AYURVEDIC HOME SPA GUIDE AND RECIPES

Improve your longevity by taking time to relax.

Whether you have been enjoying winter sports over the past few days or are stiff from shovelling the driveway, you may be experiencing dry hands, face, legs and hair. Or you feel you need to replenish? Or your holiday was soooo fulfilling you want to offer something luxurious to someone special? Think home spa.

Home spas are fun and much less expensive. Although they require a bit of preparation, you have total control over the textures and aromas used. Below are suggested ingredients but feel free to add or switch ingredients. For example, you could add cucumber slices over your eyes while resting.

RECIPES AGAINST NASAL CONGESTION, WATER RETENTION AND SLUGGISH DIGESTION

The past few weeks have been quite wet and increasingly cold, weather likely to

bring your kapha element out of balance. This disbalance may show up as nasal  congestion, water retention or sluggish digestion, especially for people with a Kapha constitution.

Here are 3 quick, luxurious recipes to set things right:

Nasal congestion: 

- fill the bowl part of your diffuser with rose water or plain water

- add 2 drops each of black pepper or eucalyptus, turmeric and lime or orange essential oil.

- before bed, replace lime by valerian or St. John’s wort essential oil

Sluggish digestion: 

- in one tablespoon of sesame oil

- add 2 drops each of cumin, anis, fennel and cardamom essential oils
- massage the stomach area

Water retention:

- in 1/4 cup of brahmi or sesame oil

- add 2 each of the following essential oils: black pepper, juniperberry, rose, and coriander

- massage your body vigorously, especially in the ankles, knees, thighs, belly, buttocks, and watery area in the upper arms


To enhance this massage mix 40 drops of dandelion tincture in a full glass of water 30 minutes ahead of time. Drink heartily 30 minutes ahead of time.

BEAUTY TIP FOR THE KAPHA WOMAN

To feel sexy before a party, mix:

- in 1/4 tsp of sesame oil.

- 1 drop of pepper and rose or jasmin essential oil

Use as perfume behind the ear, between the breasts, at the wrists and in the groin. (If you have sensitive skin, replace the black pepper essential oil by ginger.)

Everyone will want to know your secret. 
Can be used by kapha men too.

EMOTIONS LIVE IN OUR CHAKRAS, IN BALANCE... OR NOT

One day this past spring Bhuvaneswari, my spiritual teacher, gave me an assignment: «Make emotions chakra creams.» That was the extent of her guidance. It took a while to get started. In retrospect, I realize I had all the knowledge, experience and tools to do it. Intuition, logic, creativity and staying grounded would do the rest.

Chakras and their needs

Chakras are energy centers in the shape of vortex of different sizes,  though not visible to the physical eye. They are considered as organs and, as such, need to be cleaned, moistened, toned and realigned back into shape. This can be done several ways, including with music, energy work, etc.

BEAUTY TIP AND RECIPE WITH PATCHOULI

I visited a new friend yesterday with whom I share a passion for aromatherapy. She gave me a bottle of patchouli essential oil, which I knew of but had never used. She said that it is like a good wine, meaning that it improves with age. I tried it last night and its scent and texture are very soothing. I thank her for inspiring the recipe and beauty tip below.

RECIPE: Cuts, wounds and scars mix 

Patchouli essential oil has the reputation of healing cuts and wounds, and speeding up the fading of their scars, as well as being effective to help marks left by boils and acne disappear.

In a small bottle, mix:

3 drops of patchouli e.o.

½ teaspoon of neem oil

3 tablespoon of ghee

Clean the affected zone, then apply the oil mix and help it penetrate well.

BEAUTY TIP: Calming insomnia

Insomnia is a Vata condition that affects many people, especially during the fall (Vata) season.

Putting 6 to 8 drops of patchouli essential oil, a sedative among many other things, in your diffuser will help alleviate or eradicate that condition. And look how synchronicity works: it also is a tonic for the liver and had started a liver cleanse that day!

