Winter skin – facial skincare treatment

I have noticed during the last few days that my facial skin is becoming a little dry; perfectly natural during the colder months. I have introduced a weekly cleansing routine to nourish the delicate complexion. This is ideally performed in the morning.

Firstly, an oil massage to maintain moisture levels and boost circulation. Right now I am using Neal’s Yard Orange Flower Facial Oil, which comes in a handy dropper bottle for easy application. I would also recommend Weleda’s Wild Rose Intensive Facial Oil capsules, rich in essential fatty acids and winner in the 2009 Natural Beauty Awards. A budget option would be pure apricot kernel oil. This has a delicate sweet scent and is intensely moisturising, often the base ingredient in natural skincare products. Ask for it at your local health food store.

Apply the oil with light upward strokes from below the jawline to the forehead. Use fingertips to ‘tap’ all over the face, taking care around the eyes. If time permits, rest with the eyes covered in cotton wool pads soaked in witch hazel and pre-cooled in the fridge.

Now exfoliate with your preferred product. Modern Friction by Origins is widely acclaimed; One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser from Clarins is suitable for daily use, Boots Botanics Purifying Face Scrub is a great budget buy.

Apply with the fingertips, patting and rolling the product, avoid vigorous scrubbing movements.

Remove with a muslin square soaked in hot water to which you have added your favourite essential oil: I favour lavender, frankincense or orange, dependant on my mood.

Follow with a cool cloth, apply toner and daycream. Voila! You should be experiencing bright, clear and well hydrated skin.

Chin mudra - gesture of consciousness

Chin mudra is well known and commonly associated with yoga: picture a yogin in seated pose, eyes closed, hands balanced on thigh or knee, open palms with thumb and forefinger touching. A simple yet auspicious form.

Sit comfortably, either in sukhasana, siddasana or padmasana. Rest the back of the wrists on the upper thigh, close to the knee. This in itself creates a closed energy circuit within the body and stimulates one of the main nadi (energy channels) on the inner thigh. With relaxed arms and soft, open hands, touch the tumb and tip of forefinger. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the rhythm of your breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils.

Symbolically, chin mudra represents the joining of jiva atma or individual consciousness with brahma or universal consciousness. An appropriate mantra would be so-ham, inhaling so and exhaling ham. Brief and powerful, so-ham can be interpreted as I am that; a reminder of our true and infinite nature.

Autumn yoga: a quiet practice

I arrived at class today to find several of my regular students already in the teaching studio, arranged in corpse pose, covered with blankets. I took this as a sign that a quieter practice was called for!

The weather outside was pretty turbulent; the long Indian summer of warm sunny days that persisted through September and October has yielded sharply to a November of chillier temperatures and the return of the rain.

The steady yellow glow from a halogen heater in the corner of the studio was evocative of the departed sun. We used ujjayi pranayama to increase our inner fire or agni and create heat internally. This warrior breath can be used throughout the practice of sun salutations and standing poses.

The use of additional stretches, parsva chakrasana, kati chakrasana are also appropriate during the colder months and we may have to make peace with a lesser range of movement. It feels good to spend longer in restorative poses such as balasana (childs pose), creating natural pauses in our asana sequences. Generally working with fewer poses. And we opted for a a passive inversion, with the trunk relaxed on the ground and the legs raised and supported on the wall.

A longer savasana is also called for, with a blanket to retain heat; allowing the body to rest completely. As we rested quietly in the final moments of the session, the rain ceased, the sun reappeared. A welcome blessing!

Cracking joints – an ayurvedic perspective

The sound of cracking joints, perhaps when rotating wrists or ankles is a clear signal that something is not quite right. It is the audible expression of vata dosha, the air aspect of our constitution. The popping sound accompanies the release of gas in the joints.

Usually, this comes about as a result of overexertion, a period of increased activity or movement creates an excess of vata in our system. This effect may be more strongly felt during autumn which is the season of vata: it is a time of change characterised by wind and falling leaves, a drying out as the life force of the natural world is withdrawn as we move towards winter.

If unattended to, vata will accumulate in the tissues of the body and overtime may manifest in degenerative conditions such as arthritis.

To restore balance firstly it is a matter of slowing down and resting. This brings a halt the generation of vata and allows us to harmonise with the seasonal cycle. Joint health is restored through lubrication. Warming, nourishing, heavy oil counters the qualities of vata (light, dry, mobile, rough, erratic). If possible take a professional massage treatment on a weekly or fortnightly basis throughout the colder months. As part of your evening routine, apply lightly warmed sesame oil to the body in light strokes in the direction of the heart. Pay special attention to hands and feet, ankles and wrists.

You may like to use mahanarayan ayurvedic oil, an ancient traditional formula prepared with medicinal herbs that restore and maintain the health of your joints, available widely on the internet, I have found a good brand reasonably priced here.

Wishing you good joint health!

October arrives!

October brings the first frosts, vivid autumnal foliage, the clocks are adjusted hastening darkened evenings and celebration: Hallowe’en, Samhain, Diwali. We bring fire into our lives through lighting and heating our homes, warming food and burning candles.

I enjoy the subtle changes that can be noticed on a daily basis at this time of year: a few final warm, sunny afternoons, the turning of a leaf, horse chestnuts, acorns and beechnuts strewn in abundance in country lanes. The enchanting morning mists, the sharp chill in the air and glorious melting sunsets.

In terms of our yoga, we can respect Nature’s rhythm by slowing our practice and taking a longer savasana so as to harmonise with the resting phase of the annual cycle. We can add heat to counteract the chilly, damp mornings with heating pranayama and meditation on the sun, fire or our own solar centre.

Ayurveda would further suggest the use of warming colours for our clothes and in our homes and taking brisk exercise outdoors at midday whilst the sun is at maximum strength. We might consider supplements to increase the digestive fire such as black pepper and ginger powder, or ashwaghanda to maintain a strong immune system.

I have started using the sauna once or twice weekly to detoxify and add heat and am favouring gently warmed soup over juices. My essential oils have become less floral and more woody and spicy: using rosemary and black pepper in footbaths and for massage.

Enjoy October!