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By: Miranda Powell Bringing together the physical and energetic benefits of herbs through baths is a centuries old practice. Ultimate relaxation combined with the powerful use of herbs can support all areas of your life. In this blog, I’ll share some of my favorite herbal combinations and rituals.  “Happiness lies in the fulfillment of the spirit through the body.”  - Cyril Connolly  Transform Your Bath with Botanical Brews  I absolutely love the act of taking baths. If I’m feeling physical pain in my body, stress, or feeling caught in fight or flight, a bath soothes so many ailments. It gently forces me to calm my nervous system, slow down, and look inward.  Growing up, I loved getting fancy bath bombs and bubble baths from the grocery store. It was fun mixing colors and aromas in the bath water! So my journey of listening to my intuition began, making potions for the bath. Soon I realized I was left with an almost chemically sweet smell- too much synthetic fragrance. Our skin is the body's largest organ. What we put on it directly affects so much more than we realize.  I went to my local library and checked out a few books on DIY home spa days. I was happy to find out I already had half the ingredients for some of the recipes in my pantry… things like sea salt, himalayan pink salt, and essential oils. Drawing inspiration from one of my favorite resources, The Scented Bath: A Gift of Luxury from Nature’s Garden by herbalist Maribeth Riggs, I went down the…

Hello, and Welcome to the Dopamine Cafe! Have a seat, and look over your menu. We truly have so many options to choose from!  Okay, all jokes aside. Who doesn't love dopamine? Oftentimes dopamine is referred to as the “happy hormone” or the “feel-good hormone”, and that is because dopamine is released in the part of the brain that is the reward center. Dopamine is released when we are doing pleasurable activities, such as eating, having sex, hanging out with a friend, or even just by putting on a cute outfit. Dopamine also helps us set goals, concentrate and stay on task, and of course contributes to our sense of well-being and happiness!  So, what is a dopamine menu? Basically, we are breaking down all the activities that we can do to release dopamine, and separating them into categories as if you were at a restaurant. Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts, Sides, and Specials! I am not sure about you, but when I am in a funk, or in a bad mood, I tend to forget about everything that I could to make myself feel better, and then I feel stuck and stagnant. However, having a physical ‘menu’ of all the things I love to do hanging up somewhere that i can read everyday, I know I am much more likely to  stay focused on the things that make me happy and bring me joy. Mood-Boosting Starters Alright, picture this, we have just arrived at The Dopamine Cafe, and we are feeling so hungry, and need something to munch on right now. We…