BEAUTY TIP - YOUR HANDS AFTER GARDENING

After gardening for a few hours, your hands and nails are likely stained and dried out. Wash off the surface dirt with a mild soap, then friction generously with olive oil. Make sure oil goes under the nails too. The dirt lodged more deeply will come off. Then clean around and under the nails. Then friction with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice and give a quick rub to your nails with Vit. E. Your hands will get back their vitality.

If you have blisters, there's use a lavender, calendula and yarrow maceration. For details, see article on macerations in previous entry.

RECIPE: Massage oil for stiff joints and muscles

Whether you are stiff and sore from biking in the Gatineaus, gardening for hours or simply because of advance of the Vata (fall) season, here is a simple recipe to help ease the discomfort. First, add ¼ cup of Epsom salt to your bath, then prepare the following mix for a deep tissue massage.

Ingredients:

¼ or ½ cup sesame oil

3 drops each of the following essential oils:

vetiver: relieves spasms, is overall calming and stimulates blood circulation

ginger: warming and reduces pain

birch or wintergreen: anti-inflammatory and supports bone function

turmeric: anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system

And if you tend to retain water, add 3 drops of orange essential oil.

You'll feel great.

24 Oils to the rescue for fall-winter skin care

Unless you are going though puberty, have a Kapha constitution or live in the Southern hemisphere, your skin likely has started feeling dryer than it has over the last months.

"Natural my dear Ms. Watson, it`s Vata season!" And who says Vata, says dry, cold and light. So let`s call carrier oils to the rescue to lubricate the whole body, whether in your food, in massage oil or in skin care products.

SALE AND FALL COURSE CALENDAR

The fall 2011 course calendar is available in the What's New section of http://www.facetograce.com/ and descriptions and details are listed in the Courses page.

Enjoy the Face to Grace end of season sale: 20 % off on the Vata, Pitta and Kapha light moisturizers. Ingredients in these products are listed in the http://www.factograce.com/ Products section. From Sept. 19 to 30. Max. 2 per client as long as stocks last.

BEAUTY TIP FOR SMOKERS

People who smoke often develop large facial pores and vertical wrinkles above the upper lip from their late 30s. Apart from kicking the habit altogether, take vitamine C supplements to compensate for the loss of that vitamine that smoking causes. Using a natural toner every day after cleansing is most beneficial and regular pancha karma treatments of the nose and mouth will help revitalize the blocked or damaged cells.

Drink 1,5 to 2 litres of water per day. This will help clean your whole body, including the skin.

RECIPE - Aromatherapy for water retention

A lot of people, especially Kapha women, tend to have water retention problems. It tends to accumulate on the thighs, hips, buttocks and arms. Many people, as they age also start accumulating water around the ankles and feet. This accumulation is often the result of weak kidneys and makes you feel colder than you should.

Give yourself a vigorous massage with these oils, using a pumping movement among others to stimulate the lymphatic system. Eenjoy the warming, drying, diuretic, aromatic and supportive properties of this treat. Drink a large glass of water after the massage to promote elimation of toxins.

Oil:

¼ cup sesame OR grapeseed oil

Essential oils:

6 drops juniper

3 drops lemon, lime or green mandarin

3 drops clary sage

Mix all the above in a pottery, porcelain or pyrex cup. (avoid plain glass or metal)

Warm up on a coffee warmer. Be mindful that the oil doesn’t get  to hot so you don’t burn yourself.

Can be done everyday or once a week for best results.

Recipe and courses to clean body, mind and soul

In the previous entry, I quoted Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who said: “People are like stained glass windows -- their true beauty can be seen only when there is light from within. The darker the night, the brighter the windows.”  I would add “clean” stained glass windows.

To clean those beautiful windows, you can proceed at the physical level with delightful recipes such as the one below. Further down are courses that either help lift you out of burn out and destressful stress; keep body, mind and soul aligned and working in harmony; and that balance your emotions gracefully. The others show you to how to make natural products that remind you of your true beauty and your connection to Mother Earth.

YES, SWEATING IS CLEANSING!

Although North Americans conceive sweating as disgraceful and dirty, human beings have always felt the need to cleanse. Through the ages, countless rituals have been developed everywhere in the world to promote sweating as a means to clean oneself. Those practices take into account cultural and religious factors, as well as available natural resources. And the need remains strong  today. Just think of the millions of dollars spent on soap every year. But there are other ways to do it, whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spirituality.

