I put my two index fingers over the wrinkle, hold down firmly and quickly rub back and forth in apposing directions. This results in a flattening of the area. At first the wrinkle appears larger but what really happens is the contracted muscles causing the grooves in the first place relax and the groove becomes wider instead of deeper.

This is a bit dismaying but eventually the skin does heal and the wrinkles diminish and disappear. The trick is to keep those muscles relaxed which isn’t easy, especially when you have a habit of scrunching up your forehead like I do. Heck, I even do it in my sleep. So, all I can do is be as aware as I can be about relaxing my forehead and do the ‘rubbing out the wrinkles’ exercise.

Here is what our facial fitness Guru, Carolyn, has to say about stretching the skin.

How is sliding on the skin superior to gripping and holding? By Carolyn Cleaves

When you go for a massage of the body, do you have the concern that your skin is going to be wrinkled or sagging from the experience? Of course not. Well, the same is true for the face and neck. All the pulling and sliding you do on the skin seems to stimulate collagen production and this in turn allows the skin to appear more elastic and firmer than it was before.

Furthermore, since ten times more oxygen comes to a contracted muscle than not, the skins ability to absorb moisture is increased and its elasticity is enhanced. Remember, the skin is “elastic” but it is also “alive”. It does not necessarily stretch out of shape like an “inorganic” piece of elastic. The skin is a living organism renewing itself with brand new skin cells, for example, every 7 days.

Here are the Day 1 photos followed by Day 39.

One thing I wonder about, are those forehead grooves between the eyes. Yikes, they don’t seem to be getting any smaller.  I have known that I scrunch my forehead when I think hard about things and I have been watching that habit with awareness to change it. However, guess what, I discovered that I do it at night too. There must be a lot of serious work going on in my dreams.

This is a dilemma! I am not sure how to overcome a nighttime habit?  Hopefully some solution will show up or maybe just continuing the ‘worry line’ exercise and a few others focusing on the forehead will take care of the grooves in time.  We shall see.

• That Beauty is a force in the universe.

• Because it resides outside of us, it is not personal.

• Beauty is revealed through being transparent ie living an unguarded openness in every moment.

• Beauty also is present when a person is fluid or in motion.

My long time friend, Shianna Walker, is one who recognizes profound beauty and captures it masterfully with her camera.  She has mentored many women, young and old to discover freedom of spirit and beautiful feminine essence through energy work, sacred dance and photography. There are those who would call her a ‘Women Whisperer’ because she sees and calls out deep, feminine beauty in all women she works with.

“We are magical beings.” she declared at the opening of the weekend. Beauty can move through us naturally without effort when we allow it to. This is so different from what the culture would have us believe. Through the misguidance of society, media and fashion, young girls come to believe from an early age that beauty is the result of outer shape, personality, intelligence, station in life and many other external factors.

But no, says Shianna, “We are a mystery and we have no idea who we really are as women or what we are capable of.”  The culture shows us images of so called beautiful women who are so thin they look sick, others with eye makeup so dark one wonders if they’ve been beaten. It is astounding how many look like victims, weak and powerless.

She invited us to let go of everything we knew about being a woman and explore how the feminine moves when there are no limitations, to dance, sing, walk, and to cry and laugh freely and openly. And so we did. We moved quietly and deeply in sacred dance from our centers and the space of our wombs. We moved exuberantly through Nia celebrating joyfully the pleasure of feeling our strength and flexibility, we moved gently—communicating with our sisters, beholding and holding the tender places of each precious one.

We also moved beyond our fear and rigid beliefs and surrendered all the psychological stories about ourselves. We relaxed and allowed ‘Beauty’ to move through us and change us forever.

Part Two (coming soon) will include photos from the weekend and share the experience in more specific detail.



We even offered Ayurvedic treatments that coated the entire body including the scalp with oil followed by cocooning it with warm, moist towels followed by layers of blankets. Moisturizing was a serious and necessary focus.

