Feng Shui is pronounced “Fung Shway” and can be used to help you rest better and enhance your own love life. If this seems like something you would want to implement to your bedroom, there are a few “rules” which you will need to figure out to guide you achieve a feng shui bedroom.

The bed is actually probably the most major part of your furniture in the bedroom. Any bed should be in a command location. This means that a person’s bed needs to be in whole view of the room door although not in the direct line of the door. You will also need to leave a sufficient amount of space on both sides of the bed for everyone to get in and out of bed with ease.

Also, do not ever have your bed in the position in which your feet are facing the door. This is very harmful Feng Shui. This kind of position is known as the death posture or coffin position, considering the dead are usually carried out by their feet.

It’s better whenever people opt for to have your bedroom in the farthest room in your home from the front door. This is said to provide the mind increased security considering there’s that much more distance between anything coming in the door and you resting in bed.

It is undesirable Feng Shui to have your bedroom pointing toward the front entrance. However, sometimes we have no real choice where the bedroom is situated but you can in spite of this utilise many other techniques to Feng Shui your bedroom.

Eliminate clutter. Any sort of mess that reaches around your head that can make people feel anxious, consequently you will need to clean all sorts of things which shouldn’t be piled up on your table dresser or side furniture. The clutter will suppress the Chi from flowing naturally as it should.

Anything in your current bedroom that has to do with other things that don’t have to do with sleep or the bedroom need to be taken out. For instance if you have job related objects in your bedroom, these things should be taken out and replaced. Computers, tvs and also other electronics do not belong in the bedroom either.

These are generally three of the most effective recommendations that can be given for people who choose to turn their sleeping rooms straight into a Feng Shui heaven. Feng Shui will enrich your existence and can help improve your sleep habits so you get up feeling being much more relaxed as well as totally regenerated.

There are actually all kinds of other things people have to bear in mind when you plan set up a feng shui bedroom. Always make sure you do as much basic research as you can before you begin. You need to understand exactly what you are going to do and precisely how to accomplish it before you get started. You actually don’t have to be a believer for Feng Shui to bring amazing things in your existence.

What exactly was I doing, perusing these shelves of comfort foods? Why I was trying to find my nuke-and-serve lasagna. Hey, I was short on time! The thing is, all of us are short on time, but with rising food prices, some meals would be best made from scratch with some of our useful kitchen appliances. A few convenience foods aren’t worth the hefty price. Preparing rice, for instance, is one such case.

Many Chinese food cooks scoff at the thought of preparing a great batch of rice and freezing portions for future meals. “It is so quick to cook rice, why hassle?” is what I normally hear. But, I think otherwise. I can cook rice in just one effort. Rice freezes well, so hold that bit of idea in your mind. This way, it would convenient for me to get a bag out from the fridge and just steam it in a microwave, especially when I am in a hurry. After all, that is what those expensive  food suppliers are trying to market: saving you the time and effort of cooking rice!

So, listed below are our two ways to cook rice that’s nice and fluffy and never sticky.

1. If you don’t have a rice and vegetable steamer, consider acquiring one.
   This can be a very beneficial kitchen appliance as it delivers effortless clean up, won’t have to be monitored, and yes, it ensures that you get the utmost nutritive value out of the cooked rice. They come in different sizes and prices from $10 to $20. Basically, it has a motor situated at the bottom level and a multi-purpose bowl that sits on the top. All you need do is determine the amount of rice desired, add water, put the lid on, and set the cooking timer on. Each and every device specifies the rice to water percentage, as well as preparing times, not only for cooking rice, but for a number of different vegetables. You may also dissolve a chicken or beef cube in the water for flavor. To bring in more aroma and taste to your rice, you may add in parsley or a few herbs like Chinese Five Spice.
2. The second method to make a nice, fluffy and non-sticky rice calls for a 3-quart microvable dish to produce 5 cups of cooked rice.
   To achieve this, estimate 2 1/2 rice cups into the bowl, add 5 cups of water (you may prefer to have it blended with a bouillon cubes) and a teaspoon of salt. Make sure to stir the salt through the rice. Put it in a microwave for thirteen minutes, and set the power level to 6 (based on an 1100-watt oven). There should still be water in the dish. By this time, change the power to level four and continue microwaving for 3 minutes. If the rice is cooked, and no water remains, it’s done. Fluff it up using a fork and cover with plastic wrap. Set it aside on the counter and allow it to steam for thirty minutes. It should be perfectly cooked by then.

