Boost Energy, Emotional health, Essential Oils, Natural Beauty, Toxin-free living, Women's health

The Most Loving Morning Skin Care Routine

Our skin is a reflection of the body’s inner harmony. As I’ve already shared in Natural Secrets for Beautiful Clear Skin much of our skin’s appearance has to do with how well hydrated we are, how balanced our diet is, and how well we’re avoiding and eliminating toxins. However, it’s also possible to experience holistic health by treating the outside of the skin too. I love to combine 2 ancient Ayurvedic practices for the skin that create systemic benefits. This morning skin care routine will nourish your whole body, boost your energy, and improve your mood!

Why You Should Adopt a Morning Skin Care Routine

Morning time (between 3-7am) is related to the Lung and Large Intestine organs, according to Chinese Medicine, which is also related to the skin. So it’s important to nourish the skin at this time to bring balance to those organs. The opposite is also true, that this is the best time to do a deep breathing practice and stimulate bowel movements to support clear, healthy skin.

Working with the skin can be both invigorating and calming, which is a wonderful way to start the day. Taking the time to connect with yourself with touch – a powerful form of self-love – is also a huge aspect of achieving holistic health.

Combining the Ayurvedic rituals of Dry Skin Brushing (Garshana) and Ayurvedic Oil Massage (Abhyanga) in the morning will jump start your body to work at it’s finest while also connecting to your heart and loving nature.

Benefits and Practice of Dry Skin Brushing (Garshana) and Ayurvedic Oil Massage (Abhyanga)

Dry Skin Brushing and Ayurvedic Oil Massage share these benefits:

Increased circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body, which improves immune system function
Greater removal of toxins and impurities from the body as lymph drainage is stimulated
Improved muscle tone
Beautiful luster on the skin
Stress relief
Feeling both invigorated and soothed in body, heart, and mind

Dry Skin Brushing exfoliates the skin and unclogs pores. Then the skin can absorb nutrients and health-b00sting elements from the carrier and essential oils used in the Ayurvedic Oil Massage.

Before getting to this morning skin care protocol, you may want to download my FREE stress-relieving self-acupressure guide that you can use in the evening, sandwiching your day with self-love!

How to Dry Brush Your Skin

Instructions

Use a brush with natural bristles. I prefer using a long-handled brush like the one featured below. I like to add a few drops of therapeutic-grade essential oil to the bristles so they immediately enter the skin after the outer layer is exfoliated away. (If you’d like to do your face too, make sure you get a soft brush made exclusively for dry skin brushing of the face – see video for instructions.)
Stand in the shower or tub so you dead skin cells are captured.
Brush lightly, starting from your feet and moving up in long strokes. All strokes should be moving from your extremities into your center, toward your heart, to improve circulation.
Create clockwise strokes across your abdomen, chest, and inside each armpit.
Avoid any areas where you have cuts, rashes, eczema, and burns. Go lightly over the breasts and abdomen, which tend to be more sensitive.
Before rinsing off, go to the next practice of Ayurvedic Self Oil Massage.

How to Perform an Ayurvedic Oil Self-Massage

This routine is very soothing for the body, heart, and mind. The ancient ritual of anointing your body with oil can be deeply spiritual as well, helping you connect with your inner Goddess.

The oil also helps protect your skin as it’s moisturized and should be used instead of any conventional lotions that are filled with preservatives and other toxic substances.

Instructions:

After dry brushing your body, choose an oil to use for the Ayurvedic Massage. Sesame seed oil is a great neutral oil that can benefit all constitutions. If you’d like to use an oil that is specific to you type of skin, choose from below:
- Dry skin (Vata Dosha) – Avocado, Olive, Coconut
- Red, sensitive skin (Pitta Dosha) – Almond, Sunflower
- Oily skin (Kapha Dosha) – Safflower, Corn
Warm the oil gently under hot water before massaging it over your entire body.
Start with the scalp (if you don’t mind washing your hair afterwards or just leave it in as a day-conditioner). Then continue to face, making upward strokes from jaw to forehead.
Massage down the torso and out to each limb. Spend some extra time massaging the belly clockwise, in the same direction as digestive flow. Also make sure your hands and feet are thoroughly massaged, which each contain important acupressure and marma points responsible for vibrant health.
Take a hot shower or bath to slowly remove the oil. It’s best that you only use soap on strategic areas that tend to smell like the genitals, armpits, and feet. The soap should be free of harsh, toxic ingredients since you’re skin will now be a sponge and pretty much a direct path to the bloodstream.
Dry off gently by blotting your skin with a towel.
For a sensual touch that is said to give you the aura of a saint, apply 1-2 drops of sustainably-sourced sandalwood, jasmine, or rose essential oils to your belly button, nipples, and temples.

