Easter Special 20% saving on all treatments

The Dr. Hauschka facial treatment is a unique experience, unlike any other facial. It helps to balance the natural rhythms of the body and gently stimulates the lymphatic system; to cleanse, tone and rejuvenate the skin. You are warm, relaxed, wrapped in soft white towels and cocooned from the outside world. There is no music, all you can hear is the sound of the birds singing and the breath of your being. You leave refreshed, with glowing skin and an innate sense of well being.  Your two hour treatment is usually £85.00  email me now and receive a  special 20% discount for Easter or call 07779 583 123. 

Exercise the Ayurvedic Way

Exercise has been an important part of the ayurvedic routine for thousands of years before it became a modern fad. Exercise gets rid of heaviness and stiffness of the body because it burns ama (digestive impurities) and creates more flexibility, lightness, smoothness and easiness.
Other benefits include enhanced firmness, endurance, and ability to do work. It pacifies all three doshas and creates balance when suitable for the body type and season. It enhances the digestion, and if done properly, it dissolves impurities in the tissues. Exercise enhances immunity and capacity for food. It banishes fatigue, stops early aging, and retards weight gain.
But too much exercise can be damaging. Fatigue, lack of glow in the skin and face, Pitta and Vata aggravation, and strain on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems result from too much exercise. Modern research confirms that too much exercise can create free radicals and damage the body. Excess free radicals have been linked to over 80% of degenerative disease as well as premature aging. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, you should not use more than 50 percent of your total capacity. And that capacity depends on daily fluctuations of energy, change of the seasons, age, and body type. This is the ayurvedic principle of balaardh-- using half your capacity and conserving the other half. Exercising beyond one's capacity can create imbalance in mind and body, and do more harm than good from the ayurvedic perspective.
Vata types need less exercise, so lighter activities such as walking, yoga and Pilates are best. Pitta types need a moderate amount of exercise so, team sports, swimming and skiing are good.  Kapha types can benefit from more intense exercise, such as working out in the gym, jogging and aerobics, in order to stay in balance. The seasons follow another pattern: if you want to increase your exercise, winter and spring are the best times. In hot weather, you need to decrease exertion and stay out of the hot sun. As for age, children have more capacity for exercise and older people need less, although daily exercise is essential at any age.
How do you know if you're doing the right amount of exercise? As long as you feel energised and blissful, you are not going beyond what your physiology can sustain. If you feel strained and exhausted, you're doing too much. You can continue to exercise until you notice one of the following two signs of over exertion:
Difficulty breathing through the nose. If you have to open your mouth to gulp in air, that's a sign that your heart is overexerted, the circulation system is taxed, and the coordination of heart and lungs is disturbed. Stop immediately.
Sweating on forehead or tip of nose. It's fine to sweat elsewhere in the body, but when you notice sweat in these two places, it's a sign that you are overexerted and should stop.
If you're not exerting enough, you can exercise for a longer period or with more intensity. You could start with a walk, but each day you could increase the intensity of exercise (by walking faster). Or you could walk for a longer time (increasing the duration). Start out slowly and gradually increase the intensity and time. Stop when you note signs of overexertion.
Yoga asanas are the ideal form of exercise for all body types and ages, because they balance the three doshas, tone the muscles, and rejuvenate all the organs in the body. Pranayam, or breathing exercises, are also good for restoring balance to mind and body.

To increase endurance, eat more sweet, juicy fruits, and more proteins such as milk, paneer (a fresh cheese), soaked almonds and cashews. Make sure your bowel movements are regular, and if not, incorporate more cooked prunes, figs and raisins in your diet.
Exercise every day, as part of your regular daily routine. If possible, exercise in the morning before 10:00, as your body has more strength, stamina, and coordination during the Kapha time of day. Exercising at this time also energizes you, preparing you for the day ahead. Exercising in the late evening or towards bedtime is not recommended, as it can elevate body temperatures and disrupt sleep rhythms. A light walk in the evening is fine. Also avoid exercise from 10a.m. to 2p.m., the Pitta time of day when the digestive fires are burning high and it is time to eat the main meal of the day.

Start the day the Ayurvedic way

Spring or Kapha season is the perfect time to start all of those new years resolutions that you made, but were unable to start or keep up because it was just too cold, and the mornings and evenings were too dark. Now the days are lengthening there are more hours of sunlight, so you can spring out of bed earlier and give yourself an extra hour in the morning to get yourself in to shape. The way we start our day is really important, it can affect our mood for the rest of the day. Make some time to follow a few simple routines. In Ayurveda great emphasis is placed on personal hygiene and daily routine.

•  Get up and go to the loo, if you can't go try drinking hot water with lemon and small amount of honey to facilitate a bowel movement, walk around for a bit to help the peristaltic action.
•  Instead of using toilet paper try washing with water, or use moistened toilet tissues. If you don't have bidet use a plastic jug, fill with cool water and  pour with the right hand and wash with the left. Using water cleanses the area thoroughly and doesn't irritate the delicate tissue there. It also closes the rectal plexus and brings it back into balance.
•  Wash hands afterwards.
  
