Beech Sandal Company declared its commitment to raising awareness and funding for a number of worthy causes during 2009 by donating products and a portion of company sales to benefit organizations that promote health and wellness.

In November, Beech introduced Comfys for Causes, an initiative to give back to a variety of charitable causes by donating 20% of each pair of Yoga Sandals Comfys sold during November and December to one of six organizations that customers chose from.  For those who wish to help feed the underprivileged in America (FeedingAmerica.org). advance national health issues (i.e. Alzheimer's Association, alz.org) are environmentally conscious (350.org or GreenLifestyleFilmFestival.com) or an animal lover wishing to care and prevent abuse to at-risk pets (ASPCA.org), there was a cause for everyone, even a local California effort to preserve the community of Sunset Beach.  Comfys are indoor slippers that are great for keeping feet healthy during the winter months in cozy and fun animal prints.    
November's health focus was one of personal signifigance to the owners of Beech, Gayle Trenberth and Ben Frederiksen.  With November nationally recognized as Alzheimer's Awareness month, Beech held a fundraising reception benefiting the Alzheimers Association's Making Memories Art Program, which helps caregivers provide art therapy to patients as an anxiety release and form of stimulation to encourage communication.  Ben's mom, Ketty, has been diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's and discovered at age 79 that she has hidden talents that were buried until she picked up a paintbrush one day and began expressing herself on canvas.  Local Sunset Beach art studio You Can Too Arts & Crafts featured Ketty's artwork and sold cards and prints of her work and other Alzheimer's patients provided by the Alzheimer's Association to raise funds for this worthy organization.

   "River Mountain" by Ketty Frederiksen;   Ketty and Gayle visit at the reception benefiting the Alzheimer's Association


During the month of October, Beech Sandal Company donated 20% of the sales of all Pink Ribbon Original Yoga Sandals to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation.  A free awareness charm was included with each pair of sandals ordered.

                                                                                                             Pink Ribbon Original Yoga Sandals

On October 25, Beech Sandal Company donated Pink Pedicurz to the Hair & Makeup Artists Network "Pink Carpet" event benefiting the United Breast Cancer Foundation.  The event took place at Mothership Salon in West Hollywood and included a day of pampering for women inflicted with breast cancer.  Each participant received a massage, makeover and gift bag from participating sponsors.  After a day of pampering, there was a "Pink Carpet" Champagne reception, raffle and silent auction benefiting the United Breast Cancer Foundation.  Beech Sandal Company was tickled pink to provide these deserving women with Pedicurz, a lightweight sandal great for taking to the salon for pedicures, use for a DIY routine at home or simply wear this lightweight sandal to the pool or beach.

     Members of HMAN treat survivors of breast cancer to a day of pampering and free gifts including Pink Pedicurz by Yoga Sandals Footwear
   

On September 14th, Secret Room Events presented the 2009 “Think Pink” Emmy Awards Style Lounge, one of the most exclusive events surrounding the Emmy Awards. Emmy nominees, presenters, stylists and media were treated to luxurious products, services, Caribbean trips, a martini bar and more as they helped support breast cancer research.  Yoga Sandals Pink Passion Evolution Sandals appeared with an all-star cast of products that were provided for the gift bags each attendee received.

         
Pink Evolution Yoga Sandals were included in the luxurious gift bags distributed at the event benefiting breast cancer research
  
Held at the fabulous SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, this invite only event benefited the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Tiger Lily Foundation.  Both were on site to accept donations and inform guests about these organizations. Celebrity guests signed a special Breast Cancer item that was auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 


In September, over 200 pairs of Yoga Sandals Footwear were donated to the National Yoga Month festival in Los Angeles.   A complimentary pair of Yoga Sandals Fusions was given to each person who made a contribution to The Yoga Health Foundation, a non-profit organization  whose mission is to encourage people to take steps towards improving their own health and well-being and promote preventive health care through yoga health education programs in schools.  National Yoga Month is an annual awareness campaign recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services since 2008, this year offering a full seven days of free yoga classes at participating yoga studios from coast to coast.
   
Hundreds of Yogis participated in the Global Mala Celebration and even more attendees shopped for health-oriented products offered by participating vendors.                    
Festival goers take a break and check our their goodie bags that included a free pair of Yoga Sandals Pink Passion Fusions. Everyone who made a small donation to the cause received a complimentary gift bag along with a free week of yoga.


