• Monsoon Nectar Products
    • Sedona Facial And Hair Products >
      • Creamy /Foamy Cleansers/Retinoid >
        • Facial Brush
      • Soothing / Stimulating Hydrosols
      • Masks >
        • Facial Mask Brush
        • Facial Mask Mixing Bowl
        • Facial Mask Mixing Bowl and Facial Mask Brush
      • Chakra Aroma Moisturizers >
        • Chakra Aroma Chart
      • Balms / Serums / Dream Trio and Set
      • Vegan Bath Salts: Fresca Body Scrub
      • Beyond Shampoo And Conditioner Organic hair products in Sedona Arizona >
        • Beyond Shampoo
        • Beyond Conditioner
        • Scalp Treatment
      • Samples / Gift Sets
  • Yoga In Sedona
    • Sedona Yoga / Hiking Retreat: Chrysalis Transformation >
      • Ongoing Yoga, Meditation, Hiking Retreats
    • Yoga In Sedona Private And Group Classes >
      • Yoga Class Description
      • Sedona Yoga Weekly Schedule
      • Yoga In Sedona Private Class
    • Chakra Balancing/Activation Meditation
    • Yoga Podcast With Marna Woo
  • Facial And Hair Services
    • Monsoon Nectar Sedona Organic Facial
    • Raymond Rodriguez Salon Sedona Hair
  • Contact
  • About
    • About Marna Woo
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ

Meditation: Divine Soul Connection

11/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Meditation and yoga are more popular today than ever and whether you choose a practice of yoga, which includes meditation or just meditation alone, it’s inspiring to learn how accessible meditation really is and the physical benefits that go along with the practice.

Meditation,  from Latin word meditatio meaning "to think, contemplate, devise, ponder, is a practice where an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Classic meditation techniques focus the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. The term meditation was introduced as a translation for Eastern spiritual practices, referred to as dhyāna in Hinduism and Buddhism, and comes from the Sanskrit root dhyai, meaning to contemplate or meditate.

Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions, yet as a yoga practitioner and teacher, I know meditation as the seventh limb in the eightfold path to self-realization and enlightenment described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Each limb is to be practiced sequentially as one step prepares the practitioner for the next moving from forgetfulness to illumination, from unhealthy to health, from sadness to happiness, from constriction to happiness. Practicing the limbs of yoga foster the idea that impurity is destroyed and the radiance of  wisdom (jnana) leads to discernment (viveka).
Picture
The eight limbs of yoga are: yama (self restraint), niyama (right observance), asana (right alignment), pranayama (regulation of breath), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (free attention). Dhyana, or meditation, evolves out of the previous limb of dharana, or concentration, where the controlled mind that is gained through pratyahara (sense withdrawal) gives rise to our ability to intensify our attention on a single point. 
When this concentration is prolonged through an uninterrupted flow, it becomes dhyana. In dharana, we experience release, expansion quietness and peace, freeing us from attachment. This freedom results in the indifference to the joys of pleasure or the sorrows of pain. The repeated continuation, or uninterrupted stream of that one point of focus is called absorption in meditation (dhyana). Not to be confused by Sanscrit words, but rather decipher that mediation comes out of a process of preparing the mind for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness and to develop your inherent potential.
Meditation may be used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, thereby increasing peace, perception, self-concept, and well-being. Continual scientific research aims to define the possible health effects on our psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular systems along with other effects on brain and immune function.
For these reasons, meditation attracts not only spiritual seekers on the road to enlightenment, but anyone looking to explore different ways of being- through physiological changes in the body that create more joy, more happiness, and more ease in daily life. Meditation helps to cultivate the middle path by increasing and enhancing one’s ability to allow, tolerate, and observe the complex world and relationships around them without attaching one’s self or an expectation or outcome to any person or event.

