In our fast-paced society, self-care often takes a back seat to the demands and commitments of modern life. Unmanaged stress and overloading our senses can leave us feeling as though we are living in survival mode, leading to imbalances and countless health problems. For centuries, Ayurveda has offered an effective way to bring balance to one's body and mind.
"Ayurveda is a complete system of medicine originally from India that is more than 5,000 years old," explains Cara Freidheim, owner of Mookshi Healing Arts, an Ayurvedic health practice the Woodstock/Saugerties area. "We use the five elements—ether, air, fire, water, and earth—to represent energy in the body, and look at the qualities of each in order to achieve balance."
Friedheim offers some context: "For example, in Ayurveda, air is considered light, mobile, cold, and dry, whereas earth is understood to be heavy, stable, dense, and moist. If too much of either element is present in the body, the opposing qualities can be nurtured to help regain balance." To achieve this, she uses traditional Ayurvedic principles, herbalism, body work, and yogic breathwork and postures to help clients move toward wellness."Mookshi is a play on the Sanskrit word for 'liberation'; that's what my practice is about, helping people find liberation from physical and emotional ailments," she says. "And the results are beneficial for many modern issues. I help people find relief from anxiety, depression, insomnia, digestive issues, skin conditions—the list is long. We specifically look at the individual's health, and then design a plan to help balance and heal."
Among her more popular treatments are Abhyanga, a traditional Ayurvedic full-body massage that incorporates herbal oils specific to an individual's constitution. Shirodhara, a treatment during which warm oil is poured over the forehead and scalp, helps with calming the mind and is beneficial to those with anxiety, insomnia, or an inability to focus. Marma Point therapy is a massage technique focused on working vital energy points on the body. It opens channels to better circulation, and increases organ health.
"These treatments are in part about slowing down, resetting, and allowing your body and mind to heal," Freidheim says. "After sessions, I suggest clients keep their schedules light, create space to spend time with yourself, and avoid getting into rushed habits. Have a light meal and take some time to rest."
Alongside her 20-year practice of bodywork therapy, Freidheim is an experienced yoga teacher, and offers one-on-one yoga sessions to clients. Her handmade skincare line, including face washes and moisturizers, bath salts, body oils, salves, and custom-formulated products, can be found at her office and online. All products are botanical, organic as much as possible, and locally grown when available—including some herbs grown on the property, which she describes as "acres of quiet stillness" where clients often take meditative strolls after their treatment.
"It's truly about balance, relaxation, and bringing about the proper conditions that allow our bodies to do what they intuitively know in order to keep us healthy," she says. "I think everybody is seeking relaxation on some level—which sounds so simple, but when you look at the lives we lead, with so many things on our plates, the ability to become still is pretty profound. But it's necessary to allow ourselves to nurture that balance, and feel more whole, nourished, vital, and liberated."
To learn more, visit Mookshi.com, or reach out at [email protected] or at (412) 417-9530.
