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 in the body on the inside.

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 & toxins” through the bowels and not just the skin.

Natural Steps to Achieve Clear Skin from the Inside

Hydrate

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, cortisol from stress, and an excess of sex hormones, it becomes overburdened and sluggish. This can greatly impair digestive function.

Practicing yoga in a group setting definitely has it’s benefits:

• You’re likely to connect with like-minded people in yoga classes
• Attending studio events is a great way to build community.
• It’s also important to seek out a teacher that you resonate with, who is also accessible to you and the community.
• Working with a teacher who gives you feedback and who points out unhelpful habits or imbalances is invaluable.
• The energy of group classes can make practicing yoga fun & motivating.

Group classes are wonderful for so many reasons! Yet, they may not be enough to fulfill you.

Here’s 10 reasons why I prefer practicing yoga at home and why I encourage all my students to develop a home practice too.

10 Reasons Why You Should Do A Home Yoga Practice

1. It’s easier to be mindful

Mindfulness is the essence of yoga. It’s an inner process of observation and reflection; a state of being that is more difficult to connect with if there are outside distractions (that inevitably exist in group classes). At home, you have more control over the environment. It’s just you and your thoughts that you have to work with, which is challenging enough!

2. You can practice whatever you want, in your own timing

The pace of group classes is unique to the teacher’s style. Practicing at home, you can choose to stay less time, or longer if you’re like me and enjoy sinking into the experience each asana has to offer.

You can also spend more time in postures that will correct imbalances and do less of the ones that create them.

(For example, with my body, I’m stronger in my upper body to the point where I accumulate too much tension while my lower body is not as strong. I need to ground my energy too, so I’ve been doing sessions mainly of standing and seated postures with just headstand and shoulderstand as my upper-body-focused postures. Then I rest and meditate. I’m feeling much more balanced! It would be much harder to achieve this in a led class.)

3. There’s no self-consciousness or competition

It’s very challenging to practice in a group class without noticing what others are doing. Our minds habitually like to compare ourselves to others. While it’s good to notice and work with these habits, again, it’s just one more distraction. Practicing alone allows you to experience yoga without feeling superior or inferior to anyone.

4. You can create more time to relax deeply

Do you need to insert some restorative postures or extend your final rest in Savasana? You could do them in a group class too, but many people get too caught up with what everyone else is doing and fail to listen to cues from their bodies that are asking for more rest. You’re more likely to honor your body in a home practice.

5. You’ll develop greater discipline and commitment

No doubt, for most people it takes more discipline to adopt a home practice than to attend a group class where people might be expecting you. Your commitment will grow once you see how valuable your personal practice is though. Then, there’s no excuse to not do it! You can take your practice with you on vacation and can alter it when you’re sick. It becomes part of your daily health habits, just like brushing your teeth.

6. You’re likely to progress quicker

As I already mentioned, individualized attention means that you can focus on what you need and how much of it. Therefore, you’re going to see yourself progress much quicker, especially if you’re doing a personal practice everyday.

7. You can make your own schedule

To commit to a home practice, it’s nice to do it at a certain time of the day so you’re less likely to blow it off. I try to do mine early in the morning while my son is still asleep. It feels good to have exercised my body a little and have a bank of mindfulness to pull from for the rest of the day.

8. You’ll model self-care for your children

I know, it’s hard to carve out time to practice when you have young children in the home. Like me, you may prefer to do it early in the morning while they’re sleeping. But, I also enjoy doing a restorative practice at night as well, with my son near by.

It’s very important for kids to see you practicing yoga. You can establish boundaries with them so they learn to respect your time and space. They will see the importance you’re placing on self-care and will teach them a lot about how to care for themselves deeply as well.

9. You can meet & respect your inner teacher

Teachers can help you see certain aspects of yourself that are not apparent, but it always comes back to awareness, opening your mind, and accepting all that you are in order to meet your true self.

With a home practice, you’ll learn to look inside for guidance and trust what comes up. You start looking to yourself for answers instead of assuming that you need permission from others or that others have more wisdom than you. This is absolutely not true! No one knows you as you (can potentially) know yourself. This is precisely why I recommend that my own students have their own practice.

I love this quote from Rolf Sovik in his article Recognizing the Guru:

When students lean too heavily on the compassion of the teacher, another aspect of the guru’s nature is revealed. Teachers nurture the disciplines of practice. If our dependency becomes too strong, a teacher will often awaken our practice by stepping back. The Buddha put it very simply when he said, “Light thine own lamp.”

10. You’re more likely to experience Yoga

There are many definitions of Yoga.

