Jade DragonBytes

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Aromatherapy is technically defined as “the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being.”

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Come be a part of the groundbreaking first LIVE webcast from the Sacred Fire Dhunis of numerous, rarely seen, powerful potent yogis, naga babas, matajis, tantriks, and other sadhus from the various lineages and akharas. Many of these ascetic Yogis stay hidden away at their retreats high in the Himalayas and only come down sometimes for these Kumbh Melas.

No need to get up! Peer through the looking glass into the extreme of the Himalayan yogic tradition right from the comfort of your home!

Attend two webcasts a day for 5 to 7 days between 4/7 and 4/17! (Each webcast should be 2 to 4 hrs in length.)

The 2010 HARDWAR MAHA KUMBH MELA DHUNI WEBCAST PROJECT IS ON!!!

JAI MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

On a rainy day in San Diego, this dragon blew into the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park on free museum day. (There was actually a tornado watch going on outside! I love to fly in a storm but tornados really tear up my wings!)

Inside I found an amazing exhibit called Sonabai, Another Way of Seeing. For a decade and a half, Sonabai Rajawar only contact was with her husband and child! In response to this isolation, she created an entirely new artistic expression of color, light, and fun.

How amazing that she had no instruction or guidance, but was able to create such joyous art! Years later, quite by chance, the Indian art world discovered her and later gave her India’s highest honor, the prestigious President’s Award.

Sonabai’s story clearly expresses the capacity of human beings (including dragons) everywhere to meet their challenges head on and to draw from within themselves the strength and insight to change their lives.  Sonabai found ways to transform her oppression into expressions of courage, beauty, and joy in living. What an inspiration!

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