While on vacation in Costa Rica, Donna and I experienced 4 tremors as we felt the house wobble and another time in the swimming pool. Nearby earthquakes echoed their strength as we felt their vibes. Some people that don't live in California or in an area stricken by earthquakes believe that they might die in the first earthquake that they experience in a seismically-active country like Costa Rica. Of course that terrible tragedies have occurred in any country where the forces of nature are extremely active, but tourists must realize that even in regions like these, natural occurrences rarely turn out to be catastrophes.Costa Rica is a natural bridge between North and South America. The natural forces that created it are still at work, especially since the country is geologically speaking, only three million years old (very young for geological standards). The frequent earthquakes are caused by the collision and movement of the two main tectonic plates around Costa Rica: the Cocos plate (Pacific) and the Atlantic plate. Seismic waves are caused when the friction between plates can't accumulate further and must be released. Small-scale tremors and earthquakes are common and extremely harmless, but srong earthquakes occur less often. -- Howard Bright, PresidentIon Exchange, Inc.http://www.ionxchange.com 800-291-2143
“Helping you create your own natural beauty”
View our “New” Bird and Butterfly Attractor Station http://www.ionxchange.com/bird_and_butterfly_attractor_sta.htm
Friday, March 13, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Lloyd Vann named Costa Rica Strong Man of 2009
As an employee of Ion Exchange, Inc. where my wages were doubled every week, I was still depressed. My employers were going to give me one last chance to come around. In desperation, they sent me to the jungle of Costa Rica where I became a real man and now I'm pumped and ready to go with both feet on the ground. I’m Lloyd Vann, nominated as Costa Rica’s Strong Man of the Year 2009. Take a look! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B1eJprNUew
Monday, March 02, 2009
Mr Toucan
Howard & I watch the Toucans outside the house we’re renting in Costa Rica every day. They are very beautiful and inquisitive birds. The sunsets here everyday are incredible. Check out our videos we took yesterday, we need say no more – just watch & listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HlZau0igzkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg9OPg9Ilx0
Donna Bright
A Poem by Howard Bright
Mr. Toucan
See the Toucan. I wonder does he even know how beautiful he is? Does he care? Is it important to him? How does he stay so clean and always dressed for the occasion?
Not to worry you, Mr. Toucan,
I just wanted you to know that you made my day!
Howard Bright Ion Exchange and The Natural Gait
Monday, February 16, 2009
Nature Deficit Disorder
Is Nature Deficit Disorder Real? posted by Jana, selected from Plenty magazine Jan 31, 2009 5:07 am By Tobin Hack, Plenty magazine
Is there concrete evidence for the health benefits of childhood nature play? Some parents, particularly those who live in an urban setting, worry that they don’t get their kids outside often enough. Outdoor play has been linked to better health, but what specifically are the benefits?The $500 million No Child Left Inside Act (H.R. 3036, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes and Sen. Jack Reed) was passed by the House in September 2008 and might actually be up for Senate scrutiny in early 2009 if all goes well. In anticipation, the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) coalition has already drafted an open letter to the President-elect, urging him to throw his weight behind the bill. According to a government press release, “The legislation would improve existing environmental education programs by providing states with resources to train teachers, develop research-based programs and create environmental literacy plans to ensure that students understand the role of the environment as a natural resource.” In other words, it would get kids outside and instill in them a bit of awe and respect for the natural world.But the real authority when it comes to nature play and outdoor education is Richard Louv—Audubon Medal winner, author of 2005 bestseller Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and founder of the Children & Nature Network. Having literally written the book on the importance of nature play, Louv had this to say about its psychological and physical health benefits:“Children benefit greatly from unstructured play, particularly make-believe play. And kids are far more creative in natural play spaces than on the typical flat playground, whether it’s made of concrete or turf. They are far more likely to invent their own games in natural places. And in schools that have outdoor classrooms kids tend to do better across the board from social studies to standardized testing. One reason is that other than in a New York subway, when else do you use all your senses at the same time? It seems to me that using all of your senses at the same time is the optimum state of learning. When you’re sitting in front of a computer screen, or locked in a cubicle called a classroom, you’re not using all your senses at the same time. Outdoors, you are.”Nature play has also been correlated with a longer attention span, and studies show it’s an antidote to child obesity. Psychological health is another benefit: Kids with more experience in nature, even if it’s just a view from their room of a natural landscape are more psychologically resilient, or correlated to more psychological resilience.”Creativity, greater capacity for attentive learning, sharpened senses, physical fitness, psychological resilience—there’s clearly no dearth of reasons to get children outdoors as early as possible. If you’re a numbers person, and this all sounds a little touchy-feely to you, try these stats on for size: According to a study done at the University of Illinois, “children with ADHD demonstrate greater attention after a 20-minute walk in a park than after a similar walk in a downtown area or a residential neighborhood.” Another study, conducted on at-risk children by The American Institutes for Research for the California Department of Education, found that week-long outdoor education programs produced a 27 percent increase in “measured mastery of science concepts; enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills; gains in self-esteem; gains in positive environmental behavior; and gains in problem-solving, motivation to learn, and classroom behavior.” Not too shabby.The good news for your kids, (if they didn’t get out much in early childhood), is that it’s not just young children who benefit from outdoor education. A 1998 study by Dr. Stephen R. Kellert at Yale University looked at the positive effects of wilderness trips on teens, studying youth enrolled in programs with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and Outward Bound. Kellert found that the teens’ experiences inspired lasting growth on personal, intellectual, and even spiritual levels. Participants left with greater self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, autonomy, and initiative.So it’s like George Eliot, wise lady, said in the late 1800s: “Never too late to be the treehugger you might have been.”
