I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS.

Hi there:) I know, it has been a while... moving, renovations... to put it shortly there was no time or energy left for writing blog posts. I know you'll understand. Since Spring is here and I'm feeling human again, I thought I will say hello and share with you some good resources to help you with Spring cleansing if you wish to go ahead with it this season. Always a good idea.
Ok, so there are many great people offering great services and sometimes it is difficult to decide. I will give you my favourites.



NUTRITION
Amy Longard Registered Holistic Nutritionist. You can find her here. Amy is a great, kind and caring person and very knowledgeable in the nutrition department. She does one on one consultations and offers all kinds of nutrition related workshops all around the city. If you want to take a good look at your diet and/or a Spring cleanse she is your person to book with.

Donna Davis is an avid athlete, yogi and nutrition coach. She is a very generous spirit, fun and down to earth. She periodically offers online programs geared at cleansing and nutrition. She runs a private Facebook group where people can ask questions, share recipes and such. If online is your thing you can find Donna here.


JUICING
Urban Juice Press is a very cool place founded by Justin Gauthier. Their fresh pressed juices are organic, delicious and come in glass bottles:)  You can get a single juice or choose from various package options. You can buy their juices in shop at 340 Parkdale or online here. My personal humble opinion is that juicing is a great way to clean your system up, particularly in Spring and Fall.

SIMPLE AYURVEDIC KITCHARI CLEANSE is always nice to do.  The recipe is in the previous post I have written many moons ago:) you will find it here. I would add sprouts and bitters to my kitchari cleanse in the Spring.

NATUROPATHIC DOCTORS
If you feel that you want to have a serious check up and guidance from a naturopath here two great Ottawa doctors.

Dr. Kristy Lewis at Sage Wellness specializes in women's health.

Dr. Jan Dorrell at Keenan Health Centre.

Both doctors are wonderful, down to earth and a pleasure to work with.

RESTAURANT
Pure Kitchen is my absolutely favourite in town. Vegetarian with many vegan option and their fresh pressed juices are delicious. 'Healed' is my #1

SKIN CARE
When seasons change, it is a great time to get a face treatment and to take a look at your home routine. You know where to find me:)

So there you have it. I hope you find this helpful.
All best,
Magdalena

Ps. If you have not been to my new studio yet, I must tell you I really love it. It is bright and sunny and... I just love it!!!

WILL YOU MAKE SOME PRODUCTS WITH ME?

The season of Raw Vegan Facials, making herbal infusions, fresh herb picking and playing with food as skin care, is in full gear! This is my favourite time of the year to make skin care products simply because nature provides me with the most beautiful, fresh ingredients to create with. I have been seriously playing with product making for a few years now and it is the third season for Woman Divine to offer Raw Vegan Face Treatments to clients. I realize now that the need for creating remedies runs in my blood. When I was a little girl, I watched my mom lovingly prepare homemade remedies for my dad who was sick. We had an aloe plantation living on the window sills of our home and mom always had some interesting 'concoction' going.

Knock on wood, nobody is sick in my household. My passion is holistic skin care and I love preparing oils, masks, scrubs and other fresh, simple and elegant products to nurture your skin and mine too.

It is my intention to turn them into beautiful pure and loving rituals of self care.

This summer I want to share with women like you my favourite recipes and formulas! I have created a product making workshop and I hope you will join me. If you know anybody who might be interested please share this info. 

This particular workshop is a fundraiser for  blood cancer research. All proceeds will go to the Cure Blood Cancer/Ottawa, a foundation created by an amazing and inspiring client and dear friend Lesia Maruschak. You will have a chance to meet her as she has graciously offered to be my personal assistant during this workshop. 

Lesia and I will do our best to make it a wonderful experience. We will hang out together, formulating great product for our skin. I will share with you many useful skin care tips and we will raise some money to support a worthy cause. I hope you will be there:)

Check below for the details and please let me know if you have any questions. 

organic product making workshop in Ottawa

Get inspired with our From Garden to Face Workshop and turn your kitchen into a natural beauty lab!
From face masks, herbal toners and scrubs to facial oils and lip balms, learn how to formulate your very own skin care products from the most pure and simple ingredients in your kitchen.
During this workshop we will be using seasonal produce from our local farmers' market along with many other botanical and organic raw materials. We will share with you many tricks of the trade and our favourite skin care tips. You will bring home a selection of wonderful freshly made skin care products: Face Balm, Lip Balm, Face Serum, Face Scrub and Healthy Gums Oil.

