WOODBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Welcome to salt cave yoga – yoga moves in a salty setting.
“In a salt cave, it’s very much like you’re at the beach. You have the air like you’re at the beach- the salty air,” says fitness guru Ellen Barrett.
She’s guiding the class, “inhale-stretch the arms up,” she says, at the Salt of the Earth Therapeutic Spa in Woodbury.
Barrett explains, “It’s a yoga class that’s heightened with this wellness energy. It’s not just about being fit, it’s about really being well.”
The chamber is packed with Himalayan Salt, known for it’s holistic healing powers.
“Salt therapy,” Barrett says, “is so valuable for the skin, so valuable for your lungs, it’s great for stress.”
Co-owner Sue Martovich created a climate controlled environment.
“The generator,” says Martovich, “has pharmaceutical grade salt in it. It gets milled. It’s a very, very fine particle and it can go into the upper and lower part of your lungs.”
Yogis are surrounded with salt bricks, salt tiles, and standing on seven to eight inches of salt.
And every breath they claim has benefits.
Barrett says, “It’s this awesome clean unpolluted air. That high mineral content. It also has high negative ion content which is a good thing so the higher negative ions, the more euphoric you feel.”
And there’s a potential plus on overall wellness.
“It goes in,” says Martovich, “and clears up the mucous and congestion. It opens up the airways. It’s 100% soluble- doesn’t stain the lungs. It’s actually the same substance that’s used in saline solutions used in hospitals.”
Fluid moves to focus inward, “Breathing in that awesome salt air into the lower back,” instructs Barrett, now more of a detoxifying experience.
The salt cave yoga classes are offered on Saturdays.
For more information – log onto www.naturalsalthealing.com or call 203-586-1172
When we think of Valentines Day, we think of couples in love, married, or soon to be, taking full advantage of the holiday through gift giving and spending quality time with their lovers. After all, the tradition goes back hundreds of years from legends involving the Catholic Church and third century Roman Saints, to Christians observing a pagan fertility festival honoring the Roman God of Agriculture, evolving into it’s final existence in the Middle Ages as a day for romance.
Fast forward to the 21st century:
In this generation there has been a shift in human interaction, more of our time is spent in the workforce, couples making time to be together may find it challenging with their career paths, children’s activity/sports schedules, communicating via email and social media. All of which have a way of dividing or depriving us of quality time to love. There is more stress, more pressure to keep up with “The Jones’s” and less time spent simply loving and appreciating ourselves and those around us. We are a distracted society. We have become cynical with the world and argumentative. We rely more on intellect and less from the heart. There is no heartfelt conversation when we text friends and family. Heart icons are only symbols on a smartphone, one cannot possibly compare the feeling you get when you look into someone’s eyes and your heart melts as you see into theirs. Or the hand that strokes your cheek as they dry your tears and the feeling of being safe from a simple hug. Love, in it’s authenticity is pure, simple and powerful. Love heals what ails us.
Healing the heart begins with healing our own and loving ourselves. When we accept and forgive ourselves, for whatever the reason may be, only then will we find true love. Love yourself, so that you may love others. Not just on Valentine’s Day, but for all the days that lie ahead. Fall in love with taking care of yourself, Mind, Body and Spirit. Learn to love yourself for who you are. Your body is your temple, cherish and revere the temple you live in.
Metabolism, which is the process of obtaining nutrients from the blood and excreting waste out of the body is vital to the human cell. The more negatively charged ions in the blood the healthier the cells and the more efficient the cells metabolic processes.
If there are more positively charged ions in the blood, the slower and less efficient the cell’s metabolism. This causes the body’s cells to weaken, get sick more frequently and age faster. Eventually the body’s immune system will shut down.
We as humans are surrounded by ions. Positive ions are frequently found in the air we breathe. These free radicals migrate in many places, harmful chemicals, pollution from exhausts, smog, electrical and electronic equipment, fluorescent lighting, synthetic fabrics and fibers to name a few. Positive ions have had a major impact on our health due to the amount of time people spend in unnaturally charged electro-climates, a staggering 50 to 100%!
US Dept of Agriculture
A recent study by the US Dept of Agriculture found that ionizing a room led to 52% less dust in the air and 95% less bacteria in the air. (Many of the pollutants found in the atmosphere reside on floating dust particles).
The Fifth Element: Crystal Rock Salt
Salt crystals will boost the number of negative ions in a room. The dry negative ion rich environment at Salt of the Earth help to clear out bronchial tubes and sinuses and to kill bacteria and other microbes.
How much time is needed for salt therapy? 45 minutes at a salt cave spa gives the equivalent of three days spent at sea. The minimum recommended visits to a salt cave spa is ten — it gives you at least one month of breathing sea air.