Following a beautiful inner beauty workshop last weekend Im here to share a few little techniques that can help keep your skin glowing and inspire your self care routine. There are many wonderful things that we can do for our bodies without products, self massage is a huge one that I would highly recommend getting into, not only does it feel nice to connect to ourselves it can help promote circulation, tone, decreases lines and cellulite, lymph drainage & release the connective tissues. We spend a lot of time (and possibly money) working on our bodies and forget about the face! So read on for natural skin care tips that might be a game changer for you.
Breathe.
First things first, breathe. It might sound so simple me asking you to breathe but most of the time we are unconsciously breathing, its just there, doing its thing and we are going about our day to day activities. What we may not notice is that our environment, stimulation, stress, conversations, activities and exercise all influence how the breath moves in and out of the body. When we are stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. (even concentrating!) we hold our breath, we can put the body into a state of flight or fight meaning its constantly on high alert and unable to relax. By learning to slow down and breathe for a few seconds-minutes can really help bring the body and mind into balance.
+ Finding a comfortable seated posture - reclined is welcome too.
+ Close the eyes and take your time to listen to the breath. You do not need to change it.
+ Each time you find the mind wanders off come back to the breath.
+ You can enjoy slow quiet breaths in and extend the exhalation for a calming response.
Dry brushing
One of my favourite things to do before a shower! With a soft bristled brush (See here) you take time with small strokes which move up the body from the feet towards the heart. This practice boosts the blood flow and promotes lymph flow & drainage. It's an interesting sensation to get used to, like shivers or cold waves over the body, it might take a little while to get used too, imagine the brush stimulating and waking up your muscles! It's great for exfoliating the skin and giving your skin a lovely natural glow. The perfect natural wake up call. Want to know more? I had a dedicated blog with more detail here:
Oil Pulling
This is something you may or may not of heard of, the thought of swishing around oil in your mouth might put you off but the benefits are amazing. Along side your tooth brushing and tongue scraping this is something that can be done as a part of your oral hygiene, before brushing, after scraping! Oil pulling is fantastic at drawing out toxins and bacteria out of the mouth. You put a tsp of oil (my preferred oil is below) in your mouth and swish/gargle it around for 20 minutes. As well as cleaning the teeth and mouth you get a great face yoga workout! Guru Nanda is what Im currently using and its amazing! Find the link here.
You can also find a blog post here:
Cold(er) showers
Cold showers are not for everyone... BUT can be really helpful in boosting our immunity, circulation, improves focus and concentration. If you want to give it a go, it can be a super gradual process and you don't need to go from HOT to FREEZING COLD. Take your normal shower at your normal temperature and just before you get out turn the temperature down a little. Just to a place where you are not used to, feel how the body responds. Take slow deep breaths and after 30 seconds you can turn it off! Every time you have a shower experiment with the temperature and time you can stay within it, this helps you to build your tolerance, resilience and will help you become accustomed to hot and cold temperatures!
Cold immersion can feel like a shock to the system, it truly wakes the body up and allows you to be alert! Its wonderful to cleanse the body, improve skin, cellulite and reduce fat.
If you haven't heard of Wim Hof...have a read, he's one of my inspirations!
Gua Sha
Gua Sha is very popular right now and all for good reason, who knew a beautiful smooth gemstone tool can stroke across the face and leave us plumped, toned and glowing! I have been practicing Gua Sha for a few years, its enabled me to build confidence to not wear foundation and I haven't for years. Using Gua Sha manipulates the muscles, it can strengthen, lengthen and tone and really make a difference. All you need is a little moisturiser on the skin and you glide the tool across the skin with gentle pressure. Manipulating the muscles and skin we can increase blood flow, we can create vibrance and give our faces the attention that they deserve! Think about it this way, we go to the gym, workout, run, swim and do many things to strengthen and build muscle to create definition in our body so why can't we do the same with our face?!
(Facial videos are currently being recorded!)
Warm lemon water
Lemon water despite being sour, actually turns alkaline when broken down by the body. Which in turn balances out the bodies acidity. When we eat highly acidic foods it can increase inflammation, mucus production and increase the chance of getting ill. Ever noticed that you get ill more often when you eat rubbish? Drinking lemon water regularly decreases acidity in your body and removes uric acid from joints. It enhances enzyme function, stimulating your liver and activating bile flow, which helps emulsify and flush out fat soluble toxins. You will notice if you drink it daily for longer than a week your skin will start to glow, heal and breakouts will be less!
Gratitude meditation
This simple meditation that can be practiced anywhere, anytime, in a quiet spot in the morning, in the car driving to work, in the shower or just before bed.
+ Find a comfortable posture with the head lifted, neck spacious yet soft.
+ Gently relax the face, allow the jaw to relax.
+ Begin to notice your natural breath. The gentle movements it creates, the sound.
+ Sit with the breath for a little while, and if the mind wanders off, come back to the breath.
+ Within your mind, tell yourself 5 things you are grateful for.
+ Repeat these 5 things with your mind, several times.
+ Breathing in with gratitude, breathing out repeating the words.
+ Come back to the breath, subtle, soft and calm.
Practice this every day, bringing our mind to the things we are grateful for will help us shift our outlook in a positive way, it boosts our mood, it reflects the things we value.
Simplifying things in our life and stripping everything back to basics can be so helpful in keeping us grounded, healthy and self sufficient. Id love to hear your morning routines or the little things you do to keep you in check. Remember it takes 6 weeks to form a new habit, so give them all a go...see what happens!
If you enjoyed this read and would like to explore a few more mindfulness practices you may enjoy this blog post too! https://www.wildloveyoga.com/post/4-mindful-practices
Thank you for spending time,
V x