The Root Chakra

The root chakra is red in color and is located at your lower pelvis . It is the root of your being and establishes the deepest connections with your physical body, your environment and the Earth. It is the most instinctual of all chakras — it is your survival center.


Chakras are energy centers of the body and can be either open or closed. When the root chakra is closed the energy is blocked and a person will experience fear, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, obesity, anorexia, or problems in the hip, legs, low back, knee or sex organs.



Having an open root chakra is about being physically present and such is needed in order to manifest what you want. It will be extremely hard to manifest what you want with a blocked root chakra because you aren't grounded enough with the physical world to make it happen.

When the root chakra is blocked one may not feel grounded. Expressions like "getting on your feet again" or "be on firm ground" convey a good connection with the ground or an open root chakra. "To lose ground" or "getting swept off your feet" convey a blocked root chakra.

When you aren't feeling grounded to help open up the root chakra you can wiggle your toes, stomp feet, march in place or do squats. It is best to do these chakracises with bare feet and on a wood floor. The wood contact is very grounding. When doing root chakracises have your attention on the root chakra, doing them fives times is sufficient.

Earthing pads may help one stay grounded as well. And rocks are said to have special energy characteristics. Rocks that will help open the root chakra are granite, smoky quartz, obsidian, and black tarmuline. When using rocks they don't necessarily have to be placed in the chakra but somewhere on your body or near it is good. Keeping one in your pocket where ever you go is a good idea. Wearing the color red will also help. 



Essential oils are great for opening up blocked energy. Balance is what I use for the root chakra. The warm, woody aroma of Balance, dōTERRA®'s grounding blend, creates a sense of calm and well-being. It contains Spruce needle/leaf, Ho wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil to offer an enticing fragrance which promotes tranquility and a sense of balance for the root chakra.


Root Chakra Affirmation

I belong where I was born
I belong to the family I chose
I needed to learn from them and them from me
I belong in this school of life
I thank you for lessons learned and those to come
I now choose to move up
I have decided to belong inside of me
vibrating in unison with my perfect self

Opening Up Chakras With Essential Oils!

Karuna did a wonderful chakra meditation using aromatherapy this last Thursday at the office. For those of you who missed it I wanted to share with you what oils she used for the chakras.

Root Chakra - Balance
Earthy tones of Spruce needle/leaf, Ho wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils applied to the bottom of our feet helped us feel grounded.

Sacral Chakra - Digestzen
DigestZen® is a proprietary blend of pure essential oils. Ginger, peppermint, tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander and anise each have specific attributes which help restore normal balance in the digestive system and sacral chakra.

Solar Plexus - Lemon
One drop rubbed right into the stomach is very soothing.



Heart - Serenity
A relaxing blend composed of Lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla bean.

Throat - Deep Blue
A blend of wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, blue chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus work together to ease achy joints and sore muscles. We rubbed it on the neck and shoulders for muscle tension relief.

Third Eye - Lavender
Massaged right into the Third eye and it smelled soooo good!

Crown - Frankincense
Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils, frankincense is highly sought after by modern consumers for its many uses, including relaxation, immune support, and mood enhancement.

If you are interested in the oils or have more questions feel free to visit www.mydoterra.com/healingartsnyc.com
or contact me directly

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizers are a convenient way to clean your hands when soap and water are not available. However, they contain up to 90% isopropyl alcohol which is made from gas (petroleum) or about 60% ethyl alcohol. That is also known as ethanol. It is also the same stuff in wine, beer and Jack Daniels. That's right: A little 2-ounce bottle = 4 shots of vodka. (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/06/hand-sanitizer-on-rocks-please.html) Crazy! The alcohol in hand sanitizers can also be a fire hazard, cause severe skin and eye irritation, and be extremely drying to the skin. Any of you who I have helped detox petroleum solvent alcohol already know this. Instead of avoiding hand sanitizer you can now make your own! It's simple and will not only cleanse your hands, but moisturize them too.



What you need:

5 tablespoons aloe vera gel

4 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil

8-10 drops Dottera On Guard Essential Oil

Small Container

Note: Essential oils can be stored in plastic containers if the essential oils are highly diluted. Make sure they are high quality if you do use plastic containers. I use a glass dropper container which is a little heavier but I prefer glass.

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil.

2. Add 8-10 drops of On Guard Protective Blend to the aloe vera mixture.

3. Add water and mix well to combine. Add more or less water depending on the consistency you want.

4. Pour into container and you’re done! Put your homemade hand cleanser in your bag, car, or office for an effective, alcohol-free hand cleanser.

Lavender Oil Benefits

Lavender is one of the most used essential oils in the world because it's benefits are numerous! Because it is so popular I wanted to take the time to blog about it.  Lavender has been known to:

Reduce anxiety and emotional stress
Heal burns and wounds
Improve sleep
Restore skin complexion and reduce acne
Slow aging with powerful antioxidants
Improve eczema and psoriasis
Alleviate headaches




This is how I use it:

As a Natural Perfume-

Do you want to smell good without using toxic perfumes? Lavender oil is a great scent for women and for men too. You can either try adding pure oil directly to your skin, or you can dilute oil in coconut oil for a more subtle scent.

If you’d like to rub the oil right onto your skin, try adding 2-3 drops into your palms and then rubbing your hands together. Then add the oil directly onto on your skin, clothes, or hair. You can also try using 2 drops of lavender oil added to a spray bottle with about ½ cup of water. Shake up the spray bottle and then spray whatever you’d like. You may also want to consider combining lavender oil with other relaxing oils, like cedar wood essential oil or frankincense essential oil. 

