Category: Health & Beauty

Eating with the Seasons for Radiant Skin and Healthy Body – Part 1

The Zen of Beauty

Did you ever think eating with the seasons would have any thing to do with the health and appearance of your skin? According to ancient Taoism and the 5 element theory used in Chinese Medicine eating with the seasons has everything to do with healthy skin and body.

Each season or element relates to a paired organ system in the body as well as a taste and a color (see chart). In the latter days of summer September and early October we are in the element of Earth. The Earth element relates to sweetness in taste and the health of the stomach and small intestines. Foods that will help you feel balanced and that will strengthen these organ systems. Naturally sweet butternut and Kombucha squash as well as all root vegetables like parsnips and carrots are a good choice. Millet is a grain that is also naturally sweet and great for the stomach and small intestines. Sometimes there are tendencies to want the sweetness in the form of refined sugar; this is not the kind of sweet you want during this time or anytime! Sugar can cause the skin tissue to thin and loose its elasticity way before its time due causing premature aging as well as cause dry skin. It is better to cultivate a taste for sweetness in its natural state of fruits, found in vegetables and grains where you (and your skin) can benefit from the nutrients, minerals and fiber. The natural sweetness found in whole foods will actually help build tissue and tone muscles which can be rejuvenating to the entire body as well as prevent or slow down the aging process.

Metal relates to the Season of Autumn and has to do with the health of the lungs and large intestines and the skin in general. Its taste is pungent. The pungent taste promotes sweating, increases circulation and gives a glow to the skin. Some of the foods that are great for both the lungs and the large intestines are foods that are somewhat pungent. These can include vegetables such as turnips, onions, ginger, garlic, diakon, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, radishes and mustard greens. Some of the spices for cooking with would be basil, dill, horseradish and white pepper. Soups that include these vegetables and spices can also be very good in the fall for hydration. Sweet brown rice is also very good to eat as a grain for fall. For healthy intestines avoid red meat in large quantities and hard cheeses. The lungs can be very sensitive to dairy products and fried foods as well as extreme spices. In the autumn the skin can get very dry. Minerals in the vegetables as well as fiber in the diet are great for the intestines, to keep all the old waste moving out of system. Whatever the large intestines cannot process or eliminate as waste from the body will most likely come out as acne, pimples, congested skin or eczema.

The bottom line is that if you want radiant skin and a healthy body, honor the seasons and eat the foods that are in season that will strengthen the organ system in that season. Stay away from refined sugars and processed foods and eat nutrient rich foods which occurs naturally in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. You will receive all the natural fiber, natural sugars, and lots of minerals in order for the organs to do what they do best while in the natural cycles of the elements of nature. Keep hydrated from the inside out and from the outside in, and the largest organ of the body; the skin, will do its best to keep you radiant and healthy.

 

“beautiful faces” by infographicsdeluxe is licensed under CC PDM 1.0 

Accessing Your Three Treasures for Health, Vitality and Inner Radiance in 2018!

The Zen of Beauty

You are a walking candle! In this new year, how bright will you be shining as you give your presence to the world and to your loved ones? There is a way to measure and increase your vitality and inner radiance and to manage your health. But where do you start? It starts with your Three Treasures. In Chinese Medicine, which is based on Taoism, there is a system called the Three Treasures: your Jing, your Chi and your Shen.

The JING is the candle BASE, your foundation, your bones, your structure and your constitution. It is your prenatal jing or genetics, passed down to you from your parents at birth or in the womb.

It gives you your features, your eyes and ears, your facial shape,  and every detail of your physical blueprint that makes you who you are today. Every feature has its own character definition, so to speak. Add up all these characteristics and it makes up the uniqueness that is you, which no one else is, or could ever be!

Your CHI is the WICK of the candle. It is how you manage your energy. Good lifestyle choices and habits, along with great thoughts and emotions, will produce powerful chi in your life—and vice versa! Your chi is also generated through your breathing and the optimal nutrition that you take in (or the opposite). Your chi nourishes and supports your Jing. It is the fuel for your furnace.

How do you express yourself, your unique chi? It will be through the movement, relationships and expressions of one or more of the five elements: Earth, fire, water, wood or metal. All parts of nature, including our bodies, are made up of these five dynamic phases of nature, which are also tied to each feature on your face. Are you balanced in each of these five elements?

The SHEN is your spirit energy—the FLAME of the candle. The Shen energy resides in your heart. It radiates through your meridians, the light in your eyes and the glow on your skin. This is the special spirit energy that you give to others that makes their day. It is your smile that lights the room and ignites someone’s special life. It can be conveyed in a handshake or a kind word. The Shen is the part we want to most be concerned about. It is your true vitality, your candle shining in the darkness of winter.