Beech Sandal Company is proud to be part of a bigger effort of promoting better health and wellness through causes close to our hearts.  We wish everyone a healthier and happier 2010 and we thank you for helping us help others!  Our best to you and yours!

                                                   

Studio City, California, March 27, 2009 - As the younger set of Hollywood stars prepared for the annual Kid's Choice Awards show, honoring the year's biggest television, movie and music acts as voted by the audience of Nickelodeon cable channel, many took advantage of attending a celebrity gift party in Studio City courtesy of event promoter, Connected.  Beech Sandal Company was there to introduce Yoga Sandals to the young, trend-setting group of Hollywood "hotties" and their families.  Here are some photos of the young stars (as well as some Hollywood veterans) and their new Yoga Sandals!

The stars of  "Hannah Montana" Love their new Yoga Sandals!

          
Romi Dames aka "Traci"     Shanica Knowles aka "Amber"    Moises Arias "Rico" and Mom

Here are some more excited stars with their new Yoga Sandals!

            
Madeline Carroll (and Mom)              The Clique Girlz                              Italia Ricci
from the movie "Swing Vote"   Opening act for "Cheetah Girls"        

Yoga Sandals BSCs are a unisex model with larger sizes for men!

            
  Angus T. Jones aka "Jake"             Christopher Atkins                          Patricia Kara
from CBS's Two and a Half Men    needed BSCs on Blue Lagoon!   Deal or No Deal's Model #9

                             Moms love Yoga Sandals! 
          
  Kim Fields with Sebastian           Kathy Najimy and Samia                 Joely Fisher
 "Tootie" from Facts of Life           "Millie Finch" of NUMB3RS


Everybody loves their new Yoga Sandals!
         
       Summer Sanders                         Sterling Beaumon                      Erin Sanders
Olympic Medalist /Sportscaster  Young "Ben" of ABC's LOST    "Quinn Pensky" of Zoey 101
                                                  picked up a pair for his mom

Get your Yoga Sandals today at www.yogasandals.com!

Winter can be harsh on the feet and as sandal season approaches pay extra attention to the parts of body that provide its support every day throughout the year.  Pamper feet year-round with Yoga Sandals® footwear for health and beauty.

 

Huntington Beach, California, February 26, 2009 – As winter winds down, it’s time to get the tootsies out of hibernation and ready for the new spring and summer sandal styles.  Neglecting regular foot care routines during the colder months by keeping feet bundled up in boots and closed-toe shoes can lead to agony of the feet.  Take time to pamper the little piggies with patented foot therapy, Yoga Sandals® footwear by Beech, and give feet the ultimate pedi-cure.    

 

Imagine multi-purpose sandals that provide comfort and exercise to the 26 bones, 33 joints and hundreds of muscles, tendons and nerves that make up the foot.  What if this unique footwear helped repair the damage done to our entire bodies resulting from our fetish for fashionable feet?  Healthy feet mean a happy body and healthy footwear doesn’t have to lack style to be beneficial.

 

Yoga Sandals®, christened The Better Flip-Flop by Prevention Magazine, feature four toe separators that help provide a natural alignment of the foot bones giving feet the freedom to exercise with every step.  Firm heel support reduces strain on lower leg muscles as the toe separators allow foot bones to spread and distribute the body’s weight more evenly when walking, aiding common foot problems such as bunions and hammertoes while promoting proper posture.  

 

Yoga Sandals® will soothe fatigued feet in style with fashionable, new designer lines available this season.  In addition to the popular Yoga Sandals® Originals collection, Beech offers new styles such as the Fusion slide sandal with a slimmer sole, the Evolution sandal with rhinestone accents and Comfys, an indoor slipper sandal. 

 

Yoga Sandals® work to stretch, flex, align and rejuvenate neglected feet by bringing alive dormant muscles and tendons and stiff bones.  Based on the yogic principle of spreading the toes for grounding and balance Yoga Sandals® help train the feet to work in harmony with the rest of the body.  As mobility returns, balance, body alignment and posture improve.  

 

With sandal season just around the corner, focus on the feet by getting them ready to display the season’s latest in footwear fashions.  Go ahead and buy those stylish stilettos, but be sure to own a pair of Yoga Sandals® to counteract the damage those heels will cast upon the feet.  With a 3-inch heel, the pressure on the forefoot is seven times greater than with a flatter shoe.

 

Yoga Sandals® are not just good for the feet, they are perfect for pedicures as well.  Wear them straight from the salon without needing to wait for nails to dry or make them a part of a DIY routine at home.  A healthy and economical fashion accessory, Yoga Sandals® are value priced from $25-43.00, adding a splash of color to any outfit.

