PAMPERING: Pampered Pink Toes

Did you know that "there are 26 bones in the human foot, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons...and that "the 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body?" Considering this high "inventory" of our feet, doesn't it make a great deal of sense to regularly pamper them?
 

That's precisely what I did last Wednesday at The Beauty of Pampering. And, I have now given the owner/founder, Lina Woods, the title of Queen of Pampering. Truly, she earned every "toe" of that title! :-)

 

Let's take a refreshing "walk" with me as I offer a glimpse of Lina's "pouring into women" style of pampering. Her desire to "serve" as the Hands & Feet of Christ in this world was so highly evident to me during my private spa time -- from start to finish!

As I reflect on my incredible hour and a half-plus at The Beauty of Pampering, I almost feel a little teary-eyed (in a good way) as a result of the way Lina pours her HEART into this service. Her spa, that can also be experienced with a friend, is a must-try for the women of Clay County and beyond. Ladies, we deserve pampering of this kind, and Lina has made it affordable to do so!

 

 "Lavender Love" -- Naturally Soft Moisturizing Oil from Lina M Bath Boutique being added to my therapeutic Rose Petal Foot Soak. Can't you just feel the LOVE?

 

So, let's take it from the top!

It all started on the best of notes, because once I pulled up in the parking lot, to the right of my car was a truck that had a big sign standing in the back of it that said:-

 

 

Then, as I was approaching the southern-style porch at The Beauty of Pampering, and before taking a brief swing on this beautiful pink swing below, I heard Lina's sing-song voice: 

 

"Good Morning, Sunshine! You look so pretty!" :-)

 

We spent a few minutes on the porch chatting and simply enjoying the peace that can always be felt there, thanks to Lina's warm personality and the various forms of nature surrounding her Green Cove Springs location that offers a river view and overlooks Spring Park.

 

Next, I entered The Beauty of Pampering, and the first stop was at the table where Lina provides luxurious Sugar Scrubs for the hands of all her guests. Although I was there for foot attention, Lina explained: "We don't want your hands feeling left out." (By the way, all products used during services at The Beauty of Pampering are from Lina's other business, Lina M Bath Boutique.)  

 

I held my hands over a pretty porcelain bowl, and Lina poured water over them from a lovely porcelain pitcher. She then gave me a portion of the sugar scrub with the instruction to rub it all over my hands. After rinsing and drying, I already felt like I had a "new" pair of hands, but then I was told to select a moisturizer.

My choice: Papaya Joy Whipped Shea Butter. 

And, as if that wasn't enough, once we passed through Lina's Dance Studio while making our way to the spa, we made a pit-stop at some wonderful oil choices so that I could do some moisturizing "layering," as Lina puts it. Wow, after the sugar scrub, I didn't think my hands could feel any better, but with each additional product, the freshness in my hands simply increased!

My happy "new" hands and I then entered the private spa that awaited the pampering of my feet!!! I had just stepped into "another world!"

Relaxing music that had been selected with care played in the background, and all was right with the world! :-)

 

 

 

 Awww, a pink rose was awaiting me on the couch! Lina thinks of it ALL!



Upon sitting on the couch where the first part of my foot-journey would begin, a plate of fresh fruit, dark chocolate, and other goodies awaited me...along with a refreshing glass of perfectly-tasting lemon water!

 

Some of my favorite types of books -- spiritual ones -- were also near the plate. I picked up "A Heart For Prayer -- Encouragement for Your Prayer Life" by Gert McIntosh and landed on a parent prayer for children. My heart was warmed some more, as I am always excited to pray for my child.

 

At this time, my feet were soaking in really warm water followed by a delicious sugar scrub from the Queen of Pampering...which she did while sitting on the floor, I might add.
 

 

 The Second Round of Foot Soaking

"The Queen of Pampering" -- pouring her heart into my feet and my spirit.

 

Pampering at it's FINEST...

Although I didn't want to budge to snap a picture of the initial foot-soaking (when Lina sat on the floor), I absolutely had to take a picture of the second one! As shown, my feet were being blessed with Rose Petals and Lina's "Lavender Love" Oil. Oh my!! Who else provides this during a pedicure? And check out the bowl my feet are soaking in! Oh yes, Lina will surely treat you like the Queen that you are!

Honey was even applied to my feet during my spa time!


 

 Toe Stretch after all that amazing pampering!

The massage before the pretty pink polish was applied was out of this world. I absolutely love good pressure during massages, and the Queen of Pampering "nailed" that! I also thoroughly enjoyed the soft feeling of the pink plush towel my feet were resting on!

