Jane’s Blog

I have been a huge fan of shea butter for a very long time. Barely a day passes that I don’t recommend it as a cure for everything from dry hair, cracked heels, scars and lip balm to eczema! I am never without it and find that as a stylist it is my go to product to reduce fuzziness and to create texture in every manner of hair.
I have tried countless shea butters and find the Organic Essence to be my absolute favorite.
The integrity in this product is matchless and the groundbreaking 100% biodegradable packaging should be setting an example for the entire cosmetic industry. Actually the entire packaging industry for that matter.
Many products claim to be organic but in reality have only one or two organic ingredients in them. Every single ingredient in Organic Essence is organic . Many competitors who claim to reiki and fill their jars with love won’t commit to buying organic ingredients! You only need to have one organic ingredient in a jar to claim it is organic so that is why I read labels carefully and never assume that manufacturers share my high standards because sadly they are usually just thinking about a bottom line. This company also uses high quality essential oils in their line and they aren’t cheap with them. Each jar is beautifully scented with non toxic essential oils that aid in the healing process of all manner of issues physical and spiritual.
I love Organic Essence Shea Butter and think there are countless uses for this product in everyone’s life! Buy it and be a part of the solution! Support the good guys who are  making a difference by lightening the footprint on this planet.

My most recent visit to that wackiest of fests know as the New Life Expo yielded a great discovery in the form of a very interesting artist named Matthew Fraser who lives in Brooklyn and turned his considerable sculptural talents to making the very practical Miracle Step.

The Miracle Step is used to lift the legs 7 inches off the floor creating a posture akin to squatting which is the natural position for the body to vacate the bowel entirely. It fits perfectly around the toilet to be unobtrusive and is ergonomically constructed with bamboo. You will notice a difference immediately in how your body reacts and wonder how you could have ever lived without one. A great bonus is that it is esthetically very pleasing.

You can contact Matthew at 1-917-664-0372

or at his email address: matthew@miraclestep.com

http://www.miraclestep.com

Elimination Is Good!

2010 Bahamas Update: As it turns out there is organic produce to be had in Nassau, Bahamas at Good Fellows Farm which I have been told is near the airport. Hopefully Sivanada will forge a relationship with the farm to provide organic produce for the juice fasts and ultimately for all/much of their produce needs.

After my last visit I was assured by several staff members that Sivananda will be switching to eco-friendly cleaning products and abandoning their use of Lysol, Fantastick, Chlorine Bleach and heavily fragranced products. Baby steps but certainly in the right directions. March Forth!!

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I have attended the juice fast at Sivananda both in upstate New York at the Yoga Ranch and in the Bahamas at their Paradise Island ashram this year. Upstate New York offers an organic juice fast and the Bahamas does not.

Manu Dawson, a nutritionist from Integral Yoga, designed the ten day detox which incorporates three juices a day for seven days with raw food meals provided before and after the fast. Upstate New York in the summer is idyllic. At the ranch you can meditate and do yoga twice a day in the bucolic bliss of the Catskills or relax under a tree and take it easy noting the benefits of the juice cleansing your sluggish organs. The stone sauna on the property is the perfect place to speed up the detox process.

Having done dozens of juice fasts I think that more attention could be paid to making the juices delicious. Just because they are alkaline green juices doesn’t mean they have to taste like puddle water. I would also advise bringing your own lemons as they used organic lemon juice from a bottle (pasteurized for sure) if you are concerned about staying 100% live/raw.

Despite the taste factor  you do start to feel better. To add to your understanding of the detox process Manu lectures daily on subjects ranging from nutrition to supplements and various health practices. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and vitamins and is always handy with a remedy for a juice faster who has a nagging detox symptom.

