Toxic-Free Beauty!

Okay, so you love getting primed & pampered yet you refuse to sit in a room full of nauseating toxic cancerous fumes. We totally understand. You'll be happy to know that there are 2 eco-chic, vegan & organic nail/beauty salons on our radar! Priti Organic Spa, located in LES is a sweet & lovely salon focusing on nails, facials & waxing. They use 100% organic products, including their polish. Soak your feet in a wooden bowl full of ylang ylang oils & rose petals as their talented practitioners work to perfect every stroke & clip. And for you Brooklynites or curious BK seekers Wink Beauty Bar located in Prospect Heights, offers an array of beauty services that's good for you & the Earth! With options like natural nail & skin care, detox treatments, massages, make-up application, eyebrows & a green boutique, you'll leave a soft & sparkling beauty print on the planet. Wink takes pride in their cleanliness assuring that no bacteria is passed around (ew!). They also host spa parties for showers, trunk shows & other gatherings!

What:
Eco-Conscious Beauty & Nail Salons.
Set up an appointment.
Gift Certificates available!

Priti Organic Spa
35 East First Street
New York, NY 10003
212-254-3628

Wink Beauty Bar
602 Vanderbilt Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 10003
718-230-3443

Yoga at the MOMA

Recently, the MOMA de-stressed the art world with Pipilotti Rist's comfy atrium installation, and now they have teamed up with Flavorpill to win our healthy hearts over with a Sunday morning yoga class. In honor of the closing of the Rist exhibition, the free event is recession friendly, cross-cultural, and Anusaura teacher Elena Brower - founder of Soho's Vira Yoga studio - is one of the city's true yogi-gems. Brower's playful attitude makes the heart opening, long-held poses feel like fun, and she has even been known to fill up your empty water bottle while you're in downward dog. The one-hour class is open to yoga students of all levels, so get ready for a morning sweat session at the museum!

Details:
Yoga at the MOMA
Sunday, February 1.
9am-10am
11 West 53rd St.
FREE if you
RSVP to: downwarddog@flavorpill.com

Winter Beauty Essentials

As the snow continues to fall and the temperature drops, our favorite Lower East Side wellness boutique Organic Avenue has got you covered with a few stay-cozy winter essentials.

1. Protect Yourself: Put your best face forward this season with Suki’s exfoliating Lemongrass Cleanser, a plant-based scrub that will give your wind-burned cheeks a fresh and glowing smile. For dry limbs, slather on Sunfood Nutrition’s luscious and sustainably-made shea butter.

2. Stay-at-home bliss: Perfect for those dark evenings, the soot-free soy-wax DIRT Love candle gets things cozy indoors while treating the earth and you’re your lungs right; it’s non-toxic and biodegradable.

3. Wardrobe reinvention: Don’t store those summer dresses yet! Pull on Maggie’s Organics natural fiber tights (we especially like the textured black and purple versions) under that frock, and presto: a perfectly chic winter look!

All products are available at:
Organic Avenue
101 Stanton St. (btw Orchard and Ludlow)
Open daily 6am-10pm
(212) 334-4593

Get a Tune Up with InTouch NYC

From custom-designed one-on-one pilates workouts to acupuncture tune-ups & fusion bodywork from the far East, InTouch NYC provides it all. Jordanna Dworkin, founder of InTouch (& licensed acupuncturist, certified Chinese herbalist, & certified Authentic pilates instructor!) has a certain charm & touch that is hard to come by. Every time I've left a session with her my body feels reconnected from the inside out. Whether you have a twang in the body, feel an emotional imbalance, want to get rid of a cold, or receive an exotic acu-spa fusion ritual, Jordanna will integrate her technical experience with soothing compassion in each healing session. She recently launched 'InTouch: Acupuncture for the Workplace' which offers customized, on-site acupuncture services designed to maximize work performance & enhance a sense of well-being. In just 30 minutes, you'll reap the benefits of specific treatments for stress, neck & shoulder tension, headache, carpal tunnel syndrome, & smoking addiction, without ever leaving the office! What could be better?

Details: More Info: www.InTouchNYC.com
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE - give the gift of healing!

