for a restful nap while in nyc...

wow now you can buy a nap in 20-40 min segments in nyc (more cities in the works) on a YeloNap.

check it out... www.yelonyc.com

a fun quiz for yogis

I'm a Balanced Yogi!

A Balanced Yogi (Maria) You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits. You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!

a truffle of happiness

we were in walnut creek, ca a couple of weekends ago and my cousin took us to this incredible chocolate shop cafe called moonstruck. i love love love truffles so i can really appreciate a divine one or two. i chose a handful of truffles which to our surprise was on ted, the manager that day.

if you're in that part of town, visit moonstruck.

my other favorites:
In NYC MarieBelle
I buy their chocolates online when i make my own truffles. By far, the best for baking. Bernard Callebaut.

back in stock

Organic Fiji stock update:

Lotion: cucumber melon, lavender, tea tree spearmint (my fav for the morning).
Coconut oil: pineapple coconut

** the "breeze" scent has been retired in soaps, oils and lotions.

cocktail party politics

here's a cool website i learned about from my east coast sister... Polichicks Online

note for the sb locals who care that oprah and friends will be here sept 8 for barack fundraiser in our very own san ysidro ranch. not that i keep track of this stuff ;-)

beam me up scotty

I watched Star Trek last night. Not something alot of people know about me. My deeply hidden geeky side. I love the subtleties -- we create our own reality, our reality is an illusion based on our perception and love is stronger than force of will.

Life IS a mystery (ditto from Madonna) that we are here to explore, past, present, future.

Isn't all this in alignment with "The Secret"?

my thoughts today...

comfort essentials growing in popularity

i've noticed home spas are really expanding (yay for calming influences) and a surge in comfort essentials sales. grab yours now because in the Fall I'll focus only on the latest fabric trends by offering a reduced selection of eye pillow, neck wraps and mules. We're phasing out the body wraps. grab one now, they'll be gone in October!

If you've purchased a comfort essential, send me your feedback...
maria@destressEssentials.com

stay well,
maria

hula hooping for wellness

friday i got to hula hoop in the park on my lunch hour. I was asked to demo hula hooping to ucsb's eap wellness program. success! didn't take much demo'ing though. the very enthusiastic gals just picked up the hoops and got their hoop groove on. here are some photos from that fun afternoon.

Hula Hooping Health Benefits:
• Superb cardio and strength workout. Builds endurance.
• Blasts the fat from the belly! Strengthens the core muscles the way sit ups do.
• A whole-body experience similar to yoga.
• Promotes correct body alignment from the circular motions and proper posture in the upper body routines.
• Speeds weight loss by boosting metabolism
• Relieves stress with fun fitness which makes you feel happy
• Saturates your body with energy and a feeling of well-being


Hula Hooping Emotional Benefits:
• Calms the mind, clears the head
• Great boost for stirring up creativity in the workplace!
• Uplifts your spirit
• Builds confidence (to ask for that raise, to be proactive contributor in meetings)
• Banishes the blues
• Creates child-like playfulness, which is great in exercising the right brain which we tend to lose as adults.
• Creates community & cooperation in the workplace (co-workers who laugh together collaborate together)
• Allows you to appreciate your whole body and the perfect individual you are.
• Allows you to shift awareness and allow more expansion into your life, in and out of the hoop.

zaca fire in santa barbara county

have you heard about it? the zaca fire in santa barbara county's back country. in this tiny part of the world serious fires have been burning for a couple of months now. the fire dumped ashes and smoke on the area with evidence still seen on some cars. rancho osos animals, where sabrina herded sheep, were evacuated.

the fire is contained (meaning still burning but under control) now due to the thousands of hard working firemen on the front lines and off. Off line meaning, sometimes I forget about the crews communicating with the public about the fires. they're the ones holding town hall meetings, answering phones, coordinating with the red corss, and posting bulletins, all to prevent widespread panic and rumors.

feeling safe, such a thing i take for granted sometimes because it seems to come so easy here. i count my blessings.

News and how to support:
http://www.newspress.com/sbnp_zaca_2007/index.html

dear spahhh talk readers, i'm back to blogging after a short stint offline. truthfully, i've just not had content free flowing from my blogging mind, you know that whittiness. maybe it's the beautiful summers that has had me outside more than in front of the computer so yay for that. hope you're enjoying the summer too.

the store re-design planning is going well. thinking of getting some survey out for what customers might like to see in the new site. any thoughts on features you'd like to see or improvements, general comments? email me: maria@destressEssentials.com.