The YinOva Center is thrilled to be the newest and only New York pick-up spot for Body & Eden‘s line of Tonics and Elixirs. Their nourishing tonics combine organic whole fruits and veggies and high-nutrient green superfoods, and their supportive elixirs, drawn from ancient folk wisdom, are based upon herbal healing formulas. Michele was lucky enough to sit down with a most enchanting, Aubrey Levitt, one of Body & Eden’s co-founders.

ML: How did Body & Eden hatch?

AL: In some ways I could say it started when I was thirteen years old and my mother had me in the kitchen making her “green drinks” as part of her alternative cancer treatment. Or even earlier when she turned our suburban lawn into an organic garden, complete with compost pile. Herbs, alternative medicine, whole foods, and ancient remedies were an active part of my upbringing. However, over time I started to disconnect from myself and my roots. Living in New York and working in marketing, my stress levels increased and I began to develop some health problems. An interest in health foods was no longer enough. I went on a full blown quest, trying every diet or cleanse I could get my hands on, talking to and receiving treatment from several different types of health care practitioners, and reading up on the latest health trends. Over time I learned what worked for me and what didn’t; how to listen to my body and trust myself.

Body & Eden started out as a nutritional consulting venture. Friends started coming to me for nutritional support. At first I was hesitant to offer advice, thinking that we all find our own way. I then realized how grateful I was for the support I had received and it became clear that I had to offer my experience the same way others had generously offered theirs to me. I wanted to do this in a way that empowered the other person to feel what worked for them. Later I referred back to this for the philosophy and drink names of our company. As far as the tonics, Hillary, my business partner and best friend of twelve years, had always shared similar health concerns and we often shared notes on healing methods and remedies. We spent many nights  discussing what we could and couldn’t find in the health market. I had been making several green tonics for myself and friends in Los Angeles. Hillary, working in the high demand publishing world in New York wanted a way to be able to get some healthy nutritional support that would help her manage her hectic lifestyle. That led us to bring our healthy tonics to New York.

ML: Why was New York a better fit for Body & Eden?

AL: In New York people don’t have as much time and/or space to be visiting the farmers markets, blending veggies, or infusing teas. They have a lot to get done and due to the proximity of people, the city really can function like a community. And, in a community its inefficient if everyone is a basket weaver.

ML: You recently moved from California to New York, are the stereotypes true?

AL: Completely, I really think of LA as the Yin and New York as the Yang. A little of both is great!

ML: How are you different than other juice places out there?

AL: We do not juice any of our ingredients. We combine herbal tea infusions, whole fruits and vegetables with super foods like chlorella and spirulina. Our aim was to create nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing formulas.

ML: What’s the difference between a tonic and an elixir?

AL: We define a tonic as a balancing drink that helps promote health, including fruits, vegetables, and / or super foods. Our elixirs are more transparent and magical. They are drawn from ancient remedies and not necessarily food based.

ML: We love so many of your tonics & elixirs, how do you come up with your recipes?

AL: Many of our recipes were derived from custom tonics created with specific needs in mind. We took these recipes and tried to make them more universal. Our first goal was to create balanced formulas, highlighting certain functions. We worked with an herbalist to create herbal infusions that would support each recipe and intention. As far as the names, we approached our recipes from the back door, meaning we didn’t look at what would give you Energy. Our bodies already know how to create energy. So the drink, I HAVE ENERGY, was created to support the systems in our bodies that generate energy, hopefully helping us to access our abundant internal resources.

ML: Well that all sounds perfect, but come clean – ever have a concoction go horribly wrong?

AL: Completely! Not only have I made some ridiculous combinations, but if I have noticed that my mood and mindset can play a huge role in the outcome.

ML: Hmmm…not sure I’d want to be a guinea pig, do you have taste testers?

AL: Yes, everyone we know who has ever tried them is a taste tester! And  a perk of the job; we all taste a lot of tonics!

ML: Not a bad perk, they have such nutrient-rich ingredients! Where do they come from?

