Rosh Hashanah, which means “the head of the year” in Hebrew, is also frequently associated (at least to those who are only vaguely familiar) with apples and honey.

What is the significant of apples and honey during Rosh Hashanah, you ask?

Well, the tradition of dipping an apple in honey and consuming it as part of a meal is to welcome the beginning of the year with “sweetness” and to wish that the rest of it will be the same. According to Chabad, honey, which is also sweet, is nevertheless produced by bees that can sting– an ample metaphor for the ups and downs of life (e.g. sweetness and pain). The recognition of “bittersweet” realities and the premonition that the start of a “sweet” new year bodes well for the year to come is symbolized by the arrival of apples (and to a lesser extent, honey) at local farmers markets, as apples are a Fall crop.

Like Persian New Year, many of the foods served during Rosh Hashanah have a symbolic meaning. Round challah bread symbolizes the circle of life, while the head of a fish, according to USA Today, may symbolize the “‘head’ of the year and reflect the prayer ‘let us be the head and not the tail.'”

Depending on local customs, pomegranates may also be served during Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a fruitful and abundant year (as pomegranates are rich with many seeds). So, now you know!

The post During Rosh Hashanah, Apples and Honey are a Beautiful Metaphor appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Presale tickets are $30 or $45 per day for a pass that gains the visitor access to event lectures, film screenings, sound baths, meditations, children’s workshops, vintage finds, ethical products, local food, and a wellness marketplace designed to “speak to a higher consciousness, and a more beautiful, insightful, deliberate way of living”.

This year’s Mercado Sagrado will feature music curated by Zebulon, food, and lectures and workshops from nutritionists, herbalists, apothecaries, astrologists, and other mindfulness experts who will travel from all over the country to attend the event.

Artists and brands featured will include Hollow Bone, Sam Roberts LA, Woodworker West of Noble, homewares by Hanna Quinn, and dozens of others. Bring your sunscreen, don your hat, and head out to the canyon!

Watch a video from a previous year’s annual fair, below.

For more information on this year’s Mercado Sagrado, visit the fair’s website.

The post Events We Love: Mercado Sagrado, a Celebration of the Canyon Spirit appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Given the concurrent mental health and opioid epidemics that continue to ravage America, our magazine has been reporting on easy, less invasive ways to improve quality of sleep naturally ever since we started publishing, but nothing has impressed us as much in the realm of natural sleep care as the Gravity Blanket— a new science-backed blanket designed to help users fall asleep naturally, without the use of supplements or prescription medications.

As the brand’s website explains of their science-backed technology: “Weighted blankets are engineered to be 7-12% of your body weight to relax the nervous system by simulating the feeling of being held or hugged. More specifically, Gravity uses the power of proprioceptive input (more commonly known as ‘deep touch pressure stimulation’), a well regarded therapeutic method that stimulates pressure points on the body linked to improved sleep, mood, and relaxation.”

Weighted blankets have been used in niche medical communities for years now, but science has only recently emerged to demonstrate their effectiveness at helping people fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply without a prescription or therapeutic training. According to research published by The Journal of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health (research whose findings informed the design of the Gravity Blanket), deep touch pressure stimulation can increase the production of serotonin and melatonin– also known as “the sleep hormone”– while decreasing the production of cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone”.

This natural, physiological approach “decreases heart rate, blood pressure, and more, improving mood and promoting restful sleep and relaxation,” Gravity explains.

Currently, the blanket is designed for one person’s use at a time (so it can’t be used as a full comforter on a queen bed, but rather as an intimate, supplemental tool for a single person). The blanket’s 72″ x 48″ size is specifically engineered to distribute weight evenly over one person, which has a grounding effect.

Currently, the blankets come in three colors (Space Grey, Galaxy Blue, and Moon Ivory) and three different weights (15 lb, 20 lb, and 25 lb) which latter should ideally be chosen based off of what best approximates 10% of the user’s body weight. Gravity also now offers a new cooling blanket for those who get hot at night, and all blankets have a soft, velvet-like finish that is cool and gentle to the touch.

While the heft of the blanket might feel a bit unusual at first, we’ve found sleeping with a properly weighted blanket to be mystifyingly relaxing. It’s amazing! The weight on your body seemingly has an inverse effect on the mind: after a few minutes of laying under the covers and “feeling held”, racing thoughts and other heavy burdens seem to lift and evaporate.

This, in turn, leads to a state of equanimity and relaxation that makes falling asleep easy and immediate. That’s always been the goal, right?

Garden Collage Magazine readers can get 15% their purchase of a Gravity Blanket by using the code GARDENCOLLAGE at checkout (valid for 1 use per costumer). 

