BOOOO, BOOOO: WHAT HAUNTS YOU?

On Hollowe’en, children play at being ghosts, pirates, witches, ghouls, clowns to play out all kinds of fearful to ridiculous aspects of the human psyche.

Some adults love to dress up too on that occasion, most often than not, expressing repressed aspects of themselves in some way or other to experience them and laugh at them. Others won’t even consider wearing a costume, so tight in their repression, fear or disdain. The dynamic of Hollowe’en is great to reveal aspects of what haunts us, what we judge, what we fear.

A BASKET FULL OF POSSIBILITIES THIS FALL-WINTER

Life, Love, Health, Beauty, Joy, Gratefulness, Peace. Those are qualities or vibrations that make us who we are, maintain us and bind us. We sometimes feel that our basket is so full that we want to share its content with everyone around us. Isn't  that when everyone tells you how beautiful and radiant you are? 

ELEGANT QUEEN ANN'S LACE GIFTS FOR A WEDDING

My friends Rémi and Rebecca got married this past weekend. They rallied the help of their friends to create a true community event. Some prepared food for 60 people. Some sang and played music instruments, recited poems, and our teacher lead the spiritual ceremony and hosted the event in her beautiful garden. The mother of the bride, a consummate potter, made candle holders. Children--young and old--were asked to blow soap bubbles. I was asked to take charge of making bouquets for the banquet tables while another friend used her ikebana skills to make arrangements for the buffet table.

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

ABOUT THE AURA and THE AURA CLEANSE AND PROTECTION PROGRAM

One of the ways you could
see your aura. Thanks to
Gilbert Heim for this picture.

As the vibration of the Earth changes, more and more people are sensitive to “energy”. The best proof is in the exploding numbers of people who see or perceive the aura, who have premonitions, perceive angels or entities of various realms, and of people attracted to reiki, shamanic work, bioenergetics, healing work, channelers, aromatherapy, and so on. You may be one of them.

So what is that energy that people perceive but don’t necessarily see? The most common term used is “the aura.” As a kid, seeing light of different colours around the head of the priest during mass, I wondered why it was not gold and floating above his head like in pious pictures. Later on, as a teenager, I wondered why I saw this and what  was the role of the aura. Since the late 1990s, I studied and learned to work with it. A couple of weeks ago, 

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.

RECIPE: LEMON VERBENA CLEANSING TEA

Although this fragrant recipe will suit all skin types, Kapha ladies and gents will enjoy it most. If you want to drink the tea, simply double the recipe. Great to improve digestion, which will also benefit your skin.

Ingredients:

5 leaves of lemon verbena

3 lavender stems with flowers

3 leaves of lemon balm

1 litre of water

Method:

• Make a tea with the following 3 fresh or dried herbs. 
• Let it steep for 11 minutes
• Let the tea cool off a bit
• When temperature is appropriate for your skin (warm enough to open the pores) soak 2 face cloths in the mixture.
• Quickly fold both facecloths in triangle shape, place first one tip up from nose to forehead, the second one tip down from under the nose to the chin.
• Make sure all areas of the face are covered.
• Add a small towel on top of everything if breathing is not an issue.
• Relax for 11 minutes.
• By then, the rest of your herb tea will have cooled off. Use it for a final rinse.
• OPTIONAL: Spray lavender hydrosol as a toner. If the day is cool, use ginger hydrosol instead.

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

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.

FRANKINCENSE: NUGGETS OF GREAT POWER

Frankincense, a precious, affordable
and versatile gift!

Apart from shoveling snow, there are so many ways of warming oneself! You may like vigorous cardio-vascular exercises, hot yoga, a Cuban beach, or a warm cup of chai tea by the stove. I discovered a fabulous new and affordable way recently. Using frankincense. A student asked if it was possible to make tincture with the resin of the frankincense tree. Intuitively, I believe it was, but could not say yes outright so we both researched it. I had frankincense resin at home that I burn occasionally for meditation and its essential oil used in healing work to balance the seventh chakra. That was the extent of my knowledge. Thanks to Chantal’s curiosity we discovered a treasure worthy of the cave of Ali Baba.

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

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.

RECIPE - 2 FABULOUS EXFOLIANTS

1. For the Vata and Kapha constitutions, therefore for cold-dry and cold-oily skin. Excellent to calm acne.

1/2 teaspoon of honey 1 cup of boiling water 5 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon of sage powder 5 fresh neem leaves or 1/4 teaspon of neem powder Method: - Infuse the herbs in boiling water. - Gradually dilute honey in approximatez 1 Tbsp of the infusion to obtain a texture that is smooth but not runny - Apply on your face and let penetrate for 11 minutes. - During that time, drink the rest of the tea. - Rince with tepid water. Use a coloured facecloth to avoid visible stains!

2. For the Pitta constitution, therefore sensitive hot skin, use: 2 teaspoons of rice syrup 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric 1/4 teaspoon of neem leaf approximately1/4 teaspoon of rice milk or organic cow's milk Method: - Make a smooth (but not runny) paste with all the ingredients. - Let penetrate for 11 minutes. Meanwhile, enjoy a nice cup of mint tea.

BEAUTY TIP - CHECK YOUR FACE FOR CLUES

Consider your face as a map on your journey to beauty. Pimples, wrinkles and other blemishes in various areas of the face indicate an area of depletion, stress, emotion and loss of balance of one element:

FOREHEAD: a loss of balance of the air (Vata) element; a discomfort or problem in the colon and/or can related to emotions of anxiety, fear and worry

NOSE AND CHEEKS: a loss of balance of the fire (Pitta) element; related to the small intestine and/or emotions of anger, jealousy and frustration

MOUTH, CHIN AND NECK: a loss of balance of the earth (Kapha) element; issue relates to the chest and stomach and/or to emotions of grief, depression and attachment.

Identify what is happening on you face and in your emotional life. See how this relates to the above.

Reviewing what you know about the elements and what you discovered about the emotions to which you gravitate most often, what will you do to bring back balance to your skin?

STAY YOUNG WITH GOLDEN MILK: A RECIPE

Aging is a normal process with many benefits. Several signs of decay associated with it, including the calcification and drying of the joints, can be slowed down considerably with proper maintenance. Golden milk is one of your ticket to liberation from cracking, stiffening joints. I see it a the velvety golden stream of nourishment that flows in the fountain of youth. This delicious recipe has been a staple of Ayuvedic medicine for few thousand years. Drink it regularly.

It is also used before (women) and after (men) sexual intercourse to replenish the ojas.

The recipe below serves 1 person.

Ingredients:

• 1/8 teaspon of turmeric
• 3 pods of cardamom
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup of milk or almond milk
• 1 Tbsp of ghee
• 1 tsp honey (2 for Vata) or maple or rice syrup for Pitta

Method:

1. Dilute the turmeric in water on high, then medium heat and stir until you obtain an nice paste.
2. Add milk and cardamom until comfortably warm.
3. Pour in a cup.
4. Add sweetener.
5. DO NOT add honey during the cooking process.

Enjoy!

WHAT CAN WEARING GEMS DO FOR YOU?

Under what stars were you born?

Did Eve and Adam wear gems in the garden of Eden? We likely will never know. However, given every human being’s desire to look and feel beautiful it is very likely. For eons, women, men and children have adorned themselves with flowers, feathers, animal parts, gems and precious metals to play, seduce, impress, or establish their status. Gems are also have been given other roles.

AMAZING GIFTS HIDE UNDER 'BAD' EMOTIONS

What hides behind emotions? 

The paradoxes life and the human experience bring up don’t cease to amaze me. It seems as though the more I desire something, whether beauty, wholeness, connection or

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.