Neal's Yard Spa Detox and Glow Treatment - Kings Road, London

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you’ve all had a relaxing and enriching end to 2011 and beginning of 2012.  Back in early December it occurred to me that I had massaged about 30 people in 2011 but no one had reciprocated on me. I felt that I gave myself a little TLC.  To top it off my back and neck had so many knots in it that I could barely lift an arm (I'm only a wee bit exaggerating here).  It was definitely time for me to get my own treatment.

With the Neal's Yard Kings Road Spa being a 25-minute walk from my flat (and whose products I was familiar with since they contain a high percentage of organic ingredients) I decided to see what they had on offer. I booked a Detox and Glow package with Aya. Perfect! And it was, about 98% perfect.

The treatment started with a full body brush to stimulate lymphatic drainage and help remove the toxins from my body, of which I imagined there was a lot.  Aya brushed my skin very gently, much more gently than I brush my own skin, not soft enough to be ticklish, but soft enough to be distracting. But maybe I'm not being too kind to my skin if I'm brushing it too hard?

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Jivamukti Yoga - Feel the Om Shanti

Sharon Gannon co-founder Jivamukti Yoga photo by GuzmanNow that my aromatherapy exam is behind me (although results still unknown) I m rediscovering all of the things that I love that have been put on hold since I started my aromatherapy course last year. One of those things is Jivamukti yoga. On my first free Saturday morning in what felt like ages, but what actually was a year, I ran over (literally) to the Jivamukti Yoga centre in Nottinghill, London. Class with Durga was amazing! I ve been a student of various types of yoga over the last 7 years, although I practiced Ashtanga the most. As a former ballet dancer and aerobics instructor, I prefer really dynamic yoga classes (read extremely physically challenging). However Jivamukti yoga is so much more than physical exercise. These are my favorite things about Jivamukti yoga:

Chanting at the beginning of every class the instructor leads the class in a chant. There is a different theme each month and the chants are picked from various Sanskrit texts in line with the theme. This month s theme is (in my words) when something in life seems really, really negative, focus positive energy towards that source of stress. I know, easier said than done! The class made me meditate on the negative energy I was feeling and I managed to squash the bad vibes in the end. The true test however will come Monday morning whether I can keep up the positive energy at work.

Music Originally I found it a bit distracting but I now like the fact that music is played throughout class. It helps keep the flow of class. Music plays a large part in Jivamukti yoga.

Adjustments The instructor walks around the whole class correcting students postures. For large classes there are two instructors, one leading, and the other dedicated solely to adjusting students. Physical adjustments are the best way for students to learn so it s great to have 2 instructors in class.

Massage One of the best parts of doing sun salutations (series of warm up postures) is that the instructor massages Jivamukti China Gel into the students. It s very stimulating and invigorating (thanks to the menthol and camphor) and the scent really perks you up.

Dynamic flow Jivamukti yoga is physically challenging but not in the painful, make-you-want-to-drop kind of way. I think the fact that the class flows seamlessly between postures and doesn t stop helps facilitate this good kind of hard feeling.

Post-class effects When I get up out of savasana (also known as corpse pose for very good reason) which is the last posture of class, I feel like my best possible self. If I m tired or cranky before class starts, then I leave feeling relaxed. If it s a morning class (and I m a morning person) I leave feeling energized.

So there you have it, all of my reasons why I love Jivamukti yoga. In fact I love it so much that every year I m tempted to do the yoga teacher training at the Omega Center in upstate New York. It s the first thing I would sign up for if I was ever made redundant from work. You ve always got to have a fall-back plan, no?

Butter London 3-Free Product Review

Butter London Nail Polish in Fash Pack

My first foray into the non-toxic polish realm I would consider a success.  I was perusing the natural health/beauty aisles in Wholefoods on High Street Kensington around Christmas time looking for an impulse purchase that would make me feel better (read: retail therapy).  What I discovered there was the incredible Butter London range of nail polishes full of vibrant colors but noticeably lacking the three evil toxins found in most nail polishes: formaldehyde, toluene, DBP. 

I’ve told you before about the dangers of formaldehyde when the Brazilian Blowout controversy broke last year but let me remind you.  According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Formaldehyde is a human carcinogen.  It can cause immune-system toxicity, liver problems, and can be an irritant and allergen. Moving on to the next toxic ingredient – toluene.  A derivative of toluene called benzene is a bone marrow poison which has been linked in some studies to leukemia.  It is also a toxin that can make you feel high/nauseous/lightheaded from inhaling it.  Finally DBP is a phthalate which is banned in Europe.  It has been shown in some studies to be an endocrine disrupter which may not sound like such a big deal but it is if your baby boy is born with underdeveloped baby boy bits.  (Seriously, it’s bad news).

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