We welcome your comments on this subject. Thanks, The Natural Gait
Is there concrete evidence for the health benefits of childhood nature play? Some parents, particularly those who live in an urban setting, worry that they don’t get their kids outside often enough. Outdoor play has been linked to better health, but what specifically are the benefits?The $500 million No Child Left Inside Act (H.R. 3036, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes and Sen. Jack Reed) was passed by the House in September 2008 and might actually be up for Senate scrutiny in early 2009 if all goes well. In anticipation, the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) coalition has already drafted an open letter to the President-elect, urging him to throw his weight behind the bill. According to a government press release, “The legislation would improve existing environmental education programs by providing states with resources to train teachers, develop research-based programs and create environmental literacy plans to ensure that students understand the role of the environment as a natural resource.” In other words, it would get kids outside and instill in them a bit of awe and respect for the natural world.But the real authority when it comes to nature play and outdoor education is Richard Louv—Audubon Medal winner, author of 2005 bestseller Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and founder of the Children & Nature Network. Having literally written the book on the importance of nature play, Louv had this to say about its psychological and physical health benefits:“Children benefit greatly from unstructured play, particularly make-believe play. And kids are far more creative in natural play spaces than on the typical flat playground, whether it’s made of concrete or turf. They are far more likely to invent their own games in natural places. And in schools that have outdoor classrooms kids tend to do better across the board from social studies to standardized testing. One reason is that other than in a New York subway, when else do you use all your senses at the same time? It seems to me that using all of your senses at the same time is the optimum state of learning. When you’re sitting in front of a computer screen, or locked in a cubicle called a classroom, you’re not using all your senses at the same time. Outdoors, you are.”Nature play has also been correlated with a longer attention span, and studies show it’s an antidote to child obesity. Psychological health is another benefit: Kids with more experience in nature, even if it’s just a view from their room of a natural landscape are more psychologically resilient, or correlated to more psychological resilience.”Creativity, greater capacity for attentive learning, sharpened senses, physical fitness, psychological resilience—there’s clearly no dearth of reasons to get children outdoors as early as possible. If you’re a numbers person, and this all sounds a little touchy-feely to you, try these stats on for size: According to a study done at the University of Illinois, “children with ADHD demonstrate greater attention after a 20-minute walk in a park than after a similar walk in a downtown area or a residential neighborhood.” Another study, conducted on at-risk children by The American Institutes for Research for the California Department of Education, found that week-long outdoor education programs produced a 27 percent increase in “measured mastery of science concepts; enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills; gains in self-esteem; gains in positive environmental behavior; and gains in problem-solving, motivation to learn, and classroom behavior.” Not too shabby.The good news for your kids, (if they didn’t get out much in early childhood), is that it’s not just young children who benefit from outdoor education. A 1998 study by Dr. Stephen R. Kellert at Yale University looked at the positive effects of wilderness trips on teens, studying youth enrolled in programs with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and Outward Bound. Kellert found that the teens’ experiences inspired lasting growth on personal, intellectual, and even spiritual levels. Participants left with greater self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, autonomy, and initiative.So it’s like George Eliot, wise lady, said in the late 1800s: “Never too late to be the treehugger you might have been.”
We welcome your comments on this subject. Thanks, The Natural Gait
Monday, February 04, 2008
Valentine Memories
The thought of Valentine’s Day brings smiles and warmth to young and old. Memories of cutting little Valentine’s cards and writing them to friends, events and hoopla with red and pink ribbon abounding, and chocolate everywhere! Ah, warms the heart it does - and that’s a good thing this time of year…
Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a few warm memories tucked away that include your horses and other companion animals. Frosty breath in the snappy air, bareback rides oh so toasty on the legs, and the dogs running alongside playing flip-the-snow with their noses all funny and wrinkled. Long walks – all bundled up and oohing and aahing over the branches and twigs wearing their magical diamond coats and shining their sunlit smiles. Unique tracks in the snow that stop you in your own, to ask yourself, who goes there? Perhaps you are blessed enough to have children around you to share your wonder with and to make stories together.
Well, whatever your memories are, it’s a sure bet that nature is included in them in some fashion!
Love has so many faces. Love is the Hollywood tale – yes indeed. But Valentine’s Day is about any one and any way of loving! It’s the dad showing his child how to strap on some cross country skis and laugh during the ups and downs (literally!) of learning. It’s the mom humming to her baby – pure love the sound. It’s the sweet dog licking her puppies and the cat purring and the tiny bird standing fast in the cold wind. It’s the skiffing sound of the wind on the dry snow and the late afternoon shadows of the sun warming the land. It’s kind and gentle music or a soft word and compassionate glance.
The Natural Gait
Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a few warm memories tucked away that include your horses and other companion animals. Frosty breath in the snappy air, bareback rides oh so toasty on the legs, and the dogs running alongside playing flip-the-snow with their noses all funny and wrinkled. Long walks – all bundled up and oohing and aahing over the branches and twigs wearing their magical diamond coats and shining their sunlit smiles. Unique tracks in the snow that stop you in your own, to ask yourself, who goes there? Perhaps you are blessed enough to have children around you to share your wonder with and to make stories together.
Well, whatever your memories are, it’s a sure bet that nature is included in them in some fashion!
Love has so many faces. Love is the Hollywood tale – yes indeed. But Valentine’s Day is about any one and any way of loving! It’s the dad showing his child how to strap on some cross country skis and laugh during the ups and downs (literally!) of learning. It’s the mom humming to her baby – pure love the sound. It’s the sweet dog licking her puppies and the cat purring and the tiny bird standing fast in the cold wind. It’s the skiffing sound of the wind on the dry snow and the late afternoon shadows of the sun warming the land. It’s kind and gentle music or a soft word and compassionate glance.
The Natural Gait
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Healing Garden
The garden as a vehicle of nature’s perfection and harmony is indeed a rich image. Throughout history and in the mythology of many countries, the image of the garden as a wellspring of spiritual and physical healing power emerges repeatedly. Realizing that herbal and healing gardens have been with us always, since when mankind was young, lends richness and depth to our connection with gardens and healing plants today. The garden was a place of innocence and knowledge. The garden was seen as a place of complete, natural harmony of body and mind. In the Old Testament, the garden of Eden is described as a place where boundless peace prevailed. Sweet smells filled the air and brilliant flowers shone like precious gems. The story of the Buddha and the “cosmic tree” offers an example of the Eastern view of the garden as a place one could attain deep peace and understanding. In Tibetan mythology, the goddess of healing brought fragrant healing plants to the world. The gardens she planted were capable of healing those who simply saw them or spent some time in them. Around 600 B.C. a famous king, Nebuchadnezzar created three acres of every type of tree, shrub, and flower for his Queen, a visual extravaganza. It became one of the seven wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. From Persia, the gardeners of medieval Europe learned to infuse the garden place with an expansiveness that nourished the spirit. The Japanese learned to use nature as a way to evoke various responses or moods in the viewer. Stones, tiny bonsai trees and shrubs, lanterns with the gentle light of candles were all part of their garden, which brought the understanding bond between the environment and well-being. I have gardened most of my life and there is no other place that I feel more at peace. If you need healing in your life, plant a garden. When you see the beauty in the garden, you will see it everywhere.
Jerry Hinton of The Natural Gait.
Sources: Growing and Using The Healing Herbs, by Gaea and Shandor Weiss. A wonderful book and guide for any interested in healing with herbs.
The Natural Gait
Jerry Hinton of The Natural Gait.
Sources: Growing and Using The Healing Herbs, by Gaea and Shandor Weiss. A wonderful book and guide for any interested in healing with herbs.
The Natural Gait
Monday, December 31, 2007
Floating Islands
We are very excited to announce the addition of Floating Islands to our on going endeavourers to beautify our natural world. The Floating Islands are not only beautiful they are constructed of recycled materials and they remove pollutants from the water. Here are some interesting facts about the Floating Islands.
Floating Islands is an innovative water stewardship tool… BioHaven floating islands do five things:
1. They remove pollutants from a waterway, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and heavy metals
2. They provide critical riparian edge habitat – in fact, new land mass for use by all kinds of creatures, from microbes to humans
3. They sequester carbon and other greenhouse gases
4. They provide wave mitigation and erosion control
5. They beautify a waterscape Made from layers of recycled plastic “matrix” which are bonded together with adhesive foam, BioHavens are planted with sod, garden plants or wetland plants and launched onto a water body.
