Kourtney De La Luz spoke with Yoga Teacher and Meditation Guide, Faith Hunter for Soul Artist Journal | ORIGINS. Faith talks about her experience of heartbreak and finding her way home. Walking became a meditation practice for listening to her inner voice and the Grandmother's message of roots, wholeness and resilience. She invites you to make space for yourself. return to your center, listen to your inner guide and trust the process of healing. Your sacral center is the portal to your feminine power.
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Visit www.FaithHunter.com for access to her books, courses and events.
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CALM • RESTORE • HYDRATE Autumn asks you to be honest: Are you truly balanced? Does the windy season have you feeling more like a tornado than a cool gentle breeze? If you said, "tornado." You aren’t alone. If we’re not careful, the season of crisp air and rapid change might leave us all feeling restless, fatigued, or simply dried up. But calming excess vata is just a few simple adjustments away. What is vata?According to the principles of Ayurveda, Vata is the combined elements of air and space. Vata is the catalyst of movement—like the winds that blow the leaves from the trees, the activity of our minds, and the life force energy that breathes our bodies into animation. Vata inspires creative flow, new ideas, and spontaneity. When imbalanced, vata exhibits signs and symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm—qualities that can billow like a hurricane and carry you up and away into a storm of stress. Insomnia and constipation are common symptoms of excess vata. Vata is increased during the months of Autumn. Yoga and Ayurveda offer practical solutions to balance your body and mind all season long. Look to the elements:
Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness
Slow down and turn inward. |
YOGA + AYURVEDA Workbook Āyurveda is a system of wellness deeply rooted in nature. It recognizes that humanity is created from, exists within, and eventually returns to the elements. Āyurveda is a Vedic science that has been practiced for thousands of years for the sake of holistic wellness. The system of Āyurveda recognizes that the key to good health is balance at all levels of being. It employs mindful dietary considerations, yoga āsana (postures), prānāyāma (breathing practices), herbs, and meditation for optimal health. It seeks to cleanse the body of toxins and eliminate excess inflammation. Ayurveda views everything as comprised of the pancha mahābhūtas (five basic elements): earth, water, fire, air and space. These are the building blocks for the qualities of your mind, body, and environment. |
Photo: Chelsea Shapouri
I have two words for you: Self Massage.
If you ask me, the Ayurvedic ritual of abhyanga (oleation of the skin) NEEDS to be a living part of every body's self-care routine.
Maybe it's because I have been a practicing Massage Therapist for two decades and I've seen *first-hand* the pure magic of therapeutic touch. Right now, I'm thinking of all the excess tension you hold in your body–the stress and habitual patterns of emotional suppression–oh my goodness! Your sweet body carries your baggage.
But your body is more than a baggage handler. It is also your temple and your shelter. It is your medium for self-expression, your vehicle for movement. When your body is healthy, it provides both a sense of security and connection. Your body is the interface between you and the world around you. As a human being, it is probably your most valuable asset (obvi.)
And your skin...don't even get me started!...
You've probably heard that your skin is the largest organ of your body. Intuitively you know that it is pretty important.
It protects you from harmful microbes and harsh elements. It helps regulate your body temperature and prevents dehydration.
Your skin literally helps hold you together. Not to mention: it provides a canvas for super-cool tattoos.
But perhaps the best quality of your skin: It is a playground for sensation. Heat, cold, smooth, rough, pain, itch, tickle, prick–sensation can be delightful and delicious...or it can alert you of danger in your environment.
Abhyanga is a seriously amazing ritual of Self-care with some seriously amazing benefits to your glorious skin, your entire body and, ultimately, your whole being:
- Reduce pain, edema, and inflammation.
- Ease headache tension.
- Promote skin health: elasticity and resilience.
- Improve your flexibility and range of motion.
- Activate lymphatic drainage.
- Loosen and lengthen constricted fascia.
- Soften, relax and realign muscle tissue.
- Minimize scar tissue.
- Alleviate muscle ache or joint pain.
- Instigate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (the relaxation response) which in turn helps to...
- Lower blood pressure and heart rate.
- Conserve oxygen consumption.
- Inhibit the levels of stress hormones: cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
- Calm anxiety.
- Counteract insomnia.
- Improve circulation and digestion.
- Release happy/calm hormones: serotonin and dopamine.
- Increase your overall vitality.
- Put you in a better mood.
- Provide a moment of centering meditation for your mind to become fully present.
- Invite yourself into deeper connection to your miraculous embodiment.
- Attune with your body's natural rhythms so that you can more easily sense when something feels misaligned.