In the 1970s, Herbert Benson, MD, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School, coined the term “relaxation response" after conducting research on people who practiced transcendental meditation. The relaxation response, in Benson’s words, is “an opposite, involuntary response that causes a reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system”, the fight or flight response. Studies on the relaxation response have documented the following short-term benefits to the nervous system:                                                                                                                                    
Lower blood pressure / Improved circulation / Lower heart rate
Less perspiration
Slower respiratory rate    
Lower blood cortisol levels
More feelings of well-being                                                                                                                                         
Scientifically, meditation has been proven to:
  •     Decrease anxiety
  •     Improve cognitive thinking                                                                                                             
  •     Ease stress by activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System
  •     Increase oxygenation of the body through deeper breathing                                         
  •     Moderate digestion
  •     Stimulate the relaxation response
  •     Increase mental and physical flexibility
  •     Stabilize emotions by increasing the grey matter in your brain which is responsible for muscle control,          seeing, hearing emotions, and speech.
Whether you come to meditation through the philosophy and practice of yoga or meditation as the practice in and of itself, you are embarking on a great self exploration of your mind and body. 

K.I.S.S Principle

Simplified, meditation is an approach to training the mind and training implies practice. The idea of meditating can be quite intimidating and even unfathomable for a beginner to sit for long periods of time and think of nothing. The easiest way to approach meditating is to keep it simple and straightforward by focusing on the breath- creating a fixed point of concentration and not go for the distance. Quality over quantity is the idea and sitting for 5-10 minutes to start with is an accessible approach.  Focus and concentration is challenging, so start by meditating for only a few minutes and then work up to longer periods of time. Concentration meditation involves focusing on a single point like the breath, repeating a single word or mantra, trataka ( i.e. staring at a candle flame), listening to a repetitive gong, or counting beads on a mala. The trick to meditation is each time you notice your mind wandering, you draw yourself back and refocus your awareness on the chosen object of attention. As thoughts arise let them pass by like clouds in the sky.  Know that even the most proficient meditators do this. This is the practice and in this process your ability to concentrate improves.

Another variation is mindfulness meditation which encourages the practitioner to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind without passing judgement or labeling. Here the intention is not to get involved, but to be aware of each mental direction as it appears. Mindfulness meditation reveals how your thoughts and feelings tend to move in particular patterns. Through this process you can become more aware of the tendency to quickly judge an experience as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant and with practice, an inner balance develops, so as not to be driven by your perceived “likes” and “dislikes”.

Various techniques make meditation easier to embrace and takes the pressure off of what is seemingly the impossible or daunting for a beginner. One of my favorite meditation techniques is the cultivation of compassion which involves envisioning negative events and recasting them in a positive light by transforming them through compassion. I also subscribe to moving meditation techniques, such as tai chi, qigong, and walking meditation, especially accessible to a beginner because intrinsically and physiologically one is balancing the brain with each swing of the opposite arm in movement with the opposite step hence working across the center line of the body and balancing the left and right brain hemispheres. The balancing effect is readily calming to the mind clearing way for concentration.                                                                                       