All proceeds from this workshop go to Blood Cancer Research Ottawa
When: 12July, 2014 10:00am to 1:00pm

Location: Maplesoft Centre 1500 Alta Vista Dr. Ottawa

Register online at womandivine.ca

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN!

I am just back from my trip to Poland and this is my first weekend at home. Since I was eager for a visit  (my very first this season) to the Ottawa Farmers' Market and the weather was lovely, Tony and I headed out this morning to the Brewer Park location. As anticipated it is great, filled with awesome people and amazing local produce. 

If you have not done so yet check out their website here for info on vendors and hours and for some great recipes.

I hope the farmers' market movement keeps growing and we will get to experience more and more of wonderful locally and organically grown food.  

Make sure to eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit this season, support your local growers and keep healthy. 

...and remember HEALTHY BODY= HEALTHY SKIN

Here are few of today's pics. 

 

HYPER LOCAL ORGANIC CALENDULA OIL

This is a solar oil infusion prepared from organic locally grown plant material: calendula flowers by Anne Janssen from Aylmer Backyard Farms and cold-pressed sunflower oil by Huiles d’Amerique located just outside of Aylmer, Quebec.

 

calendula oil at woman divine Ottawa

I prepare this infusion all by hand in small batches to assure its freshness and quality.

Beautiful golden calendula petals were first slowly dehydrated at a very low heat to protect their healing integrity. They then were suspended in sunflower oil for a period of six weeks and exposed to the sun and moonlight to assist the process of infusing the sunflower oil with the goodness of calendula flowers. This process married the medicinal properties of both plant materials creating a potent skin healing synergy.

Calendula oil is traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve skin inflammations and irritations and to aid in wound healing. It is soothing and healing and perfect for the treatment of dry skin, redness, skin irritation, chapped skin, bruises, cradle cap, diaper rash, and sore or inflamed muscles. Calendula oil is also valued for treating radiation-induced dermatitis. It is exceptional for those with sensitive skin. It is also gentle enough to use for babies and children.

calendula oil at woman divine Ottawa

 50ml - $20

to order: call 613 2167676 or email info@womandivine.ca 

Tired of looking for a perfect skin care product? Make your own and have fun doing it!

Last Saturday I was in Almonte, hanging out with an amazing group of women from the Rising Sun Yoga Studio.  As Pure As It Can Be Workshop in action... we were playing in a lovely kitchen making our very own, all pure, healthy and natural beauty products. 

It feels very good, getting together with a group of women sharing wisdom, interests and a good laugh.   

We made some cool products to take home. Hopefully this is just the beginning and everyone is inspired to create more. 

This is what some of the women said about their experience.

I really enjoyed your presentation and what you do is of great interest to me also. It's funny, you reminded me of when I was a little girl and I used to go into the kitchen, the garden and my mother's cosmetics and experiment with making my own lotions and potions...

I love all of the products we made. I believe it is so important for women to share and support each other as you are with your business! 

Leigh

Amazing and simple.

Angelina

Loved every minute!

Jennifer

Everything was so well organized and presented beautifully.

Mary

Thank you Almonte Rising Sun Yoga I had an amazing time with you!

Magdalena

If you are interested in hosting one of my workshops or would like to join the next available one or simply would like more info, contact me at info@womandivine.ca or by phone: 613 2167676

Happy New Year!

Another year is about to end...a few more grey hairs... will keep on colouring... not feeling ready for silver yet. I have been postponing the inevitable for a couple of years but I think 2013 will have to be the year of the eye glasses. Peculiar..., the more my body shows the mark of time the more whole I feel, softer inside and beautiful...comfortable with me..., the way I am.

May 2013 bring you peace, happiness, prosperity and mostly LOVE including the kind you feel for yourself. Happy New Year everyone!

