A Face of a Thousand Stories

Yes You have a Face of a Thousand Stories

Along with the influence of your character, behavior and beliefs - your diet and your environment can determine your physical appearance. This is not contradictory to Ayurveda. With the help of Ayurveda I rebalanced my body to benefit from the fluctuations of the weather.

Spencer Wells, author of The Human Journey: A Genetic Odyssey and an anthropologist and geneticist, explains with scientific data how your features reflect the journey taken by your ancestors.

You will discover that a stocky build or a short neck is not an unfortunate distribution of attractive features. And that having “excessive” body hair give question to your femininity. Along with other “unique” features, they are nature’s way in helping your ancestors thrive in their environment.

But contrary to common thought, our genetics is not linear or clear cut as in the differences between siblings. I personally have suffered the feeling of injustice as my sister who inherited the features of the accepted beauty with chiseled features, slim build and large feminine eyes and well endowed figure.

While I, somehow I seemed to have gotten all the less feminine, chunkier features from larger frame, short stocky legs and chubby face but with a flat chest.

I did not feel less attractive on my own. Most people and society supported this truth in words and action.

But as I learned Ayurveda and began to understand the message in my physical attributes I started to love each feature as I loved the character that help form it . And I of course shared this with my staff and clients. But even with the knowledge of Ayurveda and evolutionary science - it’s a hard sell to some – so if you are not convinced you are not alone.

When I started to read about the evolution of human kind, I started to see the beauty in how my stockier frame and shorter legs contributed to the survival of my ancient ancestor in the ice age.

While I may have envied my sister in the past, I am now at peace with physical appearance. My personal experience has given me an empathy with those clients that are coming into their middle years and have not yet accepted their physical appearance. They punished themselves by trying to imitate the beauty of others, sometimes with drastic measures.

I believe that but using both Ayurveda and the history of our human journey I along with my clients come to love our selves and others in a genuine way.

We can invest more into our appearance without trying to imitate but to protect and highlight our uniqueness.

“Unique Beauty”, eh…, hmmm?

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“Unique Beauty”, Part 1

What is does unique beauty really mean? - to you.

When I was young and felt short changed on the distribution of beautiful features - I interpreted "You have an unique beauty” to mean "I am diplomatically saying you are not beautiful”.

But now wiser, I define “unique beauty” as the infinite faces of diversity. This change of perspective cannot be attributed to increased self confidence. Actually the real changer is also the cause of this increased self love. It is came from an interesting merger of Ayurveda and a growing understanding of my place in the external world.

We all can easily appreciate the diverse beauty of Nichole Kidman’s fragile Vata beauty along side the strong Kapha beauty of Beyonce Knowles. But we do we feel “unique beautiful” when comparing our physical features to that of camera friendly faces of celebrities.

According to Ayurveda, our “unique beauty” refers to the physical manifestations of our mental and emotional energies. But I found that the uniqueness of our features from colour to shape to size also tell a story of our human journey.

When we understand the importance of our character and our thoughts in shaping our external beauty and the foundation our genetic history in our overall health and beauty, we are less prone to embrace a self defeating definitions of beauty. And we are also less likely to believe or feel that as we grow older we grow less attractive,

A Vata Beauty is fine and delicate. He or she is small boned with small, chiseled features. Due to Vata’s spiritual strength, the physical features tends to be weaker with light pale definition. Vata’s slenderness can be attributed to speed – fast metabolism, fast thinking, quick change and fleeting emotions. Her delicate ethereal beauty evolved from light, cold and dry energy.

Pitta Beauty is in the sharpness of his/her focus. Piercing eyes are hallmark on this logical competitive person’s features. The strength in the mental realm with strong charisma are the characteristics of born leaders. The passion for order and perfection can create imbalance leading to skin sensitivities, rosacea and acne. Her intelligence leads her to strive to become President (of a business, government or organization) and that would trump any desire to be a Miss Universe.

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Kapha Beauty is sensuous and voluptuous. Because Kapha’s strength is in the physical; they are strong, beautiful and large. They have large curvaceous features from large eyes fringed with abundant lashes to full lips and thick hair. They have large bone structure and usually have a stocky appearance. She/he is not your average “super model”, but his/her longevity and sensuousness will keep her alluring into old age.