As a Non-toxic Air Freshener-

The same way you use lavender oil as a perfume, you can use it around your home as a natural, toxic-free air freshener. Who needs Febreeze? Either spray lavender oil around your home or try diffusing it. To create a relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom before you fall asleep, try spraying the lavender oil and water mixture directly onto your bed sheets or pillow. You can try the same method in your bathroom as well, and also on your bath towels. Before taking a relaxing bath or shower, spray your towel with lavender oil so its relaxing scent is waiting for you when you step out of the shower.

As a Natural, Chemical-Free Lip Balm-

Lavender oil is excellent for preventing sun burns on the lips and also healing chapped, dried lips. Try adding a couple of drops of oil to shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil/coconut butter, or another “carrier oil” and then rubbing it into your lips for protection whenever you will be in the sun. If you are sun burned in other areas on your body, try using the same method to heal the skin more quickly and prevent itchiness and pealing that can result after a bad sun burn.

As a Remedy for Stomach Discomfort-

Many people find the scent of lavender to be soothing to the stomach. If you are feeling nauseous, or know that you are going to be traveling in a car of plane and are prone to motion sickness, spray some lavender oil on your skin and clothes or rub it into your temples, and palms.

As a Secret Flavor Booster in Healthy Recipes-

Lavender is a great flavor enhancer in things like grain-free muffins, teas, and even salad dressings. Lavender oil is completely edible, but you will want to use a very small amount since the taste is very powerful. Try adding 1-2 drops to your recipes for a surprising flavor booster. I use it with things like dark cocoa, pure honey, cranberries, balsamic vinaigrette, black pepper, and apples.  I have been wanting to do it in my homemade coconut milk ice cream but haven't gotten the chance to yet.  

The quality of essential oils makes all the difference just like the quality of ingredients when you cook or the quality of supplements you take.  I have done tons of research and muscle tested so many essential oil companies and doTerra essential oils test the best with Young Living essential oils as a very close second best.  We do carry doTerra lavender oil in the office for purchase or if you want to smell the tester.  Disclaimer: if you have a thyroid condition you should not use lavender oil in any way.  

Hair Detox for Beautiful Hair

I help my patients detox from the inside out but what if we detoxed from the outside? I help people with premature balding, hair thinning and hair breakage that is beyond the normal wear and tear of over treated hair. I have even created my own Hair Rejuvenation supplement which people get great results with.  Even though a lot of times the hair loss is due to a heavy metal reaction and I am helping the body deal with those stressors with whole food supplements, wouldn’t it be nice to get the hair healthy from the outside too?

After you have eliminated all dead ends, you will need several basic items to detox your hair. Most of the items used are products that you will have around the house or can be purchased very inexpensively from the store. You will need:
1. Baking soda
2. Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
3. Bentonite clay
4. Raw honey
With these four basic products, you will perform a simple hair cleansing and detox regime. Instead of using shampoos and conditioners full of chemicals, you will use the the baking soda and ACV. Raw honey is used for deep conditioning.

Hair Care Procedure:
• Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with one cup of filtered water in a bowl.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of filtered water in a second bowl.
• In the shower, first work the baking soda mixture through your hair. Rinse with cool water.
• Follow with the apple cider vinegar mixture and rinse with cool water.
• For added condition and shine, use a generous amount of raw honey after the ACV rinse. While your hair is completely wet, massage the raw honey through your hair, let it sit for a few minutes and rinse.

Now, the more often you wash your hair with baking soda and ACV, the faster your hair will detox. If your main goal is to detox, you can wash your hair with these mixtures every day.

Bentonite Clay Hair Mask to Hasten Hair Detox

To quicken the process, you can also use a Bentonite clay hair mask. Bentonite clay, essentially an absorbent ash, draws the toxins and excess oils out of your hair and scalp. I use bentonite clay in capsules for internal detoxing too.
The Bentonite clay hair mask is not a part of a daily cleansing regime, but should be used once a week at most.
To prepare the mask, you will mix equal parts bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar until it is the consistency of mustard.
After making the mask, cover your hair completely from roots to ends with the clay. Allow the mask to sit for about 30 minutes but take care to avoid letting it dry completely. You want your hair to still be pliable in order to easily wash it out.

Essential Oils and Such
During the hair detox, it is very important to avoid using any conventional products. After conditioning your hair with the apple cider vinegar, you may notice the smell lingering in your wet hair. Generally, the smell will dissipate in about a month as the detox process continues. Until then, you can use essential oils like lavender, jasmine, peppermint, or any of your favorite scents.
Here are two ways to apply the essential oils.
1. Before you get in the shower, you can mix the essential oils directly into the apple cider vinegar mix and cleanse as directed.
2. When you get out of the shower, you can apply a few drops of your favorite essential oil throughout your hair.

To replace conditioning or moisturizing products after cleansing, there are number of oils you can use. I’ve had good results 100% pure, organic argan oil to condition and heal the hair. Argan Oil has been used for centuries and is made from the Argan tree in the deserts of Morocco.

Wheat germ oil or coconut oil can also be used for conditioning. The great thing about all three of these oils is not only do they condition the hair, but they also protect against the ends from breaking off. As a result, the hair is strengthened which promotes hair growth.

Alternatives to Baking Soda for Hair Cleansing
Baking soda is inexpensive for detoxing your hair, but everyone’s hair is different. If you find your hair is detoxing, but reacting badly, fear not! Instead of the baking soda mixture, use pure Castile Soap instead. This soap achieves the same detoxing effects and even works better for some people. It’s all about finding what is best for you!
Enjoy beautiful hair!