The post Could a Weighted Blanket Help You Sleep Better? appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

May is Melanoma Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to start thinking about how (when, and where) to stay sun-safe this summer. Antioxidant serums, chic hats, and the best times to cover up are just a few of the #SafeSunHacks we’ll discuss below, in addition to making some product reccomendations that have been personally vetted by our staff.

We also recently spoke with Louise M. Perkins, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of the Melanoma Research Alliance, to get some insight into the state of skin cancer research and why everyone (yes, even you) should apply at least a shot glass of sunscreen at the beach:

“While not the most common of the various types of skin cancer, Melanoma is the deadliest,” says Perkins. “What we know from using a variety of cutting edge scientific techniques is that there is clear evidence for ultraviolet light induced evidence of damage to the DNA. What that means is exposure to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed is clearly linked to melanoma.”

“People do all these things– we run, we eat healthy, we see the doctor, we drink water, we take our vitamins– so why would we neglect the largest organ in our body, which is our skin?”

People with fair skin, red or blonde hair, light eyes, more than 50 moles, a history of sunburn or UV exposure, and a family history of skin cancer are at elevated risk for melanoma. Studies show that spray sunscreens do not work as effectively as the kind you have to rub in, and most people do not use enough of it. “There are a number of studies that show that more sunscreen is better,” says Perkins. “The recommendation is to use a shot glass of sunscreen to cover your entire body.” Sunscreen should then be reapplied every two hours, or after being in the water and toweling off– and this is true even if you aren’t at the beach.

Our Staff Reccomendations

Our entire staff are devoted to sun protection, and over the years we’ve collectively come up with our own “sun hacks”. (For example, Garden Collage Founder and CEO Daisy Helman recommends wearing breathable gardening gloves like Foxgloves whenever biking in the sun, as the backs of our hands are one of the fastest-aging parts of the body that often go neglected when it comes to sun protection.) Having read extensive dermatological reccomendations by leading industry experts including Dr. Julie Karen of Complete Skin MD, we also recommend wearing an antioxidant serum like [easyazon_link identifier=”B01MA35EGM” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Derma-e’s Vitamin C serum[/easyazon_link] underneath sunscreen to maximize protection and anti-aging benefits. Consider wearing a hat whenever in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM, and especially if you don’t like wearing sunscreen or if you forget to reapply. Light-blocking clothing is also the only way to be 100% sure you are blocking the sun’s harmful rays (if running or surfing, look for clothing with a [easyazon_link identifier=”B01N0IGSSX” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]UPF+ fabric[/easyazon_link] of 50 or higher).

“If you just need that glow, use a sunless tanner.”

Generally speaking, we also like to toggle between azobenzene-free sunscreens and more “natural” ones, reserving the more aggressive chemicals for periods of intense sun exposure (like being at the beach or a dessert). Perkins points out with a word of caution, however: “Titanium Dioxide is a chemical, too. Just because it’s ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s safe,” and that’s an important thing to consider when choosing the sunscreen that is right for you. (More information about how sunscreens are regulated in the United States can be found here.)

To that end, our staff loves Pratima Skincare’s Neem Rose Face Sunscreen, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00HZ2BPWI” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Supergoop SPF 40[/easyazon_link], anything by [easyazon_link identifier=”B002CML1XE” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]La Roche-Posay[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link identifier=”B004D2826K” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Neutrogena’s Clear Face SPF 55[/easyazon_link] line, and [easyazon_link identifier=”B002MSN3QQ” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]EltaMD skincare’s SPF 46[/easyazon_link] sunscreen– but that’s just us! It’s also worth investing in polarized, 100% UV blocking sunglasses, as there is currently no requirement for designer glasses to be polarized or to block 100% of UV rays that can cause cataracts after long term exposure. (Warby Parker sunglasses, for example, only block 98%.) Look for a sticker or ask a sales person to confirm that your sunglasses block harmful rays before buying.

Vitamin D + Tanning

But what about Vitamin D? “In our opinion, that’s not a good reason to go out and incur ultraviolet damage– but its definitely a conversation you should have with your doctor,” Perkins says. (A dermatologist at Marmur Medical once told me that you get enough Vitamin D on the back of your hands after 5 minutes of sun exposure per day.)

And tanning? “A tan is a reflection of damage to your skin; a tan itself if your body trying to protect you from the damage its incurred,” says Perkins. “You really don’t know what you’re going to be [exposing] in your DNA to do UVA exposure.” The verdict: try to avoid tanning just as much as sunburn. “People do all these things– we run, we eat healthy, we see the doctor, we drink water, we take our vitamins– so why would we neglect the largest organ in our body, which is our skin?”