There the plants are allowed to grow naturally, and, as they develop, their roots grow through the matrix and into the water below. Over time, a natural eco-system evolves. The model for this is Nature herself - BioHavens “bio-mimic” Nature. We are part of a new branch of science, Biomimicry, or Biomimetics.BioHavens provide surface area for microbes to thrive. Microbes remove pollutants. BioHavens are a concentrated floating wetland – the huge surface area of fibers provides many times more surface area than an equivalent stretch of bare wetland. Surface area is the key factor for microbial activity to take place, and microbes (bacteria) are the key to removing contaminants from the water. Plants and their roots are also important, but more for the extra surface area the roots provide than for any nutrient uptake the plants themselves account for.BioHavens were invented eight years ago, have been successfully trialed for five years and have been on the market since July 2005. They represent a natural, convenient and cost-effective solution for some of the most intractable and expensive problems on the planet:· “Polishing” wastewater and storm water of nutrients and heavy metals to return it safely to the watershed.· Sequestering carbon dioxide and methane from effluent ponds to reduce global warming· Wave mitigation and protection of levees in the event of severe storms· Extraction of salt
Mining nutrient loads from any waterway and reducing algal blooms· Restoring wetlands without the need for new land· Restoring habitat for endangered species such as the trumpeter swan.They can be made in any shape and size and offer some fun uses to balance the more serious side:· Creating walkways, piers, docks, jetties
Supporting recreational uses, such as picnic tables, floating stages, gazebos….· Floating vegetable gardens which never need watering!· Restoring a natural look and balance to any waterway of any size· New land mass for human habitation.Not only are they natural, aesthetic and functional, they are cost-effective, “green” and virtually maintenance free. Why not add a Floating Island to beautify your world?
Floating Islands is an innovative water stewardship tool… BioHaven floating islands do five things:
1. They remove pollutants from a waterway, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and heavy metals
2. They provide critical riparian edge habitat – in fact, new land mass for use by all kinds of creatures, from microbes to humans
3. They sequester carbon and other greenhouse gases
4. They provide wave mitigation and erosion control
5. They beautify a waterscape Made from layers of recycled plastic “matrix” which are bonded together with adhesive foam, BioHavens are planted with sod, garden plants or wetland plants and launched onto a water body.
There the plants are allowed to grow naturally, and, as they develop, their roots grow through the matrix and into the water below. Over time, a natural eco-system evolves. The model for this is Nature herself - BioHavens “bio-mimic” Nature. We are part of a new branch of science, Biomimicry, or Biomimetics.BioHavens provide surface area for microbes to thrive. Microbes remove pollutants. BioHavens are a concentrated floating wetland – the huge surface area of fibers provides many times more surface area than an equivalent stretch of bare wetland. Surface area is the key factor for microbial activity to take place, and microbes (bacteria) are the key to removing contaminants from the water. Plants and their roots are also important, but more for the extra surface area the roots provide than for any nutrient uptake the plants themselves account for.BioHavens were invented eight years ago, have been successfully trialed for five years and have been on the market since July 2005. They represent a natural, convenient and cost-effective solution for some of the most intractable and expensive problems on the planet:· “Polishing” wastewater and storm water of nutrients and heavy metals to return it safely to the watershed.· Sequestering carbon dioxide and methane from effluent ponds to reduce global warming· Wave mitigation and protection of levees in the event of severe storms· Extraction of salt
Mining nutrient loads from any waterway and reducing algal blooms· Restoring wetlands without the need for new land· Restoring habitat for endangered species such as the trumpeter swan.They can be made in any shape and size and offer some fun uses to balance the more serious side:· Creating walkways, piers, docks, jetties
Supporting recreational uses, such as picnic tables, floating stages, gazebos….· Floating vegetable gardens which never need watering!· Restoring a natural look and balance to any waterway of any size· New land mass for human habitation.Not only are they natural, aesthetic and functional, they are cost-effective, “green” and virtually maintenance free. Why not add a Floating Island to beautify your world?
Contact Howard at 1 800-291-2143
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Think BIG - Dream BIGGER to Manifest Your Life
There is the story of the kindergarten teacher who asks a child what she is drawing. "I'm drawing a picture of God," the child replies. "But, sweetheart," says the teacher, "no one knows what God looks like." They will in a minute!" says the child. Now, that is a perfect example of Thinking BIG !! Big Thinkers possess this childlike faith. Not a childish faith that lacks maturity and understanding, but an attitude of deep faith in themselves. If you are a big thinker, you have an inner voice that asks "why not" and "what if" and you're in tune with your own skills, talents, and abilities to SEE the unseen or create the uncreatable. Here's another example of a Big Thinker: The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a large piece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, "I can do nothing with it." Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His "I-can-make-it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's masterpieces - the statue of David. Yes, sometimes, all it takes is to have unstoppable belief and high-faith in your own creative talents to turn your imagination into reality. But, if thinking big is all it takes, by now, wouldn't we already have a world full of people steadfastly achieving their goals and bringing major accomplishments into their life? Let's look at an example of a Big Dreamer first; then maybe I can shed some more light on the question above. There is the story of Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) who hears an ethereal message ("If you build it, they / He will come") that inspires him to construct a baseball diamond in the middle of his Iowa cornfield - with the promise that the ghosts of famous baseball players will inhabit it for games at night. Ray heard his inner voice (let's just say his connection to source or his higher-self), believed in the possibilities (however far beyond obvious), talked about it with intention, clarity, and passion. He took action on his inner promptings, regardless of how nonsensical they seemed at the time. One of the manifesting mentors I interviewed basically told me everything in the world is suggestion - just one step away from a dream. Life is indeed a dream and the producers of Field of Dreams make this point during a scene where Ray's father (John) asked: "Is this heaven?" Ray Kinsella: No - it's Iowa.John: I could have sworn it was heaven. Ray: Is there a heaven? John: Oh, yeah. It's the place where dreams come true. (Ray looks around, seeing his wife playing with their daughter on the porch.) Ray: Maybe this is heaven. Yes, Big Dreamers - just like Big Thinkers - find it easy to believe that all things are possible, and that life can be as passionate, pure and invigorating as fresh-cut outfield grass. However, oftentimes, this is where to two similarities end. For instance, to me, the movie Field of Dreams isn't so much a story of a possibility-thinking farmer, searching for boyish excitement in his life, as much as it is a story about TRUST and the power of VISION mixed into the manifesting process. A bonafide Big Dreamer is somebody who is what I like to call a Vivid Visionary. Just like Ray, they have a personally compelling belief in the "inner voice" that prompts them along to take the little steps that eventually lead to bigger steps, unleashing the power of manifestation in their life. And that power basically says: whatever it is you think constantly about, feel good about when talking about it, or become immersed in with unwavering emotion and focus, will become evident for you - not only to your own senses but to those around you who were involved while you took that first small step. Sure, we all know the movie was fiction - a fantasy film, based on W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel "Shoeless Joe" - however, when you watch the progression of Kevin Costner's character (Ray), from the first few dismissals' of his inner voice to his KNOWING that he was personally responsible for turning his vision into reality, you get to see a Vivid Visionary in the making. My friend Dr. Michael Norwood, defines vision like this: "A Vision has many components. It may start off as a goal, a mission or even a dream. However, whereas the goal, mission and dream describe something one accomplishes, a Vision is something one becomes." The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman: "How have you done so much in your lifetime?" He replied, "I have dreamed. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamt about my dreams and turned then into my Vision. And when I awoke in the morning, I envisioned my day - I knew what action that I needed to employ to help me pull in the resources and people to support my Vision and make it a reality." Personal Accountability Check - How many of you reading this truly spend at least 15-minutes a night imagining what you want in your mind, energizing it with feeling (i.e., putting yourself in the picture versus looking at the picture screen from the auditorium), and then affirming it mentally when you wake up? Come on - be honest ! One of the Manifesting Mentors I interviewed told me emphatically: "Just 15 minutes of creative visualization a day can change you life in unimaginable ways. It's just that most people don't believe in their own imagination".Read that twice. Three times, if you want to. There's incredible wisdom and stinging truth in that statement. More so than just personal confidence, big picture thinking, or being an idea-driven person, being a Big Dreamer is all about taking your wants to sleep, thinking constantly about them, talking about them, planning them with focus, and adding all the spices to your dreams that will give you the realization of actually manifesting your dreams - bigger, better, and faster than ever. The ability to image, and the ability to expect what we dream about to come true, are two of the finest qualities of being a human being. Together, with belief in our own reality-creating power, we can truly be a Vivid Visionary. As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., said: "We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers." So, dream on - but, add some ACTION (without it, you're just a Big Thinker), sprinkle in some FOCUS (think about your dreams / desires enough to bring them into consistent awareness), and top them off with TRUST (that you will, without question, always get exactly what you ask for). You truly are the one who STARTS it all - from day dream, to night dream, to living out your dream - regardless of how outside of you it may SEEM! I'll leave you with one final quote / scene from Field of Dreams. [ On wondering who the voice was - telling him "If You Build It, He / They Will Come" ] Ray Kinsella: What are you grinning at, you ghost? Shoeless Joe: "If you build it -" (gestures toward catcher, who is Ray's father, John Kinsella) "- he will come." Ray : It was you? Shoeless Joe: No, Ray. It was you.-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Goss is the author of The Manifesting Mindset – which can be downloaded for free HERE - and the co-Founder of ManifestLife.com ~ From asking the questions very few dare touch to being fascinated by the authors, coaches, healers, and spiritual guru's who do things in a seemingly 'magical way', Barry has dedicated his life to connecting with these the world's top manifesting mentors and sharing their secrets, techniques, and strategies with you.
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Picture The Yellow River - Courtesy of The Natural Gait
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Natural Gifts for the Holidays
We at The Natural Gait would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. Here is a free gift idea "Herbal Sea Salt Scrub".
Herbal Sea Salt Scrub.To make it you will need:1 large handful of a dried herb of your choice2-3 Tablespoons of sea salt½ teaspoon olive oilabout 4 Tablespoons of waterA note about choosing herbs:I chose chamomile. It is relaxing and astringent. Falconi also says it is great for “healing nervous and inflamed skin conditions.” You might also choose comfrey roots or leaves.Both are mucilaginous and so will be good for dry or irritated skin. Rose flowers would make a beautiful gift scrub and they are stringent and toning for the skin.Choosing a mint would create a refreshing, stimulating quality to your scrub. You get the idea. A little bit of research on the properties of the herb will help you choose the right one for each person on your gift list.To make the scrub, put one large handful of your herb of choice into a mortar and grind it into a powder with the pestle. Add the sea salt, and grind a bit more. Add the water and stir. Finally add the olive oil. This makes enough for one treatment. Use it by massaging it into the skin and allowing it to stay on for 10 minutes before rinsing. It will have a crumbly texture. If bits of herb fall off in the application, simply reapply.I imagine the shelf life of this scrub is fairly short, so you probably want to make it just before sending it off and include instructions to use it fairly soon.Another possibility is to make a basic salt clay scrub by mixing 3 tablespoons of clay with 2 tablespoons of sea salt. Include instructions to mix it with 4 tablespoons of water before massaging it into the skin. For this one, leave it on for 5 minutes or until the skin feels tight. Without the water, the shelf life will be longer.You might also leave the liquid out of the herbal combination and just include instructions with your gift if you would like to make it further in advance.Buying supplies...Of course you can get Sea Salt at the market, but Mountain Rose Herbs DOES carry salts carry herbs and they even have herbal gifts already made up. If you dont have the time to make your own you can purchase a gift there. You can also get containers there. Enjoy!
Herbal Sea Salt Scrub.To make it you will need:1 large handful of a dried herb of your choice2-3 Tablespoons of sea salt½ teaspoon olive oilabout 4 Tablespoons of waterA note about choosing herbs:I chose chamomile. It is relaxing and astringent. Falconi also says it is great for “healing nervous and inflamed skin conditions.” You might also choose comfrey roots or leaves.Both are mucilaginous and so will be good for dry or irritated skin. Rose flowers would make a beautiful gift scrub and they are stringent and toning for the skin.Choosing a mint would create a refreshing, stimulating quality to your scrub. You get the idea. A little bit of research on the properties of the herb will help you choose the right one for each person on your gift list.To make the scrub, put one large handful of your herb of choice into a mortar and grind it into a powder with the pestle. Add the sea salt, and grind a bit more. Add the water and stir. Finally add the olive oil. This makes enough for one treatment. Use it by massaging it into the skin and allowing it to stay on for 10 minutes before rinsing. It will have a crumbly texture. If bits of herb fall off in the application, simply reapply.I imagine the shelf life of this scrub is fairly short, so you probably want to make it just before sending it off and include instructions to use it fairly soon.Another possibility is to make a basic salt clay scrub by mixing 3 tablespoons of clay with 2 tablespoons of sea salt. Include instructions to mix it with 4 tablespoons of water before massaging it into the skin. For this one, leave it on for 5 minutes or until the skin feels tight. Without the water, the shelf life will be longer.You might also leave the liquid out of the herbal combination and just include instructions with your gift if you would like to make it further in advance.Buying supplies...Of course you can get Sea Salt at the market, but Mountain Rose Herbs DOES carry salts carry herbs and they even have herbal gifts already made up. If you dont have the time to make your own you can purchase a gift there. You can also get containers there. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A Natural Healing
I want to share with you a particularly poignant story from one of the guests at The Natural Gait. We are always amazed and grateful at the wonderful things that happen when folks stay at The Natural Gait.
"I cannot begin to describe the peace and healing this beautiful place has provided for me finally. My personal life has been chaotic with the death of one child, my husband of 20 years, another child with CP, a 2nd marriage and divorce, lost job, bankruptcy, moving to a new town and my oldest son leaving for college. I used to have a deep and sustaining faith which was nurtured by nature, however much of that was lost during all the tragedies.
These past 2 days have brought much of that back - this is truly a piece of heaven and you two must be angels - I am so eternally grateful I thank you! Sue"
"This is my dream vacation home and I had a lot of fun. We made smores by the fire pit. It was also fun seeing the sites around here. But most of all I had fun because I was with my family. I hope you have fun too. Michael ( with CP)"
"I cannot begin to describe the peace and healing this beautiful place has provided for me finally. My personal life has been chaotic with the death of one child, my husband of 20 years, another child with CP, a 2nd marriage and divorce, lost job, bankruptcy, moving to a new town and my oldest son leaving for college. I used to have a deep and sustaining faith which was nurtured by nature, however much of that was lost during all the tragedies.
