Weighing In
Finding “body balance” is more important and, ultimately more aesthetically pleasing, than the “body beautiful”, says Lorunna Jansen Van Vuuren

In class one morning during Baddha Konasana (the Butterfly Pose) I asked my yoga students to turn their feet up so that they could see the soles of their feet. I then asked them to gently and lovingly stroke their feet, conveying to them (their feet) that they were gratefulto them for carrying their weight around all day, every day.

My students just sat staring at me, with question marks on their faces. Was I serious? Had I finally lost my sanity? To me, it was a pretty normal instruction, but this request puzzled them and some students even started giggling. I reminded everyone that in all the years leading up to that very moment their feet had probably never been thanked. Our feet that offer support, balance and grounding never ever really appreciated or even considered. Our feet that hold our weight, both physically and emotionally, and we walk on them in a state of unawareness of what they do and represent.

The metaphor of feet as an anchor that holds us together and connects us to earth and to life at large can be paralleled to that opposite pole of the body – the mind. The two are inextricably linked. Perhaps it is our reluctance to thank our feet and reflect daily on the burden they carry for us that mirrors our inability to really love and accept our physical form and the physical and emotional “weights” that we carry.

The ongoing illusion fed to us through the media is that we will all be happy when we are thin. Thin is healthy, thin is sexy, the media tells us time and time again, and yet, we do not see the maya or illusion that is well at play here. If you look to nature, certainly all the flowers don’t look the same, it is their individuality that precisely makes each one beautiful. And it is the same with people.

Optimum health exists when the body is in a state of balance and a balanced body is always at the weight it should be. When you look into the mirror, what is it you see? The media’s definition of what thin and sexy is – the typical “body beautiful”? Or perhaps, if you are lucky, the real you looking back at you? When you start seeing the real you, the body literally begins to morph into the image which the self holds to be true – a body that’s balanced and beautiful reflecting right back at you.

This is the healthy, happy view to pursue that is more wholesome, balanced and grounded than those of fad diets, appetite suppressants or plain starvation and something far more uplifting for the feet to bear and carry through.

The wonder of our human differences is found in different measures and pertain to certain tendencies that determine our individual constitutions. Take those of the Ayurvedic Doshas and the air quality of Vatta, the fire quality of Pitta, and water qualities of Khapa that are present in each of us in different degrees. The most beneficial form of Vatta is Prana representing our primal life force, of Pitta is our inner radiance and of Khapa is Ojas, our primal vigour. We naturally strive to have each in the desired quantities for our individual balance and, this balance we seek is also actually for our survival, as seeking balance is an evolutionary trait.

These elements of earth, water, fire and air also rule our emotional lives and can further be seen through the kaleidoscope that is astrology and the planetary influences that affect our make-up. For some it is always easier to let go and shed the emotional baggage we carry than for others. For example a water sign will hold on to things a lot longer than a fire sign will; an earth sign will be more prone to stubborness than an air sign.

Our emotional worlds trigger within us behaviours that try to counter the experience of negative emotion. This affects how we “feed” ourselves both physically and emotionally. Too many people know unhappy over-eaters or equally unhappy under-eaters. Being off balance internally will do this but, when you start to tune into how the body and mind work together through your yoga, it can serve as a motivator and accelerator toward positive action, understanding and finding that healthy, happy weight” where we can finally thank, love and appreciate our feet – bunions, warts and all.

With awareness all negative tendencies and habits that limit our ideas of the self, both outer and inner, can be changed or broken. Success does not lie in denying yourself but in coming to understand your balanced predisposition to weight. Until you have a fundamental knowledge of yourself, not just your likes and dislikes, but the nature of your being, you’ll always be waging a battle against yourself where weight is concerned, and this is not what the gift of life is about.

According to the Tao, “When life is simple – pretences fall away – then our essential nature shines through”. So we see that it is our essential natures that we should rather seek and not an image in the mirror. The benefits of pursuing nobility of character and equipoise far outweighs being thin and sexy. How do I know? My feet told me so.

The Heart Shines Through The Hand

By Nellie Snyders

Take hold of someone’s hand. You feel the beating of their heart, the very substance of their life. The hands have as many expressions as the face and, if you don’t see any reactions from the face, watch the hands… their motion in creating, their movements in happiness, stillness, in idleness or loneliness, covering a face in desperation, reaching out for warmth, caressing with love, clawing to push away death, tension in holding something.

The shape of the hands follows the structure of the body – heavy, thin, muscular, fragile, strong, smooth, rough. Our mind is the energy; our hands the projection of that energy. Take someone’s hand and you will have, in that moment, begun the awareness of yourself. That moment has the seed of the creation of love, every time it is done. Use your hands in the pursuit of beauty, adding and building life.

The hands are so very sensitive to the elements of nature – feel the bark of a tree; put your hands in a cold stream; run your fingers across the sand; put your hands near a fire; hold your hands up to the rain or the sun or the wind – all different feelings.Touch the coat of a dog, a cat, a snake.