When Kapha understands his/her uniqueness, she/he stops feeling “fat” and start feeling voluptuous and strong.

And Pitta feels beautiful and fulfilled when he/she pursues life work without needing to be a “beauty queen” as well.

Vatas are fortunate to be born with the socially defined characteristics of slim poetic beauty but are even luckier if they start early to develop spiritual or creative talents.

From the foundation of self appreciation and understanding we can see the beauty radiating from our own spirit and to that of others as well.

Next week –how to love our “unique beauty” by discovering our ancestral journey

Sun Drenched Beauty

Summer can be a boost to our feeling of attractiveness.

When I was a teenage, a suntan covered up blemishes and as I grew older and less plagued with acne, the tan evened out my skin’s blotchiness.

Now I am noticing women my aging using a tan to camouflage signs of skin aging from brown spots, redness and even wrinkles. Yes, this is just one of the examples of how irrational our pursuit of beauty can become.

So what are better ways of looking our best with positive long term results? Most anti aging technologies like Intense Pulsed Light and exfoliation like Microdermabrasion and Chemical Skin Peels make our skin more photo sensitive so are not advisable for most of us in the summer. Only the most meticulous of us will avoid more sun damage with proper sunscreen application.

While the consequences like sun burn, hyper pigmentation or dehydration are not irreversible when tended to right away, it is still wiser to accommodate our behaviors along with our aspirations.

If there is a need for improving your skin’s appearance from a special occasion to lifting self esteem, there is a safe and effect anti-aging treatment. Micronized Current can take years off your face by reducing the appearance of brown spots, chronic redness and wrinkles. It does it by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin while toning up facial muscles.

Our experience with Micronized Current for anti aging has not been all up hill. Our first machine required operator skill along with operator knowledge of the clients muscle placement to attain good results.

Our new machine has eliminated the disappointment of both the esthetician and the client by allowing the current to be dispersed over a larger area. It has the added benefits of red LED to support better collagen production and another current type to help dehydrated skin cells to absorb moisture. We have developed a special lifting gel that doubles as a mask to plump skin cells with skin protein, seaweed and aloe vera .

If some one my age has a special wedding coming up – our children’s or our own – to get our faces camera ready in a pinch – we need only to do three of these treatments a week before the date.

For those of us looking for long term rejuvenation, weekly treatment for two to three months (really depends on your expectations and the condition of your skin) with monthly treatments after can do the trick.

There are smaller ways to look more youthful in these summer months. A gentle exfoliation with jojoba beads at night can give you a fresher look without making skin more vulnerable to sun damage.

Of course using sunscreen, a natural one, with a suitable moisturizer daily will do much to help you avoid the “crêpey” look now and slow down the visible signs of aging long term..

When I wake up disappointed with what I see in the mirror I usually pile on the collagen serum to quickly plump up skin cells and rejuvenate my face. This also helps get circulation in my face going so puffiness in the face or eyes are gone before I walk out the door.

If you have stayed in the sun too long and are worried about the long term consequences, apply a collagen gel mask to hydrate up and repair on skin cells immediately then book a hydrating facial for major repair.

My person favourite is to constantly have your face photographed so that you grow to love the changing beauty that wisdom and life experiences have shaped. I believe some of us want to look eighteen because our emotional needs have not matured. After all we only need to look eighteen if we want to attract an eighteen year old J

When aging is just out of control

When aging is just out of control -- your control

As boomers, we have a choice of chasing youth by merely looking younger with magical serums and plastic surgery or by staying healthy and relevant by understanding the importance of the relationship between ourselves, mind and body, with our environment.

Recently I have begun a series of Micronized Current (Micro Current) facial treatments. I had been too busy through the winter to do my annual Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatments to buy myself enough time to accept the “old lady” in the photographs.

While Micro Current is less invasive than the medical procedures, I recognize that it still is merely a means to looking younger.

As I age and learn to respect the limits of my body, I am more observant of the physical changes created by the external environment, the nourishment I devour and the fluctuations of my relationships and interactions with others.

I started my Micro Current treatments in March. The treatments’ success in lifting my sagging skin is evident in the disappearance of the deep wrinkle in my nasal labia fold (those aging brackets on each side of our mouth) and the wider look of my eyes. Compare my photo of a year ago with the one here.