If you want to have a fool-proof outcome every time you are going to cook rice, abide by these above procedures. Cooking rice is simple!

The Buddhist flags hung in honor of Buddha's birthday in Patan, Kathmandu

Buddhism is everywhere here in Nepal and it’s intermingled with Hinduism. It seems though that most people I come across are Buddhist. I have always had an interest in Buddhism; they say it’s a philosophy and not a religion. That may be true but here in Nepal it comes across as very religious to me.  The temples alone yell religion and then all the people performing different rituals also smacks of it. Religion isn’t so bad; it brings comforts to millions. Ritual is amazing; it creates energy like nothing else I’ve ever seen. And yet, I find myself resistant to it.  Here in Nepal though I feel slightly less resistant. When I am asked if I am a Buddhist the next question is usually if I am a Christian. When I tell them I’m nothing they don’t try and convert me, they just listen.

So Lord Buddha’s (as they call him) birthday is May 27^th and I happened to be in Nepal for it. It’s actually a national holiday here as you can expect. Being next to the gumpa that contains all the mini monks Buddha’s  birthday was an interesting experience for me. All the trumpet playing and horn blowing they have been practicing seemed to be for this day. It was a full moon and I went onto the roof to watch the boys playing their trumpets out towards the city.

I couldn’t get any good pictures from our roof so I decided to go up on theirs. I had my camera with me and as I went to go up on the roof many of the monks were outside the gumpa. They beckoned me and asked that I please, please come in.

Up to this point I had been afraid to go in. I can’t really tell you why. I guess I didn’t want to be disrespectful, this lame tourist poking around inside a religious structure. I think I was also waiting for an invitation. So I finally had it and I removed my shoes and followed the monks in.

It’s so beautiful inside with large statues of Buddha and some other folks. I learned that you always walk clockwise around any religious site here and so I followed the path around inside. The energy inside the gumpa was astounding; I could feel it circulating clockwise through the building. I could feel the energy of everyone that had come that day to pray. It was positively vibrating. As I walked around I saw mini monks stashed away in corners repeating mantras out loud, sometimes in pairs, sometimes alone.

The gumpa next door

Doorway to the gumpa

As I came to the end again there was a local prostrating himself. It’s quite something to see someone doing this. It’s so humble, almost apologetic. He was doing this movement over and over across the floor as if to say “forgive me, I am so worthless, make me better.” It wasn’t in the direction of Buddha’s statue and I wasn’t about to interrupt him to ask him to who or what he was doing this to. Perhaps it was just himself.

The mini monks asked if I wanted to learn how it was done and I hesitantly said yes. I have this fear of looking like an idiot because I don’t get something right the first time, but I know that it’s better to say yes and have a new experience.

One young monk showed me first. You stand up straight and put your hands in prayer position, then you bring them to your head, your heart, and then you get down on the ground and bow your head all the way down. Then you push yourself up without using your hands more than once for the push.

The first time I tried this I had to use my hands twice, I didn’t really trust my own strength on the hard marble floor and I was being watched. I could see on their faces that I had done it wrong even though they were obviously trying to hide it. I tried again and this time got smiles from the two monks. This is the kind of magical thing I hoped for, the sort of romantic idea that got into my head when I first heard the name Nepal. After this I felt uneasy, wondering what I should do now that I had made my rounds so I made my way out into the entranceway and watched all the young monks gathering at the lit candles. They were picking them up and bringing them inside for some purpose that I couldn’t gather, mostly because I didn’t ask. I kept having this sense like I was interrupting something, that I was an outsider. I felt myself shrinking back. I wanted to take a picture badly but was afraid to ask. I didn’t want to make a wrong impression or say something wrong but the photo opportunity was too good to let go.

I haven’t prostrated myself since then but I have this feeling like it would do me some good. I think it would do a lot of people some good. Do I have to prostrate myself to some religious god? Shouldn’t I prostrate myself in front of my own self judgment instead. I could learn to be easier and more care free…

Woman performing a ritual in honor of Buddha's birthday

Night time setup

So what’s it like living in Nepal for 2 months? First off, there is electricity for only 4 to 12 hours a day. I always wondered how people got by on just candles back in the day. It’s not so bad honestly, and you bring a headlamp to get by when you’re not working with candles. I keep finding myself wandering out of an area without candles and realizing that it’s pitch black. The power is often on at 3 am or some other really convenient time that I can’t quite understand. I find myself working on my blog by candlelight, which I find pretty ironic… As ironic as people carrying huge buckets of water on their shoulders and then stopping to answer their cell phone.