There was one product in the spa dispensary formulated primarily of mineral oil and blue chamomile. I couldn’t bring myself to use it on the people who came to my facial room but it was reported to be effective in sealing off the skin to the penetrating cold, dry air that reeked havoc with skin out on the ski mountain.

As I worked with dry skin I learned a few things that can help:

• The place to begin is with water. Drink lots of water, not juice, not tea or coffee, soda etc but real water. Add a little lemon or maybe just a tiny bit of pure fruit juice to aid in taste appeal. I have also heard that this can help the body absorb the water. Some people say they just aren’t thirsty and therefore they think they don’t need water but this is not true. Their thirst switch in the brain is just turned off as a result of long-term dehydration. It’s a natural adaptation to water deprivation. Begin to hydrate the body and the sensing of thirst will return.

• Have enough oil in your diet. The low-fat fad of a few years ago is probably one of the worst nutritional disasters of our time and I imagine a lot of dry skin conditions showed up as a result of that ridiculousness. Avocados and olive oil in the diet are fantastic for skin. Hydrogenated fats, fried foods and canola oil are not so great. Our bodies need good oils and fats to be healthy.

• Moisturizing creams: some of them are just too heavy to do more than sit on the surface of one’s face. They just don’t seem to absorb in to the skin. As a result, I have become a great fan of blending the moisture cream with a toner before applying to the face. This is so easy and it works well. Just take a little dab of cream in the palm of one hand, spray in a few pumps of toner, mix together and then apply evenly over the face. The thinner, more fluid mixture is readily absorbed.

• Face oil blends are my favorite for dry skin. Usually these include a number of different vegetable, grain, nut, seed and/or essential oils. I have used many good ones from a number of different skincare product lines over the years. Generally organic oils are failsafe.  Hint: product companies that don’t list all the ingredients in their formulations have something to hide.

When you feel your skin is dry, apply moisturizer and don’t hold back. The skin that seems excessively hungry for oil will become sated in time and need less and less moisturizing care.

Who would think that meat and dairy could cause rosacea but they can according to Joanne Faulkner. The following article will explain why.

Natural Rosacea Treatments – Menu Mistakes

There are a number of things that we all consume in our daily diets that we just take for granted. Foods that we have been brought up to believe are inherently good for us, and that unless we over consume them, will have nothing but beneficial effects. But we were wrong!

You see, our favorite, everyday staples, meat and dairy can both wreak havoc amongst Rosacea patients. Both of these foods share some common components, in particular a sugar molecule called Neu5Gc, which is a type of glycan. This molecule is sometimes referred to as a sialic acid.

So why is this molecule with an instantly forgettable name so important to Rosacea sufferers?

Well, the livestock which the meat and dairy produce comes from produce this sugar molecule as a part of their normal metabolic function. Unfortunately, Neu5Gc isn’t naturally produced by humans. So when we consume dairy products and meat we are ingesting large amounts of a substance that the body see’s as alien. It’s response is to develop anti-Neu5Gc antibodies to seek out and destroy the invader.

This can then trigger a massive immune response leading to chronic inflammation and another Rosacea flare up. This could also be one of the reasons that dairy is one of the three food groups most likely to cause an allergic reaction amongst the general population.

In addition to Neu5Gc, meat also contains a high concentration of a compound called Tyramine. Tyramine, a mono-amine is a histamine like substance which has been shown to dilate blood vessels, encouraging blood flow close to the surface of the skin. This then presents as the red face and flushing that we all know so well.

There is also reason to believe that many Rosacea patients are also suffering from a reaction to the food additives, such as nitrates and nitrites, which food manufacturers often include in meat products. Meat products that are known to contain these additives include luncheon meats, hot dogs, smoked ham and our breakfast favorite, bacon.

So when you are looking for natural Rosacea treatments, try to keep in mind that many Rosacea cures rely not on a magic substance that you put into your body, but what harmful substances you leave out!

Now this is exciting. Instead of working out the suggested 5 days a week for my age group, I’m thinking about extending to all 7 days. After all let’s really get this show on the road. More is better, right?