The same can not be said of Sivananda Bahamas Juice fast. I went in knowing that the juices weren’t organic but had heard somewhere that most of the pesticides remain in the pulp and that it is better to juice with non-organic than not at all. I no longer believe this to be true.With each passing day I felt more and more tired and congested.I bailed about day 5 with a bad tooth ache and total exhaustion and just ate the salads provided in the main kitchen. Sivanada in the Bahamas does not maintain the property using eco products so you are inundated with the smell of bleach and lysol and fabric softener everywhere. Upstate new York has done an excellent job of greening all of their household/laundry cleaning products.I wish that the Bahamas would follow suit and practice ahimsa, the sanskrit term for doing no harm. It is a small eco system on Paradise Island and at the moment Sivananda is leaving a pretty big footprint on the pristine landscape.

Their excuse for not providing organic vegetables for the juice fast is that it is too hard to get to the island. They manage to get incense and peasant shirts from India to sell in their boutique so it seems that acquiring organic produce from the USA can be done if they plan for it. The setting otherwise is exquisite.Beautiful beach, rustic but comfortable rooms and plenty to keep you busy with the ever changing roster of guest lecturers and musicians arriving almost daily.

If you are looking to jump into the cleansing process I highly recommend the upstate Sivanada yoga ranch 10 day juice fast and would seriously advise you to skip the Bahamas version until they figure out how to get organic produce to Paradise Island

http://www.sivanada.org

Here are a few links to my favorite organic clothing companies.

For the basics I love the organic cotton leggings and perfectly fitted tees from Sust.

available at http://www.getsust.com

also i always check for sales at the Greenloop’s website.They showcase dozens of

eco-designers making it one stop shopping for the fashion savvy set.

http://www.thegreenloop.com

When my friend Heike arrived I could not help but notice the very cool rubber belt she was wearing. I had bought one years ago, a different style and had worn it out.Any bicycle/vegan or fashion enthusiast will love these belts made from inner tubes that has the hipness factor of black leather without the creepy karma of it. Her brother makes these belts in germany and you can check out the various styles at his website. She mentioned that shipping is free but you better check. The euro price translates to about 40 dollars US.

http://www.schlauch-shop.com

THIS IS SCOTT O’BRIEN IN HIS BEAUTIFUL NEW SHOP THE GREEN LIFE ON 
MAIN STREET IN SANTA MONICA.
THE GREEN LIFE HAS A COMPREHENSIVE LINE OF SUPPLIES FOR CREATING A 
PERFECT GREEN LIFE.
THE SHOP STOCKS BABY CLOTHES, BEDDING, CLEANING SUPPLIES AND ALL 
THE LITTLE IN BETWEEN CHOICES THAT MAKE
LIFE FAR LESS TOXIC.
http://www.thegreenlifeco.com

A YOGA POWERED JULIANO PLANS WORLD DOMINATION

      JULIANO’S RESTAURANT RAW IN SANTA MONICA HAS SOME OF THE BEST LIVE FOOD IN THE COUNTRY. DON’T MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAMPLE THE RESULTS OF 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE KITCHEN. HE IS A LIVING LEGEND AND DESERVES ALL OF THE ACCLAIM AND RESPECT HE GETS. IT ALL STARTED WITH HIM.

   http://www.planetraw.com

JOHN GILBERT WEARS HIS NATURAL HIGH WELL

NATURAL HIGH SALESPERSON AND MUSICIAN JOHN GILBERT WEARING SOME OF THE COMFORTABLE THREADS FROM THE SHOP.
HE IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THEIR STORE ON MAIN STREET IN SANTA MONICA.

http://www.naturalhighlifestyle.com

THIS LIVE FOOD RESTAURANT HAS TWO LOCATIONS: CULVER CITY AND SHERMAN 
OAKS.
ASIDE FROM THE RESTAURANTS THEY HAVE MANY DELICIOUS, REASONABLY PRICED SNACK ITEMS IN LOCAL HEALTH FOOD STORES. A HUGE VARIETY FROM CHIPS TO DESSERTS.. THEIR MENU HAS FANTASTIC SALADS AND SMOOTHIES.

http://www.leafcuisine.com