“A lot of us don’t experience the consequences of sun exposure until we’re a bit older– so this isn’t just about skin cancer and melanoma. Do you really want those wrinkles when you get older?” she adds. “If you just need that glow, use a sunless tanner.”

For more information on the current state of melanoma research in the United States, visit the Melanoma Research Alliance. 

The post May Is Melanoma Awareness Month: Here’s What You Need To Know appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

1440 Multiversity has attracted thought leaders and mindfulness experts like Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, Sharon Salzberg, Julia Cameron, Judith Orloff and many more icons who visit the property to gather, educate, enrich, and simultaneously experience being the best version of themselves. 

The retreat center’s namesake, 1440, comes from the number of minutes in a day. “Each one [is] a chance to connect with what truly matters– both within and around us,” their catalog reads.  

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgMuhfynI0c/?hl=en&taken-by=alisha_sommer

Offering a wide variety of wellness, professional development, healing arts, and personal growth programming, the 75-acre campus also offers lodging with a California contemporary flare, one that’s free of telephones and TVs so that disconnecting from 21st century life is possible (WiFi is, however, available on site).

Joanie Kriens, the co-founder of 1440 Multiversity, has a beautiful garden on site where cooking, nutrition, and gardening classes are held. She and her husband, Scott Kriens, came from the tech world; Scott is the chairman and former CEO of Juniper Networks, which grew to $4 billion in global sales with 10,000 employees in more than 100 countries.

And yet, the life the duo leads today seems to stand in direct opposition to the life they once had– but in fact, it’s all connected.

Whether you’re a yogi who is familiar with wellness retreats or just someone who wants a break from routine, 1440 Multiversity has created an immersive experience for all. Below, we chat with Joanie Kriens about how the retreat center, which is surrounded by majestic scenery, came to be.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaHjFTTHxwY/?hl=en&taken-by=1440kitchentable

GC: Do you remember the moment when you and Scott decided to pivot and create a physical space for 1440 Multiversity?

JK: It started, believe it or not, as a search for more office space, and then we came across the shut down campus of a bible college founded in the 1950’s, called Bethany University. The idea for the 1440 Multiversity began with that discovery, and the possibility of creating a space where our work could come to life.

GC: What were your first steps in making that dream a reality? 

JK: It began with the possibility of restoring the campus among the redwoods– at the time we found it was in desperate need of a complete re-creation. The two most important questions to answer were, “Could we make the space special?” and “If we build it, will anyone come?”– and they did!

GC: How have you personally changed along this journey?

JK: We are now more inspired than ever that the opportunities for learning and connecting with ourselves and each other at the Multiversity is needed in the world. Each guest who has joined us since our opening has helped to confirm that.

GC: How do you pay homage to ‘1440 minutes within a day’ everyday?

JK: We claim no mastery of the goal of being present, it is simple to say and often hard to do. As Sharon Salzberg, a dear friend and well-known contemplative teacher would say, “Notice when you have wandered away from the present moment, and then Begin Again.”

GC: What is your average day like at 1440?

JK: We work every day to make the experience richer and more meaningful for our guests, and ourselves. Sometimes that is as simple as [ensuring] the little things that make our guests comfortable during their stay, and sometimes it is brainstorming about the possibilities of exploring new programs and experiences for the times ahead.

GC: Who was the first speaker or program leader that joined you guys?

JK: Sharon Salzberg opened the campus with a program in meditation over Memorial Day weekend, which also coincided with the launch of her fabulous new book, [easyazon_link identifier=”1250076501″ locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Real Love[/easyazon_link].

GC: What courses have you personally taken? 

JK: I’ve taken Speak Your Truth: Conscious Communication on the Path of Personal Transformation with Alejandra Siroka and Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Retreat with Jean Kristeller and Andrea Lieberstein. Both have been a part of my ongoing curiosity about life and how to live more fully.

GC: Who was the 1440 Multiversity created for?

JK: It was created for those people who are curious and motivated to become more alive, and looking for real actions and teachings that can help them on their journey. And for groups, companies and organizations that seek to build stronger ties between one another and more trusted relationships that will serve them in their work and life.

GC: How did you guys decide to settle 1440 in Santa Cruz, California?

JK: The opportunity really found us, with the availability of a campus built 60+ years ago in a redwood forest, 20 minutes from the heart of Silicon Valley.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaCwUF0HrOP/?hl=en&taken-by=1440kitchentable

GC: Who came up with the name 1440?