We do not need words. Our eyes speak and our touch reveals. Each new day we discover new beauty in silence, of each other. Live for today, but remember yesterday and think of tomorrow. We should receive love with as much understanding as we give love.

As the years pass, your hands gain knowledge as does your mind, and they grow older as does your body. Your hands carry episodes of your life: scarred, stained, calloused, and scratched. Let your hands become the joining together of you and another human being, the extension of your heart, the merging of two rivers, the grafting of two branches, the birth of new life.

Face Food

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Precious stones for a precious skin

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Colour Your Hair – Naturally!

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H2O – the oldest / newest recipe for health

Here are just some of the reasons why everyone should be drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.

Water helps to:

- Reduce stored fat deposits

- Improve kidney function

- Decrease fluid retention

- Maintain muscle tone

- Rid the body of excess waste

- Regulate bowel movements

- Increase metabolism

-   plus, it’s free!

Milk-and-honey hands

Q: Cold weather makes my hands dry and my nails brittle. Normal hand cream doesn’t seem to help. What can I do?

A: Kitchen beauty treatments aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this one is quick, easy, cheap and works really well, so why not try it?

1.         Gently heat a small pan of milk to lukewarm, pour into a bowl and bathe your hands in it for a few minutes. It’s soothing, moisturising and helps strengthen nails.

2.         Dry your hands and then make a hand mask by mixing one dessert spoon each of olive oil and honey. Naturally rich in vitamin E, olive oil replaces elasticity and moisture to the skin and has healing properties.

3.         Smear over your hands; then place them in small plastic bags.

4.         Slip on some gloves and relax for 30 minutes. The warmth helps the nutrients to sink in.

5.         Rinse and dry, then apply normal hand cream. Do this weekly to strengthen nails and keep hands soft, applying your usual hand cream in between.

The most natural make-up next to your skin

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Yoga – your way to youthfulness
Our emotions, including anger, pain and stress, affect how our body functions on all levels, never mind their generous contributions towards wrinkles and sagging skin. Yoga works by relaxing the organs and muscles that carry the weight of these emotions and banishes negative thoughts from our minds before they impact our physical wellbeing.

On a purely biological level, practicing specific yoga facial exercises on a daily basis helps to increase circulation in the facial region so that vital nutrients are carried to your skin cells and toxic wastes are carried away before they can damage the cells.  Facial exercises also help to develop good protein and muscle in the deeper layers of the skin cells, which is where the collagen fibres give the skin its firmness and elasticity – both key factors in maintaining a youthful appearance.

3 Top tips before you start
1. Warm-up exercises To get your circulation going and prepare your face for the exercises that follow, open and close your mouth a few times and smile to each side, while keeping your eyes and forehead relaxed.
2. Do the exercises slowly By controlling your facial movements during each posture, you are working all the muscle fibres, strengthening and toning them. This is equally important when you release the positions. The slower you can do the exercises, the more effective they will be.
3. Don’t forget to breathe Muscles need oxygen to function properly. Breathing also helps to expel wastes and toxins from your body. Inhale before you tense the muscle, exhale slowly as you tense the muscle into position. Breathe slowly and rhythmically as you count for the hold, take a deep breath before you release the position and release while exhaling slowly.

Lion Face
While this classic yoga position (Simhasana) is done sitting on your heels, hands with fingers outstretched on your knees (like the paws of a lion), you can do this just as well sitting up straight in a chair. To start, breathe slowly and hold your breath for as long as you can, then stick your tongue out, open your eyes as wide as you can and maintain this posture for a count of 20 or longer. In order to get the maximum benefit, your tongue should be as close to your chin as possible.

This pose not only increases blood circulation to the face and releases tense muscles around the mouth, but it also exercises your eyes. To exercise your eyes even more, do this exercise first looking up at your eyebrows, and repeat, looking down at the tip of your nose. It may take a good deal of practice, but the results are well worthwhile.

Fish Face
The Pucker: Either standing or sitting erect, tilt your head back as far as possible, so that the back of your head is almost between your shoulder blades and your face is parallel to the ceiling. Take a deep breath and hold it. Pucker up like a fish, suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. Keep breathing through your nose for a count of 10. Now try to smile, that is, stretch your lips. It might feel uncomfortable until you get the hang of it; breathe in and out as slowly as you can.

The Pout: In the same starting position, take a deep breath in and as you exhale, start curling your lower lip over your upper lip, trying to reach your nose with your upper lip. Hold this position for a count of 10 while continuing to breathe through your nose. Take another deep breath and bring your lower lip down to a pout, again holding it there for a count of 10.  Relax your lower lip to a count of 5 and bring your head up slowly.