 

Encounter big returns from investing a little extra attention to two of the foremost supporters in your life, the feet.  There are sole mates for every body available at www.yogasandals.com

 

Contact:          Sandi Hagler, Beech Sandal Co., LLC

Phone:             714.894.2300

 

 

 

 

 

                                                        YOGA MONTH 09.2008

                                               Los Angeles Yoga Health Festival    

Hundreds of southern Californians ventured out on the last weekend of the summer to enjoy the beautiful sun and explore new horizons at the Yoga Health Festival held at Loyola Marymount University on September 20-21.  As part of the Yoga Month 09.2008 ten-city tour, the festival welcomed an array of yoga teachers, enthusiasts, artists, vendors, and performers. Attendees browsed through exhibitor displays ranging from yoga products, music, and organic foods to alternative “green” products.  The festival was presented by SoyJoy; additional sponsors included Toyota and Yoga Sandals® by Huntington Beach-based Beech Sandal Company, LLC.

     

Workshops were offered for all levels and styles with yoga masters such as Bryan Kest, Rainbeau Mars, Hemalayaa, Lina Haskel, Hala Khouri, Suzanne Sterling, Hillary Rubin, Timothy McCall MD & others. The Los Angeles festival featured the special Global Mala Sacred Movement and Music event on Sunday.  This sacred music and movement ritual celebration included 108 Sun Salutations, Meditation, Yoga, Kirtan, Yoga Trance Dance, Paradigm Shifting Speakers, music and more with hundreds of area yoga enthusiasts joining Saul David Raye, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Shiva Rea, Donna de Lory, Wah, Wade Imre Morissette and others.

      

All proceeds from the LA Global Mala Project will benefit Youth Health Alliance and health education for at-risk children. Youth Health Alliance provides free health education and enrichment activities to underserved youth after school.  Founded by  the Yoga Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, Yoga Month 09.2008 is a compilation of yoga industry and health care specialists working together to promote health prevention and holistic practices that compliment conventional medicine to help aid the health care crisis in today’s fast paced, modern lifestyle across our country.

     

 

“Nature has given us inexpensive, easy to find and simple tools to assist conventional medicine in addressing our health needs,” said Johannes Fisslinger, founder of the Yoga Health Foundation.  There were fun activities for the whole family, including the Kids Yoga Zone with yoga classes for children and families and fun activities for kids of all ages.

   

                             
Dr. Howard Murad presents the secrets to                    Gayle Trenberth of Beech Sandal Co., LLC
looking and feeling younger at Complexions                  explains the health benefits of Yoga Sandals.
Day Spa in Seal Beach, California.        

                           HEALTH AND BEAUTY SECRETS REVEALED FROM HEAD TO TOE
                           Boost Skin Immunity, Improve Body Harmony with Simple Methods

Seal Beach, California, August 7, 2008 – Looking younger, staying healthy, being happy.  The secrets to achieving these common goals were revealed at a gathering of southern California women seeking information on how to reduce the signs of aging and maintain healthy skin, bodies and minds.  Guests of the event sponsored by Complexions Day Spa in Seal Beach, learned beauty secrets from head to toe, from one of the most recognizable names in dermatology, Dr. Howard Murad, M.D. and local footwear manufacturer, Beech Sandal Co., LLC.

What if you could have more energy, get better sleep, be happier and have improved skin and overall health and body harmony in a matter of weeks with just a few simple changes in your life?  Would you be willing to give it a try?  A group of women gathered at Complexions Day Spa in Seal Beach Thursday evening to learn the latest techniques from head to toe on how to keep their skin and body healthy, reduce signs of aging, increase skin elasticity and improve their emotional well-being as well.  Renowned skincare expert Howard Murad, M.D. presented his scientifically proven anti-aging program that includes a complete, holistic approach to looking and feeling younger.  

VIP guests of the event held at the new location of Complexions Day Spa arrived early to get a one-on-one skin consultation with Dr. Murad and his education staff.  They were treated to an autographed copy of one of Dr. Murad’s books, “The Cellulite Solution” or “Wrinkle Free Forever”. To help make those first steps to a more youthful, healthier and happier lifestyle easier, guests also received a pair of Yoga Sandals®, compliments of Gayle Trenberth and Beech Sandal Co.