I hope you can make time for this skin care routine every morning! Please let me know how it works for you, in the comments.

If you haven’t done so already, you’ll want to get my stress-relieving self-acupressure guide that will help you relieve tension, boost your energy, and improve your sleep in less than 10 minutes! You can add this protocol at the end of your day.

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morning skin care routine

Essential Oils, Gut Health, Natural Beauty, Natural Remedies, Supplements, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Natural Secrets For Beautiful Clear Skin

This was a Facebook Live in our Blissful Living Community Group
for my dōTERRA customers.

Everyone desires beautiful skin! Few have escaped the embarrassment of acne and blemishes. Many moms have experienced concern for their kids with rashes and eczema. As we age, and particularly in Autumn & Winter, we experience more dry, wrinkle-prone skin. I’ve experienced and overcome all of those conditions. Therefore, I’m thrilled to share my natural secrets for clear skin with you, while boosting your health & confidence!

In the Western Medicine approach to skin conditions, the focus is on treating the skin itself, oftentimes with harsh products that have many undesirable side effects. Many of these have questionable safety profiles and can damage other aspects of your health.

Wouldn’t you rather get to the root of your skin issue and experience benefits only? You’ll get that with a natural approach to skin health. Want to know the secret?

The secret to having beautiful skin is to achieve health inside the body.

If you cleanse and support your body internally, you will see more positive results externally, because the skin is simply a reflection of what’s going on inside.

I’m not wearing any makeup at all in the picture above. I did use a soft-focus filter to make the tint more appealing for this post, but did not touch it up. My skin is not perfect, I still have wrinkles, scars, and monthly pimples. It is tremendously better at 45 years old than it was in my 20’s though!

Back then my system was flooded with hormones from the birth control pills and low quality animal products I was consuming. My gut health was a mess. Later on I would develop an autoimmune condition because of it. It took me over a decade to gain all the knowledge I have today. In the process, I’ve healed myself from the inside. This skin, that I’m now proud to show off, is a natural byproduct of my efforts.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Skin Health

In TCM, it’s known that any skin issue is due to an imbalance of energy in the Lung & Large intestine paired organs and the channels that traverse them. We’re considered microcosms of nature and can be affected by the same elements we experience in our environment. When a rash, eczema or acne vents to the skin, it’s usually “damp heat” in these channels. Dryness of the skin is “dryness” in these channels. Oftentimes imbalances of other organs/channels can affect the Lung & Large Intestine as well, particularly the Stomach, Spleen, and Liver.

The etiology is often poor diet, overwork, and emotional imbalance. Treatment is focused on balancing the diet with support of appropriate herbs, acupuncture, and managing stress. It’s essential that the large intestine energy is moving, meaning that you’re having daily, well-formed bowel movements. This way, you’re clearing your body of “heat and toxins” through the bowels and not just the skin.

Before reading about my natural secrets for beautiful skin, you may want to get my FREE stress-relieving self-acupressure guide. It will help you relieve tension and improve your sleep, in just 10 minutes! I know you’ll love it, and you can get it here:

Natural Steps to Achieve Clear Skin from the Inside

Hydrate

Plump, moist skin is reflective of hydrated cells. You’ll want to make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day, which should total half your body weight in ounces (eg. if you’re 160 lbs, you’ll drink 80 oz. of water). Try to have much of it first things in the morning upon waking, so you’ll prime your digestion and hopefully poop.

Sweat to Detox

Toxins are released from the body through the pores of our skin as we sweat. This is best done with exercise so you’re benefiting the lungs too with the exertion. You only need to do enough to break a sweat, as you don’t want it pouring out, dehydrating you!

Sweating in saunas and hot baths can also help free the body and benefit the skin. Just be sure to have clean skin before you sweat. If you’re wearing makeup or sunscreen, they can clog your pores, reducing the potential of detoxing through the skin.