Western standards of cleanliness don’t apply here; I’m far from a germaphobe but I find myself amazed at the amount of dirt and grime on everything. The people that live here don’t notice it because it’s how they live. I find myself trying to just be cool and ignore the filth, but I have to admit there have been a few days where I struggle. Walking into the clinic kitchen and seeing Urmila preparing lunch on the floor is something you just can’t prepare your mind for. I think to myself, okay, that’s how they do it here and look they’re all fine. Every time there’s something just a little bit crunchy in my lunch I have to cringe and tell myself it’s just an un-ground piece of pepper. Right. If you’re the kind of person that walks around with hand sanitizer in their purse never, ever, come here. You will have a complete meltdown, or maybe you should come and get over it.

Local water fountain

Water is scarce so we put a bucket under the tap while we wait for the water to be heated by the solar panels; this water is then used to water plants and to do your laundry. Being here has made me realize that while I’ve fancied myself a conservationist I have a lot to learn. The clinic reuses water bottles until they start to stink. The sponges used in the kitchen for cleaning don’t get thrown out at the first sign of wear. There is no washing machine or dryer so it’s all done by hand. All food scraps are saved in the kitchen in a bucket for compost. I keep putting a lid on the bucket because it attracts flies and Uma (the cleaning lady) keeps removing it. I mention this to Nicky and she says that the concept of keeping the flies out of something has probably never occurred to Uma before. This concept has never occurred to me before.

Of course there’s no refrigerator. There’s running water in the clinic but it has to be pumped out of the ground into two large containers on the roof almost daily. If you forget to pump then it’s possible that you go to the sink to wash a dish and no water comes out. This happened for the first time on one of the two days I had where I was ridiculously homesick and fairly irritable. Okay, I think, so the waters not coming out, great. There’s no electricity so we can’t pump water until it comes back.

“Fuck, really? Of course there’s no water, and there’s no electricity,”  I sarcastically say under my breath but it’s noticed by Sonya. Sonya, one of the interpreters and students, forgot to turn on the pump so tells me that she’s only human and I realize I am over reacting.  Just add it to the list of things I have to get used to here.

Many local buildings don’t have any kind of running water; so the locals go to a community fountain and fill up there. Prajwal, one of the interpreters and my student, tells me that people spend hours waiting to get water sometimes. As I start to realize what this means I begin to feel less inclined to judge the dirt on everything. If you don’t have running water, it’s so much harder to do laundry and take a shower.

Most of the streets aren’t paved in the village so every truck that goes by kicks up a dirt storm. I bought a cuter face mask (if there is a thing) than the Home Depot style ventilator masks I brought my first day here.  Even though many people walk around with them on, I still feel like some kind of prissy Westerner every time I have to put it over my face to protect from all the dirt and smog from the ancient vehicles.

The clinic I live in is actually quite new and therefore much nicer than most of the buildings in the area. You can buy milk every morning from the local restaurant owned by Lilla Didi. She’s a smiley, happy loving person that welcomed me immediately. She knows a few English words and says things like “Amy, beauty,” “welcome,” and “no.” She’s a shining example of the friendly people of Nepal. Lilla Didi (Didi means sister) says that she loves all the volunteers so much and she is so sad when they leave.

Lilla Didi sitting on a table in her restaurant the Forest View

I’ve taken to walking around Chapagaon and into the neighboring Newari village at dusk after I am done working. It’s practically right out of a postcard with the beautiful old buildings, people in colorful clothes, chickens, goats, and straw everywhere.

Everywhere I go people stare at me. Apparently it’s not rude to stare in Nepal, especially at random white chicks with red hair walking around your neighborhood. I will be happy to be back home walking down the street in complete anonymity. The people here cannot afford cameras and they are completely amused by pictures of themselves. I walk around and when I want to take a picture I hold up the camera and say “okay?” They usually don’t answer but I take the picture anyway and then I hold the camera up, “you want to see?” They always smile or laugh at the picture. The little kids sometimes fight to be in them.  A lot of the kids here learn English and sometimes they follow me and try out the words they know. Because I work at the clinic they call me doctor. I can’t lie; I really like how it sounds.