However, the purpose of meditation is not to achieve benefits, but to simply to be present. The goal of meditation is no goal, but rather to defragment your thoughts so you can step back and make sense of them with a clearer prospective. In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. The liberated or “enlightened” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calm mind and sense of inner harmony. Meditation is said to increase the blood flow to the brain and “rewire the circuity” of the brain. In the movie What The Bleep Do We Know, science showed the more we repeat the same thought patterns in our mind the stronger those brain synapses become. Sort of like the more chocolate you eat, the more chocolate you crave. Meditation invites us to strengthen positive feel good neurological pathways and weaken or break the cycle of negatives disruptive patterns.
How To Start
  • Taking your “seat” and have a timer with a gentle alarm (like on your phone).
  • Find a conducive environment that is peaceful, quiet, dimly lit where you won’t be distracted or disturbed for fifteen minutes or so. Use a blanket or shawl if you are chilly and make sure you are not hungry or have a full stomach because digestion can be distracting.
  • Sit upright on any firm pillow. A zafu, or meditation pillow, is a round, firm pillow helpful to sitting upright. Or you can sit in a chair that supports an upright position. Slumping can be distracting and cause you to loose focus. Alternatively, you can lie down, if you can avoid falling asleep.
  • Start your timer for 3-5 minutes and settle in. Close your eyes. If you choose to lie down you might enjoy an eye pillow over your eyes.
  • Take a few slow deep breaths in through the nose and out the mouth. Now allow an easy breath, not to make it anything other than it is. Come into body awareness by focusing your attention on your breath. Follow your breath moving in through your throat into your lungs and back again. Notice the rise and fall of your belly, the rise and fall of your chest. Expanding on the inhale and gently contracting on the exhale. The mind tends to wander on the out breath, which is something to keep in mind. When your mind does wanders, simply bring your awareness or “attention muscle” back to your breath.
  • Remember not to judge or chastise yourself. Go easy on yourself. The greatest mediators all experience the mind wandering, so don’t overthink or analyze the process.
  • Maintain this meditation for 2-3 minutes by continually bringing your awareness back to your breath. Do this until the timer chimes. That’s it! Take a few stretches.
  • As you continue to practice, try it for longer periods of time like 5-10 minutes. Use a timer so you don’t have to think about it and can completely immerse yourself in the experience.
  • If you have particular difficulty concentrating follow the above steps and try counting. Count your breaths until you reach five, and then start over again.
  • Regularity is key to building mindfulness with a shorter daily practice being more effective than a once in a while longer sit. Meditating 10 minutes a day is better than mediating for an hour once a week.
Picture
There is an old adage, where the mind goes the body follows and the attention you give to the things around you sends energy to those things: conversations, events, ideas. Most of the time we are thinking of multiple things at once which creates a kind of chaos in the mind. Meditation highlights your breath and in turn exercises your attention to focus on one thing, clearing the mind of scattered thinking, increasing your mind’s concentration and awareness, and in turn creating a cascade of effects in the body for peace, calm, and equanimity.
0 Comments

What To Expect By Using A Shampoo Bar

11/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Limited Edition Aroma Beauty Bars
Picture
Sassafras and Orange Crush + C
Picture

Bergamot + Rose and Indochine
Picture

Beyond Shampoo Bar Samples
Picture
Before Beyond Shampoo and Beyond Shampoo Bar: dry and frizzy
Picture
After: 1 month later my hair is smooth and manageable.

Picture
Shampoo only air dry
Picture
Shampoo only blow dry
Picture
Shampoo and Beyond Conditioner blow dry bangs only
Picture
Shampoo and leave-in Beyond Conditioner, no touching for compact  air dry
Picture
Shampoo, brush Chakra Aroma Moisturizer through hair, air dry
Picture
Shampoo, blow dry, gloss with Dream Cream 
Picture
Shampoo, blow dry bangs only, scrunch Dream Cream into hair, air dry
Picture
Shampoo, ribbon Dream Cream through damp hair, air dry
Picture
Shampoo, air dry
Picture
Shampoo, leave-in Beyond Conditioner, air dry
Beauty Bar Neutral Cleanser is a multi purpose bar for face, body, hair , and shaving. Whether you are new to using natural and organic products on your body, or you are a long time devotee to the original apothecary of herbs and botanicals for body care, using a shampoo bar is a very different experience to the commercial, mainstream fare that most of us grew up with.

Having ditched the slippery shine, plastic-y feeling, fragrance, and scalp irritation of conventional shampoos a long time ago, I have to remember how different the experience is so that you know what to expect.

Beauty Bar Neutral Cleanser, Aroma Beauty Bars, and Beyond Shampoo Bar are all made with natural and organic ingredients and are completely biodegradable. That means after a few minutes the lather will break down into nothing after its cleansing action is done. Rinsing the shampoo is immediate and you won’t see a big foamy residue in the tub. Void of the silicones and synthetic ingredients that create an artificial “silkiness” and “shine”, my shampoo bars cleanse and condition your hair with natural botanicals, oils, and butters. That being said, those are the conditioning qualities that are left behind once the cleansing lather has done it’s job.