MAKING MACERATIONS: A PRECIOUS WORK OF LOVE

Macerations, also called medicated oils, are delightful whether are used “as is” for massage or mixed with other ingredients in salves, moisturizing creams, lotions or vinaigrettes. They are extra simple to make.

You can use three different kinds of oils--olive oil, sesame oil and ghee--and two different methods--the “patience” method and the “I can’t wait” method. Regardless of the method, make sure your jar is sterilized.

RECIPE: Cooling your Pitta skin

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 oz bees wax (or other natural wax)

1/8 cup aloe vera gel (Jason’s aloe vera gel with Spirulina is ideal for texture, but hard to find)

1/2 tsp neem oil
3 drops each of essential oils of sandalwood, mint, geranium, bergamot (add more if needed)

Method

1. Melt coconut oil and wax at low heat

2. Add 1/8 cup aloe vera gel to above while whipping with hand held mixer

3. Add neem oil and essential oils

If you find water separates from this mixture, do not worry, use it and make it penetrate.

Eczema: More than just a question of unguent

Quite a number of people I met recently complained about experiencing an increase in their eczema symptoms during summer. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this makes total sense.

The skin (and the eyes) being the seat of Pitta (fire), any excess of fire or heat regardless of the source (physical, mental or emotional) will manifest in those areas in the form of rashes, eczema, psoriasis, irritation or eye problems of all kinds, especially for those with a Pitta constitution.

Multi-level solutions

Simple moisturizing cream recipe

This recipe is the simplest version possible and very easy to make. Just be present to what you do. Take a deep breath, pull out all the ingredients, measure properly, follow instructions. Using organic ingredients is recommended as much as possible.

Planning for the holidays? Come to the cottage for healing skin care and Ayurvedic spa treatments

August 5-6, from 10 am Friday to 4 pm Saturday

Nurturing your breasts with nature's best

Since a few people have followed up on the Face to Grace breast balm recipe posted on my teacher’s blog, http://bhuvaneswaridevi.blogspot.com/2011/05/basic-breast-balm-recipe.html, I decided to include an enhanced recipe here and talk about the benefits of some of its ingredients. Future recipes will now on appear in the blog for all to enjoy.

For Beautiful and Healthy Breasts
The breasts have sensitive skin,

Hydrolates, floral waters and floral essences

Someone asked recently if there is a difference between a floral water and a hydrolate. Her question reminded me of the fun I had researching this topic when I first started making moisturizers. Finding information in books and on the web were certainly enjoyable, but the most fun of all was to drive to Les Grondines, Quebec, and visit Alixir, a producer of essential oils and hydrolates. Below is a short description of how the three products are made, but do spend time to find more about these amazing products and properties yourself.

Moisturizer recipe to protect from radiations

The spreading of nuclear radiations from the Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan is a concern, but every day exposure to other radiations also need to be addressed. The sun, cell phones, computers, microwave ovens are a few sources of radiations in our immediate environment. Fortunately, we can protect ourselves and our families, and neutralize their pernicious effects. Below is a recipe

Seeking health and beauty in Peru and Columbia

This past February, I went to Peru and Columbia in search of local organic aloe vera gel, jojoba oil, essential oils and learning. It turns out that, instead, I did find muña essential oil but no aloe vera or jojoba to be found. Also discovered coca leaves, maca powder and… emeralds. The physical body was challenged every step of the trip, but adventures were many and varied.

Coping with altitude

Don't burn out: Take care of your kidneys... and of your wrinkles

Fear is a theme that surfaced in the life of several clients, friends and my own this month: fear of the cold; fear of starting a new relationship; of ending a long-term one; of creating a new identity after life-changing circumstances; of showing publicly a side of the self that had been private for a long time.

Experiencing fear occasionally is normal. However, living with fear or an accumulation of anxiety on an ongoing basis is NOT. Whether you are conscious of it or not, it creates a lot of physical stress, wrinkles and eventually serious problems. Burn out is high on that list.