Newari girl with my audience in the background

Newari village at dusk

Newari villager chilling out in a squat that is impossible for my body to achieve for longer than 2 minutes

The fear of getting pricked subsides, but we still try to avoid needles unless being stuck with one is absolutely essential. This is why it might seem strange to a person who has never had an acupuncture treatment to willingly lie on a table and have up to a dozen of much more steel needles hanging out of them for a variety of minutes at a time.  In a session that’s supposed be both relaxing and spiritually healthy, how can you possibly be comfortable?

The answer reveals itself when you begin to take a look at the acupuncture needles themselves, and in how they differ from the things that ordinarily come to mind when somebody mentions the word “needle.” For starters, they’re really tiny. By far smaller than the forms of needles utilised to give you a flu vaccination every year. In fact, they’re barely any larger than a human hair.

The cause why makers of acupuncture needles are capable to obtain away with this is these needles don’t have to be hollow, considering that they’re certainly not employed to deliver any sort of actual medication by way of injection. Instead, all that’s needed of these needles is always that they just barely pierce the skin, since the ancients who first developed the practice of acupuncture believed that the most necessary energy channels of the body resided very close to the skin. Because the pressure points that acupuncture aims to stimulate are rather sensitive, the needles only ever have to be thick enough to stay relatively straight upon entry into the skin.

To boost natural healing comfort, they may be also in no way sharpened to the point where contact using the skin causes any sort of “cutting” feeling. In this way, acupuncture needles have a lot more in common with extremely stiff hairs than using the kinds of needles that men and women normally consider of when they imagine any variety of ordinary medical procedure. (Acupuncture can also help with headaches. Find out more in this article.)

On average, acupuncture needles will never will need to sink deeper than a half an inch or so into your skin. This, combined with how little they are, final results in an experience that is by no means painful. In reality, numerous clients of acupuncture treatment report that the relaxation that takes place right after the sudden rush of emotional energy that’s been blocked up all this time distracts from any feeling related to the needles truly making entry into the body. What’s even better is they’re little adequate not to leave any marks whatsoever once the session has concluded. Even should you had quite a few acupuncture needles in you at any point in time during the remedy, you won’t feel any real discomfort. Only the euphoric sensation of your body’s organic spiritual strength returning, the vanishing of old body aches, and also the ability to obtain a very much a lot more wholesome and restful night’s sleep for a long time to come.

When looking at thyroid hormones, or any hormones really, it is important to differentiate between the protein bound and free forms of the hormone. When a hormone is created by a gland it is immediately bound up with a carrier protein who’s job it is to get that hormone to where it needs to go without being destroyed or lost along the way. Once the hormone is where it needs to be that carrier protein is removed and the hormone is “free” to do its job. That is why these hormones are called “free fraction” or “free hormones.”

In the case of thyroid hormones there is a specific carrier protein called Thyroid Binding Globulin. It just so happens that when there are elevated levels of estrogen the amount of Thyroid Binding Globulin in the blood also goes up. This increased number of binding proteins hold onto more of the thyroid hormone which works to hinder them from doing their job. Remember, protein bound hormones can’t bind to their receptor. They just float around in the blood. So if you were to do a basic thyroid screen you would usually be looking for the protein bound form (generally due to the lower cost of the test) and everything might look fine. The thyroid is producing plenty of hormone and the paperwork all looks great. But why then is this woman still having trouble losing weight, losing her hair, struggling with low energy, and not pooping very often? These are all low thyroid symptoms which exist even though the actual hormone levels are normal. “Go home, there is nothing wrong with you.” Right? Hmmm….

The reason that these symptoms persist is because the elevated estrogen induces a low thyroid state by stopping the free form of the hormone from binding to the receptor. For all intensive purposes this person is low thyroid. The unfortunate part is that the average blood work up won’t account for the interplay between estrogen and thyroid Binding Globulin.

A careful history looking for high estrogen conditions like breast cancer, breast cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or hormone replacement therapy for example should all come into play when considering complaints of low thyroid function. This is thinking outside the box of mainstream medicine. These cases are missed all the time which is unfortunate. It is also of course a great idea to have a look at estrogen levels and there is even a test for Thyroid Binding Globulin. These are tests that I can order if your primary physician is unable or unwilling to order them for you. Be prepared for such a response.