JK: I was in my garden one day as we were in the process of deciding on names, and in one moment I was struck by just how powerful it felt to hold freshly picked tomatoes in the morning sun. I was struck by the feeling in that minute, and wondered how many of these minutes there were in a day to feel so fully connected to everything around me.

So I Googled it and got the answer– 1440 –and it became the call to presence and gratitude for all that we have to celebrate in each minute of every day.

GC: What is your first memory in Nature?

JK: Both of my parents were gardeners, and I remember them both planting their favorite vegetables and flowers, often fighting over space in the yard. In the winter in my own personal garden I’m growing kale, chard, onions, peas, broccoli and cauliflower, and many herbs.

We’ll be planting our spring garden soon and already have rosemary, thyme, basil, and other herbs garnishing the farm-to-table foods that we prepare every day for our guests, and serve at 1440 Kitchen Table.

GC: What role does Nature play in your life today?

JK: Nature remains the place I try to enjoy every day, finding some time to just walk or work amongst all the beauty that surrounds me.

To find out more about 1440 Multiversity’s programming, visit their website.

Interested in personal development but can’t make it out to California? Try this simple garden meditation, or read our primer on flower gazing meditation. 

The post 1440 Multiversity Brings Immersive Learning to the California Redwoods appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

We reviewed the best podcasts of 2017 and discovered more than a few sustainability podcasts, mind-body podcasts, herbal medicine podcasts, health podcasts, and the best podcasts about creativity that are all worth listening to in 2018.

Below, we spotlight our favorite award-winning and little-known podcasts that address aspects of food, beauty, health, medicine, mindfulness, and the environment from a variety of different angles.

Did we leave something out? Let us know your favorites on social media at @gardencollage.

The People’s Pharmacy

The People’s Pharmacy with Joe & Terry Graedon is an NPR-affiliated public radio show that is kind of dry when it comes to traditional “entertainment”, but it is a great serious listen for nutrition, health, and alternative medicine buffs.

Featuring a mix of policy news and updates related to pharmaceuticals (natural and otherwise) as well interviews with leading industry experts on various common health problems, their show– which features topics like “How To Protect Your Vision” and “How Do Endochrine Disruptors Affect Your Health?”– answers many intriguing questions about topics you’ve likely heard of but might not know much about.

The Mind Palace Podcast

The Mind Palace Podcast is simply a podcast about what it means to lead a meaningful life, addressing everything from life choices, beauty, breathwork, pop culture, and free speech to language, politics, trends, and, most recently, “Meyers-Briggs madness.”

We like that this podcast covers the full spectrum of intentional living, and we recommend it specifically for people who are looking to find more meaning in their work, relationships, mindfulness practice, passion projects, and/or daily lives.

Food Is…

Documenting the issue of food waste, the Food Is… series is a documentary project by Chris King that’s aimed at addressing the sometimes invisible ways we can reduce avoidable food waste while motivating people to take action to change the culture of conspicuous food consumption.

One episode, for example, features an interview with Hannah McCollum, the entrepreneur behind ChicP— a company that gathers food that would otherwise go to waste and turns it into delicious hummus.

The Energy Gang

With titles like “Tax Reform and Tesla’s Semi-Truck”, “Did Steve Bannon Hint at a Solar Trade War?”, and “Painful Lessions from Hurricane Harvey”, The Energy Gang podcast is a weekly digest on energy, cleantech, and the environment through the lens of current evets.

Produced by Greentech Media, the show features industry-focused debates and discussions between energy specialist Jigar Shah and Greentech EIC Stephen Lacey, who together address everything from energy storage and distribution to grid modification and the technological, political, and market forces that drive energy and environmental issues.

The Herbrally Podcast

The Herbrally Podcast is an excellent podcast for herbalism lovers and natural remedy junkies, organized under the tagline, “Herbalism in your neck of the woods”. The podcast features recorded lectures from various experts in the (literal and metaphorical) field, who address a variety of super-relevant topics, from “Plant Medicine and Sexual Trauma” to “Pumpkin Spice: A Deep Dive into the Medicinal Properties of This Beloved Fall Blend”.

If you love learning about how to heal yourself using natural remedies, teas, tinctures, herbs, wild edibles, homemade salves, hydrosols, biofeedback, and other holistic health care methods, this is the podcast for you. Recently, Herbrally has spotlighted everything from blue vervain to moringa to the best plant medicine for menstrual health.

Think: Sustainability

Think: Sustainability is a podcast dedicated to exploring practical solutions to global warming and issues related to our finite supply of natural resources.

