Aging with Sagacity with Simone + Nuala

So now that you are holistic about your physical aging, who can guide us through emotional aging. How do we leave behind the being the model adult we spent all our lives striving to achieve. And embark onto another learning journey to our later years with sagacity and avoid the foolishness of “not acting our age”?

Ayurveda calls our years after forty, the Vata stage of our life. In popular culture, we call this period our twilight years. Whatever is our Dosha; Vata, Pitta, Kapha; we all become more Vata as we enter this time of our life. That means as we age, we become more in touch with our creativity and spirituality and we also get the dry skin, the creaky bones and forgetfulness.

In my twenties, I had the fortune have fallen in love with the works of Simone DeBeauvoir so that I came into contact witrh a positive and realistic preview of my coming middle age years. One of those books was DeBeauvoir's third volume (later years) of her autobiography which was poetically titled, “When Things of the Spirit come First”. I have benefited from her example of holistic beauty emulating from her acquired wisdom and strength of character.

But in our Youth Loving culture, there are few positive, realistic models of middle age for us to learn from. So again, I am fortunate. I discovered Nuala O’Faolain (

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuala_O'Faolain ) while listening to CBC Radio driving from one Pure + simple location to another. I ordered my first Nuala O’Faolain book, "My Dream of You" at http://www.amazon.ca/My-Dream-You-Nuala-Ofaolain/dp/1573229083/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256084225&sr=1-3 .

The book inspired me to live and love my middle age mind, spirit, face and body for its strengths and its follies. It also showed me that I do not need to learn to go into my later years quietly. I went on line and ordered her other books but it was a sad consolation to learn that she had passed away last year.

Nuala; her writing enables you to feel familiar enough to be on a first name basis; became a published author after her mid fifties. So go for your dreams, late bloomers.

She writes with the honest, raw emotions of transiting from adult woman to wise woman. Her clear language transcends culture. Her ability to observe her emotions in complicated relationships of step families will stir up your own emotions. Her candidness of her dysfunctions may help you to come out from behind yours. Denial or repression are impediments to your personal journey to wisdom and wholeness.

Having difficulty with this new reality of your “later years”? Read Nuala. Celebrate romance at sixty. Identify with the complexity of stepfamilies with its conflicting feelings of love and jealousy for the offspring of new lovers/spouses. And be okay with not acting mature or wise all the time. Enjoy the freedom of real choice from the fruits of your life experience.

L'Chaim .... To Life!

Anti Aging -- Holistically Please

A client of mine apologized for not seeing me for a while. She sheepishly admitted to receiving Botox Injections and fractionated Therapy to look younger. I was curious why she displayed guilt in our conversation.

Was it the feeling of disloyalty? I did not feel she was disloyal. She wanted Botox and need an able supplier of it.

Was it the idea of cheating Mother Nature. Or was it the safety or ethics of the methods she used.

While the issues of ethics is personal, the utilitarian argument for or against certain Anti-Aging treatments can be reduced to the value of the benefits and the cost of the side effects** to the recipient.

As a holistic skincare advocate, Anti-Aging done piece meal tends to give lopsided results and cheat us of the benefits of the deep understanding of ourselves and the aging process. According to social philosopher, Francis Fukuyama, “…aging is the result of the gradual accumulation of damage to a wide range of different biological systems.”

Aging or Anti-Aging is most satisfying when based on self awareness and holistic health. Successful aging through Holistic health and self awareness includes knowledge of your body’s physiology, your expectations and your psychological and emotional make up and needs.

Simply paralyzing your muscle to prevent the wrinkling ameliorates the need to understand how your skin and muscles work and the subtle effects of your internal organs, your mind and emotions on your face. Not to mention the risk of introducing poisons into your body's systems reguarly.

So what is the best way to begin your journey to 'wisdom-ignited' facial rejuvenation? I would recommend Ayurveda. Ayurveda will have you looking at your physical, mental and emotional self and helps you to see your strengths, which you tend to ignore, along with the weaknesses, you so easily obsess over.