The Thrive Diet

Everyone's always talking about how athletes need protein - animal protein - but Brendan Brazier sets the record straight in his new book The Thrive Diet. The almost-raw, totally vegan Olympic Triathlete lays out a comprehensive guide to achieving a top level of health, including what to eat before and after each type of workout, a 12-week plan, and hundreds of delicious, animal-free recipes. If you're a healthy, athletic person who wants to take diet and fitness to the next level, this will be your bible. Check it out in Barnes and Noble or our fave raw cafe Pure Food and Juice Takeaway and let us know what you think! If Brendan's testimony isn't enough for you, our friend and raw chef Cosmo Meens fed the men's Canadian Olympic Triathlon team in Beijing this summer. Learn more about it in this Vancouver Sun article.

Details:
The Thrive Diet, by Brendan Brazier
But it on Amazon for $22.94

Skin Care for You & the Earth

I've recently fallen in love with an amazingly natural & vibrant skin care product: Living Libations by Ron & Nadine, a super star couple living & creating their fine products in Canada. When I was teaching at Raw Spirit in Sedona, AZ. last month I was excited to find high quality products for face, lips & even pits at the Living Libations vendor booth (after literally strolling the entire grounds looking for the best stuff). My favorites: Poetic Pits (yes, for your arm pits!), Mocha Lover Lips, & my big fav: Seabuckthorn - Best Skin Ever face toner/moisturizer. All of their products are hand-crafted, using the finest ingredients nature has to offer & made under the lush canopy of forests. You can totally feel the difference - it's not just the label that will make your eyes smile, your skin will shine immediately.

Details:
Living Libations
All natural, high vibe Beauty Care & Oils
More Info:
Please order online or call at (416) 920-8471
and sign up for their Newsletter for updates!

Kula Yoga Beginner Series

Entering into the world of yoga can be challenging - there's an endless variety of styles, teachers, studios, and philosophies - but Tribeca's vinyasa haven Kula Yoga gives you an easy in with next month's 4-week beginners series. Led by humble yoga star teacher Jillian, the course offers newcomers an introduction to the physical asanas and gives seasoned students a back-to-basics refresher. Don't get pretentious now - Kula's freestyle vinyasa vibe turns all their classes into wild yoga parties.

Details:
Kula Yoga Beginner Series
28 Warren St 4th fl.
(one street below Chambers, btw Broadway and Church)
Start Date: November 1st
$75

NewLife Expo

In case you missed the NewLife Expo in June, this weekend you can catch up on the latest health and wellness news from around the world. The 3-day extravaganza - only $30!! - includes hundreds of lectures, exhibits, and demos from a slew of superheroes such as raw food pioneer Victor Kulvinskas and 2012 prophet Sean David Morton. Don't worry about getting bored; topics range from vitamins and minerals to light body activation and tantric healing practices. You'll be inspired to stay bright and energized as the days grow colder and shorter. . .

Details:
Newlife Raw Food and Yoga Expo
When:
10/17 - 10/19
Where:
Hotel New Yorker
481 8th Avenue at 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
Tel:(516) 897-0900
Map
Get Tickets:
NewLifeExpoTickets

Hello Health

Hello Health is taking the old-fashioned approach to doctor's visits. The new Brooklyn-based healthcare provider offers a $35 monthly membership to anyone in the five boroughs, and charges no more than $200 for any appointment, test, or service. This includes home visits, over-the-phone prescriptions and even email and IM conversations with a practitioner when you can't make it in. In-house specialists like Jay Parkinson treat most common ailments including warts, fractures, and gynecology issues, and will refer you to someone great if they can't help you themselves. Best of all, Hello Health is not affiliated with any other hospital or insurance company, so you can schedule a same-day appointment without having to wade through a bureaucratic nightmare. Sign up now!

Details:
Hello Health
105 Berry St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Map
9am-5pm Mon-Fri
House visits in Williamsburg only

Third Root Health Center

Flatbush isn't your typcial wellness destination, but with the addition of Third Root Health Center, the neighborhood has serious potential for those looking for holistic health practices. The center boasts the cheapest yoga class in miles - only 10 dollars - and classes like "Yoga en Espanol" are hospitable towards a wide range of students. In addition to yoga, Third Root has in-house naturopathic doctors, nutritional conslultants, and acupuncturists, making the center a one-stop-shop for anyone looking for a feel-better fix.

