sum total

The following is borrowed from Germain Greer in her book ‘The Change’:

“A grown woman should not have to masquerade as a girl in order to remain in the land of the living. The result of capitulation to pressure to do just that, has resulted in a gallery of grotesque, whose pathetic attempts are the staple of our gossip magazines.”

Strong stuff but I agree.

I love using natural oils on my skin, a natural exfoliant every couple of days. I get a little sun while exercising some mornings or in the late afternoon, at times wearing sunscreen, sometimes just a cap. I don’t wear make-up unless I have to. For the majority, healthy food is my staple though I do enjoy yummy things, my line is that they keep me sweet. Lots of yoga and swim here and there and two long walks a week, plus drinking lots of water. I will not abide negative self-talk, complaining or ‘poor me’ attitudes. My life is filled with love – my partner, family, friends. I make it my mission to relax, rest and sleep well.

All of these things make up what I look like.

Lately some women have been telling me how with this cream or that treatment I could minimize my wrinkles and make me look better. They might, I could.

But here’s my experiment: I’ll stick with natural products and let others make their own choices to puncture, inject, cut etc; We’ll reconvene in five years and compare.

For what it’s worth, my current unisex skin care regime:

Organic Rosehip oil rocks as a facial moisturizer, assisting skin renewal and resilience. For mature skin mix 5 drop of essential Rose oil to 20mls of Rosehip. Emu and coconut oils are wonderful as body moisturizers, absorbed best after a warm shower. Through the day spray Evian or other water spray to hydrate your face, paw-paw ointment rejuvenates lips. Wash with a face washer sprinkled with a few drops of essential lavender.

I’ll probably glance at my reflection a couple of times throughout the day but I will not dwell on trying to find out what is wrong with how I look.

I am the sum total of my actions, my face and body reflections of how I live.

Double Down Dog

Welcome to my new years resolution – a blog update each week.

The end of 2009 brought grandkids to one of my dear clients’ home. With great respect I observed their unwavering patience as two year old Cloe joined our morning yoga sessions, bringing with her a myriad of musical toys, endless “whys” and that sweetest cheeky-joy children are filled with.

True yoga was practised as we continually brought the focus back to our positions and our attention back to our breath. The disruptions a joy-filled two year old brings, required we deepen our commitment to our practise and though challenging, I’m quite sure there wasn’t a happier downward facing dog pose being practised in Sydney each morning.

Led by witnessing the endless warmth of Mr and Mrs D’s love shown to their grandchildren, I embraced the challenge of teaching these sessions and was experientially reminded that in the path to serenity, acceptance and patience are essential.