I use Ayurveda to keep me in constant connection to what I put in my mouth and what is occurring in my external environment. No I am not neurotically documenting what I eat and the temperature outside. To counteract my dominant Vata Nature ----(see blog entry http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/04/ayurvedic-doshas.html for the 3 Doshas and their characteristics ) ----in this very Vata time of the year ----(see http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/05/enjoying-weather.html for the different influences of the seasons ) ----

In fall, I eat hearty nourishing foods like squash, stews and meat. I keep my appearance at its youthful best, by ensuring my skin (all of it not just my face) is moist. Keeping my skin moist and exfoliating it, maintains my good overall circulation. And good circulation is probably the best agent of holistic youthfulness.

Your journey to attain more attractive skin holistically can be as easy as visiting any Pure + simple location. Pure + simple offers only facial services so all of our Estheticians are skincare specialists. You are very welcomed to meet with me, if you are patient and can book an appointment on a Sunday. Got to http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=53 for contact information of your nearest location.

If you want to learn more first, one of the best books that brings together our overall health and our appearance is Beauty 2.0 by Kristen Ma, Ayurvedic Practitioner and my daughter. It will go through the options of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Skin Science to help you attain the skin you desire naturally while challenging you to increased self awareness.

You can purchase a copy of the book at Pure + simple http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=&category_id=585&product_id=1605&Itemid=27 or at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-2-0-Holistic-Natural-Modern/dp/0981262406/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255386027&sr=8-3

Anti-Aging is not something you put on your face or have a doctor eradicate or tuck. Anti-aging is part of your life practice and is a challenge that awakens self-discovery. Anti-Aging is not a goal; it is exercise; it is diet; it is your state of mind; it is your feeling of belonging.

Self awareness makes looking better, profounding beautiful. Make holism your goal and you will inadvertently find the Fountain of Youth.

**The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that all botulinum toxin products, including Allergen Botox and Botox Cosmetic, Myobloc (SolsticeNeurosciences) and Dysport (Ipsen Biopharm), must incorporate new safety labeling changes, including a boxed warning on packaging. The ruling follows reports that botulinum toxin can spread from the area of injection, causing loss of speech, muscle weakness, loss of bladder control, troubled breathing and swallowing, blurred vision and drooping eye lids. (from ICN July 2009)

**The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA

Disaster Plan

I attended a seminar in Emergency Management for Business a couple of weeks ago. This is something I would have considered unrelated to my life as a private citizen and as a business owner. But the looming threat of a pandemic and my desire to provide a safe place for clients and staff prompted me to attend.

You read this blog because you are interested in personal growth and health. As you improve your life and happiness with a healthy disciplined lifestyle and with quality safe products, you discover that your health and well being rests greatly on your community, your government and now to geo-political occurrences in the rest of the world. Natural disasters caused by geophysical occurrences like volcanoes and tsunamis have remained constant in frequency since being recorded from the year 1900. But the disasters caused by change in climate have been increasing at a steep rate since the 1980’s

These include the aforementioned pandemics and the much discussed and much denied global warming. There are current natural disasters that are related to global warming like drought, forest fires, floods (yes drought and floods), dust storms. No longer are these disasters only happening in third world countries as there is a drought in the western USA and drought is the cause of dust storms in Australia.

Gwynne Dyer, one of my favourite journalists, discusses the news on global warming with “Hadley Climate Centre in England, one of the world's most respected sources of climate predictions, recently released a study showing that even rapid cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions, turning the current one percent annual growth into a three percent annual decline within a few years, would still warm the world by 1.7 degrees Celsius by 2050.

That is dangerously near the two degrees C rise in average global temperature which is the point of no return. Further warming would trigger natural processes that release vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from melting permafrost and warming oceans. These processes, once begun, are unstoppable, and could make the planet four, five or six degrees hotter than the present by the end of the century.”
http://www.gwynnedyer.com/articles/Gwynne%20Dyer%20article_%20%20US%20Climate%20and%20Pragmatism.txt

The United Nations warns that the changes in climate can impact our ability to function effectively in democracies as our procrastination to act will force us to compromise our rights in urgent circumstances. Find more at http://blog.taragana.com/n/tackle-climate-change-or-imperil-democracy-168759/

The World Health Organization warns that with the increase in weather caused disaster increase comes the increase in illness from heat stress to infectious diseases to pandemics. To read the whole report go to http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachArticle.aspx?cid=33596&codi=62107&level=0&section=5

