Napa Valley Bath Co

30 Real Reasons to Meditate Now!

by Leslie Billera on March 1, 2011 · 0 comments

Meditation is not an escape from the difficult present but an active form of service to society, directing us to understanding and compassion toward all suffering humanity.

-Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace

Is it any wonder that Napa Valley Bath founder Peggy O’Kelly included this inspiring author’s simple book in her Being Peace package ? After all, if taking 15 minutes a day to look inwardly helps foster a deeper understanding of the world at large – and helps us understand our role within it – than sign me up! Here are some of the top benefits broken down by body, mind and spirit:

10 Top Physiological Benefits of Meditation

Increases blood flow and slows the heart rate
Increases tolerance for exercise
Decreases muscle tension
Reduces pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms
Enhances the immune system
Enhances energy and strength
Cures headaches & migraines
Helps your brain function in a more orderly fashion
Normalizes your weight
Makes you more inclined to do sports/activities

10 Top Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Builds self-confidence
Naturally increases serotonin levels which influence mood and behavior
Helps with focus & concentrations
Increases creativity
Increases feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
Develops intuition
Increased productivity
Helps you see the larger picture in a given situation
Develops will power
Decreases tendency to worry

10 Top Spiritual Benefits of Meditation:

Helps keep things in perspective
Provides peace of mind, happiness
Increases compassion
Brings body, mind, spirit in harmony
Increases acceptance of oneself
Helps learn forgiveness
Fosters greater inner-directedness
Helps you to live in the present moment
Taps into the power and consciousness beyond the ego
Contributes to a sense of “Oneness”

Take the time out for yourself and experience your reasons to meditate…you deserve it!

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Your Potential

by admin on February 16, 2011 · 0 comments

To think of the immense potential hidden deep within our
being, to understand that the nature of mind is fundamental
purity and kindness, and to meditate on its luminosity,
will enable you to develop self-confidence and courage.

— The 14th Dalai Lama

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Strange…but Safe

by Leslie Billera on February 13, 2011 · 0 comments

Kiwi magazine wants families to grow ‘the natural and organic way’ and we couldn’t agree more!

As I’ve mentioned, that was one of the critical reasons Peggy OKelly founded the St. Helena Olive Oil Company in light of her daughter’s allergic reaction to food dyes and preservatives.

In Kiwi’s ‘special food issue,’ the savvy magazine offered some interesting ‘ingredient watch’ advice unlike other lists I’ve seen in the same milieu….a list of strange-sounding ingredients that you may find on labels – but need not fear. The list includes:

Alginate, Carrageenan: thickening agents made from algae; used in dairy products
Alpha Tocopherol: a form of vitamin E
Ascorbic Acid: another name for vitamin C
Sodium Citrate: controls acidity in juices, gelatins and other foods
Lactic Acid/Lactase: controls acidity
Lecithin: a source of nutrient choline

These are in stark contrast to red flag ingredients like yellow No. 5, 6 and 13; Red No. 3, 7, and 40; Blue No. 2 as well as sodium benzoate, hydrogenated oils, nitrites (found in cured meats), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Issues tied to these bad guys range from behavioral issues to possible carcinogenic qualities. Not so tasty.

It’s up to us to be our own advocate, from food to personal care products to the cleansers we use at home.

If you’re not signed up for St. Helena’s Olive Oil Co.’s blog – penned by Peggy herself – check it out and get the latest harvest-healthy inspirations from Napa Valley delivered straight to your in-box.

And if you are looking for organic and all-natural ingredients like mustard, seasalt and truffle oil and more to spike up your next meal, check out the “Other Ingredients” section and treat yourself!

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2010 Organic Lavender Harvest – Kahn Ranch Napa Valley

by Peggy O on February 11, 2011 · 0 comments

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The Flow of Life

by Peggy O on January 31, 2011 · 0 comments

The more attached I get to a particular outcome,

the less that Life can flow through me.

-Joan Borysenko

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Filling our First Batch of Lip Balms Today!

by Peggy O on January 28, 2011 · 0 comments

The day we have been waiting for….bottling our new lip balms – produced with St. Helena Olive Oil Co. Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oils.

Immersed in product development for our new bath line, NVBath, I realized that many of the essential oil combinations were consistent with our flavored extra virgin olive oils. All of our flavored oils, except for Lemon, are produced by pressing the olives with the other ingredient, eg. basil. I thought about it and figured that the flavor was coming from the essential oil of the ingredient….so why not use that oil instead of an extra virgin olive oil and a separate essential oil. Knowing that I was drifting outside of my area of expertise, I enlisted Sarah Buscho, Wellness Place, to create recipes using our flavored extra virgin olive oils.

Although we have many products rolling out in the next few weeks, we began with our lip balms…..