AL: We are constantly looking for new sources. We work with farmers and vendors we know and trust. Our herbs come from Mountain Rose Herbs or Avena Botanicals in Maine. A lot of our super foods come from Essential Living Foods or HealthForce Nutritionals. We get our dates and almonds from a trusted farm outside of LA. We try and grab the bulk of our produce from the farmers markets and when they don’t have what we need we work withs small markets like LifeThyme in New York. Ideally we cant wait until we have our own farm.

ML: Eating from your own farm sounds divine. Speaking of eating, is your diet as pristine as the tonics?

AL: There have been times in my life that I have eaten cleaner than others. But when I look at my life as a whole, my mentality and my intention keeps getting healthier.

ML: What’s your favorite indulgence (food-wise)?

AL: When I am in LA irish moss pudding (it is amazing!), and New york cornbread from Angelica’s Kitchen.

ML: Where will you be in five years?

AL: Body & Eden will have local kitchens in three or more cities. We will have extended our line to include other products (which we are already working on:) We will be sourcing many of our herbs and some produce from our own garden or farm. And, we will have created a family of employees and a name consumers trust.

ML: Those are pretty lofty goals! How do you find balance in your life?

AL: I have to remember that the time I take off is just as important as the time I am working. My friends, my father, and my business partner all help remind me of this. Also, yoga, swimming, acting, singing, and dancing. The more physical I am the more I can feel my body and the more I know what is needed for balance.

ML: How did you come up with the name Body & Eden?

AL: It happened organically. I wanted to express my desire to connect our bodies back with their true nature.

ML: Where do you see the greatest need for your products?

AL: Hospitals.

ML: Wow. That would be amazing! On the subject of medicine, what sort of role, if any, does Chinese medicine play in your life?

AL: I am an avid fan of Chinese medicine. I believe understanding the relationships between the elements and the internal and external balance between yin and yang helps to define and create the foundation for everything we do. We can learn everything from nature; Chinese medicine is based on this depth of knowledge.

ML: Of all the superfoods out there, what do you wish people knew more about?

AL: ALGAE. It is an amazing thing; the oldest and most adaptable organism out there.

ML: Juicing or blending?

AL: Both are great, but serve different functions. For me blending is nourishing. Juicing gives your digestion a complete break. However, if you are providing your body with the right nutrients it should have no problem detoxing and cleansing on a daily basis. We were looking for a sustainable way to transform energy, and that starts with our bodies breakdown and assimilation of the food we eat.

ML: What’s the single best thing you do for your health?

AL: Meditation. For me that encompasses more than sitting. At any point swimming, dancing, acting, painting can all be a meditation for me. Whatever gets me out of my head and into my body. And when I am in that space all the wisdom and knowledge is there.

ML: Any beauty tips?

AL: Breathe. Salt water baths. Infrared saunas! Body scrubs! Whatever keeps things flowing internally and externally.

ML: Can kids drink your tonics and elixirs?

AL: Always check with your health care provider. There are certain things like honey, which should not be given to children of a certain age.

ML: Aubrey this has been great! We are looking forward to working with you!

At the YinOva Center we’d like to support you to have a mellow Monday.

For a limited time* all new patient appointments on a Monday will be discounted by 25% and there will be a further discount of 10% for all Monday follow-up appointments.

Click here to access our online scheduling system.

Here our front desk associate, Jon Welch, talks about how he made his own Mondays more mellow with the help of our acupuncture team.

Does your voice ever screech in reaction to the blaring alarm piercing the safe cocoon of your blanket?

You hardly wake up when the bright beam of light peeking through the curtain attempts to blind you. It seems like you just went to sleep a few minutes ago, and to add insult to injury, you are five whole days away from being able to sleep past the alarm.

That’s right. It’s Monday again, and things are already not going as hoped.

Let’s face it: Mondays have a stigma. And not that stigmas are ever a good thing, but as far as stigmas go, Mondays have it bad. A British study conducted last year found that on average, people don’t even crack their first smile (depending on how one defines a smile) until 11:16 AM every Monday.

