SUPERFOODS FOR DRY SKIN

One of the most common complaints during winter is related to dry skin, but dry skin can happen at any time of the year. Apart from the obvious moisturizing solution, look at your diet to added help. Foods for the dry season are sweet, sour, salty, heavy, oily, moist foods provided you can digest them well.

The following are superfoods that will sustain you all winter long and help not only your avoid constipation, dry skin, hair and nails, but also

PANCHA KARMA #4: A YEAR OF INTROSPECTION

There were eight of us signed up for our annual pancha Karma at Anjali in Kannur this year, 7 women and one man. This time around the atmosphere was mostly introspective. With our Vata and Pitta doshas relatively balanced levels and no illnesses, the main focus was to pass through minor discomforts without judgment, raise our blood pressure, quieten the mind and go within to discover the mysteries of our life and beauty.

Sand-scripting

Meditating on the beach before sunrise and receiving teachings from

HOT, SEXY, HAPPY AND HEALTHY MÉNAGE À TROIS

You want to boycott the cold and humidity that make you feel tight and withdrawn? Call on black pepper, jasmine and pink grapefruit essential oils in sesame oil with a touch of vitamin E oil for a savvy solution. 

This trio will perk Lady Kapha and Dame Vata like no other. Everyone around them will notice that they are up for the best pleasures life has to offer. Definitely can be worn under the sexiest red lamé dress for a sultry night out while making you healthier.

FASHION, FOODS AND FLAIR FOR VATA SEASON

Nothing like a colourful
turtle neck sweater
to stay warm and cozy.

A former colleague and fashion aficionado, Madeleine, used to say that she prefers fall and winter because the colours and textures of clothes are richer and more cozy. I suspect that her preference was guided by her dosha. However, it is true that colors and textures contribute greatly to balance the body, mind and spirit.

According to ayurveda, everything in the universe is energetic and gives off a vibration, including colors, animals,

SWEET FACIALS OF SUMMER

Whether home is in Papete, Mexico City,
Gatineau or Sydney, a facial picnic
with friends will always be fun.

How delicious it is to reach summer! You can almost feel the taste of the sun on your tongue and its sent on your skin. Skin is such a fascinating organ, the largest of your body, sensitive to what is going on inside the body as well as outside, and a great communicator between the two. This summer give it a facial it will remember for a long time.

Ayurveda and aromatherapy for beauty

Taking care of the skin with ayurveda and aromatherapy is a delight, especially

ONLINE BIOVEDIC FACIALS AND TREATMENTS: SO MUCH FUN, SO PRACTICAL

No time is the best time. A great illustration
by my friend Hughes Chassé.

One of the great pleasures and mysteries of energy work is that is knows not the boundaries of time and place. As a practitioner I can give facials and treatments from home or while traveling and you can be at home, at the cottage or anywhere else to receive it. The precision and quality of the facial, treatment as well as the sense of intimacy are the same whether we are geographically in the same room or 35,000 km apart.

INDIA: PANCHA KARMA, YEAR 3

Students at the Chinmaya Mission College for girls

I come back from this fourth trip to India more relaxed than last year. The memory of amazing smiles, scents and sights in my eyes fill my senses… 

Kilos lost and gained
… and many kilos of ayurvedic pastes, oils, tablets and medicinal ghees filled up my suitcase on the way back to follow up properly with my 3rd annual pancha karma

WHEN THE GOING GET DRY, GET THE OILS FLOWING

Oils come in all colours and textures.