While I have more dramatic “before” photos due to weight loss and the addition of one more year, the change is still noticeable. More anti-aging advice—don’t lose weigh after forty as skin is not so resilient. But no worries – you just need to work harder.

This weekend, I have suffered dehydration due to hotel living and a lack of sleep due to the strange bed. I have also been eating all my meals in restaurants or the Whole Foods buffet table. Therefore I ended up with edema which was my already weak kidneys’ way of saying the food was way too salty and fatty.

When the edema was gone I was left with a tired look, making me feel depressed and that my efforts to find time to get in for my Micro Current Facials and my extra moisturizing skincare were futile.

On Sunday morning I am awaken by a fluttering of the drapery in my hotel room. It was the turbulence caused by the tail end of a tornado in the American Midwest.

Did I tell you that I was also in the middle of a stressful personal life as I had grown impatient with a life partner that doesn’t know the existence of planning and “ was in the middle of helping” him see the light?

And I was commuting to one of our locations due to unexpected staff absentism to cover client appointments. I who always lived near work because I find commuting stressful.

While all this was happening, a client’s photographer husband asks to photograph me as he thought I would make an interesting subject. He proudly shows the photographs he coached me to pose in. But alas!--I only saw a middle-aged woman.

The Micro Current has helped me looked better, and yes even younger. And that definitely made me feel better to know that I could have some control over the speed of aging in my appearance. But the photograph told me that it was not the whole answer!

Therefore the anti aging choices we make ---whether they are safe and natural like Micro Current or more invasive like injecting Bovine toxins into our foreheads or a snipping skin around our eyes or faces – need to expand to include our lifestyle and environment.

To successfully perform and look younger, we need to balance the drying effects of a windy or cold environment, a stressful event and hard to digest dehydrating foods. If we have weak organs like kidneys or flawed circulatory system we need to follow habits that strengthen them.

But again no short cut to a fix -- medication by the way like recreational drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and coffee will negatively affect your day to day appearance along with your long-term health.

So start you anti aging by designing some healthy routine for yourself with the help of the appropriate health professionals.

No moisturizer, please, it’s summer

No moisturizer, please, it’s summer

As the heat wave arrives, I find it uncomfortable to moisturize in such humidity. But I know that proper care of my skin from now and throughout the summer will determine my satisfaction with my skin at the beginning of September.

Those of us who live in climates that have changing seasons will find challenges in our health and beauty at different times of the year. We in Canada are pretty good at caring for our skin in winter. We hydrate to prevent dehydration of our skins and protect our skins with a rich moisturizer.

But many of us just bare it all when the warm weather comes. Now the weather is unseasonably warm and wet, it is causing us to feel discomfort even when applying natural sunscreens.

But the warmer more humid weather has brought other changes. The increases of insects and molds have resulted in higher incidents of disease in plants and animals. Compared to the Ontario Government warning to gardeners of the rise in lyme disease due to the increase of ticks, our skin problems seem trivial.

The changing climatic conditions have created acne even in those of us who have never experienced it in our adolescence. Skin sensitivity leading to rosacea, which was mainly the concern of fair skinned people is now pervasive for our multicultural population.

The advice of the government to prevent lyme disease is to cover up when gardening. That too will help with the above skin problems.

Moist skin is healthy skin. Moist skin meaning plump skin cells fill with water and protein that are gently cushioned by a light oily fluid with the skin’s surface protected by a waxy oily film to slow down moisture loss (trans-dermal water loss). To keep skin cells healthy and hydrated it is important we protect them from over exposure to the sun as well.

Your skin feels moist so why moisturize?
Your moisturizer and your sunscreen feels uncomfortable so why moisturize?

The answer to both is to maintain optimum moisture in your skin cells. When you are perspiring profusely, the skin cells deep in you skin are probably not as plump as they should be. Therefore it is important that you supplement your skin cells with a hydrating serum. On dry days an application of a light oil further reduce the “crêpey” appearance of dehydration. Then apply a light (less oily) moisturizer to have longer term moisture protection and a flawless looking skin all day.