I know a thing or two about this, because I have been there. In my life prior to moving to New York and working at the YinOva Center, I was a bank manager by day and actor by night. I remember feeling an imaginary cloud come over me every Sunday evening. The knot would develop somewhere in my lower intestine as I ran through the list of everything waiting for me in my office come Monday morning. The fact that I spent a Sunday with my friends, being outside, relaxing, or working on something creative meant little to nothing, because come Monday I would have a full week of office life from 8-5, heading straight to rehearsals/shows/auditions, and fitting in appointments for my car, teeth or body in between. Somewhere in the mix, I had to make sure I didn’t run out of underwear, dragged my way through the kitchen to cook lunch and dinner, and tried my hardest to breathe every once in a while. And for me, it all started on Monday.

I’m not the only one who can’t trust that day judging by the songs, the lines in movies and on television, and all the cultural and miscellaneous references putting the idea in our heads that Mondays have a cruel and unusual way of hurting us. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Without becoming the one in the office to greet Monday morning with a song, smile, pep rally or activity that will bring the ire of your co-workers, there are many things that you can do for yourself to reclaim the traditional start of the week and turn it around.

Mondays are manic, but by treating the day as a launching board into a great week ahead, we hold the power to make the first day in the week far less mundane. At the YinOva Center, our patients tell us they avoid scheduling their acupuncture treatments on Mondays because it’s the traditional start of the week, filled with uncertainty and an anticipated pile of to-dos we expect to be buried beneath. However every Monday, two of our finest practitioners, Laura and Dara, hear the stresses of our Monday patients and give them the care they need to start the week productively and with physical and mental clarity.

Many months have passed since I last cried, screamed, or enacted violence against my Monday morning alarm. I now often get acupuncture on Mondays to bring the weekend to a close and get a relaxing leap on the days ahead. There is no more whimpering before I leave the door, and I crack my first smile of the day well before 11:16 AM.

If you are anything like me, and want to try a new approach to starting your week off on a healthy foot, then give a Monday tune-up with your acupuncturist a try. Your alarm clock, battered and resented for far too long, will probably thank you.

To book a discounted Monday treatment click here

* Offer ends Monday April 16th

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous Year of the Dragon

January 23rd marks the start of the Chinese New Year. It is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as the “Spring Festival” and it marks the end of the Winter season. Since the Chinese follow a Lunisolar calendar, the festival begins on the first day of the first Chinese lunar month. A long holiday, spanning 15 days, the celebration ends on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival.

While traditions may vary by culture, typically households will thoroughly clean their homes to sweep away negative qi in hopes of making way for good incoming luck. They gather together and celebrate the onset of the New Year with an elaborate feast. Traditional food will include such items as whole fish, pigs, ducks, chicken, dumplings and sweet delicacies. At the end of the night, the family will assemble to light firecrackers and many parents gift their children with money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. Homes and businesses are decorated with red paper cut-outs using popular themes of “good fortune,” “happiness,” “wealth,” and “longevity.”

The Year of the Dragon.

Often the symbol of Emperors, Dragons are the most noble and desirable sign in the Chinese Zodiac. They stand for power, strength, and good luck. Those born under the influence of Dragon are considered luckiest of all. Examples of some famous Dragons include: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Al Pacino, Marlene Dietrich, Isabella Rossellini, Sandra Bullock and Matt Dillon. Do you know if you’re a Dragon? You are if you were born after the lunar new year in 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 or 2012.

The Year of good fortune, the Dragon year is believed to be good for business and finances. And since it’s known to leave wealth & prosperity in its way, the Dragon always leads street processions during Chinese New Year.  Furthermore, under the influence of the Dragon it is considered a Yang, as opposed to a Yin, year.  This is also a water year in the 5 element system and Yang Water is like a flowing river rather than a stagnant lake. Things will move, ideas will flow, economies will boom (let’s hope so!), and love will blossom. It’s likely to be an exciting year indeed!

So, as they say in Cantonese:

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Have a happy and prosperous New Year!

