22nd April 2010 is Earth Day

How about a ten minute seated meditation for Earth Day.

Place your blanket on the ground, root through muladhara chakra.

As you inhale and exhale' experience your loving connection with Gaia, Pacha Mama, Kali Ma, Isis, Mother Earth.

Enjoying the sunshine - safely!

I love how the bold and exuberant yellow of the daffodils, primulas, tulips in bloom right now reflects the source of the awakened spring energy, the return of the sun! Brightening, vivifying, the sun sustains all life. How we welcome its radiant light and warmth after a long winter! How glorious to walk along lanes that are stirring back to life with hedgerows popping bright green buds and wild greens erupting from the bare ground. Winter’s bare branches will soon be just a memory as spring surges forward into summer.

I have been enjoying sitting out in the garden during the recent bright weather, angling my face into the sun to fully receive its blessing. The sun is at its zenith at around 1pm at this time of year; and at this time its vital force can be felt most strongly.

In yogic and other spiritual traditions it is thought that the sun emanates cosmic energy, a manifestation of prana, which is one of the reasons why we are instinctively drawn to the sun and can feel irritable and even depressed during its absence in winter. Vitamin D3, essential for bone health can only be synthesised through sun exposure, we can rightly consider the solar body to be a source of nutrition.

According to science, the sun emits UV rays, light on a wavelength that is imperceptible to the human eye. It is further understood that prolonged exposure to UV can be a major if not the major factor in skin aging. As I contemplate this, I recall a visit to the rooftops of Fez in Morocco, where artisans stretch animal skins to dry under the seemingly permanent African sun. The equation is simple: sun + skin = leather.

Let us cover up then, particularly as summer advances and the strength of UV light intensifies. I favour a physical barrier that shades the face, it’s important to keep a cool head! Since the Spring Equinox in March I have been diligently applying sun block to my skin. Make this part of your daily routine, so that it becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth. Cleanse and re-apply at midday, particularly if you tend to perspire, touch your face a lot or are physically active. Use a generous amount of product to ensure good coverage and include the area around the eyes, which is the most fragile. Remember too, to cover the décolletage (area between the collar bone and bust) and apply any spare to the back of the hands, perhaps mixed with a little hand cream.

Here are some recommendations of products I have personally used across a range of budgets:

JASON Organics Facial Sunblock spf 20 150g approx £8.50 Fragrance and paraben free 150g approx £8.50

Clinique City Block Sheer spf 25 40ml £15 Invisible under make-up. Widely acclaimed and rightly very popular.

Lancome Soleil DNA Guard spf 30 50ml £22.50 A personal favourite, a high quality product

Clarins Sun Wrinkle Eye Contour Care High Protection 20ml £16 A specialist product that really works, especially useful if you prefer not to wear sunglasses.

Boots Soltan Face spf 30 50ml £8.75
A competent budget buy, available on every High Street and often available as buy-one-get-one-free

Enjoy the sunshine!

Ravi Shankar celebrates his 90th birthday

Let us celebrate the birthday of Ravi Shankar, esteemed and renowned sitar player, who turns 90 today.

Thanks to Shankar's pioneering approach and prolific output, Indian classical music has been well assimilated into our cultural palate. We have availability of the pure form through concerts, kirtan and audio. The taste of India that Shankar gifted us has filtered into our consciousness through the vastly popular fusion styles from the chic chillout lounge vibes of Buddha Bar, to the New Age devotional Bhakti fusion of Deva Premal and the joyful, exuberant dance orientated compilations of yoga diva Shiva Rea.

Famously George Harrison studied for six weeks in India with Shankar. They met in London after Harrison was introduced to Shankar's work by The Byrds, who were fans of his sound. Shankar has received numerous international prizes, awards, teaching seats and accolades during his long and diverse career and has influenced both eastern and western musicians across popular and classic genres. The full extent contribution is surely beyond measure.

Enjoy this video footage of Shankar instructing Harrison on the sitar in Srinagar



Visit Shankar's official website http://www.ravishankar.org/

Catch this documentary on BBC iPlayer chronicling Shankar's career
(available until 10th April 2010)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rs4s9/World_Routes_Ravi_Shankar_Birthday/

New to therapies? Nervous? Try an Indian head massage

I really enjoy the variety that working as a self-employed therapist provides. I am intrigued how each therapy venue, broadly speaking, attracts a certain clientele.

Visitors to Glastonbury are usually very familiar with holistic therapies and healing techniques and will often be teachers and practitioners in their own right, taking a break or retreat, deepening their knowledge on workshops and courses.

The guests I meet in the spa environment generally have full time jobs and regular, busy lives. For them, therapies are an occasional treat or pamper.

 For two out of six ladies today, their massage with me was to be their first therapy experience; something they would not necessarily have chosen for themselves. They were going with the flow of the group and trying out new things as part of a fun filled weekend - they would be taking a line dancing lesson later in the day.

These clients elected to have Indian head massages and I feel that this is a really sensible choice for a first therapy, particularly if the client is nervous or apprehensive about receiving touch.

There is a degree of familiarity to having the head and scalp touched, surely all women have had their hair washed at a salon, a generally pleasant and soothing experience. (Indeed the word ‘shampoo’ is a corruption of the professional term ‘champissage’ which denotes head massage.)

The treatment is generally performed seated with the client retaining most of their clothing, which lessens feelings of vulnerability and exposure. The massage can also be taken without oil*, which ‘newbies’ seem to prefer.

It is gloriously gratifying to feel tensions subside as the treatment begins; the client relaxes progressively and allows me to support the head and neck enabling a thorough and effective massage.

With all due humility I really do hope that those ‘first timers’ at the spa today might be encouraged to book a follow up treatment, and maybe investigate other therapies. In any event I salute their open mindedness and willingness to receive therapeutic touch.

*Application of oil is strongly recommended for therapeutic value, I always offer a choice of oil/no oil and explain the benefits.

www.somersetspa.co.uk Spa breaks in Somerset with a choice of therapies and activities
www.embodyforyou.com/Treatments/ Information about Indian head massage