These past 2 days have brought much of that back - this is truly a piece of heaven and you two must be angels - I am so eternally grateful I thank you! Sue"
"This is my dream vacation home and I had a lot of fun. We made smores by the fire pit. It was also fun seeing the sites around here. But most of all I had fun because I was with my family. I hope you have fun too. Michael ( with CP)"
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Friends of Jon Stravers, the Mississippi River and nature
,http://www.motormill.org/index.html/html/big_blue_sky_benefit.htmlThere's going to be a concert at The Elkader Opera House on Nov 24. The above link goes to the poster. It is a benefit for Motor Mill, but more importantly it is a tribute to Jon's son and grandson who were killed in a car accident this fall. John and his late son are well known along the Mississippi where they have provided wonderful environmental music that tells the stories about the great river.--
Howard Bright, PresidentIon Exchange, Inc
.http://www.ionxchange.com
800-291-2143
“Helping you create your own natural beauty”
Howard Bright, PresidentIon Exchange, Inc
.http://www.ionxchange.com
800-291-2143
“Helping you create your own natural beauty”
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The California Saga Continues...
Unafraid of the the killer snakes on the beach, Donna regains her positive
attitude toward me by displacing her anger on the snakes and drags them single handed upon the gravel beach. Thereafter, we were in a world of
magic as we watched the sun go down over the vast sea of beauty on the
California coast.
THE END...
attitude toward me by displacing her anger on the snakes and drags them single handed upon the gravel beach. Thereafter, we were in a world of
magic as we watched the sun go down over the vast sea of beauty on the
California coast.
THE END...
Monday, October 29, 2007
A Train into the Forest
An excerpt taken from an email by Howard and Donna on their recent trip to California
The Skunk Train out of Fort Bragg, California we boarded one fine day in October. I will never forget the people on board a tour bus of energetic elderly people, some middle aged people and one couple that I will never forge
t as the husband had so many stories to tell about being a test pilot for the USAF. None of us knew each other but we were there together to experience this wonder of going up through a foggy valley in Mendocino County. Our conductor had lived here some eons ago in this canyon far away from civilization. It was very cool and the open railway car was occupied by curious people from many places. As they gazed in wonder at the huge trees, I felt as if I had been lifted in time to a place that was once a dream world filled with spirits and messages from another world.
Our conductor told the story and history of this special place. I smelled the fog and fresh odor of the Redwoods and caught glimpses of a hint of blue sky above. Huge stumps some 20 feet in diameter with fairy rings of younger trees only 100 to 200 feet tall stood holding hands around them as if paying homage to their ancestry.
TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . .
The Skunk Train out of Fort Bragg, California we boarded one fine day in October. I will never forget the people on board a tour bus of energetic elderly people, some middle aged people and one couple that I will never forge
t as the husband had so many stories to tell about being a test pilot for the USAF. None of us knew each other but we were there together to experience this wonder of going up through a foggy valley in Mendocino County. Our conductor had lived here some eons ago in this canyon far away from civilization. It was very cool and the open railway car was occupied by curious people from many places. As they gazed in wonder at the huge trees, I felt as if I had been lifted in time to a place that was once a dream world filled with spirits and messages from another world.Our conductor told the story and history of this special place. I smelled the fog and fresh odor of the Redwoods and caught glimpses of a hint of blue sky above. Huge stumps some 20 feet in diameter with fairy rings of younger trees only 100 to 200 feet tall stood holding hands around them as if paying homage to their ancestry.
TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . .
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Take Me Away!
I have been searching and searching for something meaningful to add to the blog this week. Our blog is contributed too by a lot of us who share a common love of a special place called 'The Natural Gait.' We couldn't be a more diverse bunch except I think for the love of this place and an ideal of becoming more in touch with our inner selves and our surroundings. Myself I work on the web sites from my home and I look forward to a trip to "TNG" with the excitement of a kid going to the candy store! What a place to set and reflect on life, nature and the pursuit of....
I don't know what makes this spot on earth such a sanctuary, maybe its the people who own it and the land just radiates there love and respect for nature or the combination of the natural log cabins, the wildflowers, the birds and wildlife that seem to "know" that they are safe here.
This reflection reminded my of the things that "set me free" or "lifts my spirit." Or the dozen other descriptive terms that puts us in a nice peaceful state of mind and body.
Every since I was a kid I have loved feeling the wind in my face and blowing my hair. I have spent some time through the years trying to figure out why the wind has such a calming effect on my body and spirit. I still don't have an answer except for the glimmer of a thought that I am joining in with a natural phenomenon called "wind". Becoming part of the natural world around me.
As a young woman I liked nothing better than to hop on a motorcycle behind my husband and ride fast (that was pre helmet laws) Just to feel the wind blow on my face and mess up my hair. We had horses at the time and I had a mare that loved to run and that was fine by me as we spent precious time together watching the scenery fly by with my eyes stinging from the race that we both felt we were winning against the world. The oneness I would feel with my horse during those times is unlike anything I have ever felt since.
Last year we came into a little extra money and my husband bought me my "dream car". Yes you guessed it a convertible! We had given up the motorcycle life a few years ago due to me becoming scared of riding on them and my husband claimed he didn't enjoy it without me on behind.
Back to the car! I can not put into words how this car has effected my life. When ever I feel low I just hop in put the top down (weather permitting) and go! Fifteen minutes later all my cares just fly away in the wind. What a rush!
What sets you free? Kay
I don't know what makes this spot on earth such a sanctuary, maybe its the people who own it and the land just radiates there love and respect for nature or the combination of the natural log cabins, the wildflowers, the birds and wildlife that seem to "know" that they are safe here.
This reflection reminded my of the things that "set me free" or "lifts my spirit." Or the dozen other descriptive terms that puts us in a nice peaceful state of mind and body.
Every since I was a kid I have loved feeling the wind in my face and blowing my hair. I have spent some time through the years trying to figure out why the wind has such a calming effect on my body and spirit. I still don't have an answer except for the glimmer of a thought that I am joining in with a natural phenomenon called "wind". Becoming part of the natural world around me.
As a young woman I liked nothing better than to hop on a motorcycle behind my husband and ride fast (that was pre helmet laws) Just to feel the wind blow on my face and mess up my hair. We had horses at the time and I had a mare that loved to run and that was fine by me as we spent precious time together watching the scenery fly by with my eyes stinging from the race that we both felt we were winning against the world. The oneness I would feel with my horse during those times is unlike anything I have ever felt since.
Last year we came into a little extra money and my husband bought me my "dream car". Yes you guessed it a convertible! We had given up the motorcycle life a few years ago due to me becoming scared of riding on them and my husband claimed he didn't enjoy it without me on behind.
Back to the car! I can not put into words how this car has effected my life. When ever I feel low I just hop in put the top down (weather permitting) and go! Fifteen minutes later all my cares just fly away in the wind. What a rush!
What sets you free? Kay
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Natural Gait 2007 Trail Ride
Hello Everyone! The 2007 Trail Ride was a hugh sucess from all the feedback we have been getting. It is always so satisfiying when you know that folks had a good time and enjoyed themselves. Here is a video by one of the guests that attended the trial ride. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. The music is by Pat Meade songwriter and singer. His CD's are for sale at The Natural Gait
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Antioxidants and Vitamins:The Truth Behind the Headlines
Greetings from The Natural Gait,
We recently read this article and thought you might enjoy it. This article is on The Peoples Chemist and we would like to recomend this site to our friends.
