CD REVIEWS
MEDITATION, YOGA, AROMATHERAPY
By Paula Hamilton

YOUR PRESENT:
A Half Hour of Peace
By Susie Mantell
Relax — Intuit
Wow!  This guided meditation is so good that I don’t even remember what was said! If there is such a thing as a voice that is PERFECT for guided meditations, Susie Mantell’s is it.  Without a doubt this is one of the absolute best guided meditations I have ever heard.

I am familiar with Susie Mantell from a cassette of hers that I reviewed a few years ago.  Well, she has really found her niche.  The music is perfect, the message flows and is pertinent, the whole thing is A Plus!

I really believe in the power of mental imaging.  There is a portion of this CD which has you bring white light into your body and down along your spine.  This is so healing.  Sometimes the sheer energy it takes to combat the pollution and stress our nerves are subjected to can feel like Sisyphus rolling that rock up the mountain, but it is so necessary. This is an excellent tool to add to your arsenal.  I was really surprised I did not fall asleep with this, but I was very, very, very relaxed.  Her voice is so soothing!  I can’t remember much of what she said, but I thought one thing was pretty good; she tells the listener that it is OK if they fall asleep, and encourages them to trust that their mind is absorbing what needs to be absorbed.  I think that is really good advice.  Sometimes we forget that our body can, and does many things without our direct supervision! I think that is a good portion of healing. Giving your body what it needs and trusting it will achieve homeostasis.

In any case, if you like guided meditations, or need direction or help with meditation in general, I highly recommend this CD. I think you’ll be very pleased.

For more information, please call (888) 32-books.

SITTING FIT ANYTIME
(CD-ROM Version)
Susan Winter Ward
Yoga For the Young at Heart
Well, some things just make you smile before you even get them out of the box!  That’s what it has become when I see any of Susan Winter Ward’s items.  This, however, was something I had been waiting for.  The CD-Rom version of “Sitting Fit Anytime”.

The really great thing about this is it’s also a screen saver!! Yes!  Of course, I installed it immediately and I must say it has been great! Whenever I’m sitting in front of the screen too long, I just wait a few minutes and up pops a nice refreshing series of stretches I can do from my desk. At the bottom of each of the twenty four screens is a saying from the Desiderata!

It is sheer heaven.  I am reminded to stretch and breathe, get to view a positive role model — an older woman (in this society that means over 21) who is beautiful, in shape, and making her mark, and get a nugget of centuries old wisdom.  Not bad for a screen saver!!

Next stop is the laptop. This is truly yoga you can do from your desk, your hotel room and yes, even an airplane seat! (No problem if you’re in first class, coach may be a little tight).  Get this!  Really!  I can’t tell you how much fun you’ll have. You can stop any time and do a full series of the postures (the video has nine 3-5 minute segments) or you can do quick little snippets to recharge and move on. It’s a great adjunct to a fitness routine and will fit in perfectly with any type of exercise you do on a regular basis be it yoga or something else. It will get you moving and thinking about fitness.

This is a woman-friendly product.  I think you’ll see why I say that. It nourishes on more than just the physical level.  Like women in general it is multifaceted and complex. The sayings from the Desiderata  are such  a nice extra touch. Thoughtful. And they add such dimension to what the basic product is.

Susan Ward is genuine. A real woman you can identify with. Yes, she is even gray, and what makes that so great is she is really beautiful, too.  Her beauty is not an imposed external; it comes from the inside out.  There is nothing more beautiful than health and vitality.  It’s really a nice change from constantly seeing women figures that make us feel bad about ourselves! I think this is a must-have product for anyone who spends a great deal of time sitting at a desk or computer.

For more information call (800) 558-YOGA. At the recent International New Age Trade Show held in Denver, the Coalition of Visionary Retailers selected “Yoga for the Young at Heart” the winner in the Interactive Category for “Sitting Fit Anytime” Interactive CD Rom and ScreenSaver.

NATURE’S PASSION AROMATHERAPY
Allegro Corporation
Aromatherapy has long been hailed as a way to relax, revitalize, calm, energize or promote sleep. I have used aromatherapy from the time I was an infant! (I used to wrap my blanket around my fingers so I could suck my thumb and smell my blanket at the same time) I already knew the power of scent!

I have also known about the power of music. Not only does it soothe the savage beast, but it can evoke all kinds of feeling and emotions.

This is an interesting little package.  I must say I do love gizmos and packaged items!  I liked this full-length CD and accompanying vial of essential oil just on sight alone.  But once I tried them I really had a basis for liking them. I tried Soothing Sleep and Guardian Angel. Soothing Sleep’s essential oil had a deep note of Bergamot.  It was just like a terrific cup of Earl Gray Tea.  The music is wonderful. A light, but soothing version of Chopin’s Nocturnes coupled with  sounds of the Sea in the background.

I put this CD on for several nights in a row and found that it put me to sleep in a very sound way. Interestingly enough, it also managed to work quite well for my daughter Lydia who has been teething and sleeping very fitfully. I have used music to put my daughters to sleep since they were born. I have also used aromatherapy to create an atmosphere conducive to sleep. I thought this worked very well.

Guardian Angel’s essential oil was a bright citrus note, clean and sharp.  The CD was a mixture of  Debussy, Ravel and Tchaikovsky, with a whispering wind following along in the background.  At first, I thought I would not like the background of nature sounds, but I had to admit it wasn’t bad.  After a few minutes it was not really noticeable, yet it seemed to add to the feeling of the CD in a way.  I really liked this product.  I thought it was a neat idea and well done.

The only thing I wasn’t too pleased about was the lack of information in the CD liner notes.  I would have liked to know what was playing on each track, and would have liked the breakdown of ingredients in the essential oils. Also a little “propaganda” would have been nice.  I’m from the record generation.  We became used to those pretty elaborate liner notes, booklets, stickers and such.  The CD generation has a long way to go in that department I’m afraid!  I like to have something to handle, read and look at while I’m listening to music.  (Even if I’m supposed to be relaxing with my eyes closed or sleeping!) Other than that it was definitely two thumbs up!

There is a whole line of CD/oil sets: Ancient Wisdom, Guardian Angel, Prosperity, Purification, Romantic Fire and Soothing Sleep.

For more information call (800) 288-2007.

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