Details:
Third Root Health Center
380 Marlborough Road, Brooklyn, 11226
Map
718-940-9343

Subway: Q to Cortelyou Road

Jill Pettijohn's Nutritional Cleanse: 5 Day Journey

Since Chloe already gave you most of the finer details (below) of what you get in this beautifully fresh raw juice & soup cleanse, I will simply share my experience. First, let me just say, Jill's Cafe rocks! It's a gem with the most delicious meals, snacks & treats a girl can ask for. In fact I recently had them cater my birthday in August & everyone was blown away as they devoured healthy delights and decadent deserts...a highly recommended way to start off a new year while inspiring your guests with mouth watering health!

The 5 Day Cleanse:
I went for the five day nutritional cleanse. You get six a day (fresh juice, blended soups, & nut milk) which definitely leaves you satiated until it was time for the next. It was a great feeling to have this bounty of colorful bottles for the day & a relief not to think about what I had to drink next. I'm a big label reader so I appreciated having all the ingredients clearly written making the experience insightful. I was able to identify which beverages worked best for my body & which ones didn't agree. My favorites were the deliciously refreshing morning Green Juice & Lemonades. And the final nut milk was a treat - something to look forward to at the end of the day. There were a few soups however that either felt too complex or didn't have the most pleasing taste. I would have preferred an extra fresh juice & one less soup per day.

Overall the cleanse was a great experience. I felt nourished, lighter (mentally & physically), & re-inspired to make more of my own live food & juices. Most importantly my energy levels were good, allowing me to keep up with my busy teaching schedule. I did have some food cravings (this went through waves), so walking into the cafe to pick up my juices while salivating over the array of dishes behind the glass was a challenge! At any rate it's always a good thing to simplify our habits around consumption. Jill's Cleanse gave me more space to do, feel, & think about other things while being highly nourished.

Tip: Get a colonic at the beginning and end of a cleanse. It's essential to reap the full benefits & you really feel the difference!

Details
Jill Pettijohn's Nutritional Cleanse
Sign up online for a 3 day or a 5 day cleanse anytime!
Jill is also available for personal consultations.

Jill Pettijohn's Nutritional Cleanse: 3 Day Journey

After frequenting Jill's Cafe in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, I decided to try out Jill's three day nutritional cleanse. Cafe owner and cleanse creator Jill Pettijohn guided me - and it was a great experience! Read below for the full rundown, and stay tuned for Aarona's 5-day review as well.

Menu 3/5

Juice! You get six (that's a lot, trust me) unique juices to drink throughout the day, from a delicious green juice in the morning to a squash soup-juice for lunch, to a bedtime nut milk. Each bottle's label lists a concocton of veggies, fruit, and special herbs. The soup-juices are no joke, though - if you're new to juicing you may find the new tastes and textures hard to swallow!

Energy 5/5

I had a boost of energy while on the cleanse! I ride my bike every day, work, go to the gym, and practice yoga (when i have time!), and I felt great while juicing. This cleanse seems to support a city girl like myself, which is hard to find in a most fasts/cleanses. At no point did I feel weak - every time i got hungry, i knew it was time for the next juice (Jill advises to drink one every two hours), and the days just flew by! But don't forget to drink plenty of water inbetween juices - it's easy to get dehydrated and not receive the full cleanse benefits.

Arrangements 5/5

Jill's does deliver for a cost, but you can also pick up your juices each morning or the night before each day. I rode my bike to pick up the juices each morning, and as they were securely packaged in an adorable little case, I had no trouble transporting them!

Coming off the cleanse 5/5

After the third day, I followed Jill's guidelines to come of off the juice fast. Her comprehensive menu of simple, plant-based meals made it easy to integrate solid foods back into my diet. In the past, this has been the hardest part of the cleanse for me, so it was a relief not to experience the severity of returning to a normal food plan.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Details
Jill Pettijohn's Nutritional Cleanse
Sign up online for a 3 day or a 5 day cleanse anytime!
Jill is also available for personal consultations.