CURERS - Healers and Practices

featured this month on Free & Native

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We were inspired to start our Saturday IG Story CURER series to highlight some of our favorite healers teachers, expanders, and thinkers. We asked some of our CURERS to now share their own go-to healers and healing practices with all of you. Stay tuned Saturdays on @freeandnative IG for a new CURER each week!

So honored to be featured among Katie Dalebout's healing practices! 

iii. Katie Dalebout • Let it Out

Feng Shui consultant Anjie Cho of Holistic Spaces (NYC + LA)-- has designed and cleared every space I've ever lived in which as helped so much. I wouldn't live anywhere without first having Anjie clear it and set it up optimally according to Feng Shui principles.

Sacha Jones, Stiggly’s Holistics NYC, Sacha is one of the coolest, smartest, women I’ve ever met. She’s an herbalist, holistic health counselor, and officiates weddings. I don’t know where I’d be without her wellness and life guidance.

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The One Room Where You Shouldn't Keep Tons of Plants, According to Feng Shui

featured this week on MindBodyGreen by Emma Loewe

Who doesn't love a good houseplant? With their toxin-busting, happiness-inducing properties, plants are an amazing vehicle for ushering some of nature's healing power indoors. And these days, it seems like the more you have, the better. Instagram's most enviable homes feature rooms draped in greenery, and some of the world's most influential offices (Amazon, anyone?) are transforming into urban jungles.

But one design philosophy is saying not so fast. Here, leading feng shui experts explain why the bedroom may not be the best place for all of your plant pals:

But if you already have them, it's totally OK.

If you have a bedroom full of plants and sleep like a baby, you don't need to change a thing. Most feng shui pros, including Maureen Calamia of Luminous Spaces, agree that, depending on the room, a few plants can be beneficial, especially when placed in the wealth corner to promote green of another kind.

Architect and feng shui expert Anjie Cho adds that some schools of feng shui, like the more Western BTB philosophy, think that woodsy elements in the bedroom can actually help some people thrive. "The wood element adds qualities like flexibility, kindness, growth, and healing into your life," she says. "For a very lethargic or depressed person, it may even be good to have some uplifting energy to raise your chi. I personally have plants in my bedroom and found that they brighten and perk up the space."

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The Incredible Healing Power of Palo Santo

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It's not news that we at Holistic Spaces love to use palo santo as a space clearing tool during feng shui adjustments and in general, but what's so special about this South American material that makes it so popular for this use and others? As it turns out, palo santo isn't just a better smelling alternative to sage smudging. Its meaning and uses have rich history and have been around for centuries. 

Palo santo, scientifically called Bursera graveolens after the tree from which it is derived, is a Spanish term meaning "holy wood." The Bursera graveolens tree grows in various parts of the South American coast, including Mexico, Ecuador and Peru's Yucatan Peninsula, and one of the things I love most about this tool is that it can only be harvested from dead trees or fallen limbs. The Peruvian government even has regulations to ensure this sustainable measure!

Palo santo has been used in spiritual ceremonies for years by folk practitioners and shamans and is widely recognized for its spiritual connections. The smoke of palo santo during a space clearing ceremony is thought to enhance creativity, bring good fortune, clear negative thoughts and evil spirits, and raise vibration. In fact, it is also used with meditation for all these reasons!  

While it is often used as a space clearing technique and insect repellant, the properties of palo santo are also beneficial in essential oil form. Palo santo is from the same family as frankincense and myrrh and can be helpful in treating colds, flu symptoms, depression and even some cancer symptoms. It is known for stimulating the immune system and fighting inflammation and, in Peruvian tradition, is used as a powerful oil for mental clarity 

Burned palo santo sticks can be reused (green living, anyone?), and the essential oils can be diffused or applied to the body directly with a carrier oil and as massage oil. It seems that the perks and uses for palo santo may be near endless! Have you used the sticks or oil in your holistic spaces?

by Anjie Cho