Category: Seasonal Tips

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 

Living in Harmony with the Seasons – Autumn Transformations

The Zen of Beauty

Your body does not lie, so why not listen to it!

Every season brings a new transformation. Autumn brings the harvest, whatever energies of goodness you have put out there will now return to you. In the study of Ancient Healing Arts of Chinese Medicine in the five elements of nature Autumn relates to health energy of the organ of the Lung and Large Intestines. This season is the most yin and reflective after a long hot yang summer and activity. Time to take a deep breath of fresh cool air before it get too cold.AS you breath in the prana ( the breath of life) and exhale the old energies and thoughts that no longer serve you, think of the things you no longer want to carry with you in your consciousness as well as in your body,time to eliminate , the unwanted now. See breathing exercise.

A time also of reflection, a time to sort out what serves your life and your body and what does not … and just eliminate the unwanted,a time for meditation, prayer and reflection and a time to purge and refine. With that comes perhaps a time for fasting. A good fast for elimination in the large intestines.

Healthy Eating Transformations

Eat your way to health in the autumn with foods that are light, fibrous root vegetables for proper elimination along with good fats such as olive oil. The taste that goes along with the season is pungent. Enjoy your garlic, onions, mustards, fennel and ginger. Make a wonderful root vegetable soup with sea vegetables, all the root vegatables in season including daikon and turnips . Enjoy the whole grains of millet and brown rice and seeds of sesame gamasio to sprinkle as a condiment. Eat light and moderation or go on a 3 day brown rice fast especially the week before Autumn equinox, good for the body and the mind.

Beauty and healthy skin in harmony with the seasons

Your skin is the largest organ in the body and is referred to in Chinese medicine as the third kidney for it to releases any toxin in the body that cannot be processed through the large intestines and the kidneys. SO skin will take the brunt of it if not managed properly from the prior season. How this can manifest is Acne, Psoriosis , Escema. The autumn also brings cool wind and dryness to the skin and hair, therefore the best way to hydrate is from within with your omega essential fatty acids. These oils can also be used externally on your body to hydrate as well as your face, good for all skin conditions named above.

Inner transformations bring outer manifestations of that transformation… what is your autumn transformation going to look like?

Exercise: YinYang Breathing Recipe

Make a loose fist with the index and middle fingers of the right hand, leaving the thumb and the last two fingers extended. Using the ring finger and the pinky fingers, gently close off the left nostril and breathe deeply in through the right. As you reach the top of your inhalation, release the left nostril and close off the right one with your thumb. Exhale slowly and smoothly. At the end of the exhalation , breath deeply through the uncovered left nostril. When the inhalation is complete, open the right nostril and close the left one once again with the last two fingers, exhaling deeply and slowly through the right nostril before beginning the cycle all over again. Continue this exercise fro two or four minutes.

 

“Nagasaki Autumn Leaf” by Marufish is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 

Aromatherapy for Winter Transformations

The Zen of Beauty

 

Have you ever wondered what oils might bring you warmth and comfort, free you from depression, keep you balanced, and help your immune system stay strong this winter?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is a time for going within and for stillness. This will support and nourish the kidney and bladder energies—what is called the water element.

Essential oils can be used on acupressure points to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. These points are found throughout the body and are keys to the opening of the meridian system. They move the qi (your animating life-force) to support and nourish the blood and to stimulate the corresponding glands and organs.

To create warmth, strengthen your energy, and bring circulation to the kidneys and bladder, here are a few oils and some easy point locations to use for self-balance this winter:

Ginger essential oil can be used on the belly button, warming your core; this can also benefit digestion.

Atlas Cedarwood can be used just below your navel and on the inside back of the ankle, where the hollow area is, for stimulating the kidneys.

For a sluggish lymph system, for water retention, and to decongest and support circulation throughout the body but especially in the legs, Geranium, Cypress or Juniper can be applied to the inside of the lower leg from the ankle to the top of the inside of the knee. These oils are for moving the blood and stagnant lymph in the legs and to strengthen the water element.

FATIGUE, DEPRESSION & IMMUNE SYSTEM

Frankincense is a great remedy for depression, which comes sometimes with winter with its shortened days and less sun exposure. Frankincense also stimulates the immune system. It can be used on the inside of the wrist, where all the meridians pass through the body, along both sides of the spine, where the meridians to all the organs are accessed, along the front centerline of the body, where the great yin vessel is, and finally, directly on the spine, where the yang vessel line is that controls the electrical system and its energy flow throughout the body. In addition, Frankincense can be used to clear the sinuses and lungs: apply it on the chest and to the sinus acupressure points on each side of the nostrils.

BALANCING & NURTURING

Geranium can be used on the bellybutton for supporting, nurturing, balancing and centering. This oil can also be used on the wrists. It is called “the mother of all oils.” Its nature is sweet. It has the ability to strengthen the qi and encourage blood flow. For stabilizing female hormones for all ages, Geranium can be applied on the inside of the leg four fingers above the ankle.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE OILS

Essential oils can work on many levels; they will help you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, based on the constituents of each oil. Here are some thoughtforms for five of these oils taken from Gabriel Mojay’s Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils:

  •  Ginger—Initiative, self-confidence, accomplishment
  •  Geranium—Security, receptivity, intimacy
  •  Cypress—Transition, transformation, renewal
  •  Juniper—Fortification, unburdening, empowering
  •  Frankincense—Tranquil contemplation, spiritual liberation

Come to The Zen of Beauty for a free 15-minute aromatherapy session, to find out which oils are best for you.

Spring Body Transformations Workshop

Zen of Beauty

spring-body-transformations-flyer

Spring Transformations Free Workshop at the Bozeman Public Library

Monday, April 7th, from 6:30-9pm.
Call 406-209-5516 for more information.

Come find out the secrets of cleansing in the Spring–what to do (and not to do) for your body type. Learn the secrets for true transformation.

Join Deborah Lee, Cosmetologist, Holistic Health Practitioner, Educator, Practitioner in the Asian Healing Arts.

Your skin and body will love it and so will you! Bring a friend and earn Zen-of-Beauty dollars for your referrals.