Heal the Gut

Similar to the TCM approach, modern functional medicine also advises that you focus on gut health first when wanting to improve your skin. They recognize that the liver has a huge role to play as well. When it’s overburdened with pharmaceutical drugs, heavy metals, xenoestrogens from conventional personal care products, cortisol from stress, and excess of sex hormones, it becomes overburdened and sluggish. This can greatly impair digestive function.

Also, many of these same substances (including stress and too much sugar!) can damage beneficial bacteria in the gut. Without their defense, “bad” bacteria take over, making it more difficult to digest your favorite foods and causing inflammation. This inflammation vents to the skin.I always suggest doing an elimination diet which will help you identify any food intolerances and will also give you time to detox. If you follow this diet for 90 days, you’ll be giving your gut ample time to turnover damaged cells for healthy ones which may be enough to heal the intolerance.

Read these posts to learn more about how gut health is impaired and how to improve it:

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 1

Improve Your Family’s Gut Health, part 2

I suggest this program when embarking on an elimination diet. I’ve done it a few times with great success:

The Elimination Diet

If you need even more structure, I recommend this program from Standard Process which includes some whole food supplements and a shake. If you’re interested, contact me for a consultation and I can help you get it:

Standard Process Purification Program

Essential Oils & Natural Products for Beautiful Skin

Cleansing the skin is still important on the outside, but we need to be careful because there are beneficial bacteria on the surface of the skin as well. I suggest always opting for natural products that can improve skin tone without stripping the skin of this important defense.

I am very particular about the essential oils I use. I’ve aligned with one company because of their commitment to quality and purity. They are also making a huge impact integrating into and improving health care in this country while supporting global communities where these oils are sourced.

Best Essential Oils for Skin:

My Favorite Products:

HD Clear (great for teens!)

Verage skin care

Detoxifying mud mask

Hydrating Cream

I hope you’re feeling hopeful about treating your skin issues with a natural, inside-out approach. I’d love to hear about your efforts in the comments! Please leave a comment below.

As you just learned, managing stress is key to keeping the gut and skin healthy! Download my FREE self-acupressure guide to stay ahead of the effects of stress, before they impact your gut and skin. You can get it here:

Emotional health, Natural Beauty, Personal Development, Women's health

How To Be Thankful For Your Body, As It Is

Gratitude is a quality we can be constantly developing to feel more connected in our lives. With the slowing energy of Autumn and the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving with family and friends, we’re more likely to take pause at this time to appreciate all the blessings in our lives. One that I’d like to highlight today is the amazing human body and how to accept your body as it is.

Do you love and appreciate your body? For many of us, the answer is “NO”.

There might be something about our appearance that we’d like to change. Or maybe we’ve had some health challenges that have made us feel betrayed by our bodies. Perhaps we DO go through periods of being very thankful for our physical state, but it’s only after a health scare or after someone close to us dies.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to be thankful for your body everyday? Imagine what that may look like.

With that degree of appreciation, we would drop many fears and insecurities. We would make fewer judgements about the appearance of other people too. Most notably, you’d probably stay well for longer stretches of time if you’re constantly checking in with your body, addressing the smallest complaints quickly with devoted self-care.

We all need help in this area. But women are especially sensitive to body image issues and many moms tend to become more disconnected to their bodies as they start to care for their children.

Below are a few ideas to help you feel truly thankful for this precious vehicle that has carried you so far in your life and will continue to do so, hopefully for many more decades to come.

Before you read on, you may want to get my FREE self-acupressure guide. It will not only teach you how to accept your body, but will also relieve tension and get you to sleep sooner & deeper! I promise, you’ll love it!

Here’s 10 ways you can develop acceptance for your body

1. Consider the body’s amazing capacity to heal

Most of our standard healthcare is focused on pathology. Fear of disease should not be your motivation for keeping your body well. Deep love and respect should be your motivation. To help you develop respect for your body, consider it’s amazing ability to maintain balance and heal.

Our immune system rushes to our aid whenever we have a cut or there’s a foreign microscopic invader. It’s runs on autopilot to keep your heart beating, breath moving, and temperature stable. It WANTS to find balance and is always giving you clues when it’s feeling overwhelmed.

To learn more, you might want to check out the new documentary HEAL which chronicles the health journey of several people who are trying to befriend their bodies and investigate how thoughts and emotions (in response to the outside world) affect their physical health.

2. Seek out natural solutions to aid your body

Mind-body exercises (Yoga, qigong, taichi) and holistic medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, Aromatherapy, etc.) work WITH the body and help it heal itself.