Chemical ingredients like Dimethicone, Methicone, Amodimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol (ingredients ending in “cone”) coat the hair with a plastic like barrier to create a temporary silky/shiny effect. Big sudsing action accompanies these ingredients to distribute this coating evenly, but this actually impedes nutrients and conditioning from absorbing into the hair and skin.

If you are used to using shampoos with big sudsing action and fragrance (synthetic aromas that make the liver work double time to detox) you are set up for a transition period that I want you to be aware of. Once you stop the fake “shine” you will reveal hair that is thirsty for real moisture and nourishment.

Remember how everyone said you have to switch your shampoo every once in a while because it doesn’t work anymore? Well, that’s because it was never really caring for your hair in the first place and after a few months of coating your hair in synthetic glossing agents the hair starts to freak out underneath all of that “plastic” with brittle and frizzy characteristics.

Britta Aragon sums it up beautifully in her blog, describing how that artificial coating on the outside of skin and hair causes several issues:
  • It traps everything under it—including bacteria, sebum, and impurities—which could lead to increased breakouts and blackheads in the skin and on the scalp.
  • The coating action actually prevents the skin from performing its normal activities—like sweating, temperature regulating, sloughing off dead skin cells, etc.
  • Prolonged exposure to dimethicone can actually increase skin irritation, due to the coating property and because dimethicone is listed as a possible skin and eye irritant.
  • Those with sensitive or reactive skin are at risk of an allergic reaction to dimethicone.
  • On top of all this, dimethicone is a non-biodegradable chemical—bad for the environment.
She goes on to describe how using these types of ingredients on your skin/hair can actually exacerbate skin aging by inhibiting skin’s natural processes, creating a dependency on the coating product, disrupting the skin’s own hydrating processes, which in the end increases dryness, making fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable- or in the case of your hair, dry and frizzy with possible breakage. The coating properties may increase breakouts, particularly if you’re susceptible to acne, which will lead to scars and older-looking skin and irritating bumps on the scalp. Without nourishing the health and vitality of the skin and hair, aging take its toll.

The Transition Period
Monsoon Nectar relies on oils (essential oils, fixed oils, butters) and botanicals to cleanse, nourish and condition the hair and scalp. Our skin secretes a natural moisturizer called sebum and these oils are most similar to our sebum and are readily absorbed and utilized.

Once you reveal the true condition of your hair it might take a little time to rejuvenate your locks, but trust the process. Just like any health regimen it might take a few weeks to see  big results, but immediate changes will be taking place.

Think about how oils break down oils. If there is a gummy sticky glue-like mess you want to clean up, soap and water doesn’t work, because oil and water don’t mix. Using an oil breaks down that substance (oils mix with oils) and removal is easy. On a less extreme level that is how oils are great cleanser for the hair, scalp, and skin. Using high nutrient oils and botanicals imparts rejuvenating qualities in this process.

Gone are the days of a big foamy lather with the hair piled up on the head- that is only going to create tangles and stress on the hair when using a natural shampoo bar.
  • Brush your hair out before you shampoo. This is stimulating to the scalp and distributes your natural sebum from the scalp down the hair shaft. We loose 80-120 hairs a day and brushing usually captures this hair so you don’t see it all over the house or at the bottom of the drain.
  • Removing snarls and tangles before you shampoo ensures better distribution of your shampoo bar lather.
  • Remember, your scalp is an extension of your complexion, so focus on your scalp for cleansing.
  • Since the shampoo bar is loaded with moisturizing oils you can monitor this conditioning, or lessen it, depending on your application.

If you want a heavier finish with a more smoothing and conditioning action, massage your shampoo bar directly on the scalp. Distribute the lather by targeting the sides of the head, the top and the back. For long hair you might slide the shampoo bar down the hair a few times. Put the bar down and massage the lather and distribute evenly over your scalp and then finger comb or squeeze the lather down your hair. Keep your hair organized in a downward direction and not bundled up in tangles. The initial, foamy lather will start to biodegrade immediately, so squeeze the lather down your hair right away. As the lather disappears nourishing oils and butters are what is left behind on the hair. This will feel very different and you might think your hair feels waxy or greasy. Trust the process.