Abhyanga self-massage is an easy, effective, and affordable ritual of Self Care that can bring your whole being into balance.
I recommend this ritual of Self-Care for at least 15 minutes every day. Below is a little protocol for each Ayurvedic dosha:
Vata
RITUAL OIL: Use a carrier oil that is rich, warming, and nourishing like shea butter, sesame oil, or jojoba.
AROMATHERAPY: Use essential oils that are warming and calming like lavender, clove, ginger, sweet orange, and sandalwood.
Kapha
RITUAL OIL: Use a carrier oil that is fine, warming, and invigorating like almond, sesame, or mustard seed oil.
AROMATHERAPY: Use essential oils that are spicy, heating and energizing like lemongrass, sage, holy basil, and eucalyptus.
Pitta
RITUAL OIL: Use a carrier oil that is balancing and cooling like coconut, jojoba, and apricot kernel oils.
AROMATHERAPY: Use essential oils that are cooling and hydrating like rose, peppermint, neroli, and chamomile.
YOGA + AYURVEDA Workbook
Āyurveda is a system of wellness deeply rooted in nature. It recognizes that humanity is created from, exists within, and eventually returns to the elements. Āyurveda is a Vedic science that has been practiced for thousands of years for the sake of holistic wellness. The system of Āyurveda recognizes that the key to good health is balance at all levels of being. It employs mindful dietary considerations, yoga āsana (postures), prānāyāma (breathing practices), herbs, and meditation for optimal health. It seeks to cleanse the body of toxins and eliminate excess inflammation. Ayurveda views everything as comprised of the pancha mahābhūtas (five basic elements): earth, water, fire, air and space. These are the building blocks for the qualities of your mind, body, and environment. |
Create an Evening Ritual for a Good Night's Rest
Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD

We have all witnessed the radiant blast of glory just as the sun descends behind the horizon.
The ancient Egyptians celebrated this daily phenomenon as an epic journey of the Solar God, Ra, as he sailed into the underworld, leaving the luminous and nourishing powers of the moon to govern the night sky. The underworld traverse was considered an auspicious event, necessary for confronting shadows and defeating monsters so that the sun could rise again the following day.
In the ancient Sumerian myths, the heavenly goddess Inanna descends into the underworld to confront her recently widowed, and completely heartbroken, sister. Although Inanna must face terrible hardship, the story expresses the value of compassion for transformation and ultimate freedom.
The underworld descent has been interpreted by Jungian psychologists as an archetypal symbol of the spiritual journey each of us must take into our heart's wisdom. Only by encountering the depths of our inner knowing may we become truly balanced and whole.
Sunset is therefore a sacred time to turn inward and center your awareness upon the wisdom flame of your heart. Within the traditions of Yoga and Āyurveda, the evening provides a time for lunar practice, or Rātricharyā. When you establish an evening ritual you set yourself up to enjoy deep benefits:
- Harmonize with the rhythms of Nature.
- Receive guidance from your deepest truth.
- Embrace the dark stillness with contemplative calm.
- Enjoy restful sleep.
Rātricaryā for Vata Season
SUNSET VINYASA & MEDITATION
As the sun sets, enjoy a fluid āsana vinyāsa (flow of yoga postures) that moves your energy from the active charge of the day into the calm nourishment of darkness. Conclude your movement practice with a deep and quiet meditation. This is a sweet time to light a candle at your altar, chant mantras, and turn your attention toward gratitude. Focus your awareness on your breath as it expands within your belly and let your mind follow the exhalation out of your body, as you settle into stillness.
WATER RITUAL
As the sun sets, enjoy a fluid asana vinyasa (flow of yoga postures) that moves your energy from the active charge of the day into the calm nourishment of darkness. Conclude your movement practice with a deep and quiet meditation. This is a sweet time to light a candle at your altar, chant mantras, and turn your attention toward gratitude. Focus your awareness on your breath as it expands within your belly and let your mind follow the exhalation out of your body, as you settle into stillness.
EVENING ABHYANGA
Massage your entire body with warm oil to purify and nourish your system. Enjoy circular strokes over your heart region, belly, joints, and limbs. Be sure to massage your feet thoroughly, then cover the oil with socks to maximize the moisturizing benefits and keep you warm and cozy. Make this a nightly ritual to release stress, tone tissues, and soothe your nervous system. Add essential oils of clove and/or amber to calm and warm your senses. Once a week, you can also apply a scalp oil and massage the marma (pressure points) around your skull, neck, and ears. Find more details in the article: SHIRO ABHYANGA | ĀYURVEDIC HAIR RITUAL.