1. Soothing Lip Salve – Vanilla, Orange and Chai. This salve was produced using our Orange Extra Virgin Olive OIl and, although not recommended, is good enough to eat!
Trying our best to source local ingredients, we are proud to share all of the ingredients – local organic beeswax, organic soy wax, organic cocoa butter, organic Vanilla infused Jojoba Oil (Sarah personally accompanied the vanilla back from Bali), Vitamin E and the essential blend of Orange, Cardamom, Clove and Vanilla, and of course, St. Helena Olive Oil Co. Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

2. Fresh and Uplifting Lip Salve – Lime and Basil – produced with our Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil and our Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This lip salve contains all the main ingredients noted above but the following essential oil blend: Basil, Lime, Lemon Verbena, and Green Tea.

3. Stimulating Lip Salve – Rosemary Peppermint – produced with our Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This “stimulating” lip balm contains all of the above main ingredients with the following essential oil blend: Peppermint, Rosemary, and Vanilla.

We packaged these in a 25ml amber glass jar. We wanted to make sure you had plenty on hand because the ingredients lend themselves beautifully to the body as well.

Lourdes and Margarita are busy packing the salves as I write so make sure to sign up on our email list to know when we release!

Getting ready to go

They never know what a day is going to bring!

It’s not easy to get it to the right temperature and then fill…it starts to harden so they have to warm it back up again. We are so fortunate to have Margarita and Lourdes because they are meticulous and take great pride in what they produce.

It takes about 2 minutes for the salve to begin to harden. You can see the liquid form in the front and the stages of hardening.

Next on the docket….organic lavender body salve….stay tuned!

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Be Happy

by Peggy O on January 27, 2011 · 0 comments

Terrible or not, difficult or not, the only thing that is beautiful, noble, religious and mystical is to be happy

- Arnaud Desjardins

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Matters of the Heart

by Peggy O on January 26, 2011 · 2 comments

It started over eight years ago in a tiny storefront in the South of
France. I do not remember the name or the street or even the town.
Something inside tells me that I could find it again but I’m not sure
how..or if it is even still there. It must be though…so pure, so
beautiful, so inspiring…it must still be there…right?

The memory of the store itself has faded a bit but the inspiration
remains as strong as it was on that day…the day I wandered into the
little space in the South of France. As I entered the store and
took my first breath, I couldn’t help but close my eyes and be
transported into the middle of one of the many lavender fields that
we passed on the train ride from Paris. Knowing I could not stay in
the fields forever, I slowly opened my eyes…and was immediately
drawn to the old ceramic bowl filled with lavender flowers. There
was a small shovel inside and bags leaning against it. I couldn’t
resist the urge to shovel a bit and pour it back into the bowl…and
breathe. As I looked up from the bowl, I noticed an old rack that
was framed by branches…and inside were candles, sachets, oils…all
showcasing the essence of their lavender. I remember looking at
every product…in detail….and feeling….feeling
goodness…romance….peace. That was the moment that I knew that
someday I was going to create a line of bath and beauty products that
would transport me and all who were willing back to that little space
in the South of France. I did not disclose my thoughts to anyone…I
simply tucked them neatly into my heart without any expectation
except knowing….knowing someday it would present itself.

My life at the time was very full as I was building St. Helena Olive
Oil Co. and raising my two girls. Time passed quickly and the
Company and my girls continued to grow. I sold some local bath
products in my stores…trying to give some traction to my dream…
but nothing seemed quite right. The products were all lovely but
none brought me back to my tiny space in the South of France. So, I
continued on my path, pulling out my dream every now and then when I
needed an escape..but always tucking it safely away ..without a word.

One day, not long ago, my phone rang. It was Bob Kahn. He began the
conversation something like this, ” Hi. My name is Bob Kahn and
someone told me to call you because we just purchased a second home
in the western hills of the Napa Valley and we have over 15,000
organic lavender plants and distillation equipment, and…..” I
interrupted him mid sentence and let him know that I knew exactly
what property he was talking about. It was one of three properties
in the Napa Valley that were farming organic lavender… He went on
to say that they knew little about lavender and they were not
planning on going into business. He continued to speak about the
property but I did not hear a word over the sound of the adrenaline
gushing through my veins. As he was talking, I was coaxing myself
down….stay calm….stay professional….when I really just wanted
to shout, “Are you kidding me?!!! Do you know how long I’ve been
waiting for this call?! Do you know how amazing this will be?! We
could do this and that and this and that and this and that!!!!!!

As I hung up the phone, my head dropped down and my eyes filled with
tears. I was overcome by the feelings that I had only felt one time
before….the goodness…..the romance….the peace. My time had
come. I was grateful.

A lot has happened since I received the phone call from Bob Kahn and
it’s all good….we will be rolling out more amazing organic, local
products in the next month. We are actually pouring our new salves
this week … made from our flavored extra virgin olive oils and
other organic ingredients grown in Marin by Sarah Buscho…an
herbalist who we will tell you all about in the near future. We
continue to refine our line of lotions, massage oils, hand poured
candles, bath teas, bath salts, scrubs, and my favorite…organic
lavender flowers….all inspired by the Kahn’s Napa Valley organic lavender….and
the tiny space in the South of France. I hope I have done them both
justice…..