Now, there is one more of these Chinese names and that is your MING. Your Ming is the coming into being of your pure essence; it is called your Golden Path. Through your ming, you endow the Earth with your purpose—on purpose! It is not what you do, but HOW you do it—or how you just BE it. It is about living a purposeful life using all your gifts and talents.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we have ways to assess the current state of your Three Treasures and we offer the means to increase and optimize those treasures. I offer a Five Element Face Reading, which includes an assessment of your Three Treasures. The first 15-minute consultation is free. At the Zen of Beauty, revealing your inner beauty and radiance is my joy!

Know Thyself Through Thy Face Workshop on January 21

Posted: January 10, 2018

Five Element Face Reading in Chinese Medicine. – Participants receive one hour of study of the Five Elements and how it relates to Chinese Medicine and the art of face reading. This knowledge can help you improve health…

Know Thyself Through Thy Face

The Zen of Beauty

See the magazine article

I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, to help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.
—Author Steve Maraboli

Discovering keys to improve your inner and outer health and well-being… getting in touch with your true nature and aligning with it… living and fulfilling your life’s purpose… finding your golden path… It’s all in your face!

Each unique feature of your face tells a story about you, your character, what you like and what you don’t—why you like it and why not! How each feature is shaped, its size and length, how it protrudes or doesn’t—your eyes, ears and nose, your lips and chin, even your eyebrows, their shape and angle, their sparse or bushy hair—tells a story.

For instance, someone with ears that protrude from their head means they like their ideas to stand out in this world—definitely not a conformist. This is great if they are independent thinkers and can manifest their idea in life, but if they find themselves in a stifling corporate environment, it could be hard, unless they are the entrepreneurs. Someone who has a long, straight nose pointed downward is a trailblazer who gets the job done. High cheekbones? You would be better off to let them be in charge to get the job done. They have high standards and won’t be pushed around. It will be “my way or the highway” with them. A strong protruding chin? Yes, they’re stubborn and they’ll never give up. Having a strong will is a virtue, of course, but having a personal relationship with this person could be difficult, especially if YOU have a strong chin also!

Someone with deep-set eyes is usually an introvert and somewhat private, so don’t try to push them in front of a crowd to perform, and don’t expect them to disclose too much even in private unless they really know you. By contrast, someone with large eyes usually has deep emotions and is sensitive to their own and others’ feelings, so watch out if this person goes to a sentimental movie with you. You may find them crying a lot—their feelings are right on the surface ready to bubble over.

While knowing these features and traits about yourself is one thing, living in close relationship with others and staying true to yourself while accepting the habits and influences of those you’re close to, is another thing. That’s where knowing thyself, with your original talents and unique character, is key to keeping your balance in the face of life’s challenging relationships.

Thanks to Chinese Medicine, there’s a road map to your journey through life—the Three Treasures. Honor yourself through these three: The Jing (your genetics, inherited gifts and talents), the Shen (your unique spirit energy that shines in your eyes and emanates through your glowing smile and skin), and the Chi (the fuel that you access through your food and lifestyle choices and the breath of life). Nurturing these treasure is the secret to longevity and to living in harmony with your being and with life.

These three treasures can be read on your face. They are the keys to revealing the greatest version of yourself and of those you love. To learn more, please join me for both the upcoming free introductory class and the three-hour workshop.

[As seen in the September/October 2017 issue of Natural Life News.]

Your Face Tells the Truth

The Zen of Beauty

They say that we are what we eat. Well, as we wear our emotions on your face, over time, those expressions become permanent, until we decide to change how we respond to life. So, yes, food excesses and imbalances will show up on the face, and emotions out of balance for a long time will show up there, too, as indicators of what we need to work on to improve our overall health.

The face is a hologram for the entire body. We can actually see what is going on with our health by looking closely at our face. Each marking, line and pigmentation will provide a clue as to what is going on in the body and the emotions.

For example, we will want to look for a change in the coloring of the face, swelling, enlargement of the nose, any new lines developing, and any new markings, whether it be hyperpigmentation or breakouts, especially when the pattern repeats itself frequently in the same area.

In Chinese Medicine, the face has been studied for over 2,000 years to reveal how we are managing our stress and how that affects our health over time.

Look over the above illustration and take note of the different organ area as zones on the face and see how you might be managing your life. The good news is you can change your face through right diet, right thought, by managing your emotions, and by using the right tools for healthy living—at any age! And, of course, healing treatments like facials, massage, acupuncture, and aromatherapy can go a long way to keep the body, mind and emotions balanced and to help manage stress. Know thyself through thy face!