The podcast addresses common questions related to these topics in the spirit of “How Things Work”– episode address quirky concepts like the new phenomenon of “thunderstorm asthma” and why it’s getting worse with Climate Change; Australia’s war on feral cats (yes, you read that right); what happens when a species goes extinct; is being a vegan sustainable; the carbon footprint of your Facebook posts; the idea of “acid rain”; gassy corals (yes, you also read that right); why Lake Chad is shrinking; how drone technology is engaging with conservation; and there’s even a podcast called “Bill Gates really loves chickens”. We’ll let you explore that last one on your own.

The Slow Home Podcast

Brooke McAlary hosts The Slow Home Podcast to address “slower” ways of living, discussing everything from barefoot walking to “the Age of Distraction” and how to live slow while still being connected on social media (and doing so with a lovely Australian accent).

For the uninitiated, some of the ideas discussed may be revelatory– and for those of us already in the flow, it offers ample reminders and good tips for how to maintain the ethos of slow living in a fast-paced world.

The World Resources Institute Podcast

The WRI Podcast features smart, incisive commentary and direct-to-the-issue conversations with various players in global resource development. The podcast focuses on the intersection of socio-economic development and the environment, from electrifying continental Africa to rainforest restoration in Brazil to efforts to restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

This is a great podcast for people interested in global development, public health, policy, government, and the ways these myriad issues intersect.

Climate One

How can art help us understand the human cost of Climate Change? This was a question asked of world renown artist Ai Weiwei in a recent interview for Climate One Podcast, which addresses environmental, energy, policy, and humanitarian issues in a series of live, recorded conversations between activists, artists, policy experts, change makers, and other stakeholders.

By gathering “inspiring, credible, and compelling information”, host Greg Dalton provides essential insight from concerned citizens that is helpful for those looking to stay informed and/or get involved in affecting change.

This is a great podcast for activists and those looking to educate themselves about climate issues in popular culture; recent pods include topics like “Greening Professional Sports”, the aforementioned “Ai Weiwei: Human Flow”, and “Concussions, Cigarettes, and Climate”, which is prefaced as such:

“What do football, tobacco, and oil have in common? A common narrative of deceit. When tobacco companies faced public scrutiny about the link between cancer and smoking, the industry launched a campaign questioning the scientific evidence. Oil companies and the National Football League have used the same playbook to mislead the public. Listen to the stories of how industries endeavor to confuse.”

Low Tox Life

Hosted by Alexx Stuart of lowtoxlife.com, the Low Tox Life Podcast addresses sustainability, health, fashion, farming, lowering your toxic load, and happiness (all of our favorite things!) for those who theoretically would love to live in an “off grid hippie commune” but who know that just isn’t a practice or universal solution for modern living.

Offering smart, achievable suggestions for how to improve your daily life, Low Tox Life takes a relaxed and curious approach to better living, inside and out.

50 Shades of Green Divas

I know. The name alone is enough. The 50 Shades of Green Divas Podcast explores crazy, awesome, seemingly-unrelated-but-actually-related topics that intersect with sustainability. Like sex, among other topics addressed in a recent podcast titled “Intimacy with Nature.” Other GD segments address everything from “eco-sexuality” to “green dude stuff,” “Green Divas Confessions,” “GDs iMatter Youth,” and “Green Divas Foodie-Philes.” And yes, there are a lot of nature puns.

The Spirit of 608 Podcast

The Spirit of 608 Podcast features conversations among women at the forefront of fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and tech– or F.E.S.T., as host Lorraine Sanders likes to call it. In this podcast, Sanders explores the many ways various innovators are working to build a better fashion industry for consumers, creatives, workers, the environment, and more.

PRI’s Living On Earth

The Living On Earth Podcast is a great incisive podcast focusing on global environmental news and developments. Hosted by Steve Curwood and presented by Public Radio International, LOE reports on a wide variety of ecological issues animated by expert interviews and input from leaders from the scientific and legislative community. Recent topics include “Bitcoin, the Energy Hog”, “Saving Trees That Helped Save Dust Bowl America”, and a segment about how “Heat Drives Migration.”

The Herbal Highway

Helmed by Sarah Holmes of The Blue Otter School of Medicine in Siskiyou County, California, The Herbal Highway is a super-informative podcast dedicated to herbal healing inside and out. From this podcast we’ve learned everything from how to heal a cough naturally to how to live and thrive with diabetes.

For The Wild

For The Wild features hard-hitting and emotionally engaging stories featuring engaging activist personalities like Bill McKibbon on “Dampening the Blow of a Spiraling Climate.”