If you desire a light finish, lather the shampoo bar in your hands first and then apply to your scalp and hair following the directions above.

Try both versions above without conditioning your hair afterwards. Air dry or blow-dry and feel the effect.

On a different occasion, shampoo and then follow with a conditioner. Make sure you follow up with a natural product, like Beyond Condition, as to not reintroduce chemicals and synthetics that won’t be compatible with natural oils- a conventional conditioner full of chemicals and synthetics will not feel compatible.

Trust the process and try the shampoo bar first with out conditioning afterwards. On another occasion, use the shampoo bar and then use Beyond Condition afterwards in the shower. Experiment with air drying and then blow-drying. Compare the effects and results.

Hair that is thicker, thinner, textured, curly or straight will all react differently, so know your options for a fuller finish or a sleeker finish:
  • Shampoo. Rinse. Comb out. Air dry or blow-dry.
  • Shampoo. Rinse. Apply Beyond Conditioner. Rinse. Air dry or blow-dry.
  • Shampoo. Rinse. Comb out. Apply and leave-in Beyond Conditioner to towel dried hair. Air dry or blow-dry.
  • Shampoo. Rinse. Comb out and towel dry hair. Apply one of the Chakra Aroma Moisturizers as a serum on damp hair. Comb through hair and condition. Air dry or blow-dry. Experiment with a light and heavy application.
  • Shampoo. Rinse. Comb out and towel dry hair. Apply a soft butter, like Dream Cream, to comb out hair and condition. Air dry or blow-dry.
  • Shampoo. Comb out. Air dry or blow-dry. Then glaze dry hair with one of the Chakra Aroma Moisturizers or Dream Cream. Start mid hair strand and lightly apply moisturizer down and through hair. Your hands are like a tool, so distribute the moisturizer evenly on the front and back of your hands and lightly whisk your hands through your hair. You can always add more so start with a light application. If your scalp feels dry, massage your fingertips over your scalp after you have applied oil to hair. This is only a residual amount, so your hair will not look greasy. Mindful of your hairline.

Oils and butters will eventually weigh down your hair, so alternate with Beyond Shampoo when necessary. I do not use a shampoo bar every day. Once you see and feel the effects on your hair, you'll know when to use it according to the desired look you want to achieve.

My mantra Get In Touch With Your Skin! resounds here in the process of getting in touch with your hair and scalp by working your products differently. Different combinations of products and application techniques give you a variety of effects depending on your mood and look you are going for. Either way your hair will be bouncy and clean, rejuvenated and nourished for strength and shine- the hallmarks of healthy hair and scalp.


< Check out the various effects you can get with the different combinations of shampooing with a shampoo bar and conditioning your hair by rinsing the conditioner out or leaving the conditioner in your hair, scrunching your conditioner in or smoothing it with a brush, 
blow drying or air drying, finishing with a serum or a butter.

Think of all of this moisturizing as a styling product to smooth and condition your locks! Experiment with a light or heavy application to easily style and manipulate your hair  for your look and mood! 

I gave up sticky, smelly, gummy gels, sprays, and hair styling products a long time ago for the natural feel and shine of healthy happy hair.


0 Comments

    Bath Culture

    Pulling from the mental archives all the musings, philosophy, and travel behind the creation of Monsoon Nectar Skin Care, I collectively call these ideas, experiences, sensations, and lifestyle choices, Bath Culture.

    Archives

    October 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    October 2020
    June 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    October 2016
    December 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Customer Care

Locations
Testimonials
Bath Culture Blog 
Newsletter
Links

Information

About 
FAQ
Philosophy * Skin 101 * Glossary
Ordering / Shipping / Wholesale Policies
You Tube Tutorials
1 + 520  366  1641
Copyright 2017
Monsoon Face And Body
200 Cayuse Trail
​Sedona AZ 86336
All rights reserved.