This morning my boyfriend woke up earlier than usual and was awake and up for my morning routine; deep breathing, a cup of tea, the occasional oil pull, and asanas and pranayama. 


His comment got me thinking how taking care of our bodies is our job we need to do every day.  I believe that the body is a temple; it is home to our mind and our soul, the true significance of our life.   It is our duty to exercise our body so that we can improve our mind and nurture our soul to continue our development as spiritual beings.  Our bodies are not to be abused or neglected; they should be treated as something that is sacred and the house to life.

Yoga is my way to keep my body a healthy temple.  The idea of the body as a temple stems make to the earliest stages of yoga; respect for all, including the body.  Through the practice there is constant evidence that yoga is a way to treat your body as a temple.

Asanas work to keep the physical body healthy and strong.  I look at daily asanas as daily upkeep, keeping the house clean is a daily task and so should your body.  Practicing ayurveda gives us a little more than asanas and makes for a routine of self-care. 

Through daily yoga practices and a healthy lifestyle we can achieve the four purusharthas; dharma, living life’s purpose; artha, the prosperity and wealthy needed to live well; kama, the enjoyment and pleasure; and moksha, the spiritual liberation. 

We are born into untouched bodies that experience every stage of life with us.  If we do not take care of that, our experiences stop and we can no long evolve our minds or our spirit.  The way you treat your body effects your soul and who you are as a human being. We shouldn’t just focus on keeping our body active and physically healthy, it is equality as important to nourish the body with spirituality and wholesome nourishing food.  Surround yourself with people who life your spirits and challenge you.  Stay positive and your body will thank you.

Your body is your temple, take care of it.

Namaste.
Anita

Buying skin and hair products in a necessity everybody has to do.  But do you actually know what all the ingredients are in your product of choice?  Or do you try finding the all-natural substitutes and do you know what all the ingredients are in that?  I just finished reading this article about the ingredients that you should avoid using that are commonly in body and hair products.


I hadn't heard of a good majority of them but when to look at my face creams and my partners hair products, and sure enough, there were some ingredients to avoid in them.  I was shocked because I am usually really conscious about what we are consuming, putting on our body, and what is around us.  It is always important to stay up to date with all the ingredients “they” are putting in products we use all the time.

• I found the ingredients triclosan and triclocarban in my partner’s soap.  Triclosan was found the disrupt thyroid functions and reproductive hormones.  And they are both toxic to aquatic life.

• Oxybenzone is often in sunscreen and has been found to cause skin irritation and allergies.  It can also disrupt hormonal systems.

• Micro-beads are in so many of the skin products and exfoliates these days.  All they are, are tiny pieces of plastic and because they are so small they are difficult to be filtered out of the water treatment facilitates and end up in lakes and rivers.

• On the list they also mentioned, formaldehyde releasers, parabens, polyethylene glycol, and ceteareth compounds to avoid.

There are so many bad ingredients that the companies try to sneak into products that we use so frequently.  Making yourself aware of what you are using and inadvertently supporting is very important to your health and to those around you.

Do you know of any more ingredients that are harmful that companies try sneaking into products we use?  I would love to find out more.

Namaste.

Anita

Today I decided to treat myself to a wonderful all-natural ayurvedic facial.  I have talked about Ayurvedic traditions before in regards to oil pulling.

These traditions have been around for thousands of years and are very beneficial to the body.  Many years ago I found instructions to give yourself an Ayurvedic facial and have modified it through the years and my changing skin types throughout the seasons.

I typically have slightly oily skin that is rosy so I have mastered the recipe.

I mash half of a banana, add a teaspoon of honey and 10 drops of an essential oil like sandalwood, rose, or ylang-ylang.  I apply it to my face and meditate for about 20 minutes then rinse off the facial.  It really brightens my skin and even my attitude.

My partner partakes in the facials every once in a while and has dry/ combination skin.  He mixes ½ cup of almond meal and ½ cup dry organic milk then adds 1 tablespoon of organic heavy whipping cream and 10 drops of essential oils like neroli, jasmine or rose.  Then applies it to his face and only keeps it on for about 10-15 minutes.  This mixture usually has left overs so we just keep it refrigerated and use it again in a week or two.

If you have oily skin like one of my good friends, mash several large strawberries and add about 5 drops of clary sage oil and 5 drops of lavender essential oil and apply to your face.  Do some meditation or just relax for about 20 minutes then rinse it off.



Taking care of your skin is an important aspect of taking care of your body.  There is no need to book an appointment at a spa when you can do fabulous all-natural ayurvedic facials at home with all-natural ingredients.

Do you make your own body treatments? I would love to learn about what you use to make them and try it out.

Namaste,

Anita