They also have conversations with experts like pioneering oceanographer Dr. Sylvia A. Earle– the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, a celebrated best-selling scientific author, and a woman who has lead over 100 expeditions and logged over 7,000 hours underwater. If nothing more, this episode alone is worth listening to on repeat!

Love these podcasts? Watch some of these inspiring environmental documentaries next.

The post The Best “Green” Podcasts appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

“Why is it so hard to consistently practice and commit to profound self-care?” she asks in the event listing. “What is so scary about facing and connecting inwardly, about gazing lovingly upon yourself?”

At this workshop guests will be guided through a deep heart and light meditation aimed at “organically encouraging the powerful alignment that takes place when you turn your attention in, drop into presence, and commit to liberating and listening to your heart”.

Show yourself some love and “come honor and bow to your majesty” surrounded by plants, healers, and a room of amazing women. Then, as the event listing states, “Step back into the world with peace, clarity, buoyancy, and joy… this intimacy is your stunning and divine right, and is available to you always. This intimacy is the experience of sacred alignment, the feeling of re-establishing wholeness. And this, in and of itself, is radical.”

Tickets are $50. To RSVP to this event, go here.

WMN Space is located at 10764 Washington Boulevard in Culver City, California. 

The post Event We Love: Radical Self Care For WMN appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
— Excerpted from Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual 

Explanation: As Pollan famously wrote in his watershed 2007 essay, Unhappy Meals, for the New York Times: “Scientists may disagree on what’s so good about plants — the antioxidants? Fiber? Omega-3s? — but they do agree that they’re probably really good for you and certainly can’t hurt. Also, by eating a plant-based diet, you’ll be consuming far fewer calories, since plant foods (except seeds) are typically less “energy dense” than the other things you might eat. Vegetarians are healthier than carnivores, but near vegetarians (“flexitarians”) are as healthy as vegetarians. Thomas Jefferson was on to something when he advised treating meat more as a flavoring than a food.”

“If you have a choice between sleeping an extra hour or working out, sleep an extra hour.”
— Paraphrased advice from Karlie Kloss’ trainer, Anna Kaiser, in an interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut 

Explanation: “If you have a choice where you’ve only been sleeping five or six hours and can sleep an extra hour or work out, sleep an extra hour. You’re running your body down, which will affect your energy and you’ll hold onto excess water and weight. It will make you hungrier. Five to six hours a night really prohibits your cognitive and hormone functions. You really need seven to eight hours. Working out harder or better or eating less isn’t the answer. It’s about getting enough sleep.”

“The purification of the mind is very necessary.” 
— Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras

Explanation: In one of the most profound and important yogic writings of antiquity, Swami Satchidananda extolls the virtues of calming and toning the mind as part of the 196 Indian aphorisms that made it into the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, which were compiled prior to 400 CE by Sage Patanjali. Today, Western psychology has proven the benefits of meditation, mindfulness, and staying calm.

A review of 47 studies analyzed in JAMA Internal Medicine found that meditation meditation alone reduces anxiety and depression, decreases binge and emotional over eating, and increases positive emotions. There’s also something to be said for the health benefits of a positive mental attitude. 

“Eat slowly.”
— Common Sense

Explanation: According to WebMD, eating more slowly improves digestion and thus increases the amount of nutrients your body can absorb from food, which also leads to better hydration and weight management. Eating slowly also improves or mitigates the symptoms of acid reflux, IBS, and increases satisfaction, all of which makes a person less likely to overindulge.

“The smell of an orange may reduce stress.”
— Interpolation of aromatherapy research conducted at the Mayo Clinic

Explanation: According to a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic, patients of massage therapists who used mandarin oil reported reduced stress, better digestion, and less nausea, while others exposed to the scent experienced less anxiety. “The scent of a fresh fruit can do amazing things,” Barbara Thomley, lead coordinator for the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic, told Prevention.com. “From what we’ve seen with our patients, even a quick smell can make a major difference.”

“Breathe In; Exhale; Repeat.”
— Sage Advice for Calming Down and Improving Health

Explanation: According to several studies conducted at Harvard Medical School over the last several decades, mindfulness meditation can change your brain and improve human health.

Dr. James E. Stahl and his team of Harvard researchers studied a mind-body relaxation program offered through the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. The 8-week program taught participants several different mind-body approaches, including meditation, yoga, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral skills, and positive psychology. Upon its conclusion, researchers found that people in the relaxation program “used 43% fewer medical services than they did the previous year, saving on average $2,360 per person in emergency room visits alone.” Similar yoga and meditation programs, they conclude, “could translate into health care savings of anywhere from $640 to as much as $25,500 per patient each year.”