It’s the…

…cessation of the fluctuations of the mind (Yoga Sutra)

…yoking or joining together of the many aspects of the Self

…ability to evolve spiritually from where we are now

All are possible, but only when we can commit to being alone with ourselves every day. A home yoga practice is how you can develop this degree of self-love.

Why Support Menstruation Naturally?

Regular periods with little-to-no-discomfort signify good health and fertility.  Why don’t we celebrate this dance between hormones that help create potential new life?  Yes, there is the inconvenience and possible mess.  But the main reason most women dread their period is because pain and other symptoms of imbalance accompany it.

Treating symptoms with conventional medicine is challenging.  Medical doctors do not have answers for women experiencing difficult periods other than birth control pills and pain medications. Both types of pharmaceuticals have major, negative, long-term side effects.  It’s always best to consult with your doctor first to rule out any serious issues.  Usually though, natural medicine is safer and more effective.

Essential Oils for Menstruation

For those seeking to manage the mild symptoms of menstruation naturally at home, essential oils are a fantastic option to explore. Below are the oils you’ll want to keep handy to manage the most common complaints.  They’ll help during your flow, and also during the premenstrual phase and ovulation as well.

The essential oils can be used topically on the area of discomfort (3-4 drops diluted in ~ 1 T of carrier oil). They can also be diffused to help balance emotions that are often at the root of many physical complaints.  Feel free to blend them together too!

Geranium

(Pelargonium graveolens)

A sweet, harmonizing oil, geranium has been used since ancient times for regulating menses and for menorrhagia (excessive blood loss during menstruation). It continues to be a valuable oil for PMS symptoms such as agitation, nervous tension, cramping, headaches, backaches, stressed-adrenals, etc.  It can help resolve endometriosis as well.

Try this technique for painful or irregular periods:

Spread a drop of geranium on your foot arches, layer with castor oil, and cover with a sock. This covers important points in the Kidney and Spleen acupuncture channels on the foot that help regulate menstruation. The castor oil has an invigorating effect, helping to move blood & ease stagnation (which shows up as pain).

• Mild cases: apply 2x/day for 10-14 days, then 1x/day for 30 more days
• Moderate: apply 2x/day for 30 days, then 1x/day for 2 more months
• Severe: apply 2x/day for 3-4 months, then 1x/day for 4-5 more months

Clary Sage

(Salvia sclarea)

Clary sage is regulating oil that is known for calming nerves and cooling inflammation. It helps with dysmenorrhea, PMS, headaches, frigidity, and depression. It also soothes the GI organs, resolving bloating and gas.

Ylang Ylang

(Cananga odorata)

Ylang ylang is a sedative for the nervous system, yet a stimulant for the circulatory system. So, it’s very calming, yet invigorating for the blood and musculature.  It relieves tension, improve libido, regulate hormonal balance, and can lift a woman’s spirit.

True Lavender

(Lavandula angustifolia)

Everyone is familiar with lavender, as it’s considered one of most versatile essential oils available. It can help a woman immensely with menstrual discomfort. It’s indicated for PMS, headaches, migraines, cramps, depression, nervous tension, insomnia, and even gas.

Some of you may have heard that lavender has estrogenic effects and should be avoided by men. That is a myth addressed in this article by well-known Aromatherapist Robert Tisserand: Lavender Oil Is Not Estrogenic

Sweet Fennel

(Foeniculum vulgare)

Lavender does not have estrogenic effects, but fennel DOES. It can actually increase milk supply in mothers, is valuable in the transition to menopause, but should be avoided by pregnant women.

Women experiencing amenorrhea (skipped menstrual periods) as well as dysmenorrhea benefit from Fennel. It also helps with gastrointestinal problems many women experience during ovulation and menstruation such as constipation, stomachaches, nausea, and flatulence.

Roman Chamomile

(Chamaemelum nobile)

Roman chamomile is one of the safest essential oils, yet it is also potent and has a huge therapeutic range.

It helps cycling women with dysmenorrhea, headaches, migraines, nervous tension, and also with calming the mind and spirit.  Thereby, it helps support a restful night sleep.

If you experience difficult periods, I hope you’ll consider using essential oils as a natural remedy to ease your discomfort. Perhaps you can appreciate this special time in your life even more.  Essential oil brands differ greatly in quality and thereby efficacy though. You can view my recommendations here.

I’m eager to hear how essential oils are helping you manage your menses!  Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!  And if you enjoyed this article, please share with friends who can use this advice as well.

I think we all do. Our attitudes to life affect our emotions, and many of us don’t see the connection between our emotions and general health.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emotions and our vital energy (Qi) are the bridge between our physical and spiritual well-being. We know that many physical diseases actually have an emotional imbalances at the root.

In Yoga, we investigate the emotions in deeper meditative practices to create inner harmony.  In turn, we create physical ease. This gives space for the mind to open up to profound spiritual experiences, connecting us to others, and to the beauty of life in general.

