Pamper with Purpose

We had two thumbs up for yoga as a way to take care of yourself and feel good in your body. I have been practicing yoga, sometimes more faithfully than others,for about 20 years. It always feels like coming home. Find a great teacher and give it a go. I srongly recommend an internal practice like yoga or tai chi. The physical stretching is wonderful but I find the greatest benefit to be the centering and grounding that goes with it. Flo, you did something you love, walking, in a very different way by going out in the woods at night. What a marvelous thing to have to use all your senses!
Shannon, you reminded us all of the importance of relationships for feeling good. God's synchronicity - we feel good, our friends and loved ones feel good, we smile more, we move more, we find our center more strongly, and scatter it all around again!

After a massage this week I took an epsom salt bath - yummy! I have been told it pulls toxins and aches and have certainly experienced that for myself, but I wanted to get some real information. My oh my! Who knew?

The Epsom Salt Industry Council reports that epsom salt, made of magnesium sulfate, is one of the most effective means of making the magnesium your body needs readily available.
Researchers and physicians report that raising your magnesium levels may: Improve heart and circulatory health, reducing irregular heartbeats, preventing hardening of the arteries, reducing blood clots and lowering blood pressure.
Epsom Salt improves the body's ability to use insulin, reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes.

• Epsom Salt flushes toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances.

• Epsom Salt improves nerve function by regulating electrolytes. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.

• Epsom Salt relieves stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.

While increasing your magnesium levels, Epsom salt also delivers sulfates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Medical research indicates sulfates are needed for the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help to detoxify the body's residue of medicines and environmental contaminants.

FOOT SOAK

Place 1/2 cup epsom salts in a large pan of warm water. Add a few drops of lavender or your favorite essential oil, close your eyes and sail away for 20 minutes!

CALMING BATH
Pour 2-3 cups in your tub. I have been known to fall asleep and not wake up until the water has gotten so cold it startles me awake. Be sure you have a great bath pillow for your neck. Remember, epsom salt is a sedative for the nervous system. Ahhhh yes! Epsom salt will help reduce swelling, relax muscles (from exertion or stress - think neck and shoulders...),and is a natural exfoliant and emollient. I hear Hollywood uses it before red carpet events.

HAIR VOLUMIZER
Somebody try this and report back. Combine equal parts deep conditioner and salts. Warm in a pan. Work through hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse in warm, then cool , water.

SPLINTER REMOVAL
We were so busy relaxing we forgot about the kids for a moment! No worries, they get benefits too. Use epsom salt to draw out a splinter - no more digging and crying.