Antioxidants and Vitamins: The Truth Behind the Headlines
By Mike Adams
If you've been reading the mainstream media recently, you might have come to the conclusion that vitamins are the most dangerous things you could possibly consume. Headlines declare antioxidants to be useless, vitamin C to be dangerous and vitamin E to be deadly! Nutrition, it seems, is suddenly under attack.
But what's really behind these scare tactics? Is there any real science behind the headlines?
To answer this question, consider the most recent example: a large antioxidant study (vitamins E and C) in women. A nine-year study followed more than 8,000 women to determine the effects of antioxidants in preventing heart disease. The study found a significant reduction in stroke (31 percent) and heart attacks (22 percent) among those women who actually took the vitamins. But if you consider all the women who originally signed up for the study -- including those thousands who never took the vitamins -- it turns out the results show nothing substantial.
Of course you're not going to see positive results in women who didn't take the vitamins. Nor would you see results from anything else (a drug, an herb, etc.) if the women didn't actually take that substance. And yet the mass media stories about the study all declare antioxidants to be useless because they are considering the measured results of all the women, including those who didn't take the antioxidants. It's like taking a hundred cars that ran out of gas, filling up 40 of them with gasoline, then declaring that gasoline doesn't make cars run because 60 of them are still on empty.
It sounds absurd, I know, but it's only the beginning of this story. Time after time, medical researchers and the mainstream media seem to go out of their way to distort scientific studies and misinform readers about the usefulness of vitamins and dietary supplements.
Another study publicized last year declared that vitamin E was deadly and would kill you with heart attacks and strokes. This particular meta-data analysis was based on synthetic vitamin E (a completely unnatural chemical made from petroleum derivatives), not the vitamin E that appears in nature. Furthermore, many of the study subjects were elderly patients already suffering from heart disease, putting them at high risk for heart attacks from day one. When these patients started to die during the study, researchers declared, "The vitamin E killed them!"
Researchers also went to great lengths to cherry-pick studies that showed negative results for vitamin E, tossing out all the studies that showed positive results. This kind of subjective inclusion of clinical trials in a meta analysis is a classic sign of scientific fraud.
I know what you're thinking: Researchers are smarter than that. They wouldn't be so foolish as to count the results of people who didn't take the vitamins or give supplements to the near-dead and blame their deaths on the supplements. But you might be assuming these researchers are operating with ethics in the first place -- and experience tells us they're not.
Many receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants offered to them by drug companies. Their primary research (and revenue source) involves studying the effects of pharmaceuticals. Researchers who don't consistently "discover" positive effects for pharmaceuticals are eventually blackballed from the industry and find themselves jobless and unemployable. There's a tremendous amount of pressure applied to researchers to make sure they uncover findings that support the financial interests of the drug companies. Eighty percent of all clinical trials funded by drug companies produce results that are favorable to the financial interests of those companies.
Similarly, there is also a lot of pressure to find something wrong with dietary supplements, herbs and nutrition -- precisely because such substances compete with pharmaceuticals. The more consumers take nutritional supplements, the less they need pharmaceuticals because nutrition actually prevents disease. So one of the key ways to ensure a strong future market for pharmaceuticals is to discredit nutritional supplements and make people believe they're somehow dangerous.
This is all quite laughable, given that prescription drugs are now the 4th leading cause of death in America. FDA-approved pharmaceuticals are killing at least 100,000 Americans a year right now. Dr. David Graham, a senior FDA drug safety researcher, reported that just one diabetes drug recently scrutinized for its health effects has likely killed more than 80,000 Americans! That's more Americans than died in the entire Vietnam War, and this is from but one drug.
Almost nothing is killing Americans faster than prescription drugs, not terrorists, not war, not chemicals in the food, car accidents or drunk driving. Pharmaceuticals are so universally dangerous to the health and safety of Americans that if they were herbs, they would have been outlawed years ago.
And yet vitamins have killed no one. No one ever died from taking natural vitamin E, eating superfoods or ingesting vitamin-rich berries. In fact, nutritional supplements and superfoods greatly enhance human health, protect you from disease and greatly reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes, obesity and many other common diseases.
It is a curious sign of the times that the mainstream media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising from drug companies, now finds itself in the business of misinforming Americans, trying to convince them that day is night, up is down, nutrition is dangerous, war is peace, ignorance is strength and freedom is tyranny. It's right out George Orwell's classic, 1984.
So don't be suckered by the headlines. Be a skeptical thinker, and consider who's funding these skewed studies that somehow keep inventing dangers associated with herbs or dietary supplements.
We recently read this article and thought you might enjoy it. This article is on The Peoples Chemist and we would like to recomend this site to our friends.
Antioxidants and Vitamins: The Truth Behind the Headlines
By Mike Adams
If you've been reading the mainstream media recently, you might have come to the conclusion that vitamins are the most dangerous things you could possibly consume. Headlines declare antioxidants to be useless, vitamin C to be dangerous and vitamin E to be deadly! Nutrition, it seems, is suddenly under attack.
But what's really behind these scare tactics? Is there any real science behind the headlines?
To answer this question, consider the most recent example: a large antioxidant study (vitamins E and C) in women. A nine-year study followed more than 8,000 women to determine the effects of antioxidants in preventing heart disease. The study found a significant reduction in stroke (31 percent) and heart attacks (22 percent) among those women who actually took the vitamins. But if you consider all the women who originally signed up for the study -- including those thousands who never took the vitamins -- it turns out the results show nothing substantial.
Of course you're not going to see positive results in women who didn't take the vitamins. Nor would you see results from anything else (a drug, an herb, etc.) if the women didn't actually take that substance. And yet the mass media stories about the study all declare antioxidants to be useless because they are considering the measured results of all the women, including those who didn't take the antioxidants. It's like taking a hundred cars that ran out of gas, filling up 40 of them with gasoline, then declaring that gasoline doesn't make cars run because 60 of them are still on empty.
It sounds absurd, I know, but it's only the beginning of this story. Time after time, medical researchers and the mainstream media seem to go out of their way to distort scientific studies and misinform readers about the usefulness of vitamins and dietary supplements.
Another study publicized last year declared that vitamin E was deadly and would kill you with heart attacks and strokes. This particular meta-data analysis was based on synthetic vitamin E (a completely unnatural chemical made from petroleum derivatives), not the vitamin E that appears in nature. Furthermore, many of the study subjects were elderly patients already suffering from heart disease, putting them at high risk for heart attacks from day one. When these patients started to die during the study, researchers declared, "The vitamin E killed them!"
Researchers also went to great lengths to cherry-pick studies that showed negative results for vitamin E, tossing out all the studies that showed positive results. This kind of subjective inclusion of clinical trials in a meta analysis is a classic sign of scientific fraud.
I know what you're thinking: Researchers are smarter than that. They wouldn't be so foolish as to count the results of people who didn't take the vitamins or give supplements to the near-dead and blame their deaths on the supplements. But you might be assuming these researchers are operating with ethics in the first place -- and experience tells us they're not.