SLEEP BEFORE 10 PM
Save all your computer work and social media surfing for the tomorrow. Spend your last waking hours with your family, reading a book, or writing in your journal. I like to take time, just before sleep, to jot down any ideas or goals I have for the following day, so I can let them go until morning. I say a prayer of gratitude and peace.
Shānti Mantra
After we sing, I set an intention to sleep with an open heart so that I might remember whatever messages come through my dreams. I put my dream journal on my nightstand so that I will be ready to quickly record my dream images upon waking.
ॐ द्यौः शान्तिरन्तरिक्षं शान्तिः
पृथिवी शान्तिरापः शान्तिरोषधयः शान्तिः ।
वनस्पतयः शान्तिर्विश्वेदेवाः शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्तिः
सर्वं शान्तिः शान्तिरेव शान्तिः सा मा शान्तिरेधि ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Om dyauh śāntir-antarikśam śāntih
prthivī śāntir-āpah śāntir-oṣadhayah śāntih
vanaspatayah śāntir-vishvedevaah śāntir-Brahma śāntih
sarvam śāntih śāntir-eva śāntih sā mā śāntir-edhi
Om śāntih śāntih śāntih
Photo: Angie Barnes
~Michael Stone
We need water.
As much as 78% of the human body is water. This same water cycles through absorption
and evaporation to the air around us, the clouds, and is rained down into the oceans. In
this way, our bodies are directly connected the entire world.
The following meditation is a invocation of healing for your physical body and the body of Mother Earth.
You may be seated or standing.
Close your eyes and bring your full awareness to your breath.
Inhale fully and exhale completely.
Allow the breath to create space in your body and your mind.
Inhale and notice the dynamic expansion in your ribcage and lungs.
Exhale and let your body release, soften, and settle.
Inhale, expand and swell like a great wave of energy.
Exhale and allow that wave to pulse back out to the Earth.
Only if it feels natural, you may gently constrict your throat and channel your breath, to practice Ujaii pranayama, creating the soothing sound of the ocean with each inhalation and exhalation.
Notice the rhythmic pulsation—the dance of the breath—as it crests and falls
like a sacred tide.
Release tension now, and surrender to the oscillation. Feel your whole body begin to respond to the natural flow and sway of the breath.
Allow the waves of breath to wash over you.
There is mobility at every joint, between your ribs, across your back body and throughout your internal organs.
Like water, let your movement patterns follow the path of least resistance.
Be absolutely uninhibited in your movements—Absolutely FREE and fluid.
Imagine all the water in your body, allowing your the FREEDOM to move, to dance naturally and dynamically with the rhythms of Life’s sacred pulsation.
As you move, visualize the color green and picture the water molecules in every cell of your being.
Using your breath, silently offer a healing message of love to all the water in your
body.
Now, imagine yourself as water.
Visualize yourself flowing like a river into the ocean,
the healing waters of your physical body mix, merge, and mingle with the Earth’s Ocean waves.
Using your breath, send a healing message of love to all of the water on the planet.
Bring your palms together at your heart to seal your intention.
Namaste.
Photo: Kasia Serbin
Do you know your Āyurvedic "Hair Type"?
Here's how to figure it out...and why it matters:
It all begins with the three dosha (disorders):
According to Āyurveda, your entire being (and everything around you) is made up of five elemental forces: earth, water, fire, air, and space.
These five māhābhutas (major elements) combine to form three dosha that effect your overall wellness:
- vata = space + air
- pitta = fire
- kapha = water + earth
Seriously!
It is pretty darned valuable to know your personal Āyurvedic dosha balance (or imbalance) and how it contributes to your everyday choices and overall well-being. And your hair (or lack of it) can be a tell tale indicator of your unique dosha profile.
Vata
The Ritual: Massage your head and ears with a nourishing oil like almond or sesame. If your scalp is very dry, use castor oil. Massage with oil 3 times each week. On the off weeks, massage your head with warm milk and honey for a rich cleansing and moisturizing treatment. Rinse with warm water.
Kapha
The Ritual: Rather than add oil, use dry hands to massage your scalp and distribute your natural oils to the ends of your hair. Then, spritz your hair with apple cider vinegar and massage through your hair shafts before rinsing with warm water to cleanse excess oil from your hair. Apply raw avocado or banana to your hair once a week (before your vinegar rinse) to maintain your lustrous shine.
Pitta
The Ritual: Massage scalp with a light carrier oil that is balancing and cooling like coconut or jojoba oil. Use an essential oil of peppermint or lavender for calming the scalp. Aloe vera gel or yogurt can be applied to improve hair and scalp health.