Mother Nature has provided every area of the world with an abundance of oils. Why? Because they are absolutely necessary in our diet and on our body, especially for the maintenance and repair of the nervous system and the skin. Think of coconut oil and shae butter everywhere in the tropics, olive and sesame and almond in the mediterranean area, rice oats oils in Asia, canola, sunflower and grape seed in more temperate areas. People from northern countries, living above the tree line, found their source of oil

INNER AND OUTER BEAUTY: BALANCE AND SELF-CARE (FALL 2013 PROGRAM)

The Aroma Muses for the Arts workshops announced in the previous entry are only one part of Face to Grace’s calendar of activity. They're definitely for those who are seeking expansion and want to put on their wings. The core part of Face to Grace’s course program includes:

• Practical Awakening for those seeking help for sailing journeys regardless of weather
• Balance Your Emotions with Aromatherapy, both in English and French, offer tools when the tides of emotions are high.
• the 1-Year Biovedic Beauty Certification Program develops grace and flexibility, and provides countless tools on the journey of beauty.

All three include components on aromatherapy, ayurveda and much more.

TEST YOUR MEMORY AND KNOWLEDGE OF AYURVEDA AND AROMATHERAPY

Here is a short quiz for the fun of it. Whether you have been reading my blog for a long or short while, enjoy testing your memory or sniffing out the answers through its various entries. For those who want quick answers, see below.

1. What are plants that support the female hormonal system?

• fennel
•  shatavari
• ashwanganda
• evening primrose
•  all of the above
• none of the above

YOUR SKIN CELLS HAVE SUCH GREAT MEMORY!

The human cell: no wonder it has such
good memory.

Skin cells have an incredible memory. You may have experienced this yourself. For example, years after having recovered from surgery or a trauma of some kind, you’re getting a treatment from an ayurvedic practitioner, a chiropractor, an acupuncturist or a massage therapist. Then seemingly out of nowhere, a memory blocking self-healing comes up through

MINI-QUIZ FOR A LAZY AFTERNOON

All answers to these questions are found in previous posts, but it's summer, so I made it easy to check the answers for those with a Pitta mind with answers below.

1. What gift did the magic pumpkin give Cinderella on the night of the ball?

1. almond milk to keep a rosy complexion
2. sparkle oil for her dancing shoes
3. a password to win the prince’s heart
4. pumpkin seeds to make beauty oil (answer in CINDERELLA'S CARRIAGE HAD A GIFt FOR HER... AND FOR YOU TOO!)

1. According to ayurveda, which constitution (dosha) is most likely to be upset during summer?

1. Vata (air and space)
2. Pitta (fire and water)
3. Kapha (water and earth)

3. To balance dry skin and hair, nervousness, insomnia and constipation, it is best to:

1. never miss an opportunity to go out and have fun.
2. decrease your consumption of crackers, increase oil in your diet and skin care, avoid stimulants and rushing.
3. go South during winter

4. What can cool off and heal sunburns?

1. aloe vera gel
2. plain organic yogourt
3. lavender hydrosol
4. all of the above

5. A shirodara is :

1. a full body massage by two practitioners
2. a massage of the forehead with warm oil to balance the Vata constitution
3. a massage of the forehead with cool milk to balance the Pitta constitution
4. 2 and 3

6. Which vitamin is essential to the life of a skin cell?

1. B3
2. E
3. Zinc
4. A

7. Which massage oil mix is most likely to help with sluggish digestion?

1. cumin, anis, ginger, cardamom essential oils with sesame oil
2. vetiver, eucalyptus and frankincense essential oils in coconut oil
3. cedar, birch and pine essential oil in petroleum jelly (Vaseline)

8. Which are the most effective ingredients to preserve the integrity of moisturizing creams?

1. essential oils
2. hydrosols
3. certain vitamins
4. jojoba
5. clay
6. 1, 3 and 4
7. 1, 2 and 5

9. Face to Grace offers courses on topics such as:

1. ayurveda, aromatherapy and energy work
2. yoga
3. ayurvedic nutrition
4. stress and emotions
5. a 1-year beauty certification program
6. all of the above
7. 1, 4 and 5

10. Pimples on the chin and lower area of the face indicate a Kapha disbalance.

1. True?
2. False?

****

ANSWER KEY:

1. (4); 2. (2) Too much of anything creates disblance; 3. (2) Number 3 could work, as long as you hydrate yourself and avoid stimulants, eg. alcohol and over-activity; 4. (4); 5. (4); 6. (2) All are good, but vitamin E is essential; 7. (1); 8. (6); 9. (7); 10. (1)

MOLD AND EMOTIONS: A DIRECT LINK

My visit to the coastal islands Saturna and Salt Spring Island, in British Columbia, continue to inspire me. The thing that struck me most, at least at first, was the incredible humid and rainy weather. But this type of weather was also awaiting here in Ottawa and in many other places in the world such as Germany, where the Danube is currently spreading out of its bed for hundreds of miles.

A voracious destroyer of life

Fascinating to see the strong forces
of growth and decay
at work in this park, close to Victoria.

In extreme kapha conditions, one of the most dangerous creature finds a haven:

CINDERELLA'S CARRIAGE HAD A GIFt FOR HER... AND FOR YOU TOO!

The author of the famous fairy tale never mentioned what happened during the carriage ride that brought Cinderella to the castle to meet her prince on that magic night.

This past weekend, I made a discovery that

PANCHA KARMA IN KANNUR, YEAR 2

My friend Anamda receives a blessing and an offering
of turmeric from the
"priest" at this 500-year old Kovu (temple).

Although I doubted I would ever return to Kannur, here I am, reporting on my second pancha karma experience. In fact, the trip would turn out to bring much more than a great cleanse, swimming in the ocean and shopping. Mind you, the gold jewelry stores display incredible quantity, creativity and splendor.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: THE BOOK OF BEAUTY

It sometimes takes a long time to make a dream come true. This week, mine finally arrived in four boxes. My first official publication, The Book of Beauty: Making Skin Care Products with Aromatherapy and Ayurveda. When I was six years old, my mother bought me my first brand new book, Martine à la mer. Right there and then, I knew I wanted to become an author. I spent most of my career writing as a reporter, as a communications officer or in some other capacity but it did not meet this urge deep within. Now this one did and propelled me to start another one.

The Book of Beauty summarizes everything I learned over the past 15 years about making skin care products. I share with readers the basics of Ayurveda as it relates to skin types and provide a test that allows you to assess your own and other people's dosha or constitution with photos that support the teachings.

NATURE'S BOUNTY FOR YOUR BEAUTY: TURMERiC, NEEM, HENNA AND HIBISCUS

Comes February, I will be back in Kerala, India, for 21 days of pancha karma treatment and to learn more about ayurvedic use of medicinal herbs for health and beauty. Already familiar with turmeric, neem and henna, I discovered the wonders of hibiscus for amazing hair during my last trip.

Turmeric

North Americans are familiar with turmeric as

DECOMPRESS WITH HOT AND COLD COMPRESSES

Compresses are great for a great many conditions and the ingredients to use for them will vary accordingly.

Both hot and cold compresses can be used, but for different purposes.

Rules of thumb


- Using hot or cold compresses depends both on the condition and the person’s dosha.
- Never apply a hot compress on the head.

HOLLOWEE'N, HOUSES AND MASKS

Do you sometimes dream of house? This morning, I was meditating to find a topic for this blog. This lead me to my heart chakra where I found a wonderful house, welcoming, well lit and with bright windows and cheerful colours. This was a start contrast to the state of the gloomy, decrepit houses I used to dream about years ago when I was healing from burn out. They looked like Hollowee’n houses, without moonlight. I also also wanted to bring something fun to this blog for Hollowee’n, so here's an experiment in mask making.

PEOPLE WATCHING... ELEMENTS AT PLAY

New adepts of Ayurveda
at Encounters of Canada

Do you enjoy watching people or yourself? Consider Ayurveda as a starting point of your observations and you will see a new world unfolding in front of you. I recently had two ideal situations that provided unique vantage points to observe the impact of fire and the other elements in people and their interactions. The first one occurred during a workshop to a group of teenagers, the second one during the journey

to Kannur, India,