People in my life know how much I love natural products as an enjoyable and healthy part of my daily ritual. I might even be accused, at times, of being a “pusher” of natural and organic products. If that’s a crime, then I guess I am guilty as charged.

It makes me happy to use natural scent (aromatherapy really works in lifting spirits). In addition, my body reaps the benefits of the healing properties of my favorite natural body care. I like to think that I also bring a smile to the faces of my friends when they say, “ahhh, you smell like a spa!”

One of my favorite products, I helped create for our IO organic product line. It’s our IO BALANCE Deodorant, an all-natural way to refresh. This product has a novel concept at its core. Instead of covering up bad body odor, it actually helps to purify and strengthen the immune system with Echinacea and Lavender, as well as neutralize odorous bacteria.

It seems utterly backwards to me to use deodorant with aluminum or other chemicals that are bad for your health, especially in an area as receptive as the underarm and so close to the lymph system. Instead of jeopardizing your health, treat your delicate areas with a gentle elixir, like IO Balance. While it can take a few weeks for some bodies to detox from an old chemical deodorant routine, in the long run you will be thankful.

For the record, humans are meant to sweat.

If you are still set on using a name brand deodorant, do your body a favor. Don’t use the antiperspirant variety that prevents sweating. It’s not natural or healthy. Instead, work on purifying your bodily systems and minimize odor by drinking lots of water, eating clean foods and consider switching to products that cleanse and scent, naturally.

Smell fresh, like a spa, and ‘balance’ the only body you’ve got.

Peace,

Amy

In the past year, my life has altered for the better with a focus on personal time in the morning and it’s changed the way I feel when I wake up. Some call it a morning “routine”, but I like to call them rituals since the language is more ceremonial and in line with the intention of the honoring of self.

Each morning I make time for rituals that get my day started in a way that feels good to me. These rituals serve as a powerful centering practice and a time of self-connection.

I encourage you to explore your own rituals, as you are your own best guide. But, as food for thought in creating your morning practices, I will share mine with you:

MY MORNING RITUALS

Centering Myself
Meditate for 30 minutes.

Hydrate and Energize
Drink a glass of water and eat a piece of fruit or granola bar.

Exercise, Music and Nature
Put on my ipod and walk for an hour or so in my neighborhood through parks and as close to trees and wildlife as possible.

Cleanse and Suit Up
Return home to shower and dress for the day.
This is a common morning routine, of course, but I look at it as a cleansing and self-care ritual that refreshes and prepares me for the day. This step is a transition from the morning of personal time to an outward focus on the world, and the people and events in it.

More Energy
Eat another snack with protein if possible (eggs or yogurt usually).

Affirmations & To Dos
I make my list:
1. On one side of the paper I write what I need to do today and prioritize the list.
2. On the other side of the paper I write what I want the universe to help me manifest.
This method works well for me as it combines the power of affirmation with personal action items to focus me on what I want to accomplish everyday. I don’t get it all done, but I give myself a break about that. There’s always more to do.

Yes, I wake up early and make 2 hours for myself on most days, but if you have less time that’s okay. Focus on doing at least one thing that you love as a morning ritual. Enjoyment is very helpful in starting your day right and so is time for self-connection.

Rise and shine,
Amy

Since I no longer own a car, biking seemed like a great way to get around and have weekend adventures on breathtaking back roads around the Bay Area. I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and explore my dream of doing a century ride (100 miles) through Marin or Big Sur.

While I am known for big dreams, unfortunately, my visions of Lance Armstrong riding up beside me, telling me I had great form and asking me if I wanted to ride with him, came to a screeching halt when I had a close encounter with a cement wall a week ago.

At that tail end of a 50 mile biking weekend around Marin County with my good friend, Jessica, I had a nasty crash.

We had just taken a yoga class to tend to our sore muscles, still adjusting to biking long distances. Biking home, we crossed a narrow path on a cement bridge (that I should have been, as the signs suggested, walking my bike on). On the downhill section of the bridge I had problems with my left foot clipping into my pedal (clip-ins, by the way, are the main cause of falls for new bikers).

You guessed it, I bit the dust. But before I landed squarely on my rear, I managed to slide along the cement wall. My mouth hit first then my chest, which was clad only in a yoga tank top. I got road rash and deep abrasions from my nose, upper lip, chin all the way down my chest and a gash on my left hip. I am blessed that I didn’t break my nose or lose any teeth. I thank my lucky stars.