Come in for your free mini-consultation, and a facial reading with me, so we can get you on the right track of your whole-body, facial rejuvenation!

Are You Manifesting Your Beauty From the Inside Out?

The Zen of Beauty

(As seen in the May/June 2017 issue of Natural Life News & Directory.)

Have you ever met someone who glows from the inside out, and yet, their appeal has little or nothing to do with their physical appearance? In Oriental Medicine, based on Taoism, this inner radiance is described as “Bright Shen or Significant Shen,” meaning bright spirit. These individuals are lit from within and have no problem expressing that through their eyes—and even their skin.

How do we access this kind of inner-to-outer beauty? We balance our mind and our emotions, which in return, affects our health and our overall radiance.

Chinese Medicine has used face reading as a way to access information about what is going on inside the body and mind. Ancient Chinese practitioners considered the control of the five emotions, based on the five elements, to be key to inner and outer beauty, health and vitality. These five emotions are called the five rebels of the body and need to be kept under control: fear from the kidneys, anger from the liver, joy from the heart, worry from the spleen and stomach, and sorrow or grief from the lungs. All of these emotions are necessary and have value when used in balance; however, overuse or underuse of these emotions can cause harm to the organ to which they belong.

Each of these emotions also affects the face in specific ways. For example, dark circles under the eyes can indicate depletion in the kidneys as a result of overuse of fear. When anger is overused, it can create deep lines between the brows. Worry can cause the chi to stagnate, causing unclear thinking and incomplete digestion, and this shows in eyes that appear to have a lost look—glazed or unfocused. Too much excitement in the emotions can lead to chronic redness in the neck, throat and face. Grief can show as a deadness of the shen, where the eyes do not sparkle. Feeling and/or expressing these negative emotions too often will affect the organs and the body, and eventually show up on the face as a lack of overall radiance, as unwanted lines and wrinkles, and as other signs of premature aging.

Three modalities, based on Chinese Medicine, that can help include:

1) Shiatsu (finger pressure on key points on the meridian lines of the face and body) to unblock or balance the energy of the organ systems.

2) Cupping on the back can help to remove stagnation of the chi.

3) Aromatherapy, based on the five elements, using specific essential oils on specific acupressure points to balance the mental, emotional, and physical bodies for deep, restorative healing.

Facial rejuvenation, using micro-current, and light-therapy, and facial cupping, can also help to move the chi, and also working with the meridian acupressure points, resulting in diminishing or softening of some facial lines and wrinkles.

Come into your balance this spring. Move that stagnant chi for your inner and outer beauty and heath transformation!

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Body Cupping for Tight Muscles and Skin Rejuvenation

The Zen of Beauty

How can cupping can benefit overall body health:

  • Unlocks tight muscles
  • Releases stagnant lymph
  • Removes toxins

Do you ever feel you are all bottled up from the chest up to the neck? Cupping is a traditional, time-honored treatment favored by millions worldwide because it is safe, comfortable, and remarkably effective for many disorders. When cups are applied to the skin, suction is created that increases the flow of blood and chi to an area of blockage or injury.

Don’t want those round skin marks?
Not to worry—these don’t occur when cups are gently moved during therapy. This gentle pulling action engages the parasympathetic nervous system, thus allowing a deep relaxation to move through the entire body. It is not unusual to fall asleep when receiving this treatment. People are often surprised at how relaxed, warm, and light they feel for hours—sometimes days—afterwards.

Body Cupping Therapy causes tissues to release toxins, stimulates the movement of the lymph and circulatory systems, clears colon blockages, reduces stretch marks and varicose veins, eases chronic pain, and relaxes stiff muscles and tendons. On a deeper therapeutic level, cupping can resolve asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, and headaches—just to name a few. It helps open the chest and clear the lungs, thus improving respiratory problems. The most dramatic effects can be upon the skin and the blood flow in the arteries and veins, resulting in detoxification.

Facial cupping
The facial cups are smaller in size and are used to vacuum and lift the facial tissue, increasing lymph drainage. Facial cupping also increases the circulation and absorption of the nutrients in facial products used in the treatment. The drainage of stagnant areas in the face can reduce edema and chronic puffiness under the eyes.

How cupping can be used
1) Along with massage, cups can be applied on the back to open up the fascia and release the muscles. Ten minutes of cupping can produce great results. Warm rocks can be used beforehand to warm cold tissue.
2) For detoxification, a whole-body cupping treatment can be combined with aromatherapy essential oils or a seaweed wrap.
3) Large, stationary magnet cups can be applied over the entire back for major detoxifying effects.
4) Cupping can be used on scars to break up scar tissue and stagnation.
5) Cups can be applied in conjunction with a foot-reflexology treatment and massage.
6) Can be used on sports injuries to bring blood flow to the affected area.