A sunscreen will not just prevent sunburn and lessen the chances of skin cancer but extend your youthful appearance. When you injure your skin cells as evident in sunburns and tans, you lessen the plumpness of the cells. This not only gives you a poorer looking complexion leading to acne or sensitivity but also exposes your dermis, the second main layer of your skin, to damage. A compromised dermis produces dehydrated skin cells with poor quality and lower levels of collagen and elastin which leads to premature aging of the skin. The sun damage to the dermis doesn’t just make us look old but creates a blotchy and red complexion with enlarged pores giving our skin, an orange peel texture.

Moisturizing and protecting your skin in the summer also lessens the disappointment in your skin when the weather becomes cooler and dryer in the fall. At this time skin conditions like dryness, sensitivity (rosacea) and acne increase. While the weather can be blamed, the real cause is the chronic dehydration in the deeper layers of the skin happening all summer.

Not convinced? Then look for proof in nature. The closer our ancestors lived to the equator, the oilier our skins genetically. The abundance of oil like a moisturizer prevents moisture loss through heat and also gives natural sun protection. Therefore darker oilier skin types are more resistant to photo aging.

In Canada, the weather pretty well gives all of us a time of year when our skins are thriving happily. But at 50-75% of the time, our skin’s are out of their element. At these times we need to compensate with our skincare. In the winter people with darker skin types need to take more care in hydrating their skin before moisturizing to compensate for the cold dry weather, while in summer those of us with fairer skin tones need to add more oils and sun protection to our daily skincare routines to compensate for the warmer weather. But even those of us with darker skin tones need to keep our skins moist in summer to balance our skin conditions with the ever-changing humidity and temperature levels of the season. Another occasion we all need to give our skins more moisture in the summer is when we have been out in the sun or wind too long.

So I would like to leave you with good advise I have paraphrased from my dental hygienist, “You don’t need to moisturize all of your skin. Just the parts You would like to keep looking good”.

How Florida Caused Me to Breakout

I wake up Friday with a huge zit on my chin. I am a paragon of good natural skincare, not. Yes even when wrinkles and dryness is a constant problem, I still breakout. Most people would blame their moisturizer or their make up for clogging their skin. But this is the least likely reason and if acted upon could cause an escalation of the situation. The reduction of moisture can cause skin dehydration which in turns causes over stimulated oil glands clogging more pores.

The best way to be rid of periodic acne is to recognize the importance of balancing our energy. The side effect of this strategy is a better understanding of myself.

In Ayurveda, blemishes mean excess “Pitta” energy. So while my desire to rid my nose of a pus-y bump has me putting a dab of green clay on it, I look for the cause of the extra heat in my life.

I quickly blame my unexpected trip here in Miami. It was obvious it is the hot humid weather and the intense sun that has caused me to breakout. Since menopause has become a part of my life, hot environments are no longer desirable. I decide that Florida is out as a future retirement home, whenever that will be.

I blame the heat for my inability to concentrate during important business communications and staying focused on my driving in a strange city.

I worry the excessive dampness has caused my bowels and my metabolism to be slow and sluggish. "Dang!", Florida should be an ideal environment for an aging Vata, like me with its Pitta and Kapha energy. The internal dampness or slowed metabolism caused by the heavy Kapha air is evident to passing onlookers as sandal-ed feet display toenails afflicted with fungus. My life partner, a Kapha would find it difficult to feel energetic and to balanced his diabetes in this environment. More confirmation this is not my future home.

So the general prescription of going south for those of us aging is not complete without understanding what environmental factors will be balancing for our health. Also, as in my case, learning a way of life that balances my health in a certain environment is more helpful than merely relying on a perfect locale.

Saturday morning at the airport, my late period appears. I was almost a month late. Menses can create energy imbalances and if I did not jump to conclusions I would have surmised that the blemish on my chin was pointing at hormonal imbalance.

Those of us who suffer from dehydration during our menses have excess Vata energy. Small blemishes from temporary dehydration will distinguish Vata imbalance from the cystic blemish caused from Pitta or Kapha excess. To remedy it, we need to increase moisture externally and internally with water and oil.

And those of us who get depressed and experience from edema and bloating at menses are suffering from excess Kapha. Lowering fatty sugary foods will help greatly. In winter go for a hot sauna and a body scrub to increase circulation. In the summer get a cool reflexology treatment and a gentle face massage.