 

My lemon water and feet eventually made their way back out to the porch for some more nature-pampering after the inside spa time was complete.

 

See how well Lina also oiled/moisturized my legs?

Before heading out, I purchased Lina's Peach Paradise Oil, and I have used it EVERY day since! I love that it's a not-so-oily oil, and the aroma is delightful. I also purchased her Honey & Cream and Dominion soaps.

I then hit the pavement to head to my car, eventually transferring from the flip-flops to sandals. The picture in the blue shoes was taken later that day at the Wednesday evening service that Lina and I attended at The Potter's House in Jacksonville.

 



I wholeheartedly thank God for the many levels of pampering my mind, body, and spirit received last week Wednesday from Lina and The Beauty of Pampering and The Potter's House. Because so much health is passed on to the rest of the body via our physical foundation -- our feet -- I sincerely encourage each and every person reading this blog entry to "treat your feet!"

 

At my next appointment, I'm going deeper: Reflexology! So, stay tuned for details about that experience!

 

Book your appointment, too!

 

Cheers to Life & Health!!!

 

Happy Pampering...

 

 

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STRETCHING: Lengthen, Strengthen, Refresh

Good Evening, One & All. This was initially intended to be the Monday morning STRETCH on our ZoeHygiea Facebook page, but an evening STRETCH works great, too! After sitting at the computer for quite a while this morning, this simple stretch -- that involves the whole body -- was just what I needed.

To experience the refreshed feeling it gives, you can use a couch, desk, the seat or not-so-high back of a STURDY chair, or even a wall. If using a chair like our ZoeHygiea model and teen extraordinaire, Attiyah J., you may have to push the chair up against a wall or against a table to really secure it. I prefer using my solid-yet-fairly soft couch because of the way my hands just melt into it while holding the stretch. But, just work with what you have available or whatever feels best for you!

 

Here goes:

~ Place hands, shoulder-width apart, on chair, table, or whatever "prop" you are using. (Again, I used a couch.)
 

 
~ Hip-width apart, begin walking your feet back until you feel the comfortable lengthening of your spine. Your body will let you know if you have walked back too far or not enough. You want to feel as if your back is now the top of a sturdy table being held by straight legs (your arms and legs)! :-)

~ Keep your head and neck relaxed, eyes looking down at your feet. This will allow some refreshing in the face; you should really notice this as you eventually come out of the stretch.
 
~ Once you are holding the stretch in a way that feels "yummy" for you, start to play a little bit, such as lifting your heels and holding the lift to stretch your ankles, calf muscles, and hamstrings.

~ Then, returning to flat feet and keeping them hip-width apart, bend your knees in a squat-like position while making sure your knees stay behind your toes; you may need to adjust the position of your feet at this point. Feel/enjoy the glutes being stretched while allowing the hands to push more into the couch, chair, etc., as this can provide more lengthening of the upper body.

~ If you haven't done so already, engage your tummy muscles to activate your core while feeling as though you are pushing the chair, couch (or such) away from you while your bottom and hips are moving backward! Your WHOLE body will be involved in the process, and you should sweetly feel the combination of strengthening and lengthening!

 

Then, when you are ready...

 

~ Straighten your legs again to come out of the squat. Take some good, deep breaths.

 
~ Remain hinging forward while removing one hand at a time from the chair, etc., and then let your hands rest near your legs or on the floor (depending on your flexibility) while you hang in the forward bend stretch explained last week right here! 

 

~ With chin close to chest, rise very slowly to an upright position!

Feel refreshed now? I know I do...:-)

Happy Stretching!

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CONNECTION: Feeling The Presence of Christ

Pouring out after a delicious Saturday afternoon nap! :-)

After attending Effortless Christian Dance at 7:00 this morning, coming home and dancing some more, and then later returning the rent-a-car that I've enjoyed driving since my family's accident, I traded in the "dreaded" chore of planned car-shopping for a nice, long nap! And, I'm so glad I did, because the feeling I awoke to...well...there's nothing sweeter: the feeling of the PRESENCE of CHRIST hovering over me as I rested on my bed!

Additionally, a specific message, as if being spoken directly from Him, floated through my mind in a repetitious kind of way:

"Many people today confuse/misinterpret the various forms of worship as acceptance for many paths to our Heavenly Father! But, I am the way, the truth, and the life..." (As in John 14:16)   

To ensure I recorded the words exactly as I was "hearing" them over and over again, I wanted to hop out of bed and run to the computer to jot them down, but my body just wouldn't move at that pace at that moment. Perhaps, it was that I simply wanted to linger in the Presence of sweet Jesus!