“You may have to act your age, but your skin, your cells and your spirit do not,” Dr. Howard Murad told the crowd of 60 or so women seated on the outdoor patio at Complexions Day Spa.  “The rate at which your skin ages, largely depends on how you care for your entire body, both on the inside as well as the outside,” he stressed.  “I include taking care of the whole body as part of my program because the skin and the body can’t be separated any more than the mind and body can,” said Dr. Murad.  

Dr. Murad went on to explain that when we treat our skin with topical products alone, we are addressing only 20 percent of the epidermis.  The remaining 80 percent which contains cells and connective tissue featuring collagen, elastin fibers and blood vessels needs to be addressed from the inside.  The way to do this is through nutritious foods and added support through vitamin supplementation.  That seems like a simple solution, but what is the revolutionary anti-aging ingredient for Dr. Murad’s skincare program?  Water.  That’s right, the key to the program’s success is what Dr. Murad refers to as “The Water Principle”.  No lasers, scalpels, injections of Botox or the latest wrinkle fillers with this program.  Just good old H20 in combination with a healthy diet, vitamin supplementation and a good stress management system, these are the key ingredients for ageless skin.  

“In order to keep your skin and body young and healthy it is essential to maintain adequate water content in your cells,” said Murad.  “As we age, our cells break down gradually and lose their ability to absorb and lock in water.”  A baby’s body weight is 75% water while an adult’s is composed of only 50% water, which is why we lose the firm, supple skin we once had.  To maintain water, the cell walls have to be repaired.

Dr. Murad said the answer is not in drinking more water, but in a diet that is high in raw fruits and vegetables that provide antioxidants, vitamins and “structured” water that cells retain longer.  Whole grains and simple proteins are also important as well as foods rich in amino acids and Omega-3.  Vitamin supplements fill gaps in the diet and help provide all the building blocks needed for cell repair.  “By restoring the skin’s internal environment, you will not only be nourishing, repairing and protecting your skin you will also be restoring health to your entire body.”  He encouraged the women to take note of the daily stress in their lives and how it impacts how their bodies react in the repair process.  He advocated the “healing power of touch” for stress reduction as part of the “whole body” treatment with his skincare program, which also includes topical regimens such as Vitamin C infused facials.    

Realizing these are simple changes we all should make, many of us never seem to take that first step.  Dr. Murad reminded everyone of the old Chinese proverb that speaks of the longest journeys beginning with a single step.  Making changes in how we live, eat and go about our days can be hard.  We get into routines. Life gets in the way.  Take those first steps toward a healthier happier life and see where the path leads. After all, life is about change and those first steps are so important, just like those taken by a baby, with toes spread wide for balance and stability.

If getting back to nature can bring harmony back to the skin, what about the parts of the body that seem to scream for attention, say those extremities that carry the entire weight of the body around every day, the feet?  

The feet have the most awesome task of providing balance and mobility to our entire body.  Why then do we squeeze them into closed toe, often too narrow shoes and wonder why we have back or knee pain?  If the toes become stiff and weak, the body’s balance becomes out of sync and other joints and muscles compensate for the imbalance.  Giving feet the attention they have earned will lead to benefits in other areas of the body.  Gayle Trenberth of Beech Sandal Co., LLC was on hand to educate the women on how Yoga Sandals® utilize the basic principle in yoga of spreading the toes for grounding resulting in better balance and body alignment.

Practiced by ancient civilizations through today, over 18 million Americans live healthier lives by utilizing the holistic benefits of yoga.  Yoga addresses the physical and mental imbalances of the body.  Yoga Sandals help retrain the toes to spread, aiding balance in many of the standing poses in yoga, yet yoga practitioners are not the only ones who can benefit from these sandals.  

Yoga Sandals® are the next generation in flip-flop design with four toe separators that help provide a natural alignment of the foot bones and muscles. With everyday wear the slope of the sole combines with the toe separators to increase the spreading action when walking.  This helps bring back flexibility and strength to the foot bones and connective tissues in the feet, allowing them the benefit of exercise all year long.  By creating proper foot alignment, the rest of the body – the ankles, knees and hips are also able to come into alignment.    

While expecting to hear about the latest in technological advances in beauty and healthcare, the audience discovered that what we have known for years about eating right and taking care of our bodies is what really matters when it comes to good health and well-being.  “When you look good, you feel good,” said Dr. Murad, “and when your body is healthy your appearance speaks for itself.”  Maybe the philosophers of ancient times knew best.  In the words of Plato,

“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on Simplicity.”  



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