And if your breakout is deeper and cystic as mine was and/or are easily angered, you are suffering from excess Pitta. While the main reason for my blemishes was my period, the hot climate intensified my symptoms. To cool my body I reduced the richness of my body moisturizer and I ate raw vegetables and sweet fruits.

Most us will experience one or like me suffer all three imbalances before and during our menses. Your body will tell you how to balance so be a good listener to create more harmony in your skincare and well-being.

This is a good example of how using Ayurveda for health and beauty can make your role much like that of an orchestra conductor. To create balance you need to include many factors from climate, changes in daily weather, your daily activities, your diet and your body’s internal rhythms. Different Doshas are more likely to go off balance in certain seasons. If certain food is not available you can use exercise. The more intense the situation, success can be more viable if more variables are used.

Since the climate and menopause are not in usually your control, use activities, diet and skincare to create balance in your life and health. If you need more help in this matter you can refer to Kristen’s book on Ayurveda and natural Skincare, at http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1641&category_id=257&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=27&vmcchk=1&Itemid=27

Or Deepak Chopra’s book, Perfect health http://books.google.ca/books?id=mU_sM3eG4l0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=perfect+health+deepak+chopra&source=bl&ots=VL5vZv-i92&sig=P3iNZUcHGjeIJz9Me4rpyajd2PY&hl=en&ei=WA_7S9qBCcOblgeN4aDTDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Or make a complimentary consultation at any Pure + simple location. Find the contact number of your closest store at http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=53

Mother’s Day has come and gone.

Mother’s Day has come and gone.

“They say” that one out of two hundred people on Earth today is a descendant of Genghis Khan. Proving his disappointment of not conquering the world before dying was premature. Therefore it was fortunate he just couldn’t heed advice to prolong his life with abstinence. His descendants have became rulers and prominent citizens in Europe, Middle East, Asia even in America.

But this was accomplished through social selection and not genetics. So kudos are due to the mothers contributing to his enduring conquest. But who are these nameless faceless women who have raised such a successful group of descendants? Few of us even know the name of his wife, Börte, who was an instrumental in his historic success.

Women have contributed much to history as support players but now we have the options without guilt, fear or regret to be active participants.

Since we no longer borrow our positions in society and history from a male relative, husband or son, our destinies are no longer the victims of our ability to attract an eligible male.

We no longer need to abuse or disfigure our bodies to conform to societal ideals. We can now shape our unique beauty based on health and personal growth. To be loved for who we really are and not what we would like to be is healthy and encourages growing self knowledge.

Most of us Boomers have offset such fortune with our acceptance of the traditional convention. Many of us have in the past participated in the public scorn of so-called "women's Libbers" implying their motives were due to misguided beliefs or their lack of attractiveness.

But we Boomers can redeem ourselves - I - a Mid-Boomer- am "only" 55 years old – so, yeah – NO! to ageism, too. It is never too late to realize a true calling in life and unconditional self love.

Beauty based on health is a strategic choice. Strategic because our daily actions to increase or maintain our attractiveness are part of a bigger plan of a healthy life and personal success.

Beauty dependent on whim, fashion or poor self image can lead to disappointing long term results and for some ---a futile preoccupation. I.e. Botox - exactly how does investing large sums of money to inject a toxin into your body contributing to a long term youthfulness and healthy organic lifestyle?

When we are open to beauty’s diversity, we start to see health and spirit as the foundations of beauty. As we connect to our personal health and learn to know ourselves more, we create goals that lead to personal and community happiness.

We customize our lifestyle - diet, exercise, work – with simple holistic guides like Ayurveda. Spiritual Practice, which helps us connect and balance, is an integral part of our life as we exercise with mind body exercises like Yoga, Chi Kung, Tai Chi. Our diet reflects not only with our concerns for personal pleasure and health but for our planet's sustainability. All this personal commitment can only lead our ability to wisely influence the governance of our communities and world.

Successful skincare is also based on the principles of holistic, natural and sustainability. Like diet, exercise and work choices – the care our bodies based on our life principles can be a win for lasting beauty, for personal health and for a better world.

The great part of being a mother is not Mother’s Day but our power to pass our wisdom and love to all who follow us.