If performed correctly you should feel the stretch down your throat, under your chin and in the chin itself. These exercises can be done even more effectively if you lie down flat on your bed, with your head hanging down off the edge. You can also do these exercises during your regular yoga practice while remaining in ‘The Bridge’ posture (Urdhva Dhanurasana).

‘QE’
Sitting up straight while keeping your face as relaxed as possible, say ‘Q’ and hold your mouth in an exaggerated pucker for a count of 5. Release slowly and grit your teeth hard, while saying an exaggerated ‘eee’, until your lips are stretched as wide as possible, and hold for a count of 5, before slowly releasing and bringing your mouth back to a relaxed position. This is an excellent exercise for the lips, lower cheeks and laugh lines.

Neck Rolls
Sitting erect, lengthen your neck and drop your shoulders, then drop your head forward so that your chin is on your chest. Feel the stretch at the back of your neck. Slowly rotate your head so that you are looking over your right shoulder. Gently drop your head back, open your mouth wide and feel the stretch under your chin and down your throat, then slowly rotate your head to the left shoulder.

Scrunches
Sitting erect, breathe in, close your eyes tight and purse the lips together as tightly as possible. Bunch up your fists and make a face as if you were scrunching your face to stop from crying. Release the pose when you need to take a breath. This relaxes the whole face and relieves any residual tension in the body. Once you’ve repeated five times, relax the face and allow the cheeks, forehead and whole face to soften.

Does facial yoga really work?
With regular practice most people will begin to see results within the first month or so. If your face muscles are really sagging and out of tone, you will probably see the difference within a few weeks. Doing these exercises won’t make you look as if you’ve had a face lift, but they will transform your face so you won’t look as though you need one.

Nip Tuck vs. No to Surgery
When it comes to cosmetic surgery, here’s what the yogi’s have to say…
Wendy (Nandiva) Wood: Plastic surgery is a personal choice. We grow to realise that there is no wrong or right at the end of the day, and who’s to judge anyway. If having plastic surgery makes one feel better about oneself, then go for it, but never feel guilty for having done it. There are no rules or laws in Yoga. Let our Yoga release us and set us free from other people’s opinions and judgements and move into our own inner harmony and beauty. We are here to create beauty, which is harmony – mentally, physically and spiritually.

Wendy is an initiate of Kavi Yogiraj Mani Finger and has been practicing yoga for over twenty years. She has continued the tradition of ISHTA teachings by creating the ISHTA Yoga Studio in Athol, Johannesburg.

Ashleigh Caradas: I am very much pro-choice, and if plastic surgery is going to bring you joy – then do it. However, the underlying dissatisfaction and low self-esteem that may accompany the choice to undergo plastic surgery should be looked at first, as I believe the problem is often not as “bad” as the person perceives it to be. There are also amazing non-surgical options out there, which include dietary modifications, supplements, creams, peels and oxygen treatments. And of course, a regular yoga practice modified to help mould the body part in question can also work wonders.

Ashleigh Caradas is a registered dietician in private practice. She has recently completed her yoga teacher training in India and practices Ashtanga Vinyasa. Ashleigh is also offering children’s yoga classes in Norwood Johannesburg.

By Hayley Alexander

FACE MASKS

AVOCADO PEAR SKIN MASKS
Long esteemed as a beauty aid, the avocado pear is not only a remarkably nutritious food, its flesh is rich in oil and it contains no less than eleven vitamins, fourteen minerals, and a good dose of protein.
For Oily Skin
Mash together into a smooth paste – half an avo, one well beaten egg white, 1 teaspoon juice (any fruit juice will do). Thoroughly cleanse the face and neck and apply mask, paying particular attention to oily areas, such as the nose, cheekbones and chin. Leave for 20 minutes and then remove with cotton wool and warm water. Pat dry.
For Dry Skin
Mash half an avo and gradually beat in an egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of rose water to form a smooth paste. Apply the mask to the cleansed face and neck, this time paying special attention to dry areas, such as the forehead, under the eyes and neck. Leave for twenty minutes and remove as above.

EYE MASKS

AVO
The avocado pear is also a wonderful treatment for bags under the eyes. Simply place two or three slices under each eye for approximately 20 minutes.

CUCUMBER
“Cool as a cucumber” takes on real meaning when applied to red, tired eyes. Merely place a slice over each closed eyelid and rest for as long as possible.

DRY PATCH REMEDIES

BANANAS
To correct dry patches on the face – puree 1 peeled banana and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Allow to remain on extra dry, scaly patches for 20 – 30 minutes.

CLEANSERS AND MAKE-UP REMOVERS

YOGHURT & OIL
Any thin, cold-pressed oil, such as avocado, olive and safflower may be used to remove make-up. Simply apply oil lightly over the face and throat, removing it with pads of damp cotton wool. To finish off with a thorough cleansing, use two to three tablespoons of plain, natural yoghurt (very soothing) to damp skin and massage well over entire face and throat area. Finish with a warm water rinse, followed by a cool splash of water.

By Arleen Francois