What's interesting is that prior to my nap, I had been thinking that feeling the Presence of Christ, on deeper and deeper levels, will be -- hands down -- the most important of anything I ever do on this earth! "That IS my highest calling," I thought during this contemplation period.

With that in mind, prior to my nap, I had spent some time with my favorite devotional book: "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. I felt led to flip out of the August pages and into December -- Dec. 5th to be exact -- my birthday. Then, all sorts of passages fluidly began supporting my feeling about connecting with the Presence of Christ, my highest calling!

Some of these passages were:

Dec. 5: "Let My Presence override everything you experience. Like a luminous veil of Light, I hover over you and everything around you. I am training you to stay conscious of Me in each situation you encounter..."

Dec. 6: "...What I search for in My children is an awakened soul that thrills to the Joy of My Presence! I created mankind to glorify Me and enjoy Me forever. I provide the Joy; your part is to glorify Me by living close to me."

Dec. 19: "...Remember that your ultimate goal is living close to Me, being responsive to My initiatives. I can communicate with you most readily when your mind is uncluttered and turned toward Me. Seek My Face continually throughout this day. Let My Presence bring order to your thoughts, infusing Peace into your entire being."

The other part of the Dec. 5th entry, included:

"When the patriarch Jacob ran away from his enraged brother, he went to sleep on a stone pillow in a land that seemed desolate. But after dreaming about heaven and angels and promises of My Presence, he awoke and exclaimed: 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' His discovery was not only for him but for all who seek Me. Whenever you feel distant from Me, say: 'Surely the Lord is in this place!' Then, ask Me to give you awareness of My Presence. This is a prayer that I delight to answer."

And, boy oh boy, this is a well answered prayer for me that I DELIGHT in, regularly!! Nothing compares to feeling the Presence of Christ, and I am certain this "presence" can only go to deeper and deeper levels...which certainly lines up with a powerful sermon I heard last night: "Get Ready for the Next Dimension" by Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin at The Potter's House.

After writing this blog entry, I came upon The Secret Place® that has background worship music and shares content about "Soaking In The Presence Of God: The practice of being in His Presence..."

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STRETCHING: Natural Medicine

What a gift S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G is to the body!! How amazing it feels to use this art form to release stress and tension held deep within the muscles while encountering more space and length in the body! Sometimes, big yawns and watery eyes come with the process...simply signs of the body naturally releasing and restoring!!

Ahhh!! S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G! I believe it's a God-given form of natural medicine! Surely, it's a gift! :-)

As I look forward to September when I will return to teaching STRETCHING on the mat in a studio setting (not yoga), I've been stretching with Donna Flagg, a trained dancer, whose DVD, LASTICS®, "is a technique born directly from the world of dance."

As explained on this DVD: "Improved flexibility results from articulating your body in ways that isolate the ends of your muscles to gently pull them in opposite directions. Unlike methods that rely on external force to push a stretch, LASTICS® trains your body to move internally to stretch itself. That is how dancers move the way they do and also the key to flexibility." You can get a glimpse of Donna and some stretch-action here.

Say you're folding forward like in the picture used on the front of the LASTICS® DVD! When hanging forward (which you would have done slowly/carefully after dropping chin to chest), don't interrupt receiving the fullness of the stretch by bending the knees. It's better to hang your upper body much higher than you see above (meaning, hands not close to the floor) as opposed to bending the knees to get the hands to touch the floor! The straight-legs version provides more lengthening! Then, over time, you will find your hands drifting closer and closer toward your feet.

Just try to relax your mind and take each stretch a breath at a time, a step at a time. Don't worry...your flexibility WILL increase! But, the only way to truly make that happen is to actually begin S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G!

As Fitness Expert Chalene Johnson says: "You've been working so hard to make your body strong and fit. You've being doing your weight training; you've been doing your cardio; now, that third and so important component: FLEXIBILITY......It's a component that most people really overlook, and it's so important."

My nurturing stretching classes -- filled with elements that will help us lengthen and strengthen (in mind, body, and spirit) will be coming soon to the Green Cove Springs area in Florida. There, you'll also be able to dance with Lina, owner/creator of Effortless Christian Dance! (My other favorite form of exercise!)

Dancing & Stretching make a great combo! Blend them together, and the result will be a really "yummy" treat! :-)

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