Insight from these Eastern practices is desperately needed here in the West where:

• psychotherapy is still considered “quackery” to some
• we complain endlessly about our health, circumstances, & politics, yet don’t take action to improve situations or try new approaches
• we like to place blame for our misfortune
• many have poverty consciousness and an unhealthy relationship with money
• sarcasm and cynicism are considered funny and cool personality traits
• stress and busyness are valued and intimately linked to our self-worth

How Our Attitudes Create Stress, Disease, and Disconnection

Much of our attention on health is with diet and physical health.  You may have the cleanest diet, and yet, if you’re caught up in the rat race, your body’s stress response can keep you in the sympathetic “fight or flight” mode.  This emotional imbalance increases adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones.  They flood your system, lowering beneficial gut bacteria populations, and proper immune response.

This can lead to:

• chronic pain
• recurrent illnesses
• poor sleep
• gastric distress
• allergies
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• unintentional weight gain
• unintentional weight loss
• depression/anxiety
• memory problems
• low libido
• fertility issues

Stress is relative and is a personal habitual reaction to stimuli. We can all be in the same traffic jam, yet have a different response because of our different inner attitudes and awareness of how we’re reacting.

“An emotion in excess, an inappropriate reaction, a self-destructive passion, an emotional response out of proportion to a situation, or a single automatic habitual response to many different life events all can be signs that the human being has lost his or her capacity for harmonious reactivity.”

– Ted J. Kaptchuk, O.M.D. from The Web That Has No Weaver

Manic elation, worry, sadness, anger, and fear are all normal in the human landscape. But if we hold them in, allow them to fester, or even let them become a major part of our personality, they can create disease from the TCM perspective.

Sun Si-miao (590-682 C.E.), a great physician of the Tang dynasty wrote that people suffer illness “because they do not have love in their life and are not cherished.” I think this notion is still relevant today, but that it’s self-love that’s lacking in many people and we have a hard time cherishing our own body, mind, and spirit which causes suffering.

How Do You Change Your Attitude and Achieve Health?

Yoga, Meditation, and TCM are wonderful ways to work with the energy of emotions to help one heal on all levels, but the person receiving still needs to participate.

If you’re laying on the table receiving acupuncture, you’re yielding to the treatment, trusting that energy is flowing where it needs to.  Following the treatment plan provided by your practitioner is also a way you’re participating in your health by adapting to a positive lifestyle change.

In a yoga class, you’re working with a personal intention, paying attention to emotional cues that are linked with your breathing, and not just going through the physical motions.

Participating in your emotional well-being means that we adjust our inner attitude to breed:

• Positivity
• Hope
• Trust
• Curiosity
• Equanimity
• Joy
• Insight

These are the “higher vibrations” we were referring to in Chakra Meditation: Radiate Out What You Want To Attract.

Adopting a Positive Attitude is a Conscious Choice

If we’re constantly evaluating how we’re feeling and pause often before reacting, we can see how we have some control over the outcome. We can then take responsibility for that outcome.

I just want to share a personal example here to drive my point home…

Yesterday I had the most amazing morning.

After sleeping in, I meditated and expressed gratitude for one more day of life. I took my son to a playgroup at the beach while I worked at a café a little down the road. It was a productive, yet relaxed day. On the way home, my son and I had some lovely conversations. I vowed to myself that I was going to keep this content feeling going throughout the day.

So later on when I discovered that a bird had crapped all over the side of my car, or when I had to deal with disorganized parking at gymnastics, and then with slow traffic on the way home from that, I did not take any of it personally. I did not take on any physical tension.

Today was a different story.

I had to wake early to get ready to teach a yoga class. People were expecting me to be on time and to be creative. I snapped at my son a few times as I was trying to get him out the door. Tension started to build in my body because I wasn’t feeling prepared for class. Luckily, there was some residue from my brief meditation that made me pause. I remembered the day before and knew that it was possible to stay calm again, even though I had more obligations. As long as I stayed calm, I knew creativity would spring from that.

Sure enough, I taught a pretty good class and the rest of the day went well too!

So believe me, you can experience more health and joy in your life if you make the conscious choice. Meditation, Yoga, TCM, psychotherapy, hypnotism, and aromatherapy can all give us a greater perspective on our emotions, inner attitudes, energy, and holistic health. They help us see more clearly how we need to change to release limited beliefs that keep us sick and disconnected.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all had this awareness? The change in that direction starts with you…

My teacher, Sarah Powers, is fond of saying that people turn to meditation when they are utterly sick of themselves.  They commit to the practice when they realize that their habitual ways of being are getting them nowhere in life. Meditation, especially Vipassana or Insight Meditation, shows us where disharmony exists in our lives.  It gives us tools to pull us up and out of our personal mess.

