Healing, meditation motivates new Shelby business owner
Michelle Christy insists she doesn’t want any credit for positive outcomes people get out of her business.
“I want the space to get the credit. It’s all about the vibe, the energy,” said Christy, owner of The Zen Garden, on Tuesday while standing in the room she calls the focal point of her business.
On one end of that room sits a tall bed with a heating pad lined with crystals, which Christy says is good for lessening back pains, cramps and other aches. On the other, a pillow rests in front of a small rock waterfall, situated on a sand garden lined with rocks and candles. The entire room is bathed in calm music and incense.
“I want to give people a positive energy, a different way to look,” said Christy. “We often get so caught up in everything going on that we forget to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.”
The Zen Garden is Christy’s attempt to bring the popular trend of metaphysical healing to Shelby.
Whether it be meditation, burning incense or placing various stones around one's person or home, metaphysical healing has come back in vogue in recent years, but the practice itself has been used by various cultures dating back as far as 400 B.C.
Each culture had its own uses for different stones, but the ideas were the same – different cuts of different kinds of rocks can help alleviate various ailments, from back pain and headaches to negative thoughts or bad attitudes.
Christy has been practicing some form of metaphysical healing for four years, making frequent trips to places like Asheville to buy new stones, incense and other necessities.
“I thought this is such a trending thing right now and there are so many people into natural healing, I want to bring this to Shelby. Shelby has become a bit more progressive, and I want to offer more people the experience that I’ve had,” she said.
The Zen Garden sells a variety of stones, including moonstone, obsidian, jasper and pyrite. Customers can buy individual cuts of rocks, bracelets made of various stones or jewelry with stones incorporated into it.
The business also sells burnable items, including incense and wood dipped in rosin.
The Zen room, as well as one other, are available for people looking to meditate. Christy offers guided meditations for people new to the practice.
While the items she sells come from all across the globe, Christy said all of her vendors are from North Carolina. Her stones and burnable items are sold from a vendor in Asheville, and dream catchers on the walls are made by members of a tribe native to the state.
“It was very important to me that everything in here be sourced locally and organically in North Carolina,” she said.
The Zen Garden celebrated its grand opening on Saturday as part of the area’s Small Business Saturday events. Christy said she opened to a sizeable crowd, and she hopes excitement for the business will continue to grow.
The Zen Garden is located at 406 W. Warren St. and is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturdays.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Metaphysical healing business opens in Shelby