This is just another example of how hormone imbalance can have a negative affect on sexual function and health in general. Let’s face it… Someone who is experiencing low thyroid symptoms for any reason is generally low energy. And I think that we all know how great sex can be when one or more of the people involved is, “too tired!” Let’s be proactive here. Healthy sexual function can translate into great overall health and lend itself to a positive outlook on life. It is as natural as breathing, sleeping, and pooping! And when it comes to thyroid health all of the above can be involved. The solution may be as simple as just looking for the right thing.

There are four main yoga types: the Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja. All of these in some way are said to help with the meditation process.

Yoga helps with the flexibility of the body. Meditating requires sitting in the same position for as little as 10 minutes to as much as 100 minutes and the increased flexibility caused from doing yoga postures helps to make this inactivity as comfortable as possible.

Yoga has been said to increase energy for use during meditation because it allows the body to relax and prepare for the meditation. Yoga also tends to help with being aware of your body which then leads to being mindful. Mindfulness is important to meditation and in self-realization.

Meditation is supposed to help us understand our own minds and assist in turning negative thoughts and feelings into those which are positive. Yoga also helps with  relaxation and calmness throughout the mind and body.

Yoga helps with becoming aware of our joints and different body parts especially the muscles. This helps to calm the mind and allows us to slow down our emotions. Once emotions are slowed down, our bodies tend to feel more calm and relaxed.

Calmness and relaxation are some of the important reasons for meditating and yoga helps enhance the meditation experience. Although both can be practiced independently, when you do yoga and meditation together, the benefits of both are reinforced.

For more helpful information on yoga and meditation, please visit here.

One of the perks of being in this clinic is getting to treat the mini monks, whether it be rubbing Neem oil on their heads or dressing their many cuts and scrapes. (What the hell is Neem oil ? Why, it’s a wonderful Ayurvedic antimicrobial, antifungal, skin healing plant oil that has a gnarly funk to it.)

In my head, before I came here, I had thought how peaceful it would be to be next to a Buddhist monastery. I had pictured rolling green hills and monks chanting in unison at dusk. Monks in training are actually quite noisy; they’re learning to play horns, they chant out of tune and tempo. Every morning at 9:30 and evening at 7:30 they come into the clinic using the little English they know, “hellloo, hello, helloo?” I massage the Neem onto their shaved, fungus-infected heads, not bothering to wash my hands in between. A few of them roll back their ears to show crusty spots where I apply a Chinese herbal balm to it. Another shows me the chunk of skin missing on the bottom of his foot and points to the Calendula.

I can’t describe how magical it is to be crowded by little monks that need my help. This process makes me feel like a healer in a totally different respect than I’m used to (and in some ways I feel totally inadequate).  One of the monks communicated that he had a sore throat and wanted herbs. I was the only one around and felt so lame that I didn’t know which herbal formula to give him. Of course I don’t know; I’ve only been in acupuncture school for two years and that’s just long enough to know I don’t know anything.  I did, however, know to do some fire cupping to his back and chest. It’s too bad they all look the same. I would like to have asked him if it helped.

A 9 year old monk named Pema Lodoe Rabsel sprained his ankle the other day and we were able to give him some homeopathy that took the swelling down. The volunteer acupuncturist, Christina, was out of town on a retreat so I was asked if I could do some acupuncture on the little guy to help his ankle. At this very moment I was actually happy for the injury I had suffered to my ankle in almost the same location. I knew from getting over 20 acupuncture treatments how to help it. (Normally we don’t do acupuncture on children in the States even though my school has an offsite location at Children’s Hospital. Instead we use magnets and acupressure.) I knew I had to use tiny needles and keep it very limited so I chose only four points. With an adult most people use at least 8 needles in a treatment, and maybe even 10 or 12.

I asked him if he was scared (through a translator) and he sheepishly nodded yes. I held up one of the needles and said “See, they are very tiny. I will tell you before I put it in, okay? If it hurts we can take it right out.” He nodded again and I chose the point that I knew would be the least reactive and gently tapped it in. He smiled and I said, “It’s not so bad, huh?” and he nodded. The next point there was no reaction, but the last two he made a little noise. I again checked in with him “are any of them hurting you?” He nodded no.

