When we use the term “holistic medicine” what does that really mean? Holistic medicine is a term used to describe therapies that attempt to treat the patient as a whole person. So often Western medicine just addresses the symptoms or masks the pain without looking at any other underlying root cause. Holistic medicine attempts to prevent illness by placing a greater need on general good health.  We must remember that the body’s natural state is that of optimal health and this is what we should be aiming for through proper nutrition, lifestyle and various wellness modalities that’s purpose is to get you there!  So if you’ve been investigating an alternative to Western medicine or desperately seeking a credible source within the holistic realm, welcome fully to the marketplace TheHolisticOption.com. (more…)

I recently had the great pleasure of speaking with the founder of nude skincare, Bryan Meehan from his offices in London.  Nude skincare according to Harpers Bazaar UK’s beauty editor, Newby Hands, is “the first natural skincare range with visibly anti-aging results…”  And that, my friends, is why I had to investigate and now am hooked.  Here are some highlights from our wonderful chat.

Michelle Barge, beYOU.tv:
I like that you’ve brought luxury to natural beauty products for the eco-conscious woman.  This speaks to me completely:  I shouldn’t have to sacrifice elegance in my bathroom, for natural products that are free of parabens, sulphates, PEGs, propylene glycol, TEA, DEA, phthalates, mineral oil, silicones, GM and potential carcinogens. I write a lot about this. So how did this line come about?  What was the evolution and development of the line? (more…)

We will end our yoga series, devoted to helping you find your best yoga practice, with probably the style who’s name alone is as ubiquitous to yoga as Hatha - vinyasa.  Vinyasa seems to be a catch all phrase used to describe any fast moving yoga class, but it’s so much more.  It’s also often coined Flow Yoga.  The word Vinyasa means poses done in a sequential order (flowing) synchronized with the breath.  Several of the styles I’ve written about in this series:  Ashtanga, Anusara, Jivamukti, Power Yoga are all types of Vinyasa based practice.  When I teach class, I always tell my students that sun salutation in the ultimate vinyasa as you’re connecting breath to each movement in the series, i.e. raising the arms on an inhale, folding over on an exhale, lifting to flat back on an inhale, etc.  The challenge with a Vinyasa class that’s not linked to a style - like those mentioned above - is finding a flow that’s right for you! (more…)

Power Yoga is an American adaptation of Ashtanga Yoga and one of the first styles of yoga that was taught widely in gyms and health clubs due to its very physical and challenging practice.  Power Yoga utilizes the classic yogic philosophy - the “eight-limbed yoga” (see below) with a very physical practice. (more…)

Back in early 2008, both my colleague Andrea Page, our FitMom and parenting expert, and myself, wrote on the issues surrounding Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPAs, sinisterly known as bad plastics.   Andrea’s article focused on how BPAs might impact mothers in feeding and food prep of their young, and mine on the the hazards of all these plastic water bottles.  Recently the FDA has concluded that BPA is now safe (even though they will continue to monitor the BPA situation), but the outside authorities once again found that the FDA should not be expressing that this is the case. (more…)

After writing about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) back in August, the importance of really reading food labels seems a vital and natural tie-in. I know navigating all the jargon around food is a difficult one, and now adding in the GMO factor might make one feel overwhelmed about choosing safe, healthy food options. But fear not! (more…)

OK readers, you know how passionate I am about organic and natural skincare and beauty.  I’ve written on Suki, waxed on about Dr. Hauschka, praised Jurlique, and lavished love on Neal’s Yard.  My biggest need in skin care products is for them to be free of all the “nasties” I’ve written about ad nauseum as well — parabens, SLS, petroleates, etc.

Well in these harsh economic times, how thrilled am I to have found and tested over the last 2 weeks a fabulous, affordable vegan skin care line, Be Fine Food Skin Care.  All of my world’s have converged.  This line, sold nation wide in drugstore chains like CVS, Rite Aid (in-store) and Duane Reade (in-store), was developed and inspired by food products and the importance of food-grade natural products in skincare.  This beauty company sticks to the premise that I believe in:  one shouldn’t smear and wash their bodies with products that are chock full of chemicals that are just going into the blood stream.  Well Be Fine is banking that the mid-level shopper will feel the same way. (more…)

Kundalini is a recognized style of Hatha Yoga, brought to the West in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan, which focuses on the controlled and systematic release of Kundalini energy which is thought to be located at the base of the spine. According to a wonderful site and holistic resource, Reiki for Holistic Health: “…in Hindu mythology, Kundalini is a serpent goddess who lies asleep at the base of the spine, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra. Kundalini is a condensed, primal force, similar to the potential energy found in water. When released, it creates a vertical connection between the chakras by opening the subtle channels known as nadi, most specifically, the central channel that moves up the spine called sushumna. If we put water through a small hose at very high pressure, the end of the hose will undulate like a snake. Similarly, the intense energy of Kundalini undulates in the body as it rises through the chakras…” And as esoteric as this style might seem, awakening kundalini energy is a good thing and something practitioners strive for. (more…)

Before you realized it was a style of Hatha Yoga, you might have heard of Kripalu as it is also one of the most well-renowned centers for yoga and health in the country located in the grand Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health was started in 1966 when Yogi Amrit Desai founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, which was established to teach yoga classes and train teachers. It later evolved into the nonprofit wing that operates as the Kripalu Center today. For an in-depth interview of Yogi Amrit Desai, please view the piece in the wonderful spiritual magazine What is Enlightenment? (WIE) entitled “Yoga, Ego and Purification” by WIE’s founder Andrew Cohen. (more…)

Jivamukti was developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life, two legends in the New York Yoga scene having taught continuously since 1989 out of their NYC based studio. Their meeting has become downtown legend: Sharon was a member of a band, and David owned the famous Life Café (also the spot where Jonathan Larson wrote the award winning musical Rent) in the East Village that also showcased music, poetry and art. You can say the rest is history. Sharon and David had both been studying yoga independently and before meeting one another, but together that have not only developed a style, but a following and a lifestyle. (more…)