Yoga Body Beautiful – Super Healthy Summer Skin

Summer is my favourite time of year…I love the heat, the sun and all the outdoor activities that go with it…yoga in the park,early morning runswith the dog and fun in the sun at the cottage. And while I’m all about the SPF and keeping my skin safe from sunburn, there are many other ways we can protect our skin naturally from the stresses of summer.

With the recent all-time highs for heat and humidity, sunburn is not the only danger that can affect the skin. Since the skin is actually the largest organ in the body, dehydration and the subsequent loss of vitamins and minerals can have a profound effect on how well our skin shows signs of ageing and damage. Here are some delicious and simple ways to help keep your skin safe, healthy and radiant all summer long:

1. Drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning to wake you up! Then continue drinking 8-10 glasses of fresh water throughout the day. This will help to hydrate your cells and your skin, but also ensures you are flushing out toxins that can have a negative effect on the overall look and feel of your skin. You can sweeten the deal by adding fresh berries to your water as you sip throughout the day.
2. Eat plenty of brightly coloured fruits throughout the day including fresh berries, peaches, pears, apples and watermelon. These delicious summer fruits will help keep you hydrated while also providing minerals that are lost through perspiration as well as important antioxidants that reduce free-radical damage to the skin.
3. Healthy fats keep the skin hydrated and protect you from early ageing and wrinkles. Try adding healthy fats from avocados, fresh grilled fish on the BBQ and olive oil in your salads.
4. Consuming loads of dark leafy greens and bright orange veggies like peppers and carrots provides the essential vitamin A thatcan improve wrinkles from natural ageing and also promotes the production of skin building compounds to help repair skin from sun damage.
5. Nobody can resist fresh mangos in the summer…not only is this fruit delicious and cooling, but it is also rich in carotene andessential B-vitamins that are water-soluble and lost through perspiration in the heat. When used for external skin care, mango can relieve irritations, peeling, heals chapped skin and protects the skin from adverse environmental conditions. Try using the whole mango fruit in a salad and your normal skin-care routine:

Summer Mango Salad

4 medium mangos, peeled, seeded and cubed

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped shallots

¼ cup unsalted cashews to garnish (optional)

Place mango cubes in a serving bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together lime juice and olive oil. Season with red pepper flakes and shallots. Whisk briefly then pour over mangos. Stir to coat, then cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes to blend the flavours before serving. Garnish with cashews if desired.

Mango for Skin Care

Keep the skin of the mango from your mango salad and rub the face skin with the mango rind. Wait for 15 minutes and then gently rinse the face with cool water. Notice how this helps to soften and moisturize the face naturally!

 

 

 

Balanced Life Yoga is now offering Holistic Nutritional Consulting with Adrienne.

Book your appointment today and start making vibrant health a habit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adrienne Kelly-Durys

 

Adrienne Kelly-Durys is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, 500Hr RYT and lover of feeling good in mind and body. She teaches Yoga and wellness classes at Balanced Life Yoga and specializes in detoxing and nourishment. Classes include Power Hour Yoga, Power Yoga Vibe, Power Hour +Bonus and Holistic Nutritional Consulting

 

Technorati Tags: healthy summer skin, skin remedies, summer skin care

Nothing Precious, documentary

Nothing Precious, documentary from iyvone khoo on Vimeo.

Documentary about the creation of the `Tibetan Sand Mandala’ by Monks of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

Summer Skin Remedies

If you wouldn’t eat it, you shouldn’t put it on your body!  That’s been something I have tried to practice on a regular basis since having a reaction to an over the counter beauty product.  There are some simple things you can create inexpensively at home, which make great beauty products because they are free of synthetic dyes and perfumes.

First, I go to the store to find the products that are on sale.  Many of the items I use include:  produce, essential oils, honey, and herbs. When added to yogurt or other dairy products, they make luxurious facial cleansers and bathtub additions, not to mention your skin benefits by looking its best!

Here are some simple products you can create at home using everyday ingredients…ENJOY!

Ingredient list~

• whole milk yogurt
• lavender essential oil
• sweet orange essential oil
• cucumbers
• lemon
• flowers from the garden
• used black tea bags
• oats or packets of 100% colloidal oatmeal
• corn Starch
• heavy cream
• aloe vera gel
• dried mint
• small containers