“Now we’re going to do some moxa on your leg to help it heal, okay?” I showed him the moxa pole and lit it on fire. I said “Don’t worry, I’m not going to burn you, if it’s too hot you tell me.” As I drew the moxa up and down his leg I could see the fear in his eyes, but he eventually calmed down as he realized I wasn’t going to burn him. I kept explaining about the moxa, asking him if he knew what it was and then explaining about it being a plant called mugwort, known for it’s healing properties. I was scared too. He was the first child I ever needled. Point location on him was harder because of how tiny he was. I got the feeling I might break something if I was too rough or that he would run off screaming and forever be afraid of me. Kids are like dogs though; you can’t let them smell your fear.

So far this has really been the best part about working in the clinic here. The mini monks, or monk-eys as I have been calling them, are very cute and sweet. They are also classic little boys, wrestling, running, and playing soccer. They come with a myriad cuts and scrapes every day to be treated. They are also amazing little mantra chanters. You can’t help but love the kids here, the monks and others. They have the biggest, brightest smiles and are so friendly.

The monks had huddled onto the porch of the gumpa. As soon as they saw I was taking pictures they all started hamming it up

Follow earlier blogs of Metal Monkey’s adventures in Asia!

Volunteering in Nepal, A Personal Story
Teaching in Massage in Nepal

Aromatherapy

Utilizing essential oils for aromatherapy purposes dates back nearly 6,000 years to the time of Egyptians and was a crucial part of their culture and religious ceremonies and was routinely used in embalming dead bodies for burial preparation within Egyptian tombs.

The practice of using aromatherapy spread across the Eastern hemisphere and, particularly within China, became a vital part of their medicinal practices.  In fact, for many years, aromatherapy was the primary medicinal used in treating various ailments.  In India, the custom was never lost and still today Avurveda, the most ancient medical practice, is still widely practiced.  In the West, however, the use of essential oils took a bit longer to gain momentum and just over the past thousand years has gained popularity.

In addition to medicinal applications, essential oils are often used in conjunction with other complementary ingredients, including various oils, sea salts, clays and muds from around the globe to produce cosmetics and beauty treatments.  The perfect combination of these elements results in rich, luxurious beauty products whose properties not only benefit the psychological aspects of a person, but also often produce results that make an individual appear more youthful and vibrant.

Often times, individuals mistake perfume oils for essential oils, simply based on aroma alone.  They are, however, completely different from one another as one derives its fragrance synthetically and the other, essential oils, are completely, 100% natural, being derived from the essence of a plant.

Another mistake many people make is thinking that since essential oils are completely natural, they aren’t harmful.  As a result, many will use them, undiluted, directly on the skin.  Doing so can cause burning, dermatitis and even a lifelong sensitivity to that particular essential oil.

Women who are pregnant or individuals with certain medical conditions should avoid the use of essential oils as they can cause adverse affects.  For example, certain types of oils when used in pregnancy can actually bring about contractions within some women.  Epileptics must also be cautious as some oils contain certain neurotoxins that can cause seizure activity.  Other oils, such as wormwood, pennyroyal, onion, camphor and sassafras are so potent and can potentially produce harmful side effects, and should never be used by anyone other than a qualified aromatherapy practitioner and even then, only with extreme caution.  Regardless of which essential oils you choose to use, a skin test prior to long-term use, is essential.

There’s a lot of hype that surrounds the use of essential oils.  Some think that they can be healed from their particular affliction by regular use.  While cancer patients and those with other serious illnesses such as AIDS can certainly benefit from the use of aromatherapy for serious illnesses, it is not a substitute for traditional medicine and can truly only help the individual live a more comfortable life.

Essential oils can be beneficial in providing comfort measures to less serious illnesses and afflictions such as indigestion, stress, and PMS.  Oils have also been shown to help promote in faster healing from minor injuries, wounds, abrasions and bruises.

One of the leading uses of aromatherapy in the West, is in various beauty treatments.   One of the most popular beauty treatments seen marketed recently are the combination of Dead Sea salts, lavender oil and a complementary blender oil, such as jojoba oil.   This solution is then rubbed on the hands, legs and arms for exfoliation, rendering smooth, supple skin and the benefit of the calming properties of lavender essential oil.