Benefits of Shiro Abhyanga
- improve circulation to the scalp
- moisturize and/or distribute natural oils
- cleanse hair and balance hair ph
- activate the parasympathetic nervous system
- prevent hair loss/improve hair growth
- improve memory and overall brain function
- promote sleep
- delay premature grey
- improve eye function
YOGA + ĀYURVEDA WorkbookĀyurveda is a system of wellness deeply rooted in nature.
It recognizes that humanity is created from, exists within, and eventually returns to the elements. Āyurveda is a Vedic science that has been practiced for thousands of years for the sake of holistic wellness. The system of Āyurveda recognizes that the key to good health is balance at all levels of being. It employs mindful dietary considerations, yoga āsana (postures), prānāyāma (breathing practices), herbs, and meditation for optimal health. It seeks to cleanse the body of toxins and eliminate excess inflammation. Ayurveda views everything as comprised of the pancha mahābhūtas (five basic elements): earth, water, fire, air and space. These are the building blocks for the qualities of your mind, body, and environment. |
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neti pot
Ready for neti?
Your nose knows.
When winter weather brings sinus sludge, get clear with a little help from a dear friend—your beautiful neti pot of handmade pottery.
Now in a rainbow assortment of colors to cheer up your kapha 'tude.
(Don't forget to follow up with clear. NASYA to lube your sinus tubes).

Ritual of Awareness
Sanara Plant based Skincare
This ritual is more than just a self-care routine—it’s a life-saving act of self-awareness and connection. It was through this very practice that I discovered both of my breast cancers at the ages of 39 and 40, with no family history. Breast exams do not stop after a diagnosis, and it was through my commitment to my breast care, long before I turned 40 (when standard breast exams typically begin), that I found the lumps. I reached out to my doctors and pushed for more testing, which led to early detection that saved my life.
As a 17-year diagnostic medical sonographer, I have a profound love and respect for medical science but also know firsthand that you know your body better than any doctor ever will as mammo and ultrasound indicated benign findings my first diagnosis. It was through my medical knowledge, paired with my deep appreciation for the connection between mind, body, and spirit—something I have cultivated for the past eight years through creating my own body care rituals that gave me the confidence to seek further testing.
Now, it has become my passion and mission to share my story, raise breast cancer awareness, and emphasize the importance of knowing your body, trusting your intuition, and advocating for your health.
I invite you to nourish your skin and reconnect with your mind, body, and spirit through the Ritual of Awareness.
Disclaimer: While the Ritual of Awareness is a powerful practice for cultivating mind, body, and spirit connection, it does not guarantee the detection of breast cancer or other medical conditions. This ritual is intended to promote self-awareness and encourage regular self-care. For medical concerns or if you notice any changes, please consult with a healthcare professional immediately. In fact, this ritual was designed to be your own first responder, leading you to medical attention.

TRANQUILA Bath Soak Ritual
Sanara Plant-based Skincare
Sanara, derived from the Spanish word “sanará” meaning “you will heal,” was created to nurture mind, body, and soul. The TRANQUILA Bath Ritual offers a restorative escape, enhancing more than just your skin. Immerse yourself in our Yerba Maté Bath Soak, featuring invigorating Yerba Maté, soothing Aloe, Jojoba Oil, and anti-aging Pomegranate and Acai. Brazilian clays enrich the water with minerals and a beautiful pink hue, while Ylang Ylang, Lavender, and citrus essential oils create a calming experience. Complete your ritual with Chilean Rosehip Seed Body Oil for ultimate hydration and smoothness.

Candlelit Tranquila Ritual
Transform your self-care routine with Candle Light TRANQUILA Ritual from Sanara Plant-based Skincare. This luxurious set includes our Yerba Maté Bath Soak for antioxidant-rich detoxification, Chilean Rosehip Seed Body Oil for deep hydration, and a calming TRANQUILA Candle to create a serene atmosphere. Perfect for unwinding after a long day, this ritual combines rejuvenating skincare with soothing ambiance for ultimate relaxation.

Sanara El Cuerpo
Welcome to El Cuerpo Ritual, where self-care transforms into an artful experience. This ritual invites you to craft your personal sanctuary with the indulgent Cupuaçu Seed Body Butter and the revitalizing Bamboo Fiber & Mango Seed Body Polish. Embrace a blend of ancient wisdom and modern body care, elevating your self-care routine to a masterful practice of luxury and rejuvenation.