All the Luxury Wellness Tips from the Queen of Luxury Wellness
Mariah K. Lyons is the healer and designer behind the luxury wellness footwear company, ASTARA. She is a former professional dancer who transitioned into being a fashion publicist at Jimmy Choo, but soon discovered the chronic stress and exposure to electromagnetic radiation in the office was triggering her autoimmune illness. Lyons dove deep into the wellness world to heal herself, and has since experienced many professions related to natural healing, including being a meditation guide, Reiki master, herbalist, and crystal healer. Through this background she became inspired to create a luxury shoe brand that utilized crystal energetics and grounding technology. Her ASTARA shoes use crystals that attune the body to the frequency of the earth to help reduce effects of stress and EMFS in modern day society. We caught up with the healer-turned-entrepreneur to ask her to share the seven things that she’s loving most at the moment. This is what she said...
1 | Forest bathing --
Connection and communion with nature is much of my work and life's purpose. There are major intrinsic factors of why we need to connect more with nature, and studies show just how healing wild environments are for the body. There are chemical, physical, and metaphysical reasons that the body, mind, and spirit feel relaxed, at ease, and open in nature. Nature heals. Forest bathing is a form of Japanese healing called Shinrin-yoku which translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere.” If I start to feel the city get a bit too loud, I drive to Big Bear or Santa Barbara to hike and lay in the mountains and trees. It feels like a full body recharge.
2 | Bio energy healing --
Both the body and energetic healing is fascinating to me. I’ve been fortunate to see Dr. Christine Surrago and witness my health’s transformation through quantum biofeedback. She uses a device called the CyberScan to generate specific remedies that ultimately alter the biochemistry and physiology of every cell on the body. It’s one of the most advanced healing treatments and machines on the planet!
3 | Herbal medicine making --
I recently became a certified Western Herbalist through the Gaia School of Earth Education, and have been making herbal medicines and tinctures as my new form of meditation and self-love. I create sacred space, play music, light incense, set an intention for the medicine, and let the plants co-create the recipe. My favorite medicines to gift to friends and family are electuaries made with local raw honey and healing herbs such as turmeric, ginger, and cardamom.
4 | Plant-dyed clothing --
Our skin is our largest organ, so it should be frightening that we absorb chemicals and pesticides in our clothing through our open pores. Not only are these manufacturing and production practices detrimental to our environment, they are also harmful to our health. I’m super inspired and excited that we are at a place where slow fashion is having a resurgence and conscious designers are creating sustainable clothing with healing dyes.
5 | Interspecies communication --
Nature is forever my muse and mother. Ancient cultures all speak and teach the wisdom in the unseen realms as well as the natural kingdoms. When we begin to tune into the subtle energy and networks around us (many of which can be felt but not seen) we remember that we are all part of the whole. Communicating with plants, animals, and minerals opens us up internally to our own intuition and guidance, but also to the Universal Oneness. Books that I love for opening up to the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms are Dolphin Connection by Joan Ocean, The Secret Life of Plants by Christopher Bird, Love is in the Earth by Melody, and Spiritual Properties of Herbs by Gurudas.
6 | The art of slowing down --
I’ve been allowing myself to take more quiet and slow regenerative time. In a world of hustle, we oftentimes forget to slow down. I’m forever inspired by a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.” When we learn to live by the cycles of nature and listen to the cycles within our own bodies, we learn to dance within the flow of natural current and energy. This current is always moving and flowing, but just like the breath which receives the inhale after the exhale, we must give ourselves time to slow down and nourish ourselves with quiet. Sunday’s have become my “off time” from social media and email -- my husband and I will take a hike, an afternoon nap, or spend the day at the beach grounding in the sand.
7 | Zero-waste living --
I focus on consciously living zero-waste. My packaging and manufacturing is sustainable at ASTARA and I’m constantly researching ways to lower waste and offset emissions. My friend Lauren Singer has an incredible site, Trash is For Tossers, as well as a Brooklyn boutique, Package Free Shop, where she highlights zero-waste living. She is an amazing resource for lowering your waste/consumption while still living a modern lifestyle in a big city.