“Eat more herbs– they are full of phytonutrients!”
— Common Theory of Agriculture

Explanation: As Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health, explains in the New York Times: “Scallions, or green onions, are jewels of nutrition hiding in plain sight. They resemble wild onions and are just as good for you. Remarkably, they have more than five times more phytonutrients than many common onions do.

The green portions of scallions are more nutritious than the white bulbs, so use the entire plant. Herbs are wild plants incognito. We’ve long valued them for their intense flavors and aroma, which is why they’ve not been given a flavor makeover. Because we’ve left them well enough alone, their phytonutrient content has remained intact.”

“When you feel like you are coming down with a bug, don’t exercise.”
— Doctor corroborated advice from a mind-body wellness leaflet by H. Gillerman Organics 

Explanation: Although perspiring and deep breathing help your body eliminate toxins when you are well, they tax your immune system when your body is working hard to defend itself against illness.

“Eat until you are 4/5ths full”
— Old Japanese Proverb

Explanation: “Hara hachi bun me” is a Confucian teaching that roughly translates to “Eat until you are eight parts (out of ten) full”, and this adage pervades the modern day Japanese emphasis on calorie restriction as a vehicle to better health. Perhaps not coincidentally, Okinawa, Japan has the world’s highest number of centenarians per capita in the world (approximately 50 per every 100,000 people).

“When in anger, sing the alphabet.”
–Fortune Cookie 

Explanation: While we’ve all read our share of hilarious, at-times confusing fortune cookie messages, this one is corroborated by psychologists and emotional health experts alike. Anger is one of the most harmful emotions for us to bottle up; accordingly, it’s no surprise that research shows that people who fail to communicate their anger have weakened immune systems and they heal more slowly from wounds than those who express it.

Moreover, having healthy communication skills and healthy, reciprocal, and fulfilling relationships is the key to longterm emotional and physical wellbeing, which is why taking a moment to calm yourself before acting out of rage, and then expressing yourself clearly and fairly, can be very beneficial. (According to the American Psychological Association, women are less likely to express their anger than man– but they will hold on to it longer. So ladies: after you sing the alphabet, remember to speak up!)

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“Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalize, and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another, and a larger purpose,” she said. It was and remains a very Garden Collage aesthetic (we use similar colors in our logo, after all).

Trump, however, soon ripped a hole in the political and environmental landscape with his long-promised attacks on America’s public lands, and so catalyzed what became a passionate and at times disheartening year for the environment and the people who care about it.

Number 45 regularly made it a point to attack the National Park Service and the myriad organizations that support public land in this country, from ill-advised perspectives on drilling to the sale of public wilderness to private corporations. Trump himself is not a friend of the environment, but in his wake, a number of organizations stepped up to protect the environment that we hold so dear.

As if in relation to the mounting skepticism that is playing out on the national stage, small batch natural beauty went mainstream; wellness summits, “detoxing”, and morning routines all came under fire as Fake News and Fake Science have begun to collide.

All over the world– no doubt in response to the pace of the media cycle and the speed at which the average modern citizen lives their life– people expressed their yearning for nature, especially millennials, who– as many of this year’s think pieces have noted– are obsessed with house plants.

Here at GC, we kept a measured eye on the manifestation of these cultural touchstones while traveling to discover amazing farm-to-table restaurants in cities like Los Angeles, Milan, Tokyo, Paris, New York, Lisbon, Chicago, Tulum, Santa Fe, Atlanta, Portland, Vancouver, Cartegena, Boston, and beyond– all while reading lots of great books (Former President Obama’s chosen method for coping with reality).

Along they way, we learned that farm-fresh food can actually help one cope with stress, and that houseplants can improve mental health. We also observed that a number of nature-inspired hotels and public spaces are redefining modern architecture to be more biophilic and, as a result, informing how people travel. Garden hotels are currently underway in cities like Seoul, Paris, and Tulum.

On the home front, people are increasingly become wary of smartphones and their effect on health– from sleep to happiness and loneliness– a feeling that has spiked precipitously among teenagers.

In a watershed piece in the Atlantic titled Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation?, psychologist Jean M. Twenge writes: “Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy. There’s not a single exception. All screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all non-screen activities are linked to more happiness.”

Twenge’s conclusion, among others, is that kids need to spend more time away from screens— ideally outside, with their family, and with each each other– in order to maximize happiness. This recommendation comes at a time when scientists are beginning to call for kids to spend more time outdoors— a movement that shows all signs of continuing in 2018.