Gwynne also warns us of the ineffectiveness of our democratic governments as in “Get upset about it if you like, but this is how the system works. Obama cannot ignore the fact that climate change denial is still stronger in the United States than anywhere else, and that much of the US Congress is a wholly owned subsidiary of the fossil fuel industries. He’s going as far as he can, for now. He can’t go any farther even if what he’s doing is not good enough, which it isn’t.” http://www.gwynnedyer.com/articles/Gwynne%20Dyer%20article_%20%20Climate%20Change%20-%20Two%20Cheers.txt

So what should we do? My advice is to take a two pronged approach. Do what we can as constitutients in a democratic country and as citizens of the world. But also make some personal preparations for foreseeable disasters. Advisable as our communities are preparing for flu pandemics and we have just seen a few violent storms and mild hurricanes affect some of our neighbourhood communities outside of the Greater Toronto Area.

Susan Gilbert, Emergency Management Specialist, advises that we train staff and ready our business operations for emergencies and disasters. She also advises we make personal and business emergency management plans for plausible disaster that may come our way.

We are devising a plan to mitigate the effects of the soon to come second wave of H1N1 (Swine) Flu. As a spa owner, I am preparing my employees, who come into very close contact with the public, with some changes in their behavior.

The steps are advisable for all of us to follow include are hand washing after physical contact with each client both retail and service mandatory. Our front desk holds a large container of natural hand sanitizer for both employees and clients after any transactions.

We already wear face masks to prevent the transmission of day to day germs. Staff is to stay home if they feel under the weather. Workaholics are now being discouraged. We have devised a support plan that will allow staff to ask for help in getting the necessities of food and medicine as many of our staff are single and far from their homeland.

With the help of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, we have increased our immunity with holistic advice like keeping our nasal passages moist with saline water and oil and the consumption of immune herbs like ashwaganda, astralagus and ginseng.

I just watched a documentary on PBS "Unnatural Causes" http://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/ which demonstrated how the eco-political environment created inequalities that created different levels of stress to different segments of society. Those who suffered the most from stress were less in control of their lives. Whether your stress is ultimately caused by the macro environment or not- the stress lowered immunity.

So while there is much change and turmoil in the world and is increasing its impact on our lives, I recommend that we practice mediation or Chi Kung to lessen our emotion's impact on our health and our response.

Therefore, while we may not be able to control what our political leaders, our economic leaders or our neighbours may do. we can practice some new healthy habits as stated above. We can tailor our own emergency management plans (disaster plan sounds fateful) from what we know about ourselves and the probable emergency situations.

We can bring more harmony and peace of mind into our lives by further simplifying our lives and nurture our love for our world and those in it.

Namaste.

Recessionary Retreat

The days are getting shorter and the weather is increasingly cooler. These changes are causing our circulation to become sluggish and our emotions to become down and out.

While you are not in dire straits, you may not want to splurge on a holiday to a warmer place or treat yourself to a day at the spa. You may have to choose between eating well or treating yourself. Or if you are like me, you may find budgeting and planning so torturous that you may forgo the pleasure of resorts for small frequent treats.

So when you have a spare $100.00, I recommend you go to King + Bathurst.
This up and coming neighbourhood of young professionals and creatives will lift your spirits and not your credit card balance.

Get a great cut from Sharon at John Steinberg (http://www.johnsteinberghair.com/) then drop into Lee (http://www.susur.com/ ) for a trendy bite. I recommend the Singapore Slaw which can be a meal for one and a health promoting glass red wine from organic grapes.

Or put the glow back in your skin with natural and organic products with a Pure + simple Facial (http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=42n ). Then pop into Coco Rice Thai (http://www.cocorice.com/ ) for a healthy meal combination from their Dinner Special Menu for under $15.00.

Ah! So you say that you want something for $50.00 because you need to get a lift from being depressed over being low on cash?

Okay -- now you need to have an open mind and be brave. We are going to Chinatown. Yes, you saw it right, “Chinatown”. Hey, you only have $50.00 and while winter may be depressing, it also greatly reduces the odour of food garbage. So relax.

You can have reflexology for $25.00(taxes included) at a group of store fronts on south side of Dundas Street just west of Huron Street.. But, as a nubie, I recommend you start at Oriental Natural Beauty Wellness Spa (

http://orientalnbwspa.com/Home.html .

