YOGA AND AYURVEDA

For Laura Achurch, it all started with her birthday. The Beaufort resident has been taking yoga classes for about two months now at the Sattva Center for Yoga & Massage at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, but body therapist and owner Xan Paul suggested something different to celebrate her 46th birthday.

'I told him my birthday was coming up, and he said, 'Well, you should get a massage, but you ought to try shirodhara,' Achurch explained.' 'It's extremely relaxing.' I said, 'Sure,' and it was wonderful!'

Shirodhara is a form of yurvedic medicine (traditional medicine native to India) that involves gently flowing warm liquids over the forehead. In addition to being relaxing and therapeutic, shirodhara also has been used to treat insomnia, migraine headaches, eye strain, sinus problems and to reduce wrinkles of the face.

'It's also good for increasing circulation to the scalp,' said Xan. 'I'm not going to say that it will keep you from losing your hair, but people have stated that it does help with the scalp and relaxing the face.'

Xan and his wife, Marina, have been running Sattva since 2006, first operating out of their home before moving to Habersham and finally to 101 West Street Extension, Waterfront Park in May.

'Whenever we do anything new, we like to expose our clients to it complimentary, and so we exposed some people to shirodhara, and we've gotten great feedback from people who have really enjoyed it,' said Xan. 'I love it. Especially in this world that we live in, which is stirred up and can be distracting, it's nice to be brought back center. This is a nice tool to help you do that.'

A Beaufort native who attended Beaufort High School, Xan initially was exposed to yoga because he was interested in improving his flexibility for martial arts. He began his formal yoga training in 1999, was certified in 2003 through the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago and has traveled to India several times to continue his study.

'I knew this was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life,' said Xan.

Xan and his wife both studied under Kusum Modak, considered the founder of Ayurvedic massage and yoga therapy. Marina, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was first introduced to yoga through her mother, Laura Maria Nogueira, who operates a yoga studio in Sao Paulo called Nataraja. The couple met while Xan was visiting Brazil, and they were married in 2005.

Marina said that yoga is big in Brazil and that she was first exposed to shirodhara at her mother's yoga studio.

'It was always in the back of my mind that it would be cool to have shirodhara here, but the traditional way to do shirodhara is more complex,' she said. 'You have a copper vessel, and it's warm oil. It makes a lot of mess.'

Instead of pouring oil or milk, which is sometimes used in shirodhara, Sattva uses warm water with a small, Swiss made instrument that pours the liquid over the foreheads of clients.

'You just have to come prepared to get your hair wet,' said Marina. 'It's a constant flow of water at always the same temperature, so that helps ease the mind. It's like when you first get into the shower and you put your head into the water flow.'

Achurch admitted that she was skeptical when Xan first told her about shirodhara, but her apprehension didn't last long. The treatment is accompanied with an arm, neck, scalp and foot massage, which Xan said increases relaxation.

'When (Marina) first starts, you're like, 'What the heck?'' Achurch said. 'Because you put your head in this little thing, and there's like a fountain that comes over your head. It's just warm water coming down the side of your head. I don't know what it was about it, but I went into my own relaxed little world. While she's doing that, she massages your feet and comes back and massages your scalp. It was probably one of the most relaxing things I've ever had.'

When asked if she would continue shirodhara in addition to yoga, Achurch laughed and said, 'Absolutely, it's in the budget,' adding that she would recommend the treatment to others as well. Achurch first turned to yoga as a way to relieve the pain she sustained from a rib injury lifting weights. She said that yoga worked.

'When people come in with pain and leave without it, that's the most rewarding thing," said Xan. "That's why both of us are in this field. There's nothing more beneficial than helping somebody else feel better, because we all want to be happy.'

Want to relax?

What: Shirodhara treatment

Where: Sattva Center for Yoga &

Massage, 101 West St. Extension, across from Common Ground coffee house.

When: Appointments suggested

Cost: $30 for 30 minutes; $60 for one hour; $20 if added on to any other service

Details: 843 476 2793;

www.beaufortyogamassage.com

By MARK ALLWOOD

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