Elsewhere in the digital realm, we saw fewer flower crowns this year than last year, but floral baths became huge trend on Instagram— and the seemingly ubiquitous photos of gorgeous flowers floating in alluring looking bathtubs continue to delight us. Mostly, it was New Age mystics, mindfulness practitioners, and modern witches doing the posting, so the baths were often paired with mantras that got us thinking about how much people need rituals in this day and age (for what it’s worth, psychologists insist that baths help comfort us from feelings of loneliness and social rejection— and other studies show that baths are also better for the environment than showers, because they use less water).

Pop culture continued to take cues from nature, as well. Botanical music videos started popping up everywhere, and floral fashion continued to storm the runway.

We learned about Flower Gazing Meditation for the first time, and we also realized it was possible not only to forage your own mushrooms safely, but to forage your own spring water— even in places like Upstate New York!

Elsewhere, sleep optimization became the new wellness gold rush, with a tons of Silicon Valley-esque investment going into this sector. Relaxation apps like Sleep Genius (which was used to help astronauts fall asleep) and innovative lighting systems like Lighting Science’s HealthE Genesis Dynaspectrum LED Luminaire were designed to help our bodies adjust to light as we were meant to experience it in nature, which is to say that the light modulates around sunset to get dimmer and dimmer in order to stimulate the production of melatonin. (These specific spectrums utilize the power of light to assist in regulating your body’s natural circadian rhythm, which was developed by NASA to help people sleep.) Even orange glasses that block blue light, which used to be “fringe”, are now mainstream, with multiple options on Amazon.

CBD products were all the rage, popping up as the active ingredient in a variety of products, from tampons to bath bombs— and not just in the expected “liberal” places like New York and LA. (We recently saw CBD oil in a suburban Georgia package store; we saw CBD pain salve in a soap shop in rural Virginia.)

Feminist Health Care and self care in general was bigger than ever— from conversations about end-of-life doulas to radical acupuncture clinics to the resurgence of “Earth Magic”. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2018, Ultra Violet 18-3838, seemingly underscores this trend, with its invocation of spirituality and galactic exploration. Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to the color purple, in particular shades like Ultra Violet, which reminisce of the night sky.

“The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world,” Pantone wrote of the decision. “The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspires connection.”

As the year drew to a close, a collective of “Silence Breakers” was named TIME Magazine’s illustrious Person of the Year, a benchmark of culture benchmark that consecrated the international renaissance happening with respect to women’s wellbeing around the world (an important issue to us here at this women-run magazine).

As political tensions mounted, an interested in the esoteric and whimsical grew, and plants, nature, and botanicals were often fueling the trend. The gardens and exotic natural locations featured in Game of Thrones became top travel destinations, and new, colorful superfoods like blue spirulina were used to make unicorn lattes— which, along with mermaid toast— seemingly kicked-off a renewed interest in “rainbow food”, an aesthetically pleasing and highly-Instagrammable take on plant-based eating that’s defined by color and vivacity.

Everywhere in 2017, people were seemingly looking for relaxation and relief from the repeat disappointments of the current White House Regime. Self care and herbal healing took on new primacy, and botanical havens like NYC’s The Alchemist’s Kitchen and LA’s House of Intuition continued to host events about everything from stress relief and mindfulness to social activism and “the resistance”.

And, as all of this unfolded, Garden Collage Magazine was there to participate in and comment on all of it. Thank you for joining us on this strange and wonderful journey; thank you for reading; thank you for signing up for our newsletter and hanging out with us on social media (–two things you should do if you haven’t signed up or followed us already); and thank you, above all, for being an active participant in this dialogue.

Living meaningfully and in harmony with nature is every person’s right, and– when done with intention– is as beautiful, fulfilling, restorative, and life-affirming as one can imagine. Plus, it’s also fun. Plants are really cool!

Thank you for a wonderful year. See you in 2018!

The post The Year in Review: Here’s What Happened with Food, Beauty, Botany, and Trends in 2017 appeared first on Garden Collage Magazine.

Breathwork– a more robust, focused form of meditation that borrows from the Ayurvedic and Kundalini breathing traditions– is a popular technique for guided breathing that has been shown to profoundly relax the body.

According to the event listing:

“We start each circle by calling in the elements of nature, grounding and meditating. We review the astrological insights and relationship to the moon and menstrual cycles. Then we share our intentions for the month and invoke our unique inner Goddess. Last we lay down and breathe life into our body and heart so we lead our life from love. We close the circle with a grounding meditation and gratitude.”

Tickets are $30. To RSVP to this event, go here.

WMN Space is located at 10764 Washington Boulevard in Culver City, California. 

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