As any regular reader of our blog knows, Jill & I cook with tomatoes a lot. We grow our own during the summer and continue exploring recipes with them when winter comes – often with fresh and canned tomatoes we pick up at the supermarket. Well last night our eyes were opened and we may have to reconsider the way we buy our winter tomatoes. Award winning film maker and environmental health advocate Penelope Jagessar Chaffer gave a talk at The YinOva Center on how to be a non-toxic New Yorker and to our surprise, our beloved red fruits did not escape her gaze.

We already knew that getting our tomatoes delivered from Florida in December create a sizable carbon footprint. What we didn’t entirely understand was the ways they are treated and packaged to preserve their seeming freshness can involve potentially toxic chemicals. From pesticides and stabilizers, to the estrogen-mimicking liners of metal cans that leach into the foods, this was not something we liked hearing.

The bottom line: living in New York Penelope says, we are regularly marketed better looking, fresher smelling, quicker acting products, from food to cosmetics and household cleaners, that are, quite frankly toxic. In amongst the eye opening statistics though, she had good news: tangible ways to recognize and make healthy choices about the products we use in and on our bodies.

Penelope’s talk The Ultimate Guide to Being a Non-Toxic New Yorker was a revealing discussion about how to transform our lives with some really simple steps. By reading labels and finding out what an unpronounceable ingredient really is, and asking questions like “What does green dry cleaning actually mean?”, we can become what Penelope calls “internal environmentalists”.

Of course awareness is just the beginning. Penelope also had lots of information on ways to take action, including the power of voting with your wallet and how to talk to kids about healthy choices. She also talked about the importance of supporting legislative initiatives such as NYS Senators’ Schumer and Gillibrand’s call for product labeling transparency, such as with sunscreens (which Jill also wrote about here).

Penelope’s film Toxic Baby is a blend of music, animation and hard science about the increasing exposure that our children face to thousands of harmful chemicals in everyday products. The film’s website features more information, resources and ways to detoxify your world.

Gung Hay Fat Choy. A very happy and prosperous Year of the Tiger to all of you.

The Chinese have followed a lunar calendar since 2600 B.C.E. which means that the first day of the year can be anywhere between late January and mid February. This year New Year’s Day happens to fall on Valentine’s Day making this a particularly auspicious occasion for those of us who live in the West.

Chinese New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is a time when families get together, put aside disagreements, honor their ancestors and thank the gods for their blessings. People rush to pay off debts before the old year ends and wear new clothes to signify a new beginning. The color red features prominently in decorations and clothing because it is thought to bring good luck and happiness.

It is traditional to prepare for New Year by cleaning your home and here at the YinOva Center we have spent the month of January cleaning house in a variety of ways. Many of you joined me on our annual YinOva cleanse as a way of renewing your commitment to your health for the the year ahead. Mark, our YinOva manager, has been busy cleaning out cupboards and rearranging our office and we are marking the passage of time and the changing of seasons by saying goodbye to some of our lovely YinOva acupuncturists and welcome new members of the team into our office. We wish Marie and Liz well as they start out in private practice and welcome Anne and Kymberly to the YinOva Center. Both of them bring experience and considerable new skills and talents to our team and we are thrilled to have them on board and I know they are looking forward to taking care of you as we embark on the Year of the Tiger.

In Chinese astrology each year is assigned an animal and an element. There are 12 animals and 5 elements and that means that a specific sign only comes round once every 60 years. In days gone by this used to be considered the life cycle of a person although with modern medicine combined with the traditional wisdom of Chinese medicine most of us will be fortunate to live well into the next 60-year cycle.

This upcoming year will be a Metal Tiger year and according to the Chinese horoscope it will be tumultuous. Tiger years are said to start with a roar and end with a whimper so we can expect the year to get off to an unpredictable and tempestuous start. It is said that everything, both good and bad, is magnified during a Tiger year so we can expect great highs accompanied by great lows along with big changes.  People can act dramatically and impulsively so a Chinese astrologer would see it as no accident that Watergate happened in a Tiger year. This rashness can threaten friendships and partnerships and lead to discord in our personal lives.  Those of us who follow the Chinese zodiac are preparing our selves for large swings in the financial markets, political unrest domestically and international conflict.