How I Was Introduced To Meditation

If you really want to know more about my personal mess, you can read my original post on my introduction to meditation. Basically, I had a really difficult time obtaining my college education and racked up considerable credit card debt.  I adopted really bad lifestyle habits and endured several shallow, heartbreaking relationships. Despite all that, I was doing really well in my full-time job. I placed all my energy there, and it’s where I received the most help.

My supervisor suggested that I attend an “Intro to Meditation” workshop my co-workers were having after hours. I remember feeling self-conscious.  I noticed that everyone was at least 10 years older than I, and wondering why in the world she thought to include me. But I respected her immensely and opened my mind fully to the experience.

Mindfulness ~ A Sensual Experience

What happened next, was not what I expected. I thought we would just sit as still as possible and try to empty our minds.

Instead, the instructor invited us to pick up a single raisin from many that she had on the tray. First, we described the raisin to each other. We noted it’s size, it’s texture, it’s color, and it’s smell. Then we let our mouths salivate.  We chewed the raisin, tasted it, felt the change in it’s structure as it turned to liquid, and swallowed the syrupy goodness. Our senses were alive and these simple details became important as we put them in the foreground of our awareness.

I experienced a raisin as I never had before! And I appreciated my body for the pleasure of it’s sweet taste. Then it occurred to me: if I had overlooked the simple details of eating, what else was I missing in life?

As I was mindfully eating the raisin, I was calm, focused, and felt less shy when we shared in the group afterwards. Somehow I had tapped into a well of confidence and felt a greater connection to the people in the group. It didn’t matter anymore that these people were older than me, different from me.

How Meditation Changed My Life

This seed of experience was planted in my consciousness long ago. It took many more years of hardship before I really understood how meditation could help me. It was around the time I started practicing yoga too, when meditation became a larger part of my life.

I immersed myself in the practice and found my teachers. At that point, compassion, patience, and understanding replaced the desperation, self-loathing, and worry that I clung to as a young adult.

Eventually I discovered my life purpose as an alternative health practitioner & educator. I now have a healthy relationship with money.  It flows into my life easily.  I give it freely to people and causes that I value without feeling any loss. I have a loving, respectful relationship with my husband and we have the most beautiful, inquisitive child. I’m aware when stress builds in my body and have natural, healthy ways to relieve it.

The Place of Meditation In My Life Now

Of course that’s not the end of my story! Life is not always rainbows and roses. I will never be “done” with this inner journey as long as I’m alive.

It’s still hard to prioritize a formal sitting practice when I have so many other obligations. But even just mindfully sitting a few minutes here and there helps. When I’m overly reactive to things happening around me, when relationships with friends feel strained, or I’m feeling unsatisfied in my business, I can usually trace it back to a disconnection in my inner life. This then helps me reprioritize meditation. And I do this over, and over, and over.

I am so grateful for this practice.  Meditation changed my life by connecting me to consciousness in a deep and meaningful way. 

If you’re feeling inspired to begin a meditation practice but don’t know where to start, check out my website’s Yoga & Meditation page. There are several guided meditations, all approximately 15 minutes, that can help get you started.  

If you like this article and the meditations, please share this resource with your friends!  I’d love to hear how you’re doing with them in the comments too!  Well wishes to you…

This oil, derived from the rind of the fruit, has both calming and uplifting properties. It’s perfect for when one is feeling anxious or depressed. Like most citrus oils, you must stay out of sunlight, avoiding UV rays for up to 12 hours after topical application.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the oldest oils, used by Romans & Egyptians when bathing, cooking, relaxing, and as a perfume. It’s a must-have for modern people who experience restless sleep. In addition to diffusing and spreading across the bottom of the feet, you can place a few drops on a cotton ball and place under your pillow when you’re ready to snooze.

Marjoram

It’s not just a tasty culinary herb! The essential oil of marjoram supports the nervous system, having a sedative effect and also eases sore muscles. Apply it to the back of the neck or wherever tension is showing up in your body.

Blue Tansy

The chemical chamazulene creates the brilliant blue shade of Blue Tansy, also known as Moroccan Chamomile.  Blue tansy can be diffused to uplift your mood or be massaged into the skin to relax muscular tension.

Cedarwood

Cedarwood is a very grounding oil that can help move tense energy down and out from the neck, shoulders, and upper back when applied to the feet.

In order to receive the greatest benefit, it’s important to use “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” essential oils. Unfortunately, due to loose regulation, there are many oils on the market that have been adulterated even though the labels say they are 100% pure. Visit my Natural Health Products page for my suggestions and support.