Michael Phelps and other Olympians helped propel cupping into public awareness. The chemicals used in the pools these swimmers train and compete in for many hours daily are highly toxic. Cupping draws these toxins out of the body, which would otherwise lead to stagnation, blood poisoning, pain, and dysfunction. Many athletes rely on cupping on a regular basis to detoxify and enhance their performance.

Autumn Transformations for Skin Health

The Zen of Beauty

 

autuumnAccording to ancient Taoism and the 5 element theory used in Chinese Medicine each season or element relates to a paired organ system in the body as well as a taste and a color . In the latter days of summer September and early October we are in the element of Earth sweetness. Sugar can cause the skin tissue to thin and loose its elasticity way before its time due causing premature aging as well as cause dry skin. It is better to cultivate a taste for sweetness in its natural state of fruits, found in vegetables and grains where you (and your skin) can benefit from the nutrients, minerals and fiber. The natural sweetness found in whole foods will actually help build tissue and tone muscles which can be rejuvenating to the entire body as well as prevent or slow down the aging process. We move from Late Summer Earth to the element Metal in the Fall. ,Autumn. has to do with the health of the lungs and large intestines and the skin in general. Its taste is pungent. The pungent taste promotes sweating, increases circulation and gives a glow to the skin. Some of the foods that are great for both the lungs and the large intestines are foods that are somewhat pungent. These can include vegetables such as turnips, onions, ginger, garlic, diakon, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, radishes and mustard greens. Some of the spices for cooking with would be basil, dill, horseradish and white pepper. Soups that include these vegetables and spices can also be very good in the fall for hydration. Sweet brown rice is also very good to eat as a grain for fall. For healthy intestines avoid red meat in large quantities and hard cheeses. The lungs can be very sensitive to dairy products and fried foods as well as extreme spices. In the autumn the skin can get very dry. Minerals in the vegetables as well as fiber in the diet are great for the intestines, to keep all the old waste moving out of system. Whatever the large intestines cannot process or eliminate as waste from the body will most likely come out as acne, pimples, congested skin or eczema.

Transformations Start From Within

Zen of Beauty

Published in Natural Life News and Directory, 2015.

Winter transforms into Spring

In Chinese Medicine we study nature and the seasons as it relates to health and beauty. Beauty is another word for balance. balance of body mind and soul, health of the body mind and soul. Winter is a yin time, time for meditating, nurturing in family, a time to conserve your energy. It is also a time to eat heavier foods to store energy for the coldness of winter.as the temperature rises and transforms into Spring it is a slow and steady build of yang energy, the liver wanting to Cleanse from the stillness of winter. Here are some tips that can help with this transition.

Hair Transformations

This is a time to make that new style change that you have been putting off all winter. No more winter hats to mess up your hair. Spring is a time for transformation. You have more energy now… make a physical change …just go ahead and do it!!! Women, Change your color, use more natural hair color to unburden your liver with all the extra chemicals.. Add some highlights… let your beauty shine! Also clarify your hair to remove the old build up. ( See recipe) Make your hair shine also with a really good protein conditioner pack after you clarify your hair.

Skin Transformations

Since the winter has been about conservation, your skin most probably has been holding on to all that dead skin. It is a time to renew and revive with exfoliation. For your facial skin, use a gentle exfoliator LIKE ground oatmeal, a little salt and water. Another recipe is plain yogurt. For the body, use sea salt with sesame oil or coconut oil . Scrub your body and then shower.

Body Transformations

Your Liver is now ready for a really big transformation. It needs a house cleaning. !
Go for that invigorating walk, get the chi moving and fresh air in your lungs. Massage cupping and Body massage for increasing circulation and getting the lymph cleansed. Cupping can also be added to a Body Wrap with clays or seaweed to detoxify and energize. Great Essential oils for detoxifying recipe are Cypress, Rosemary, juniper, grapefruit, great also for weight loss. These essential oils can be added to a bath with Epsom salt in a massage therapy session or simply give yourself a reflexology rub of your feet to invigorate your whole body system..

Diet

Think green!!! Greens are great for the liver, nourish and cleanse the body.
Fresh raw or cooked greens of Kale, collard, arugula, cilantro, parsley. Green drinks, or even green super foods are great in a smoothie as well. Fresh lemon and water first thing in the morning upon rising will help cleanse both the liver and lymph system. Be good to your liver this Spring, look and feel beautiful this Spring from the inside out… all transformations start from within!