If all this sounds a little scary you should know that Metal Tiger years are considered forceful but not necessarily unlucky. In fact the strength of the metal tiger can be used to get difficult tasks completed and make the impossible happen. Financial markets although volatile should trend upwards and the world’s economies will start to recover. On a personal level this is a good year to finally face up to your most challenging issues and resolve them once and for all. The heat of the Tiger can have a cleansing effect and we could end this year in a way better position than when we started out. This will be particularly true if we are vigilant about this year’s tendency to rash behavior and are careful to keep our own impulses in check.

So what is the key to getting the best out of the Metal Tiger Year? Here is the advice we are giving our YinOva patients.

• Given that this year can lead to arguments and the severing of relationships as well as impulsive behavior, make a conscious effort to think before acting, to pause and breathe before speaking and to cultivate calmness and clarity through meditation and contemplation.
• Use the forceful energy of a Tiger year to make changes in your own life and confront your most difficult issues.
• The power of a Tiger year can be used to turn around any situation or aspect of your life that is no longer working for you.
• Make balance a priority by eating well and getting enough sleep.
• Focus on activities that are yin to balance up the yang energy this year. Take walks in nature, create a water feature in your home or garden, grow food, read books and spend time in peace and solitude.

Throughout the month of February the YinOva Center will donate a percentage of each acupuncture or massage treatment to the relief efforts in Haiti. Patients can direct their money to one of the following charities.

Doctors without Borders
Care
Friends of the Orphans

We encourage all current patients to come on in and what’s more we’ll be waving Jill’s waiting list to accommodate new patients straight away. Jill will be working extra hours to make sure we get everyone in.

Come and join us and tell your friends as we pass healing energy from us to you to those in need.

When we decided to have a party at the YinOva Center, Mark our trusty manager was charged with the task of creating the perfect cocktail. We, the YinOva team, chipped in our suggestions…. healthy but not too healthy…light but intoxicating…fruity but not too sweet and someone (who shall be nameless) requested that it act as a blood tonic and be full of antioxidants. Poor Mark was faced with the unenviable task of meeting all our requirements and miracle of miracles he succeeded with the YinTini.

The party was a huge success. 150 people turned out on a cold and rainy night to mix, mingle, celebrate, eat good food and drink the YinOva YinTini. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Ferri of Star Vodka who provided the alcohol that made our party swing. Distilled in the Cascade Mountains, Star Vodka is filtered five times through natural lava rock making it almost….healthy. Enjoy the pictures of our celebration and here by popular request is the recipe for our YinTini.

1 Part Gluten Free Star Vodka
2 Parts Pom Pomegrante Juice
Agave Nectar to taste
Fresh Lime Juice
Garnish with Lemon Twist

Our non alcoholic version replaced the Star Vodka with seltzer and was called the YinOva Elixyr.

Due to popular demand the YinOva Center is offering a FREE “Ladies Who Lunch” workshop on Wednesday, September 16 from 12:30 to 1:15pm at the Center.

We invite you to bring your lunch and we’ll provide the drinks while you learn from our newest staff member Nicole Kruck, LMT on how to use massage to enhance your fertility and reproductive care naturally. And for “dessert” – if you bring a friend you will be entered into a drawing to win a free 30 minute massage.

We look forward to seeing you!

RSVP to Nicole at  nkruck@YinOvaCenter.com

“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage ” – Lao Tzu

Yesterday we closed the office early and headed off to Westchester for the wedding of one of our own – our lovely YinOva acupuncturist Marie Amato. Marie has worked here at YinOva for 6 years and is a much loved and valued member of our team. Known for her unflappable calm and seemingly endless reserves of patience, Marie is a fabulous acupuncturist with a special talent for treating children.

Margaret, Liz and I sat together in the church and sobbed when we saw her in her wedding dress. She looked stunning and so happy as she walked, with her father, towards a beaming Dennis.

Congratulations, Marie and Dennis, from all your friends and colleagues at the YinOva Center and a special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Amato for a wonderful wedding.

In the words of an old Irish blessing…

“… may you see your children’s children… may you know nothing but happiness,
from this day forward.”

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