Another popular use of essential oils within the beauty industry is in bars of bath soap.  Often times, goat milk is used to make bath soap and essential oils are combined, producing a rich, creamy yet gentle soap that gently exfoliates while conveying the properties of the essential oil.

Lastly, and probably the most popular essential oil bearing product within the beauty industry is actually a best-selling gift: aromatherapy candles.   Through the combination of essential oils with beeswax, soybean oil, and even traditional paraffin wax, a luxurious, fragrant candle is produced that when burned, imparts the qualities of the particular essential oil it contains.

If you’ve never tried essential oils, you’re in for a treat.  And, with so many products on the market and so many varied applications, you’re certain to find a use for your particular essential oil that will leave you wondering, “why on earth didn’t I try this sooner?”

This is my second blog on being in Nepal as a volunteer for Mindful Medicine. (See my earlier blog for more details on how I ended up in Nepal.)

What I like about Mindful Medicine is that they want their work to be sustainable, to make a lasting difference. Instead of just bringing acupuncturists in for 2 to 4 month periods to treat, they have them teach as well. The Vajra Varahi clinic-paid interpreters have been learning basic acupuncture treatments so that they can help the acupuncturists that come here as well as treat in their absence.

Since I am a body worker and only halfway through my training as an acupuncturist I came to work here in a slightly different capacity. I was able to bring a massage table that was donated from Earthlight to do the work (30 pounds, by the way!). My job here is to teach the staff the basics of massage and anatomy so that they can continue to help the local population. A lot of people here have low-back, neck, and shoulder pain, often accompanied with arthritis. See the picture below (enough said).

I’ve started teaching. The students are Satyamohan, Sonya, and Prajwal who are all 25 years old and Ramita who is 33 and the only one with a child. They all have other jobs in the clinic, such as interpreting and reception work. I designed my classes based on my 6 years of experience, what Jessica and Grainne of Mindful Medicine had talked to me about, and what I went over with the clinic director when I got here. The students are picking it up fast and I’m actually envious of the way they get to learn massage, with one-on-one attention and none of the bullshit classes I had to take to satisfy state requirements. I’m working really hard to make sure that they can apply what I am teaching them once I am gone.

Sonya in the clinic room with the donated massage table

A lot of people asked me, “Don’t they already have massage there?” I could almost hear the question, “Why the hell do they need you to come and teach them?”

Well, yeah, they’ve had Ayurveda here for thousands of years (Ayurveda is Indian traditional medicine and it includes massage), but what they don’t have is a massage school . They also don’t have anyone local that will volunteer their time to teach.

Teaching is a lot of work but it’s also fun. I spent a considerable amount of time organizing the information and lesson plans.

Satyamohan practicing on Prajwal while Ramita watches

There’s no shortage of patients to work with and to train the staff on. I don’t know that more than one or two of the staff will like and want to pursue massage here in the clinic, but at least they now have the option. It’s been nice sharing my passion for body work and my expertise in the field. Being in school for the past two years has really challenged my ego and it’s been great feeling like I know what I’m doing again.

Satyamohan at the clinic desk

It has been an interesting lesson in culture so far. I have learned that students here are taught to learn without asking questions. I find myself asking the students if they have any questions and then having to wait for a long time or suggesting questions for them to ask.  I can now see when I’m saying something in English that they don’t understand and have learned to ask if they do.

I think we all use a lot of phrases and colloquialisms that we don’t even notice. It’s been a lesson in English and the meaning of words for me as I go along. One day I kept using the word subtle and then found myself having to describe it. It’s the opposite of obvious, right? Other words I just stand there repeating over and over to define it. Well defensive, it’s like, well it’s just defensive. No, it’s like offensive… okay, well it’s more like when you are feeling the need to be defensive. (Yeah, I’m getting better.)

The clinic is in Chapagaon, Lalitpur district of Kathmandu. It is called Vajra Varahi and shares the grounds with a Buddhist monastery. The clinic provides treatments to the locals for 5 rupees or free.

As you can imagine this trip wasn’t exactly cheap, flying across the world and taking two months off of work was daunting. If you find the work worth while and are interested in helping to pay for supplies, travel, and living expenses please use the PayPal Donate button below. (Click on the below Donate button, log into your PayPal account, go to the Send Money tab, enter my email address – Violet_dreamscape@yahoo.com, enter amount, click the Personal tab, and click Continue).

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