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Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/109233
AROUND THE WORLD with DAYSPA: Native American Spa By the time the Europeans arrived in the Americas in the 15th century, more than 50 million inhabitants already called this land home. Descended from nomads who traveled across the land bridge from Asia to what is now Alaska, these Native Americans ultimately migrated south and east, eventually forming more than 2,000 tribes within what historians identify as 10 geographic regions. A resourceful people who had learned to use the natural world around them, the Native Americans were also unusually healthy. They had learned to connect mind, body, spirit and all other universal phenomena with health���without ever even devising a word in their language for ���medicine.��� Native Americans learned about anatomy from animal carcasses. They learned about the healing value of plants���be they ingested, brewed, burned, topically 22 DAYSPA | MARCH 2013 By Andrea Renskoff applied or used to make splints to mend broken bones. Many of the plant-based drugs that we use today have historical Native American applications. They believed in personal hygiene, that bathing in clean water and absorbing sunshine are as essential to health as any remedy could be. They wore less clothing than other cultures because they learned that seeking exposure to the elements, rather than staying bundled in fabric, kept them free of parasites and diseases. And they revered their tribal healers who, generation after generation, amassed knowledge of both the natural and spiritual worlds, which rendered them part doctors, part priests. With such a rich basis in health, spirituality and natural living, it���s no surprise that spas throughout the world embrace Native American practices. Here, DAYSPA takes a look into some of these time-honored traditions. COURTESY MII AMO SPA Traditions Interconnectedness and deep spiritual beliefs, the tenets of Native American wellness practices, are carefully delivered within many modern spas.