Market Vendor’s Natural Products Enhance Body And Spirit

By John Voket

If you were to encounter her, quietly discussing her custom line of all-natural bath and body products at one of the weekly Sandy Hook farmers markets, you might never guess that Lisa Norte used to be considered one of those “power women.”

A little more than a decade ago, Ms Norte was as involved as one could be in the trappings of a commercialized society. As a corporate marketing professional, she was responsible for maximizing the perceived value of the products her employer produced to achieve maximum profits for the company and its shareholders.

She was by all outward appearances a successful young professional with the world at her feet.

But like so many individuals engaged in the dog-eat-dog world of extreme capitalism, she woke up one morning and decided she could do something more with her life by serving the greater good while taking care of the individuals she met along her remaining journey through life. So Ms Norte quit her marketing job and became immersed in the practices of spiritualism, becoming a certified kripalu yoga instructor specializing in the practice of pranayama, or deep breathing, to affect a positive mental status.

During the next decade, Ms Norte enjoyed great success in her new field, operating a successful massage therapy business while continuing her related training and self-discovery. She even became certified to consult with clients on the Tuft’s Strong Woman program, a system designed to prevent disease and improve health outcomes among participants through strength training, nutrition, medical, and wellness counseling.

But a little more than a year ago, Ms Norte gave up her massage business to split her time between helping others to achieve a healthy balance between body and spirit. While her teaching style always emphasized the restorative, healing aspects of yoga to enhance the spirit within one’s own body, she knew that there had to be a component that addressed everything going on around the exterior of the body as well.

And it was at that point that Ms Norte’s newest venture, Adivasi Bath & Body, was born.

Ms Norte decided to take the name of her venture from India’s ancient tribal (or Adivasi) societies, which were built on a foundation of equality with respect for all life forms including plants and trees. These cultures embodied a deep recognition of mutual dependence in nature and human society, and the people of these societies were given respect and status according to their contribution to social needs but only while they were performing that particular function.

For example, a priest could be treated with great respect during a religious ceremony or a doctor revered during a medical consultation, but once such duties had been performed, the priest or doctor became equal to everyone else. It was the simplicity, the love of nature, the absence of coveting the goods and wealth of others, and the social harmony of tribal society that attracted Gautam Buddha, and had a profound impact on the ethical core of his teachings.

According to Ms Norte, it was the Adivasis who developed an intimate knowledge of various plants and their medicinal uses played an invaluable role in the development of Ayurvedic medicines. In a recent study, the All India Coordinated Research Project credits Adivasi communities with the knowledge of 9,000 plant species — 7,500 used for human healing and veterinary health care.

Dental care products like datun, roots and condiments like turmeric used in cooking, and ointments are also Adivasi discoveries, as are many fruit trees and vines. Ayurvedic cures for arthritis and night blindness owe their origin to Adivasi knowledge as well.

“Like it says in my brochure, throughout much of my life I’ve combined infusions of essential oils, scents, and extracts to produce mineral salt based bath soaks, scrubs, and foot soaks,” she told The Bee during once recent farmers market appearance. “These mineral salts have been known for centuries to relax and sooth muscles, open respiratory passages, promote good circulation, and pull dangerous toxins from our bodies.”

By combining the powerful qualities of those essential oils with the healing and rejuvenating properties of hydo- and aromatherapy, she has developed a modest yet potent line of her own soaks and scrubs that have been selling off the shelf wherever she appears.

“One of the advantages all my friends enjoy from these products is that they are made fresh and in small quantities so they don’t sit around for weeks or months in stock,” she said. “And in the assembly, all the whole plant materials are steam distilled and processed through certified organic methods.”

In addition, Ms Norte said, since the whole plant materials are utilized, they contain similar properties as essential oils but in significantly lower concentrations, making them a perfect alternative for those with sensitive skin.

“It’s really all about bringing in outside influences to enhance the inner being,” she said.

Ms Norte has devised her line of products to target or address specific needs in each client, and to deliver specific benefits.

“The items scented with grapefruit, for example, are energizing while they help detoxify the body,” she said. “I also use black pepper, which helps boost the immune system.”

Her bath salts and soaks not only work to pull harmful and taxing toxins from the body but at the same time rejuvenate and replace trace minerals. Ms Norte’s soaks and scrubs incorporate eucalyptus, orange, lavender geranium rose, and vanilla orange patchouli, while another scrub also uses grapefruit, mint, and black pepper.

“I also make a gardener’s hand scrub and chef’s hand scrub which not only remove the surface contaminants but the associated odors,” she said.

Ms Norte believes what you put on your body is as important as what you put in your body, and as society becomes more accustomed to demanding all natural and organic products, she feels the Adivasi line will continue to grow and thrive.

“Not everybody can afford to go for a fancy treatment or take several days to attend a spa. These products provide an easily accessible and economic way of getting spa results every day when you shower or wash,” she said.

Besides her weekly station at both Sandy Hook farmers markets, Ms Norte will be selling and demonstrating the Adivasi line at Lexington Gardens on October 8 from 1 to 2 pm. In addition, she offers her products and leads a weekly yoga class at Yoga Dimensions in Newtown.

The Adivasi line is also available through www.canyonranch.com