In truth, no, it isn’t. Here is what our Facial Fitness expert, Carolyn has to say about it. She answers my question: Will performing the exercises seven days a week or twice a day bring faster results?

The Face Needs to Rest in Order to Build Properly

We have tested the exercises twice a day over several months and found that the results were not very forth coming. In fact, we’ve found if you exercise the face too much without giving it time to rest, it may become rather stressed-looking as well as bringing an uneven build to the face. The face needs time to recuperate and recover from all the handling it gets from performing the facial exercises. It needs time-off to build properly. Not to worry if you’ve over-done it, however. Just let the face rest for a few days and then go to a lighter routine.

As a matter of fact, we’ve found performing the exercises once a day, three to five times a week, giving the face and neck at least two days a week rest brought not only faster results but ended in a more elegant and balanced look to the face and neck. You will also see the skin responding in a beautiful way when you stick to this routine, as well.

And another reminder, lying down and doing the exercises also brought not only faster results, but better results than performing the exercises only sitting up. Adding the Face Firmer massage technique at the end of each workout facilitates an even, balanced look to the face, too.

This premise of aging according to societal plan was so present as I attended Capri Cosmetology College (I jokingly call it beauty school) when I was 39. One of my teachers was also 39 at the time and it was really interesting to consider the two of us. She was a little bit heavy, and a lot about her sagged, her face, her hair and her attitude. I really don’t intend to be judgmental or unkind because I think as women it is good to champion each other. However I would look at her and wonder what she was telling herself that she would choose a hairstyle and clothing that telegraphed the image of so much older.

I have never advocated grabbing on to young in ways that seem inappropriate and ridiculous because it is also grand to own and accept our well-earned station in life but we can grow older gracefully and hold and present ourselves with an eye to beauty and creative expression. After all, there is no one else quite like each of us. We are all unique and therefore deserve to shine out.

Starflower Essentials, Dr. Hautschka and Jurlique are all skincare companies that formulate their products from plant-based constituents grown with biodynamic methods.

To better understand this process you can read excerpts from the Wikipedia entry on Biodynamic agriculture below:

WHAT IS BIODYNAMIC

Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due to the export of food. As in other forms of organic agriculture, artificial fertilizers and toxic pesticides and herbicides are strictly avoided.

Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar. Biodynamics originated in 1924 out of the work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy in Germany.

Biodynamic farming grew in response to requests by farmers who noticed degraded soil conditions and a deterioration in the health and quality of crops and livestock resulting from the use of chemical fertilizers. An agricultural research group was subsequently formed to test the effects of biodynamic methods on the life and health of soil, plants and animals.

“Emphasis is placed on the integration of crops and livestock, recycling of nutrients, maintenance of soil, and the health and well being of crops and animals; the farmer too is part of the whole.” Cover crops, green manures and crop rotations are used extensively and the farms foster bio-diversity. The approach considers that there are astronomical influences on soil and plant development, specifying, for example, what phase of the moon is most appropriate for planting, cultivating or harvesting various kinds of crops. Biodynamic farms often have a cultural component and encourage local community.

Today biodynamics is practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide.

As the number of toxins in our environment increases, skin sensitivity is becoming more prevalent. Sometimes the skin is reacting to chemicals in skincare products or in food. Other times it is irritated by something in the air, the water, or the surroundings. It is often difficult to know exactly what is causing the problem, as reactions can occur hours, sometimes days, after exposure.

Moreover, the culprit causing the irritation may be nothing more than stress. Prolonged stress accelerates aging of the skin and can cause rashes, outbreaks, and even skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema.

Managing stress and using nontoxic skincare products are often effective steps toward eliminating skin reactions or allergies and enjoying healthy, calm skin. Selecting products that are formulated from organic and bio-dynamically grown plants is an easy and guaranteed entry into non-toxic, non-allergenic skincare.

Now,photos taken after two weeks spent first learning the protocol and then relaxing into a more serious concentrated practice routine. I know that sounds like a heavy schedule but really it’s only 5 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night.

It will be fun to see the difference in three months.