• Fill the mouth with cool water then gently splash  with water to clean the eyes.
•  Suck up  warm up water through the nostrils one at a time to cleanse the nose. A neti pot with warm salt water is also good for clearing congestion.
• Clean the teeth with herbal toothpaste, then scrape tongue with tongue scraper.
•  An light oil massage with warm sesame oil, nourishes the skin and tones muscle tissue and calms the nervous system. Mustard oil is also good for Kapha types  because of it's warming nature. Use an old towel to stand on, then wrap it around body to keep warm.
• Start at the head and  massage into scalp if you are intending to wash hair. Use long stokes on the long bones and circle round the joints, include the feet as well.
• An alternative to oil massage for Kapha types, or those who have an aversion to oil, is to use silk mitts or (garshan). These mitts stimulate circulation and lymph flow, and a simple massage can be performed before bathing. You can also use a body brush or loofah.
• Leave oil on for 15- 20mins then remove with 2tblsps of gram flour, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder mixed with hot water and make into a paste. Stand in bath or shower and carefully Apply all over body, try to leave on for a few minutes, then shower off. 
• Use old towel to dry as turmeric can stain. This little ritual leaves your skin feeling silky smooth your body warm and your senses soothed.
• Next you can perform some yoga asanas, the sun salute is ideal as it strengthens all the major muscle groups in the body. 
•  Then follow with pranayama, alternate nose breathing for 5mins.
•  Last but not least meditation. Personally I think it is best to learn meditation from an experienced teacher. I have practised Transcendental Meditation for many years and have found it to be very beneficial.Now you can dress and have breakfast, then go to work! It may seem like quite a lot to incorporate into your daily routine, but you will find that after a while it's just like cleaning your teeth, you do that twice a day and don't give it a second thought. Oil massage can be done when you can make time, at least 2-3 times a week is beneficial. If you want to perform some more demanding exercise like running or team sports it's still beneficial to do the oil massage before as it warms the muscles and prevents injury. Exercise before 10am in the morning. 

Combating Cellulite according to Dr Hauschka

Cellulite starts as a weakening of the metabolic processes in the connective tissue of the thighs, upper arms, hips and buttocks. Because of their exposed situation, these areas of the body generally have a lower temperature than the internal organs, with the result that metabolic processes are slower here. In addition, the processes of warmth generation, oxygen supply and fluid circulation become more sluggish with age or if we get cold. The outcome is peripheral circulatory disorders and venous congestion, leading to the formation of spider-burst and varicose veins which shimmer through pale skin. The fibres which make up the connective tissue become thinner or even dissolve completely. The connective tissue itself loses elasticity and becomes visibly congested. Individual fat cells and fat cell chambers increase in size and are clearly discernible: the familiar “orange-peel skin” develops.
Measures to combat cellulite

 Only if the skin's metabolism is fully functioning will the tissue receive the nutrients it requires and waste products be rapidly carried away. In order to fight cellulite in the long term, therefore, we need to keep the metabolism fit. Of especial benefit are measures to stimulate the skin's blood supply and processes of fluid circulation.
Regular alternating warm and cold showers tone the tissue, as do gentle massages in the direction of the heart with the new Dr.Hauschka Lemon Lemongrass Body Oil (75ml-£16.00). This fruity-fresh combination of sunflowers, jojoba oil, lemon peel, mistletoe, horsetail and lemon grass tones the skin and strengthens connective tissue.
A massage with a flannel or silk mitt in the shower is another possibility: in the morning, pour a few drops of Dr.Hauschka Rosemary Bath (150ml- £16.00) on to the wet mitt to stimulate blood flow and metabolism. If your skin is not too sensitive you may find a brush massage helpful.
But it is important to realise that massages or warm and cold showers will only make a difference to cellulite in the long-term if carried out regularly.
A balanced whole food diet is equally beneficial in stopping cellulite forming. Eating raw vegetables, keeping your intake of coffee and sugar low, and having a millet, rice or barley once a week can help the body dispose of waste products. It is also important to drink plenty of fluids. Spring water (not carbonated) and horsetail tea are ideal for this.
Endurance sports – for example running, swimming or cycling – will help stimulate the circulation and aid tissue metabolism.
Warm, breathable and wherever possible loose clothing helps to keep the skin of the thighs, hips, bottom and arms warmed through and thus improves the supply of nutrients to the connective tissue and the removal of waste products.
Thanks to its relaxing, detoxifying and decongesting qualities the Dr.Hauschka Holistic Body Treatment offered by Dr.Hauschka Estheticians can support cellulite treatment. The best results are achieved if the treatment is given twice a week over a period of seven weeks. A rewarding pleasure! Treatment time is 1hr 45mins and costs £ 78.00. Book now for a Special Spring detox course and receive 25% discount email:tanya@priyaspa.com