Love,

Magdalena xoxoxo

PS. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. I am looking forward to seeing you or hearing from you in 2013. It will be a good year...

Face oil - how to choose the right one for your skin.

Today's market offers a wide selection of face oils but using oil on your face is hardly a new practice.
For ages, women around the World have been using healing vegetable oils to nurture and beautify their skin. The western world is just catching up.
Oils have been part of my personal care for a long time. I believe, I have never purchased a commercial body lotion. It has always been oil. I use oils on my face daily and I find them effective, versatile and simple to use. I also love working with oils and use them in every treatment I offer at my clinic. The healing potential of oils is greatly underestimated and commonly not known.
Oils are beautiful; various in colour, texture and scent. They also differ in their healing profiles and biochemical makeup. 
I would like to encourage you to give oils a try. But before you run out to buy one lets see which oil will benefit your particular skin type the most.
One more thing; there are many oil blends by various skin care companies on the market. To start with, explore pure organic cold pressed vegetable oils also known as base or carrier oils like: Rosehip, Argan and such. I believe you will like them a lot. Once you get a feel for base oils, the next step will be to add essential oils. At that point you will be able to affect much more than the health of your skin with your face oils.  Another time about this....

DRY SKIN loves oil and can benefit from a variety of oils.
Apricot kernel
Argan
Camellia
Sesame
Rosehip

MIXED/COMBINATION SKIN does not like the oily feeling, yet it can benefit from oils like:
Camellia
Meadowfoam
Jojoba
Coconut

OILY SKIN will benefit from oils which help to balance the excessive production of sebum.
Grape seed
Hazelnut
Jojoba

AGING SKIN is still either dry, sensitive or on the oily side so follow one of the above suggestions.

You can use oils daily instead of a moisturizer, as an addition to a moisturizer and/or to massage your face and neck at least once a week. Organic and cold pressed is always the way to go.
Are you using oils already? It would be great to hear about your experiences.

Calendula - the soothing flower for your skin.

Today I was playing with Calendula flowers. I was simply making tea for myself but when I poured hot water over dry Calendula flowers, magic happened. My cup of Marigold tea has turned into a 'poetic thing', kind of sort of... :) I took some pictures... hope you like them.

I use Calendula officinalis (Marigold) on a daily basis. This flower is very well suited for sensitive skin and skin inflammation due to infection or physical irritation. It can also be used on wounds, bleeding, bruises... Herbalists often use it as the key ingredient in healing skin ointments.
I prepare a Calendula infusion every morning and use it as a soothing hydrating mist or as an addition to the raw sensitive skin masks I create throughout the day. 
I also use Calendula infused oil for facial massage in face masks and in face oil blends.
Powdered Calendula flowers can be added to ground up oatmeal, to form a lovely home made face scrub.
Calendula tea makes a good remedy for indigestion,  gall-bladder and liver problems, gastric and duodenal ulcers as well as for menopausal problems and menstrual pains. Some herbalists say it also supports healthy lymphatic function.

Herbal tea:

(daily dose)
2-4 tsp of dry organic Calendula flowers 
or 4-8 tsp of fresh flowers
500ml of (purified) water just off the boil 
steep for 10-15min 
strain
drink 3 times a day hot or cool 
*use your tea as a wash for sensitive skin 
place it in a spray bottle and mist onto your skin

Infused oil:

(yes, you can make it yourself)

pack a jar tightly with calendula flowers (fresh is better but dry will do)
completely cover with oil (organic cold pressed virgin olive oil or sunflower oil) 
put the lid on 
leave on the sunny window sill for two weeks
strain 
repeat the steps using once infused oil and a new batch of fresh herbs
leave on the sunny window sill for two more weeks
strain
store in the amber bottle away from light and heat

I must say, I am mesmerized by the flowers which became the essence of my tea. How beautiful... I am drinking it thinking some of their beauty will surely rub off on me:)

  

Meet Natalie Cameron Registered Massage Therapist at Woman Divine.

I was very happy when Natalie joined Woman Divine. Kind and soft-mannered she is a natural fit for our clinic. Natalie has got some top notch massage therapy skills up her sleeves and she exudes obvious passion for her craft. If you are on the lookout for a massage therapist, Natalie Cameron is a sound choice.