Check out our gift sets that I created to transport you to wherever your dreams take
you…and inspire you to follow those dreams…and never give up
hope….because where there is a heart…..there is a way.

OH and of course, for Valentine’s Day…I’m not a big fan of
commercialized holidays so I always try to find a way to make them my
own. This year, I’m taking time to think about everyone I love and
I’m writing a short paragraph about something that I love about
them….something vulnerable….something that might normally go
unnoticed…..and I’m going to make my cards….and believe me, I
have no time for this in the worldly sense…but I’m challenging
myself to do it….and my gift…well it is the most precious…that
of my time…and of my thought…and of my love. My kids will be
bummed as I’m sure they would prefer a gift certificate to Free
People…but they know me by now and will appreciate it…and then
probably take my credit card and make their own purchase.

For you, I hope you do the same…go against the tide and make the
holiday your own. If you want to give the gift of goodness, romance
and peace…we will give you a 20% discount on all of our NVBath
Collection…just type in “loveme” (Do not put in quotations) in the
coupon code.

And a side note…a shout our for Deanna, our in house
retail/graphics person who did an amazing job dealing with the
evolution of my thought while designing our new blog, “stay together,
learn the flowers, go light”… it is SPOT ON!
Thank you Deanna!!

I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you…and become
even more connected to the planet….so we can continue to change the
world….one ingredient at a time!

Take care,

Peggy OKelly
President/Founder

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Put Some ‘Scent’ in Sensible

by Leslie Billera on January 25, 2011 · 0 comments

Go. Do. Start. Finish. Cross something off the list…and add something else on.

I don’t know about you, but this is what my days look like. Task-masters extraordinaire, most of us are eager to gain closure and move on to the next.

There’s the rub: there is always something next.

It’s so easy to forget to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy something JUST FOR YOU.

That’s where aromatherapy comes in. Just think about the definition of aromatherapy: the use of essential oils from plants to heal. Aromatherapy is literally about using nature’s pure essence as a gift…one that helps to calm nerves and clear your mind. The scent of lavender, for example, alleviates anxiety, depression and nervousness.

Lavender is also a fantastic sleep aid – for those whose commitment to common sense keeps them up at night.

If you periodically clear your mind of all the ‘to do’ list clutter, when it’s time to get back to the ‘to do’ list, you’re grounded and geared up to go.

• Give Yourself Permission: Too often, America’s work culture seeps into our personal life approach. You work hard when you need to – imagine if your commitment to restoring your brain was equally driven? Recognize that it’s absolutely critical to schedule ‘me’ time into your days, weeks and months. Otherwise, the time will continue to fly…and the tension will continue to build.

• Schedule Me Time: If everything is mapped out on your calendar, schedule your soothing baths , wake-up workouts, and mojo-lifting meditation there too. Squeeze it in. Make room for it. Once you get it on that calendar, don’t let it fall off. It’s a priority – move it around but keep it on the calendar.

• Bundle Up…with lavender bundles that is. Dried lavender gives off a sweet scent that will fill any room with warmth.

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Guess the Gallons – Get the Olive Oil!

by Leslie Billera on November 10, 2010 · 0 comments

Whether your an agriculture aficionado or just a hard core olive oil fan, St. Helena Olive Oil Company wants you to weigh in on the amount of olive oil that’s coming down the vines in 2010!

Peggy’s company is working with a new olive grove named Twin Sisters, and as you can see from this post, harvesting has had its challenges. But with her inimitable can-do spirit, Peggy has decided to invite YOU along for the ride.

Can You Do It?

Get the facts on Twin Sisters, tally up the numbers, then enter your best guestimate of the TOTAL olive oil yield from this property for 2010 at the end of this blog post. If you come closest – or nail the number outright – you’ll get a gratis bottle of olive oil from the property! Enter by November 12th!

Committed? Keep an eye on future contests…since St. Helena’s Olive Oil Co. harvests multiple properties in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas, you have mulitple chances to win. Plus, one lucky GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be the person who comes closest to the total yield for all properties will win a mixed case of all of the oils from the various properties….a $500 value!

Peggy will announce the winners on December 8, 2010.

Healthy & Beautiful Side-Bar

Antioxidant-rich olive oil is bliss for your all-natural beauty routine:

Hair: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your hair conditioner – shake before each use. Adds shine and manageability.

Eyes: Gently dab olive oil on the corner of your eyes, your eye lids and under your eyes nightly for skin smoothing and moisturizing.

Hands and Nails: Take small amount of olive oil and rub into nails and cuticles nightly; it will add a shine to your nails and keep nail beds and cuticles soft.