Recipes~

1. Light Cleansing Milk (all skin types) — In a small container mix plain yogurt & water (equal parts)  A few drops of lavender and a light squeeze of lemon.  Refrigerate.  It keeps in the refrigerator for 1 week.  You may add minty herbs or leaves of the lavender plant to infuse the cleansing milk, but be sure to strain them out after 1 day in the refrigerator.
2. Essential Wake Up — Place a few drops of essential oil such as lavender in a cool sink of water.  You may also add flowers to infuse the water with their healing properties.  Take a wash cloth and drench it.  Pat your face gently with the cool wet wash cloth.  This is also nice if you have a headache.  For headaches I like to use a mixture of lavender and rose essential oils.
3. Refreshing Body Powder — Add sweet orange essential oil to cornstarch and you have a wonderful foot and body powder.  Add a few drops to a small container and mix with your fingers.
4. Cream Oatmeal Bath — You can buy a generic 100% natural colloidal oatmeal soothing bath treatment (also made by Aveeno) or you can grind oats in a blender, and mix it with the heavy cream/essential oil blend.  This is great for skin rashes. Add lavender and sweet orange essential oils to about 1 cup of heavy cream and pour into the tub water, with the oats.  You may also add flowers from the garden to infuse the water.  I personally love rose petals.  CAUTION:  Be careful.  The tub can become very slippery with the oats!  Otherwise, this is an amazing treatment for the body skin.
5. Healing gels & Compresses — You can add lavender to many things to increase its healing power.  If you have a burn try adding a few drops of lavender to the aloe and the skin will be instantly soothed.  If you burn your skin with a curling iron, for example, add cold water to a cotton pad with a drop of lavender and hold it on the burn until the sting disappears.
6. No more tired/puffy eyes! Use refrigerated used black tea bags on your eyes for about ten minutes or chilled cucumbers may help as well.
7. Insect bites- Put 1 drop of lavender directly on the bug bite.

 

**Always seek a physicians opinion when starting something new for the body.

**Less is more with essential oils.  They are very concentrated and the drops should be counted.  Never use them directly on the skin, except for lavender.  Lavender is one of the only essential oils you can use that way. Always be careful not to get them in the eyes.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: body, essential oils, healing, lavender, natural, rose, Summer, well being

Phoenix Dust Storm (Haboob) Timelapse July 5, 2011

Phoenix Dust Storm (Haboob) Timelapse July 5, 2011 from Blaine Coury on Vimeo.

Taken from a hill at Sun Ray park in Ahwatukee (Phoenix), Arizona.

Body-image and Our Relationships

Have you ever hid under the bed covers, not wanting your lover to see you?

Or have you cringed at the thought of seeing yourself in the bathroom mirror?

Were you competitive with your siblings or your parents about the size of your body?

Has anyone you love, has anyone close to you, been judgmental about your body?

Are you, or have you ever been, in a relationship where your lover didn’t like your body?

The fact of the matter is that our bodies and how we feel about our bodies and ourselves can dramatically impact our relationships, either for good or for bad.

Here are some of the ways that Negative Body Obsession can adversely affect your relationships.

• Your lover finds you attractive, but you can’t believe him or her.  You are too concerned about how you look, and unable to enjoy the love that is being given to you.  Without realizing it, you push the other person away and over time destroy the relationship.
• Your beliefs about being unattractive unconsciously lead you to pick a partner who reinforces your low self-esteem and negative self talk.  You find yourself stuck in a negative relationships and are unsure of how to break free.
• You are alone and long for love, intimacy, and connection.  You have been listening to the lies of Negative Body Obsession, which has kept you isolated and alone.

There are an endless number of scenarios and examples, but the simple fact is that if you are living in the trap of NBO, you are unable to connect with other people for real.  The beautiful, amazing fact, however, is that true intimacy and connection are available.  No matter what your size, shape, condition, or anything else, you can enjoy deep love and sharing.  But this is only possible if you learn how to ignore the lies that say you and your body are not quite good enough.

If you have lived a life listening to Negative Body Obsession, you truly do not know the relating that is possible to enjoy with other people.  Negative Body Obsession acts as a true barrier.  Insecurity and negative self-talk truly make it impossible to enjoy the love that is available.  Even if you are involved in many relationships with different people, if you are listening to your negative thoughts and beliefs, they are preventing you from truly connecting.

It is imperative that you understand the cost of entertaining your negative beliefs.  The inability to truly connect with other human beings, the inability to truly relate, is a huge cost.  I recall a spiritual teacher once saying that love is food for the soul.  Just as our body needs fuel to survive, so our soul needs love to survive.  Now, you can live off of a meager diet, lacking in vitamins and minerals, devoid of nutritional content, and you will probably survive.  But will you thrive?  In order to thrive, you need a diet that is nourishing and health promoting.  So it is with your human relationships and interactions. Are your relationships truly nourishing you?  Are they  supplying you with the deep love, connection, and intimacy that feeds your soul?

If you are living with Negative Body Obsession, or negative beliefs about yourself, the answer is no.  The answer has to be “no” because these negative beliefs are making you unavailable to enjoy what may be right in front of you.  They are acting as a shield, blocking out the love that is possible for a human life.

If you long for love in your life, for the true enjoyment that comes from sharing yourself with other people, make a commitment to yourself to finally break free from your negative beliefs about your body and yourself.  When you turn your back on Negative Body Obsession, with its never-ending lies and delusions, you open yourself up to a life that is richer than your wildest dreams.

If you are finally ready to end the negative self-talk and enjoy the relationships you long for, register for our September call on Body-image and Relationships.  Join me and well-known author and relationship expert Lissa Coffey for 60 minutes dedicated to helping you transform and discover the love that is always available when you allow it.

Technorati Tags: body image, relationship

« Previous Page — Next Page »