This is what Natalie would like you to know about herself and the work she does...

Hello, my name is Natalie Cameron and I am a Registered Massage Therapist. I have been working with Magdalena at Woman Divine for a little more than a year now. I am truly honoured to have this opportunity to work with her and in such a welcoming, beautiful and healing space.

I have always had a strong connection with massage. My Austrian grandmother gave me and taught me massage when I was a child. I have been told that I gave massages to members of my family when I was 3 years of age and I continued through the years.

I had an eagerness to learn about health which ultimately led me into the helping professions in the mid-nineties. Coming up to fifteen years, of working in the fields of massage therapy and body work, I am now even more passionate about health and healing. Some of what I am drawn to exploring include the breath, movement, flow, yoga, and nutrition. I work with pregnancy, infants and certainly children. I enjoy working with women of all ages and states of health. I really enjoy working with the elderly and I have experience in nursing homes, in palliative care and with Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetic patients. I have children and have worked with many children in different settings, including children with special needs and especially but not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, AD(H)D and Sensory Processing Disorders. I have worked in the labour and delivery rooms in the Ottawa General Hospital maternity ward performing labour massage and post-partum massage. I love and have experience working with moms pre and post-natal. Infants are very welcome at Woman Divine whether for a massage, an infant massage class or even to accompany mom for her own massage.



”Health is the state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”
B.K.S. Iyengar




While integrating the powerful connection between mind and body and through the use of many direct manual massage techniques, my treatments aim to augment the body's own ability to heal itself. I aim to utilize techniques which are clearly within a comfort zone for you. I strongly encourage client feedback to help to direct and individualize the treatment so that you feel more at ease. 

    

I am a very strong believer in the importance of the many facets of self care and the body's own natural ability to heal, restore and rejuvenate. I may give you some exercises in order to 
assist the body and create a balance. I often encourage deep breathing to allow the nervous system to calm, and once relaxed, for the body to release holding patterns and just let go.


Please ensure that you are well hydrated on the day of your treatment. Your treatment will be most comfortable if you eat a medium sized meal 1-3 hours before your treatment.

You can book your massage therapy appointment with Natalie Cameron online: www.womandivine.ca  

or by phone: 613 2976045

Raw facial - a feast for your skin.

If you haven't yet come to see me for the Raw Vegan Face Treatment at Woman Divine  now is the time. This treatment feels the nicest in the hot summer months. Fresh produce is abundant and I get to pick the best organic fruit and veggies for your skin.
I love creating these from scratch, fresh, live and fully custom tailored treatments, for few reasons.
#1 Live
 I work with a commercial organic skin care line all year round. But every time I do one of the raw treatments, I experience a noticeable difference in the energetic quality of the material I am working with.
The fresh fruit, raw honey, almond meal, matcha powder or freshly pressed wheat grass, vibrate with life and are very dynamic in their nature. Simply said, they are alive. It is a wonderful thing to experience as a therapist but it is also amazing to see simple fresh food interact with your skin and produce a desired outcome.
#2  Fun
It is like cooking and I love cooking. I get to be creative when I am formulating a fresh mask. Compare that to squeezing a tube of ready stuff.  It is fun for you too because you get to experience a  new approach to skin care and you walk out inspired to use food as beauty remedies at home.

#3 Simple 
If you already know me, you are well aware that I like my beauty care simple. I like it uncomplicated, easy and unpretentious. I share my bohemian approach to beauty and skin care with others because I know that once you embrace it, life in a female body becomes freer, easier and simpler;  in a good way.

#4 Pure 

You can not go any purer than this. You can eat it; all of it.  And it tastes great:))
I buy the produce locally as much as I can. Of course, it is not always possible to find all the ingredients locally, but I do my best.
Everything I use is organic and most of it is prepared on the spot. Some of the herbal preparations must be done ahead of time so I get them ready in the morning. 

#5 Harmony
At my core, this beautiful, nature-driven, planet-respecting body and skin supporting way of beauty care makes complete sense... It surely works in Harmony with Nature.