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I'm very fond of one of my co-workers. Just out of her teens, young and open to all the possibilities that lie before her, Beth is inquisitive and wise for her age. She knows a lot about vitamins and nutrition and our break-time conversations meander from the benefits of organic vegetables to homemade blemish treatments.
With Beth's birthday approaching I wanted to give my young colleague a unique gift. In keeping with our common interest in natural health and the benefits of herbal remedies I thought this might be a good time to introduce her to the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health. When I get an idea in my head I want to act right away, so I jumped on the Internet and connected to the Web site for Maharishi Ayurveda Products International (MAPI) at
www.mapi.com.
As soon as I saw the beautifully designed and very comprehensive home page I knew what part of my gift would be—the Web site itself. I thought Beth would enjoy spending time with the interactive quizzes, reading the Tip of the Day, studying the different types of herbs used in the products and learning about this ancient science of health. She could read articles about diet, beauty, lifestyles—in short, everything we loved to talk about over the water cooler.
I started by clicking the section called "Let's Go Shopping." The entire catalog is there online! I've received the catalog in the mail from time to time and I've always enjoyed the pictures and enticing descriptions on every page. The online catalog is every bit as pleasant, but without the paper waste.
Next I scanned the section called "Self Care Guide." Here I found I could shop according to specific "health goals." Throughout the site there are lots of tips and information pertaining to specific body types and different seasons, but the point is often made that for improving your current health it's more important to correct imbalances regardless of your body type. By clicking on links for specific concerns like immunity or digestion you can easily find appropriate products.
Knowing that Beth was a novice in Vedic health care, I looked for products with familiar uses—skin cleanser, face and body care, hair products and aromatic oils. But there was such a variety of products with so many different purposes, how would I choose? My mother always told me that when you buy a gift it should be something that you would also like to have yourself. Well, that was going to be easy. The hard part was choosing just two or three things. I needed advice.
The Web site invites shoppers to call a toll-free number for "answers to questions or just a little encouragement." This sounded like just the ticket. My call was greeted by a friendly directory, pleasant music and recorded information about some of the most popular products.
In a short while I was connected to Nancy, one of the ten or so Health Educators at MAPI. I asked what she would recommend as a gift for a working part-time college student interested in health and beauty. I expected a list of soaps and shampoos, but I got more than that. "Radiant Skin tablets," she said, "to reduce the toxins that cause blemishes. And Pitta Soap to cool and soothe the skin."
Next, Nancy volunteered her observation that students often benefit from taking certain herbal combinations. One was called Worry Free, which comes as both tablets and tea, and the others were Study Power and Mind Plus, in tablets or syrup form. Now I was beginning to feel that I could give my friend some really useful and unique new products to try.
With Nancy's encouragement I chose several very nice things. (I even ordered something a little extra for myself.) My order will arrive in the mail soon. I plan to give Beth's products in a nice little basket and, as we stand at the water cooler, I will wish her "Happy Birthday and a Lifetime of Perfect Health."
Cynthia Goldstone is a freelance writer in New Hampshire.
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