Jackie, the team leader is a favourite of a client of mine named Linda. I recommend the strong and experienced hands of SaSa or Sunny. Yes I have been there more than 2 times in less than 2 weeks. I had to share the experience with my boyfriend, my daughter and her boyfriend and then my sister. So in 2 weeks I have become familiar enough to give a dependable therapist recommendation. And my feet will never be the same again.

You can just drop in but they are becoming quite popular so I recommend calling a head to not be disappointed. I noticed that young men and women are dropping in to start a fun evening out as these places are open until 9:00 pm.

Then for $10.00 you can get a tea and a seafood/Vegetable Noodle including tax and tip across the street at House of Gourmet (

http://maps.google.ca/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4SNYI_enCA343CA343&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=house+of+gourmet+toronto+menu&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=house+of+gourmet&hnear=toronto&view=text&latlng=9610377212151363735 ).

So your bill for a mini spa comes to $40.00 if you tipped your reflexologist $5.00.
You can spend the whole $50.00 if you want to eat better Seafood Vegetable Noodle at Lee Gardens (http://www.leegardenrestaurant.ca/). Go early as there is a line up out to the street after 6:00pm every day.

If you want to spend more, they can offer you massage or facials – but as Linda advises, “Do you want a facial with someone who has been touching feet most of the day?”. Start with the reflexology, after all this is the $50.00 and less recommendation. If you have more money to spend - go to King and Bathurst.

To paraphrase Walmart, “Know Yourself, Live Intelligently and Save the Planet”.

Yes - Change a few words; and Change a mundane selfish way of life.

Tired of Anti Aging?

Tired of Anti Aging?

You don’t like what you are seeing in the mirror. Your decide to change your moisturizer or if you really are unhappy, contemplate more drastic measure of cosmetic facial procedures like botox or collagen injections!.

Before you decide on the solution spend more time on the cause. Sure remedying your immediate skin needs locally while you exploring the bigger picture is an excellent start to better looking skin.

The cool, dry air of autumn can challenge our ability to look fresh and feel vital. Yes-- if your skin is under the weather then -- so is your over all wellbeing. Therefore when we experience unattractive skin problems, we need to go beyond the four skin types of Dry, Normal, Combination and Oily.

Our frustrations with our appearance (our face is a large part of that for most of us) is greatly influenced by our genetic make up or -- what we at Pure + simple call -- our Doshas and by our daily skincare and lifestyle.

Those of us who are chronically dry (Vata) and of us who are chronically reddish or sensitive, perhaps acne prone (Pitta) will need very different solutions to the same problem of dry aging skin and to the drier cooler weather.

And to further complicate -- or if you are more positive, to further customize the solution to the individual -- we can consider other factors that influence our health and skin; like our daily stress level, our lifestyle, work habits and of course our diet and lifestyle. Add to this list any medications or supplements we are taking and any afflictions our bodies are tending to.

Therefore the more you understand why your skin is in the undesirable condition (your own personal definition) and the elements in your life that contribute to it, the better the solution will be from skin care to overall changes to your lifestyle and diet.

Something to consider when you begin to achieve your new look is the following example. A woman in her fifties, with dry dull skin, who wants flawless skin but also would prefer to not want to wear make up to help camouflage any “flaws” would have more challenges to achieve her goals than a thirty year old with the same goals. She also will to invest more in skincare and lifestyle changes than another woman with similar variables but less stringent expectations.

Generally most mature skin types will find relief by increasing the moisture content of her skin with a good quality collagen serum and a rich protective moisturizer. The more discriminating can increase the youthfulness of her skin can attain this intention with a few treatments of either Microdermabrasion (we recommend the healthier alternative of sea salt to aluminum) or Intense Pulse Light (IPL) or both. Again it depends on the current skin condition and the expected end result.

Holistic health additions can include simple diet and lifestyle alterations that respond to seasonal changes like eating root vegetables and stews in fall to counteract internal dryness can increase positive results for skin.

Looking for more natural solutions to pharmaceutical medications will lessen the dehydration of skin and most likely to your internal organs, too. Stop dehydrating habits like cigarette smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages will not only increase overall hydration but lessen skin breakouts, sensitivity and redness. You body will also lessen its need for antioxidants due to the lower toxic load.

Phew!

Enough work for now. We will tackle the more challenging solutions that include our mind and emotions later.