Many receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants offered to them by drug companies. Their primary research (and revenue source) involves studying the effects of pharmaceuticals. Researchers who don't consistently "discover" positive effects for pharmaceuticals are eventually blackballed from the industry and find themselves jobless and unemployable. There's a tremendous amount of pressure applied to researchers to make sure they uncover findings that support the financial interests of the drug companies. Eighty percent of all clinical trials funded by drug companies produce results that are favorable to the financial interests of those companies.
Similarly, there is also a lot of pressure to find something wrong with dietary supplements, herbs and nutrition -- precisely because such substances compete with pharmaceuticals. The more consumers take nutritional supplements, the less they need pharmaceuticals because nutrition actually prevents disease. So one of the key ways to ensure a strong future market for pharmaceuticals is to discredit nutritional supplements and make people believe they're somehow dangerous.
This is all quite laughable, given that prescription drugs are now the 4th leading cause of death in America. FDA-approved pharmaceuticals are killing at least 100,000 Americans a year right now. Dr. David Graham, a senior FDA drug safety researcher, reported that just one diabetes drug recently scrutinized for its health effects has likely killed more than 80,000 Americans! That's more Americans than died in the entire Vietnam War, and this is from but one drug.
Almost nothing is killing Americans faster than prescription drugs, not terrorists, not war, not chemicals in the food, car accidents or drunk driving. Pharmaceuticals are so universally dangerous to the health and safety of Americans that if they were herbs, they would have been outlawed years ago.
And yet vitamins have killed no one. No one ever died from taking natural vitamin E, eating superfoods or ingesting vitamin-rich berries. In fact, nutritional supplements and superfoods greatly enhance human health, protect you from disease and greatly reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes, obesity and many other common diseases.
It is a curious sign of the times that the mainstream media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising from drug companies, now finds itself in the business of misinforming Americans, trying to convince them that day is night, up is down, nutrition is dangerous, war is peace, ignorance is strength and freedom is tyranny. It's right out George Orwell's classic, 1984.
So don't be suckered by the headlines. Be a skeptical thinker, and consider who's funding these skewed studies that somehow keep inventing dangers associated with herbs or dietary supplements.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Aromatherapy for the Home
The practice of "Aromatherapy" is an interesting and fun form of therapy that any one of us can experiment with and develop into our own style of aromatherapy for relaxing and rejuvenating our daily lives. We sell many candles at The Natural Gaits Mercantile and find that most people enjoy candles in their home.
In the last few years there has been an overwhelming increase of interest in Aromatherapy, it seems that people are interest in different ways to improve their life quality, and since the Spa hotels have now become very common a lot of people had the opportunity of experiencing the sensation of Aromatherapy in one way or the other. Although a lot of people think that Aromatherapy is used mainly to induce a feeling of some sort or an ambiance to a room or space it is used many times in serious and much more medical oriented ways, it has been proved that Aromatherapy can effect a patient condition and in mild conditions even help the patient to a full recovery. Dating back many years Aromatherapy has been used by many cultures around the world, the latest phase is only another cycle of time in which Aromatherapy is popular once again. The basics of aromatherapy are based in the belief that natural things can help other living organisms, in general you might say that herbs and plants are sharing this planet with us and they also share some of the basic qualities of life with us humans, so it is also possible that the power of plants can be extracted from them to aid and help humans. Combining different plant odors can stimulate a response in anyone, you do not need to be an expert to know that certain smells are very clearly unpleasant as some others are distinctly calming and relaxing, it is also known that certain smell can be associated with feelings and memories, making the odor much more than a part of a scenery and more an active participant in the effect the environment has on us.Aromatherapy uses what it calls home therapy by using the oil and the plant extracts to create a relaxing environment, this basic concept is the most common in aromatherapy and is practiced by many around the world, the process of introducing the aroma to the space is usually done by using a burner that has a candle burning which heats an oil or water with some fragrant in it thus making the liquid evaporate. The materials usually used in the home are mostly eucalyptus oil that gives a very unique odor and will also assist many during the winter time, when it has the ability to clear the nose and make breathing a lot easier. Grapefruit oil is also used in the home therapy process and will also produce a lovely smell in the space it is used in, these aromatherapy oils will provide a solid base for relaxation and inner peace, if used correctly and if practiced in the right way the home Aromatherapy procedure can reduce stress levels and increase the harmony and peace in the house. Aromatherapy is a way we use odors to promote a state of peace and wellness, we can help our bodies and minds relax by introducing certain aromas to our homes, by doing that we will change our behavior and reduce our stress.
by Celia Namart an avid traveler and researcher, an avid travels and an enthusiast of alternative medicine
In the last few years there has been an overwhelming increase of interest in Aromatherapy, it seems that people are interest in different ways to improve their life quality, and since the Spa hotels have now become very common a lot of people had the opportunity of experiencing the sensation of Aromatherapy in one way or the other. Although a lot of people think that Aromatherapy is used mainly to induce a feeling of some sort or an ambiance to a room or space it is used many times in serious and much more medical oriented ways, it has been proved that Aromatherapy can effect a patient condition and in mild conditions even help the patient to a full recovery. Dating back many years Aromatherapy has been used by many cultures around the world, the latest phase is only another cycle of time in which Aromatherapy is popular once again. The basics of aromatherapy are based in the belief that natural things can help other living organisms, in general you might say that herbs and plants are sharing this planet with us and they also share some of the basic qualities of life with us humans, so it is also possible that the power of plants can be extracted from them to aid and help humans. Combining different plant odors can stimulate a response in anyone, you do not need to be an expert to know that certain smells are very clearly unpleasant as some others are distinctly calming and relaxing, it is also known that certain smell can be associated with feelings and memories, making the odor much more than a part of a scenery and more an active participant in the effect the environment has on us.Aromatherapy uses what it calls home therapy by using the oil and the plant extracts to create a relaxing environment, this basic concept is the most common in aromatherapy and is practiced by many around the world, the process of introducing the aroma to the space is usually done by using a burner that has a candle burning which heats an oil or water with some fragrant in it thus making the liquid evaporate. The materials usually used in the home are mostly eucalyptus oil that gives a very unique odor and will also assist many during the winter time, when it has the ability to clear the nose and make breathing a lot easier. Grapefruit oil is also used in the home therapy process and will also produce a lovely smell in the space it is used in, these aromatherapy oils will provide a solid base for relaxation and inner peace, if used correctly and if practiced in the right way the home Aromatherapy procedure can reduce stress levels and increase the harmony and peace in the house. Aromatherapy is a way we use odors to promote a state of peace and wellness, we can help our bodies and minds relax by introducing certain aromas to our homes, by doing that we will change our behavior and reduce our stress.
by Celia Namart an avid traveler and researcher, an avid travels and an enthusiast of alternative medicine
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Nature Crafts
Well it fell to me to add something to the blog this week and after much looking and thinking I decided to share some nature crafts with you. I like to make things from "found" objects especially things that I find in nature. Since Fall is upon us and pinecones abound this time of year here are some things I have done with pinecones. They make beautiful ornaments when spray painted gold or silver. They look nice piled up in a bowl in their natural state or painted, you can spray them with pine scent and they smell wonderful all throughout the house. I have used them as decorations on gifts, plain or spray painted. Pinecones make great bird feeders, add some peanut butter or suet into the spaces and roll in bird seed. Add a hanger and hang in a tree or on a shepards hook. The pinecone looks so pretty mixed in with dried wildflower arrangements using a floral pick and a little wire. I have spray painted them green and decorated them with little "ornaments" to look like Christmas trees and hung them on the tree.