In my practice, I find that the people who embrace the modalities that I offer take more responsibility for their health, feel empowered as they get better, and are truly grateful as they see their body change and adapt.

3. Consider the qualities that make you unique

I am short, muscular, and curvy – very far from the “ideal” lithe body that many women long for. As a tween and even through young adulthood people would tease me about working out a lot (which I did not) and it felt horrible.

But over the years I was able to accept the dichotomy of being strong AND feminine. And now I know that other people’s opinions about my body don’t matter.

We all have something about us that may seem different from others. Can you shift your mind and see this as a gift instead of something that makes you seem strange or different?

4. Fill your wardrobe with clothes that fit

Honestly, I need to take my own advice here. I am very, very slowly losing weight and I have a few pre-pregnancy items (7+ yrs. old!) that I’m still longing to get into. Why? I seriously don’t know and they are taking up space.

Are you doing the same? Maybe we should donate those clothes so people who are that size right now can wear them right now. We can fill our wardrobe with clothes that are appealing and comfortable, and not crowd it with those that remind us of our former self or a future ideal.

5. Support clothing companies that value a body-positive image

I love using my money to support causes and companies that share my values.

Beyond Yoga is where I buy most of my yoga clothes because they are made in the USA, carry sizes from XXS to XXL, and use photos on their website of women of all shapes and sizes too.

Shopping with an inclusive brand can really help if you’re needing a boost of body image acceptance. Here’s a few more brands you may want to look at:

5 Fashion brands that totally promote body positivity

6. Adorn your body

If you love your body, show it off! Nice form-fitting outfits, jewelry, makeup, slathering with essential oils – even getting piercings and tattoos – are ways many of us like to highlight our favorite features and honor our bodies.

7. Listen to your body

Again, your body is amazing and is always communicating with you! But the mind is powerful and can easily overlook these messages and even discount them.

If you want to accept your body as it is, you’ll need to take a good honest look at it’s condition. Accepting does not mean that we leave it alone though! Instead, we make conscious changes to give it what it needs. The following are typically alarm signals that the body is needing extra support:

Pain
Numbness
Unintentional weight gain/loss
Skin rashes/outbreaks
Digestive disturbances
Frequent illnesses
Fatigue
Dizziness
Disturbed sleep

We can thank our body for these messages, see all of this without shame, and move forward to give the body what it needs to come into balance (perhaps also asking for help from a health professional).

8. Appreciate it’s ability to experience pleasure

The way the body communicates with us is not all negative! Let’s thank it for it’s ability to experience pleasure as well. How?

Make your sex life a greater priority
Get regular massages or do self-massage
Take long, hot baths with pleasant smelling, therapeutic essential oils
Nourish your body with yummy but healthy foods (balance needs vs. cravings)
For exercise, do what is fun, what you enjoy!
Invest in self-care!

9. Move forward without regrets

Cultivating gratitude for the body requires us to live fully in the present moment.

I know a few people right now who are overwhelmed with health challenges and are constantly comparing their current condition with how they used to be in the past. It’s important to learn from the past, but then to move forward with this new knowledge.

Need inspiration? Check out this article that highlights 3 amputee yoginis who use their Instagram feeds to teach body positivity and help others embrace their current condition.

View this post on Instagram

Today’s goals are tomorrow’s milestones. #DailyMotivation #YogaInspo #BeMoreHuman #BetterThanYesterday #PushYourLimits #me #life #yoga #yogi #coach #asana #amputee #live #change #inspire #dream #namaste #yogateacher #spiritual #serenity #warrior #mission #amputeelife #bethechange #journey #freedom #salute #TestYourStrengths #NoExcuses #AmputeeYoga @kelseykoch 📸: @mikenaddeophoto

A post shared by Kelsey Koch (@kelseykoch) on Oct 29, 2017 at 7:36pm PDT

10. Use positive affirmations

Positive affirmations can be a great tool in changing unhelpful negative behavior like body shaming.

Simply use a search engine or Pinterest and input “body positive affirmations” to find one that matches what you need to be thankful for your body as it is. Here’s one that I like:

Do you have other ideas to help cultivate gratitude for our bodies and our health? We’d love to hear them! Please leave a comment below…

In addition, grab my FREE self-acupressure guide here so you can accept your body even more!