Minneapolis Giveaway: Soulful Soap

 

More intriguing photos by Minneapolis photographer Alec Soth.

Our other Minneapolis giveaway features Sacred Suds soaps. You can find them on Etsy as well as their main website products page.

The shop owner Andrea is offering one reader an Om orange, mandarin and cedar soap.

Tune in. Transcend worldly worries and attune with universal bliss with this soap inspired by Om (or Aum), sacred Hindu syllable representing the Absolute. When intoned, Om connects our deepest self to the All, the world-soul. This soap is crafted using the hot process method of soap making, and as with all of our yoga soaps, the glycerin and skin-conditioning oils contained in the Om bar create a luxurious lather that will leave your skin soft, supple, and deliciously moisturized. This soap is a favorite for meditation and yoga practice, and is a suitable unisex soap for both men and women.

Andrea's description of the shop:

Sacred Suds is inspired by my belief that by giving something our attention, either through prayer, meditation, or the simple ritual of mindful bathing, we give it power to grow and manifest in our lives. My mission with Sacred Suds is to provide soulful soaps that help channel positive energies into our customers' lives. I craft the soaps with intention using cues, like scent and colored labels, to help tune in to certain feelings, like joy, passion, and confidence. In harmony with the sacred intent of the soaps, I am committed to non-violence in the crafting of our products. Sacred Suds soaps are earth-friendly, cruelty-free, detergent-free, and dye-free, and I am proud that our soaps now contain organic, orangutan-safe palm oil.

More on yoga and what inspires Andrea to create:

When I lived in Florida, I had an incredible yoga instructor, and her class was the highlight of my week.  She taught a Power Yoga class that pulled from Ashtanga, and I am now hooked on the powerful progression of that Vinyasa style.  During Savasana, she would rub her hands with peppermint oil and come around to each of us to smooth our brows and give a quick temple massage.  That peppermint oil compelled me to breathe deeply, and it inspired the Prana soap.  More soaps soon followed, including Om, Ganesha, Laughing Buddha, and Kuan Yin.  I have created all of these soaps with the hope that they will help you carry the benefits of Yoga from your mat into your life. 

I have not yet found another instructor now that I've moved to the Twin Cities, so if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to them!  I currently practice at home using some of my favorite DVD's (Yoga Shakti with Shiva Rea, Total Yoga with Ganga White and Tracey Rich, and Power Yoga with Beryl Bender Birch), but I hope to find another class.  Being in class with an instructor and other students is so much more exciting and energizing than doing the same DVDs over and over again.  

Andrea's tips for keeping clean and smelling great after a sweaty yoga class:  

• I like to use a wonderful deodorant that my husband makes at home by mixing 1 part baking soda with 6 parts cornstarch.  I apply it using a cosmetic brush, but you could also use a cotton ball or other applicator.  You only need a light dusting, it goes on invisible, it is all natural, and it doesn't stain clothing.  

• For both your mat and your body, you can make a super easy spray by filling a spray bottle with water and adding 10 to 15 drops of your favorite essential oil.  Lavender, peppermint, pine, and orange essential oils are all very pleasant, cleansing, and energizing.  You can spritz your body if you can't get into the shower right away, and you can also use the spray to spritz your mat and wipe it down after practice.

• Yoga practice is very purifying to me, and after sweating out all of those impurities, I think it's important to rinse them away in order to retain the cleansing aspect of yoga.  To me, the synthetic detergents and fragrances found in most commercial soaps feel and smell unnatural, and they feel like contaminants.  To maintain the pure feeling that yoga imparts, I recommend using natural handmade soaps, which retain the glycerin of the soap-making process, and that are scented primarily with natural essential oils.  Because essential oils carry aroma therapeutic properties, using soaps scented with essential oils can reinforce the lessons from yoga practice and help smooth the transition from yoga to life.  

To win the Om soap, please:

• Leave a comment below listing your favorite soap from Sacred Suds.
• Add Andrea on Twitter and send her a little message.
• Add Sacred Suds on Facebook.
• Leave a comment on Andrea's lovely blog.
• If you go above and beyond by offering Andrea a suggestion for where to practice yoga in Minneapolis, you'll triple your chance to win!

Domestic shipping only. Good luck!

•