But, I’ll be honest, it wasn’t pretty and after a full day in bed, I was on a mission to make sure my ghastly scabs didn’t become scars.

Just over a week later, my face is seriously, almost magically, back to normal with only a slight amount of pinkness. Here’s what worked for me…

TIPS FOR HEALING SKIN QUICKLY

Get Your Rest
Sleep and relaxation is key so your body can focus on healing.

Homeopathic Remedies
Arnica and Rescue Remedy should be taken for shock and pain. When you feel better, you heal faster.

Drink Lots of Fluids
Your body must be hydrated internally to heal externally. What you do on the inside supports what happens on the outside. It’s just that simple. Drink lots of water, herbal tea to hydrate and pineapple juice for extra healing enzymes.

Vitamins
Get enough vitamins internally. I took two packets of Emergen-C per day.

Keep it Clean and Dry
Until the wounds dry out, keep them clean and uncovered as much as possible and only apply antibiotic cream at this point. Minimizing the possibility of infection is critical for speedy healing.

Hydration and Regeneration
Once the wounds are drying out, apply In Fiore’s Fleur Vibrante to hydrate and regenerate your skin. Alternately, between applications of Fleur Vibrante, apply Aloe Vera gel (100% pure only). Once the scabs begin to fall off, continue to apply Fleur Vibrante at least once a day and at night.

Protect New Skin
Wear sunscreen on the new skin which is extra sensitive and more likely to hyper-pigment.

Be healed,

Amy

So, what do peas and healthy skin have in common? Read on to find out.

Since it’s the only skin I’ve got, I do what I can to maintain it. Instead of doing the nip and tuck thing, healthy eating habits and a simple daily skin routine can keep skin supple and healthy (maybe not ageless, but who really wants to look like a mannequin anyway?).

I trust Arcona’s natural and highly effective skincare products to take care of my skin. With every new product I learn something valuable and gain another helpful tool. I was most recently impressed with their peptide product made with sweet peas. What do you know, peas aren’t just for dinner anymore.

Arcona’s newest product, Peptide Firming Complex, is specifically for skin that needs a little extra attention, whether it be fine lines or a loss of moisture. This powerful anti-aging serum contains advanced tripeptides to help combat wrinkles and age damage. These peptides encourage collagen and elastin production. Arcona delights me again with this product as they utilize unexpected natural ingredients – Peptide Firming Complex contains natural pea extract which has been shown to tighten and strengthen skin. I know my mother would approve.

Peptide Firming Complex by Arcona
Anti-aging serum, rich in skin remodeling peptides, helps reduce fine lines, loss of elasticity and repairs age-damaged skin. Attracts and binds moisture to the skin with hyaluronic acid, a powerful natural hydrator. Leaves skin luminous, firm and revitalized.

USE
Use daily, morning and evening. Apply 1-2 pumps to clean skin in AM and/or PM.

If you don’t indulge your skin, who will?

Pass the peptides, please,

Amy

In addition to learning about the places I traveled and the people I encountered, traveling alone for almost two months taught me a surprising amount about myself (what I can live without, what frightens me when I’m alone, what simple things make me happy, what my ideal personal day is like).

The trip was one of the best teachers of my life. And, I am abundantly grateful. I encourage you to seek out ways to get outside of the bubble you live in, however you can.

Here are a few words, as well as photos, from my transformational experience…

CEREMONY. RITUAL. EXPLORATION.
A spiritual journey through Southern Asia.

India. Cambodia. Vietnam. Laos.

The earth’s most impoverished people are also the most beautiful.
Rich dichotomies are food for learning in the colorful honesty of the third world.

Heavenly fragrance
Hideous stench
Lavish temples
Beggars
Vibrant color
Flowing fabric
Rich flavors
Surreal shrines
Shiva and Buddha
Rhythmic chanting
Ceremonial dance
Artful worship
Powerful teachers
Sadhus and Monks
Indigenous healing
Herbs and potions
Ayurveda and acupuncture
Reiki and palm reading
The energy of prayer
Children laughing
Waterfalls
Blue ocean expanse
Birds in flight
Overwhelming generosity

Love in the bright smiles
and fearless eyes,
opens me.

Simply the happiest people on the planet
because they live simply.

Now, through these photographs,
taken mostly on disposable cameras,
taste my life-changing exploration.

