Issue No.6 - December 2008

The 12 days of Christmas Challenge is simple: complete 12 classes in December and receive your choice of either a 2-in-5 Day Intro Special Gift Certificate or 20% off of any 1 regularly priced item at the boutique.

For those that complete 12 classes before the 20th of December, you will receive both prizes!

There is still plenty of time left to complete the 12-days of Christmas Challenge so if you have not joined yet, it's not too late.

Watch for our first 30-day challenge (30 classes in 30 days) in the New Year.

2 Classes in 5 days Intro Gift Certificates make a great stocking stuffer and are a terrific way to share the yoga with others!

From now until December 24th buy two 2/5 Intro Gift Certificates ($20 each) and get the 3rd one for FREE.

From now until December 20th, enter to win 1 of 10 2/5 Intro Gift Certificates each time you come in to take a class. The more you practise the more chances you have to win. Winners will be notified December 21st.

• December 24th - 10am & 12am (Christmas Eve)
• December 25th - CLOSED
• December 26th - CLOSED
• December 31st - CLOSED
• January 1st - CLOSED

January is a time for new beginnings. Look for many exciting developments at BYCV in the New Year, including:

• Annual Membership Sale
• Our first 30-day Challenge
• A Bigger, Better, Badder schedule

Did you know that BYCV members receive 15% off at Crave Beauty just down the street from us and 15% off at Freestyle Fashion in Mill Bay? With Christmas just around the corner, why not get a discount on your shopping and support local businesses at the same time!

(Warning: this article is a big one but definitely worth the read!)

Your skin is much more than an outer surface for the world to see -- it's the largest organ of your body!

Plus, it has a number of amazing responsibilities that you probably don't think about on a daily basis, listed below are a few:

• Protects your internal organs from injury and infection.
• Helps detoxify wastes through perspiration.
• Protects you against extreme changes in temperature, through its thermoregulatory effect of controlling heat flow between you and your environment.
• Protects you from dehydration.

Put simply, your skin plays a major role in your health.

It functions as an organ that can absorb and excrete both nutrients and toxins through its pores. The condition of your skin is a powerful reflection of just how healthy you are on the inside. Because your skin has the ability to absorb whatever you put on it, careful choices are critical. You want to give your skin the same thoughtful care you give your internal organs.

Let's take a quick look at some of the ingredients in today's skin care products that can compromise the health of your skin (or even more of your body functions).

A good rule of thumb is if you can't read or pronounce the ingredient, then there is a strong likelihood that it should not be in your skin products.

It is well-proven that when you apply chemicals to your skin, they enter your bloodstream and become integrated into your body tissues. If you don't believe that, then just think about how nicotine and birth control patches work. In fact, it is probably safer to eat these ingredients than to rub them on your skin (although it is safest to not do either!).

However, if you do happen to eat these chemicals, your digestive system can produce specific enzymes to break down these toxins and excrete them which is something that doesn't readily occur when you absorb them through the skin.

Potentially harmful ingredients continue to be used. Why? Because they are cheap, readily available, and easily diluted.

Harmful Chemicals that can be found in some soaps include:

• Dioxane
• DMDM Hydantoin
• Fragrance
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triethanolamine
• PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid)

So, do you want to put these chemicals on your skin? Well if you don't there are lots of toxin free body care soaps to choose from... with Dr Bronner's Peppermint soap being our personal favourite!

Dr Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Soaps are:

• Completely Biodegradable and Vegetable-Based
• Made with Certified Fair Trade and Organic Oils
• Multi-Purpose: 18-in-1 Uses
• No Synthetic Foaming Agents, Thickeners or Preservatives
• 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Cylinder Bottles and Paper Labels
• Simple, Ecological Formulations Based on Old-World Quality and Expertise

INGREDIENTS: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut*, Organic Palm* and Organic Olive* Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils**, Citric Acid, Vitamin E

* FAIR TRADE Ingredients
** Available in Peppermint, Lavender, Almond, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Unscented Baby-Mild, Rose and Citrus Orange

All Dr Bronner's soaps are not only certified by Oregon Tilth to the same rigorous USDA National Organic Program standards that certify organic foods, but also are certified Fair Trade by the respected Swiss certifier IMO.

We use diluted Dr Bronner's in all the showers, if you would like to give the concentrated versions a try they are available for purchase in our boutique.

Some contents of this article were borrowed from Mercola.com, visit his site for lots of great articles on how to take control of your health.