating, directing energy, and manifesting how you want your life to be. The reflection we are looking for begins within ourselves as a feeling. Yoga asanas are poses that infer to being in a state of balance and the feeling state of the pose is what is important to explore in order to balance life-energies, emphasizing and energizing positive emotions.

"Life is a matter of enthusiasm, derived from the greek words EN meaning in, and THEOS meaning GOD. Life is a matter of being in God: it is a matter of enthusiasm. With enthusiasm, we understand life's goodness, life's ecstasy, and then energize it. As you energize your life, your body's pores and glands begin to work more efficiently. Everything begins working better and everything begins a cleansing process on itself, physically, mentally, spiritually. It's called regeneration."  ~Goswami Kriyananda

The more positive we are the more positive people and situations seem to come to us. When we direct our attention towards something we want, we are more likely to create a positive outcome ~ and that brings satisfaction. 

Simple to advanced aspects of Yoga emphasize and cultivate focus - the center of interest or activity. The postures call upon awareness and concentration while connecting the sensations that you feel in your body with how you feel in your mind and emotions. The poses combined with various breathing techniques move prana, or life force energy, through your physical and subtle body with proven health and well-being benefits. The idea is to take this awareness and concentration off the mat into our daily lives. Paying attention to the energies and circumstances around you will translate into better decision making; finding better ways of dealing and coping with life to bring more ease, joy, and happiness.

Aromatherapy, like yoga, can easily and gently support a desired state of Being (i.e. happy). Aroma affects the limbic system in the brain, or the feel-good, mood center. We can relate to the uplifting, joyful, tangy-sweet, citusy spray of a fresh peeled orange in contrast to the acrid smell of garbage. We naturally get away from foul odors as soon as possible; a built in mechanism between the senses and the brain. Aroma also affects our bio-frequency, measured in megahertz, and of all of the aromas that we smell EOs have the highest rating. They imbue clarity, grounding, creativity, tranquility, joy. The higher our bio-frequency the healthier we are. To incorporate EOs into your toiletries, cosmetics, and household cleaners just makes sense. Chemical fragrances cause a plethora of irritation from toxicity, skin rashes, agitated behavior to migraine headaches and cloudy thinking; a gamut of negative health reactions both multi-layered and extensive. 

Incorporating natural aromas into your environment envelops you in the divine essence of nature and is a nurturing act of creating a sacred space. The ritual of taking care of yourself supports your focus and intention to stay balanced. Practicing yoga creates a proficiency in maintaining awareness in your mind-body connection, strengthening your power of concentration. Concentration directs your energies towards the goals you want to manifest and that brings success. Ultimately, we learn to take our practice off of the mat and apply our yoga in real life interactions, reflecting positive emotions and feelings so that we may receive them in return.

Aroma is related to the ceremonial qualities of ritual. Everyone can relate to the way it feels and smells outdoors after a rain shower. That primordial smell of wet dirt triggers in each of us a deep connection with the earth, which in turn leads us to a deeper connection with the Cosmos. Innately, we know we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Aromatherapy taps into this connectedness through the essences of plants that trigger this same response. Natural essences not only are beautiful to smell they contain energetic qualities that receptors in our olfactory system sense. Simplistically, these receptors then send the message to the limbic system in our brain affecting our mood, emotion, and cognitive function.

Beyond aroma, E.O.’s have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, skin rejuvenating and repairing qualities, and are the original apothecary where many of today’s modern medicines were first derived. I like to think of using these oils akin to taking a vitamin everyday. In Ayruvedic medicine a daily self massage called abhyanga not only applies conditioning oils to the skin in a matter of minutes, but therapeutic touch which turns on your body’s healing mechanism of detoxification, increased circulation, increased immune function, and relaxation. All of this self-care is more fun than swallowing a pill.

And for those that refute a bath, another piece of science. Over the years I have learned there are two camps of people: bathers and those that think taking a bath is disgusting and would rather shower away their filth as opposed to sit in it. This next bit is for the shower lover in you. Taking a shower affects body chemistry by changing the electrical charge of your body’s ions, increasing the “feel good” negative ions. By increasing the negative ions we can lower the number of positive, serotonin producing ions. Apparently, emotional stress produces serotonin, which according to Dr. Irving Oyle, is the “ultimate downer”.

In this report,  Role of Ions in Body Chemistry there is an analogous connection between rainfall and taking a shower.

“..a shower will re-ionise and has a tonic effect on the body, just like rainwater which clears the air.”

I think most people can attest to feeling better after showering or standing under a waterfall or walking in the rain; the thrill of getting splattered on is enough but now you really know why. Moving water creates negative (positive for us) ions. Good thing I splash around in the tub and take an occasional shower.

Next time: Hot Springs, Onsen, and The Cold Plunge.