Here is a little craft you might enjoy using a pinecone.
Things you will need:
Any size pinecone
sheet moss
dried or silk leaves
wooden disk or wooden ball
white glue
flesh colored craft paint
fine tipped black permanent marker
pink marker, crayon, blush makeup or lipstick
small length of gold rickrack, wire edged ribbon or metallic cord
optional - spray sealer, decoupage medium, or spray paint- invisible thread or fish line
Pinecone Angel Nature Craft Project Instructions:1. Choose a pine cone with open petals and a flat bottom that will stand up fairly straight when placed on a table. 2. You can use two dried leaves as the angel's wings, or four leaves, as shown in the photo. If you use four leaves, glue them together in pairs, using small dots of white glue between the leaves. If desired, protect the leaves with a coating of decoupage medium or spray sealer, or decorate with gold spray paint.Glue the leaves in place at the back of the pine cone, near the top where you will be placing the angel's head.3. Paint the wooden disk or wooden ball in flesh toned paint and let dry. Draw on the facial features in pencil, then trace over the pencil marks in fine tipped black permanent marker. If desired, add pink cheeks using a small dab of pink marker, or a small smudge of pink blush makeup or pink lipstick.4. Glue small pieces of sheet moss all around the edge of the wooden disk, or all around the face on a wooden ball. 5. Cut a small length of gold rickrack, gold cord or even thin gold wire and form this into a circular halo at the top of the angel's head. Secure with a dab of glue at the back.6. If necessary, break off a petal or two at the top of the pine cone to make room for the angel's head. Glue the head in place.7. If you wish to hang the angel from a Christmas tree or in the window, tie a length of invisible thread or fish line to one of the pinecone petals near the head, at the back. You can also add potpouri in between the petals on the pinecone.
Any size pinecone
sheet moss
dried or silk leaves
wooden disk or wooden ball
white glue
flesh colored craft paint
fine tipped black permanent marker
pink marker, crayon, blush makeup or lipstick
small length of gold rickrack, wire edged ribbon or metallic cord
optional - spray sealer, decoupage medium, or spray paint- invisible thread or fish line
Pinecone Angel Nature Craft Project Instructions:1. Choose a pine cone with open petals and a flat bottom that will stand up fairly straight when placed on a table. 2. You can use two dried leaves as the angel's wings, or four leaves, as shown in the photo. If you use four leaves, glue them together in pairs, using small dots of white glue between the leaves. If desired, protect the leaves with a coating of decoupage medium or spray sealer, or decorate with gold spray paint.Glue the leaves in place at the back of the pine cone, near the top where you will be placing the angel's head.3. Paint the wooden disk or wooden ball in flesh toned paint and let dry. Draw on the facial features in pencil, then trace over the pencil marks in fine tipped black permanent marker. If desired, add pink cheeks using a small dab of pink marker, or a small smudge of pink blush makeup or pink lipstick.4. Glue small pieces of sheet moss all around the edge of the wooden disk, or all around the face on a wooden ball. 5. Cut a small length of gold rickrack, gold cord or even thin gold wire and form this into a circular halo at the top of the angel's head. Secure with a dab of glue at the back.6. If necessary, break off a petal or two at the top of the pine cone to make room for the angel's head. Glue the head in place.7. If you wish to hang the angel from a Christmas tree or in the window, tie a length of invisible thread or fish line to one of the pinecone petals near the head, at the back. You can also add potpouri in between the petals on the pinecone.
Anybody have a nature craft to share? We would love to hear from you. Kay at The Natural Gait
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Team Dirving Clinician Doc Hammill Caught In Montana Grass Fires
Doc Hammill a well know team driving clinician was caught in the wildfires raging through Montana. Our own clinician Dawn R at The Natural Gait had this to say
(If you would like to see pictures here is the link The Natural Gait Doc Hammill
Many of you may have seen or heard national news reports about the Montana wildfires recently. It hit us close to home here at The Natural Gait when we found out that our own treasured friend and clinician Doc Hammill and his horses were nearly caught up in it. Doc was just here the end of June for his 3rd and best yet Driving Clinic. (Doc’s 2008 have already been set for June 20-22, mark your calendar and call me to reserve your spot) As the fire raged in the area over 100 firefighter and volunteers arrived at the ranch ahead of the fire to help save his property. They tried to clear trees, water down buildings and set backfires to no avail. Doc had to abandon his home and turn his beloved horses loose to make a run for it. Doc spent the following days sleeping out in a pasture on a reservation not knowing the condition of his home ranch or his horses. When he was finally allowed to return to his home he had found that he had lost his beautiful barn, 2 out buildings, many wagons, carts, implements, pretty much all the tools of his trade. Doc told friends that he was looking forward to teaching and hosting full calendar of clinics one day and out of business the next! True to his character Doc is already talking about rebuilding next year. His horses were safely recovered and are living in a rented pasture. Friends are getting their heads together from all over the country on how best to help Doc. So please continue to check back here and we will update you on Doc and how best to help as we get the official news. Doc was born and raised here in Iowa, graduated from Ames in Veterinary Medicine, then headed west to start a practice in Montana. Over the years he has developed into one of this country’s leading authority and a gifted teacher of driving. You can read more on Doc and see more photos on his website www.dochammill.com
(If you would like to see pictures here is the link The Natural Gait Doc Hammill
Many of you may have seen or heard national news reports about the Montana wildfires recently. It hit us close to home here at The Natural Gait when we found out that our own treasured friend and clinician Doc Hammill and his horses were nearly caught up in it. Doc was just here the end of June for his 3rd and best yet Driving Clinic. (Doc’s 2008 have already been set for June 20-22, mark your calendar and call me to reserve your spot) As the fire raged in the area over 100 firefighter and volunteers arrived at the ranch ahead of the fire to help save his property. They tried to clear trees, water down buildings and set backfires to no avail. Doc had to abandon his home and turn his beloved horses loose to make a run for it. Doc spent the following days sleeping out in a pasture on a reservation not knowing the condition of his home ranch or his horses. When he was finally allowed to return to his home he had found that he had lost his beautiful barn, 2 out buildings, many wagons, carts, implements, pretty much all the tools of his trade. Doc told friends that he was looking forward to teaching and hosting full calendar of clinics one day and out of business the next! True to his character Doc is already talking about rebuilding next year. His horses were safely recovered and are living in a rented pasture. Friends are getting their heads together from all over the country on how best to help Doc. So please continue to check back here and we will update you on Doc and how best to help as we get the official news. Doc was born and raised here in Iowa, graduated from Ames in Veterinary Medicine, then headed west to start a practice in Montana. Over the years he has developed into one of this country’s leading authority and a gifted teacher of driving. You can read more on Doc and see more photos on his website www.dochammill.com
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