News Letter |
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| Friday Supplement -Dubai Magazine |  |
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Pillow Talk |
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IF STRESS OR JET LAG is making it diffcult for you to get a good night's sleep, then maybe you should try resting your head on pillows stuffed with herbs. By Sudheshna Sarkar. Suffer from stress, headaches due to jet lag long hours before the computer...? Then maybe you need a good night's sleep. And that means not by resting your head on any pillow-old or new but one which is stuffed with herbs. |
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Amrita Chopra, an entrepreneur from india who moved to Nepal in search of tranquillity and Himalayan herbs, is now offering a blend of both. |
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A talented artist, she saw commercial potential in the unique Thanka paintings (traditional art of the region) and soon set up a company. Himalayan Handicrafts, which provided a plateform for local talent. She also began exporting their works. |
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"I underwent bouts of depression and pessimistic feelings," she remembers. |
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"One day, on an impulse, I took sum lavender flowers [ lavender is believed to have a soothing and relaxing effect on the nerves. It also acts as an antidepressant ] that I had got from France, put it in a muslin bag and kept it next to my pillow before going to sleep. That night, I slept like a baby," she recalls. |
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The sleep in many ways recharged her mind and she hit upon an idea-why not make pillows for those who have trouble sleeping well? Since lavender was not a locally grown herb, she decided to experiment with those that were easily available in Nepal. |
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Herbs and their uses was not an alien concept for Chopra. "As a child, I grew up in the hills which abounded in herbs," she laughs. "My mother's kitchen garden always had a herbarium. I cut my milk teeth on rosemary, basil and thyme," she says. |
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A period of trial and error followed and she soon hit upon the right blend of herbs which when stuffed in a pillow,would offer a persion using it sound sleep. |
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Different quantities of camomile, mustard seed, camphor, mint, ginger and Indian spikenard were mixed together and inserted into pillows, leading to what is today markted as the tranquillity pillow. |
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Some of these pillows also have incenses, and the result, Chopra says, is a soothing, calming and invigorating night's sleep. |
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For babies too |
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The concept finds its origins in Indian tradition where the correct pillow is considered vital for a person's wellbeing. For instance,says Chopra, a newborn is made to rest his head on a pillow made with mustard seeds for the first few months so that the head gets a perfect shape. |
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"Since I had three kids of my own, I was spending a lot of time with young mothers who were at a loss when it came to dealing with their baby's health problems. The most common issue that I came across was colic." |
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"I realised that when camomile was added to mustard seeds and placed in a pillow, it helped not only colicky babies but also those who were having teething troubles." This lead to the birth of the baby pillow. |
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Chopra decided to offer something to parents next. She created an energy pillow for exhausted mothers and fatigued executive fathers to boost their energy levels and destress them after a long day. |
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The entrepreneur in her smelt the beginning of a successful business and she launched a new company, Mountain Magic, that sold various kinds of Healing products. Today, this company offers 23 varieties of pillows that address several ailments. |
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The aromatic herbal computers pillow set is one such product. Designed for workaholics hammering away at the the keyboard without a break, it comes with a long keyboard pillow (on which a user can rest his/her wrists) and a smaller kidney-shaped one on which to rest the hands when using the mouse. The set, Chopra says, helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by pressure on the wrist and hand nerves due to excessive use of the computer keyboard/mouse. |
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For your eyes |
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The set is complemented by the eye pillow that, when placed on the lids, soothes tired, swollen and bloodshod eyes. |
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Chopra says the pillows get their restorative power from flaxseed, whose high oil content has a cooling effect. for best result, users are asked to first wrap the eye piloow in a plastic sheet and place it in the freezer for the couple of hours after which the plastic cover can be removed and the piloow placed on the eyes. |
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"It works wonders on dark circles," Chopra promises. |
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Realising the byuing power of teenagers, Chopra introduce personality booster pillow-12 varieties for each of the 12 zodic signs. The pillows have a little inset which provides information about the sign, its general traits, lucky colours and days... |
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"Take Taurus, for example. The lucky colour is red and the herb is mint. Therefore, the pillow comes in red silk and contains mint a herb that can soothe nerves, " she says. The pillows, says Chopra, are popular with adults too. |
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Chopra has also created a meditation pillow. This is the most unique, she says. Born out of her inner urge to pause and reflect on life's hectic pace, it is unique in its shape and febric. |
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"It has the shape of a person's lap who is sitting cross-legged while meditating." |
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"For the fabric, I have used a special weave from China. For the other pillows, I use a silk-like fabric brought Surat in India that looks like traditional cloth used by Tibetans." |
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So, what next? |
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"I just can't make one thing and then stop and do a market research and wait for the results. I will come up with something new soon." |
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HOW TO USE THE PILLOW |
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Most pillows are about 5"*7" in size and are meant to be slipped inside the cover of your regular pillow. Then knead the pillow softly to awaken the scent. The pillows will remain aromatic for six months, depending upon weather conditions. |
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For best results, Chopra suggests the pillows be used with essential oils. |
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