Namaste,

Amy

Honey, the sweet nectar of flowers, the bi-product of honey bees, has long been used in healing and beauty products and, of course, as a syrupy sweetener of food and drink.

Egyptians used honey for healing wounds as well as for beauty treatments. The legendary Cleopatra, who was known for her beauty and gorgeous complexion, had a few tricks up her sleeve, like bathing in milk and honey to soften and purify her skin.

As it turns out, Western physicians are now starting to use honey, the manuka variety especially, to treat burns and infections because of its antibacterial and antibiotic properties. For these same reasons we use honey in our facials at IO and it’s also the same reason that one of the main ingredients in Arcona’s Toner Tea Bar is manuka honey (a special kind of honey made by New Zealand honey bees).

In our curative IO Facials, we draw from select products made of fresh herbal and plant extracts, essential oils, naturally active enzymes, alpha-hydroxy acids and antioxidant vitamins. No generic facial products are used in any of our facials and, in fact, we mix many of our treatment masks with honey for its added healing and purifying qualities.

Arcona’s Toner Tea Bar is an antioxidant facial cleanser that heals and strengthens the skin as it tones and minimizes pores. It neutralizes free radicals, calms and protects skin with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory green and black teas. It nourishes and clarifies with antibacterial enzyme-rich manuka honey and vitamin E.

Toner Tea Bar is good for all skin types and guarantees great results without any fillers, chemical stabilizers, artificial colors, emulsifiers, petro-chemicals, animal bi-products or drying alcohols.

Product Usage Tip
Cut the cleansing bar into halves or quarters so it lasts longer and for easy to use travel sizes.

Thanks, honey!

Amy

It was remarkable to get quiet and go inward to meet my mental demons and angels. It was especially remarkable for me to do so on a weekend when I knew my loved ones and friends were celebrating and spending time together. I knew this Independence Day would be a worthy challenge for me.

Rules for the weekend: no eye contact with other retreat goers, no talking except in a meeting with a teacher, only vegetarian meals, no harming of any animals, even insects, during the stay.

Our schedule: wake up at 6:00 AM, sitting meditation at 6:30 AM, eating meditation over breakfast at 7:00 AM, 7:45 AM sitting meditation, 8:30 AM walking mediation and so on until 9:30 PM.

I had a beautiful albeit challenging experience of silence and focus with smatterings of elation and joy mixed in with wanting to run for the hills, doing mental back flips and dealing with achy hips.

In the spirit of the celebration weekend and to connect to those outside of the retreat center, I spent a full hour in meditation doing Metta (loving kindness) practice. I was sending our IO community of staff and clients, as well as my family and friends, wishes for success, happiness, peace, safety and freedom from suffering. It felt fitting to offer up my own mental ‘fireworks’ of loving kindness.

On Sunday morning after a day and a half of silent meditation, something noteworthy happened. During one of my seated meditations, I was overcome by a wave of sadness that was quickly met by abundant compassion. Then, two tears welled up in my closed-eyes and rolled down my cheeks. The emotion passed like a wave and I felt extremely open and spacious. It was a testament to the power of letting go and of the openness and inner peace that meditation practice fosters.

I highly recommend trying a silent retreat sometime. I’m not sure it’s something you feel extremely ‘ready’ for since it’s challenging. But, as our teacher Eugene Cash reminded us this weekend, we meditate because it is the kind of suffering that leads to LESS suffering instead of the kind that leads to more suffering.

Happy Independence Day.

May all beings be free,

Amy

There is a Chinese saying, “good things come in pairs.”

As a child growing up in a Chinese home, this adage was one of those “parental phrases” where the meaning was lost in translation (and / or by virtue of age).

But, as I continue along the journey of life, I have begun to understand and realize the power of 2. In fact, life brings us many pairings. Night and day, yin and yang, cheese and wine, and heart and head. Sometimes it is the contrast or the combination of the 2 (ideals, people, things) that creates life’s most fulfilling and illuminating experiences.

Just this past week, I experienced a healing yet powerful pairing at IO: acupuncture and massage with Ilya Jacobson. As a deep tissue massage junkie and a committed client of IO’s massage practice, I always thought of massage as simply a solo treatment. It wasn’t until I arrived at the spa on Friday with an insurmountable headache (which ungodly amounts of water and acetaminophen could not cure), that I woke up to the beauty of the acupuncture and massage combo.

