This month, when you purchase The Everyday Oils enrollment kit from the Verte boutique, $15 will be donated to V-Day and UNICEF’s City of Joy Project. The two non-profits, in partnership with the Panzi Foundation, are currently building a special facility for the survivors of sexual violence in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The City of Joy will support women to heal and provide them with opportunities to develop their leadership through programming in: group therapy; storytelling; dance; theater; self-defense; comprehensive sexuality education (covering HIV/AIDS, family planning); ecology and horticulture; and economic empowerment.

Just a few dollars have far-reaching impact and can provide much needed supplies that will make the City of Joy a comfortable, caring, and healthy place for women survivors of sexual violence to learn, lead, and inspire.

For example, $30 provides one woman with seeds for the City of Joy’s horticulture program for one year or $400 provides the salary of a local registered nurse.

On your behalf, Verte (The Green Doula’s Parent Biz) will donate $15 to one of the City of Joy’s registry category items which include:

Skills Training
Healing
Living
Education
Working
Nourishing
Or a Custom Donation

How Are You Able to Enhance Your Life While Helping to Build the City of Joy?

By incorporating “nature’s living energy” into your everyday lifestyle, you are bound to enhance your everyday life. How do you hone such energy? Well, you don’t have to for Young Living Essential Oils have already done it for you. It is Young Living’ mission to promote the ancient healing art of essential oil therapy. Offering a collection of over 140 therapeutic-grade single essential oils and unique essential oil blends, they are the world’s largest community dedicated to achieving wellness via nature’s purest, most potent gift, essential oils.

When used aromatically, applied topically, or taken internally, essential oils can calm, energize, balance, purify, and rejuvenate the mind and body. As well, such oils can be incorporated into your everyday (including pregnancy and childcare)lifestyle in areas such as:

air purification
aromatherapy + fragrance
cleaning
cooking
first aid
pet care

Your Everyday Oils enrollment kit will include the following oils and more for only $150; ideal to introduce you to the benefits and ease of incorporating essential oils into your life, receive discounts & rewards, and should you chose, the opportunity to generate extra income:

Everyday Oils includes:
(
1)- 5 ml Frankincense
(
1)- 5 ml Lemon

(
1)- 5 ml Lavender

(
1)- 5 ml Peppermint

(
1)- 5 ml Purification
 Blend
(
1)- 5 ml Panaway
 Blend
(
1)- 5 ml Peace & Calming®
 Blend
(
1)- 5 ml Thieves®
 Blend
(
1)- 5 ml Valor® Blend
As well

You can purchase the enrollment kit at any time through Verte, though the fundraiser for the City of Joy ends on February 28th. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me and db@vertenyc.com.

Keep an eye out all this month for a variety of recipes incorporating essential oils that you can incorporate into your pregnancy and infant care regime. If you are not interested in purchasing therapeutic-grade oils, but still want to contribute to the City of Joy, please make your donation here

Tuesday night, I hosted the “Be Thankful and Biodynamic” event at the Jurlique concept store in Soho. With Thanksgiving just next week, and all of the wonderful new mothers I have been meeting of late, I was inspired to celebrate and connect the brilliance of biodynamics and motherhood.

I created this workshop to establish a dialogue & platform, for mothers to be and women in general, to try on a biomimicry/holistic thinking cap. I chose to hold the event at Jurlique for the company and their products are truly at the top echelon of environmentally sound, holistic and ethical companies. From sustainable packaging, including vegetable based inks and plastic made from corn, the Australian based company sees to it that all of the ingredients used to make their products are grown by the principles of biodynamic farming.

I gave a brief lecture on the benefits of a selected collection of Jurlique’s biodynamic essential oils and how they can enhance or support a mother in her 2nd or 3rd trimester; as well as those oils to refrain from during these times. The delicious Babycakes NYC, provided ridiculously amazing vegan brownies and chocolate chip cookies for the guest and the incredible staff at Jurlique- Soho gave guests biodynamic facials and hand massages. Guest walked away with wonderful Jurlique products for mother and baby as well as useful information on essential oils, mayan abdominal massage & resources for sustaining a baby/child’s creativity and expression.

Pregnancy is not only a transformation of a woman’s body, but her emotional state-of-mind as well. Doctors and scientists have confirmed that a mother’s emotional state significantly influences the health of her child. A baby’s birth weight and stress level can be influenced by an overly stressed or anxious mother. The hormonal changes that the female body undergoes during pregnancy can lead to many discomforts — from morning sickness, body aches, swelling to stretch marks.

The majority of all over the counter medicines and traditional remedies are off-limits to expecting moms. Though, during childbirth, a new category of sensations, ache and pain arises and in this case a variety of medicines are commonly administered. I ask myself, why? Women deserve the right to have access to the knowledge and options of natural alternatives to alleviate their discomforts, aches and pains throughout pregnancy and childbirth. The history of aromatherapy dates back to about 4500 BC and it is my opinion that a resurgence of attention to the practice of aromatherapy(essential oils) and botany, would do our healthcare system good (the ingredients would have to be grown sustainably of course).

Visit these links to learn more about essential oils and how they may be incorporated into your holistic pregnancy and lifestyle. Please do consult with your doctor before adopting any routine into your overall pregnancy and make the right choice for you:

Overview of Essential oils for pregnancy & childbirth
Some beneficial oils for pregnancy
Oils to abstain from during pregnancy
Perineum Massage
Lavender oils’ potential estrogenic effects on pre-adolescent infants & boys (DO KNOW WHERE YOUR LAVENDER IS COMING FROM AND WHAT OTHER INGRIDENTS ACCOMPANY THE PRODUCT THAT YOU ARE USING? )
Blend Recipes
More Blends
Aromatheraphy Practioner Certification