Acupuncture, an ancient healing practice of treating pain and medical, emotional or mental issues, is a powerful method of healing and aligning body and mind. The origins of the practice can be traced as far back as the Stone Age, when the Mongolians used sharpened stones to treat ailments. Today, thanks to its demonstrated history and powerful effects, acupuncture is not to be dismissed. Naysayers are converts once they experience the relaxing and healing effects of acupuncture.

After entering the circular treatment room, Ilya, with his kind, warm and “just be” nature, suggested with ease that we address my headache through acupuncture added to the session. “Yes,” I said, and the rest followed. We began with a gentle acupuncture treatment tailored to my specific needs, which Ilya seamless integrated with a full body deep tissue massage. Ilya’s work unarmed my mind and body issues. After the 90 Minute session, I felt supremely restored.

What I carried into the room – my headache, cumulative emotional stress, and personal inhibitions – was released. Light and free, I became.

Thanks, Ilya, and the team at IO for bringing this dynamic combination, acupuncture and massage, to us. You’ve coupled a beautiful pairing. Now, I can rightly say that good things DO come in pairs.

Reiki means universal life force energy and it’s a balancing and healing art with a broad range of happy benefits to both giver and receiver. This healing technique was developed in Japan by Mikao Usui (1865-1926).

Reiki works on the energy flow in the body, otherwise know as Chi in Chinese Medicine or Prana in the Yogic tradition. It has a healing, balancing and extremely relaxing effect on the mental, emotional and physical body. Reiki empowers the body’s innate self-healing ability.

Reiki is usually performed fully clothed and utilizes the light touch of the practitioner’s hands on specific energy centers of the body often channeling heat and sensation from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet. This kind of bodywork is, in one way, the opposite of deep tissue massage in that it is very gentle and calming.

But, I must say, as someone who L-O-V-E-S deep tissue massage, Reiki works beautifully for me. Deep tissue work addresses the musculoskeletal system in the Western medical tradition of treating a specific symptom as opposed to Reiki’s more holistic and Eastern approach of treating the cause of a symptom or the root of the problem, in this case the places where bodily energy gets stagnant or blocked.

Similarly to deep tissue massage, Reiki can help with tension or old holding patterns “stuck” in the tissues of the body. Reiki can also center us with such power that it effects our connection to self and spirit. My business partner and friend, Melissa and I often talk about Reiki being a way to plug into something larger than ourselves, a way to press the reset button on whatever junk or stress might be caught in the mind and body at a given time.

Reiki is powerful stuff and without getting too woo-woo about it, it’s something I believe everyone should experience. Reiki is healing and enlightening. Plus, afterwards I always feel happy as a clam and buoyant as a butterfly. Truly.

Our very own IO Massage Therapist, Carrie Stone, is a Reiki Master. She’s genius. Even though we don’t list Reiki on our spa menu, book a regular massage with her and ask her to do Reiki for either the entire session or to work it in to your regular IO 60 or 90 Minute Massage. You will be thankful.

Namaste,

Amy

Staycation is the new buzzword for Americans looking to enjoy time-off without leaving their local area. It’s an eco-friendly and economical replacement for a vacation that would otherwise require costly and carbon-emitting travel.

In an effort to simplify, I recently donated my car to Spirit Rock and became a member of CityCarShare so the staycation concept is looking even sweeter to me these days.

Mount Tamalpais is my favorite backyard haven for a close-to-home, healthy dose of nature. Many hiking trails meander through towering redwoods, birds soar overhead and there’s usually prettier weather on Mt. Tam than San Francisco summers yield. Mill Valley can be foggy, but on Mt. Tam it’s often a clear view to the whitewashed San Francisco cityscape and out to the blue ocean expanse of the Pacific. Peace of mind is easy to find just over the Golden Gate.

If you want to make it a sleepover, choose between the spartan West Point Inn nestled on the west peak of Mt. Tam (hiking in is the only option) or for more luxury and car access try the Mountain Home Inn not far from the trail heads.

If your legs are weary from all that hiking, melt into some spa treatments and yoga at International Orange. This week, Style.com and Victoria Traina gave our very own spa and yoga services the thumbs up as a staycation spot for “all things health and beauty… ‘amazing massages’ and Vinyasa yoga classes”.

Read what Style.com had to say.

Staycationing in San Francisco,

Amy