The Holistic Network Blog

The organic food phenomenon has its feet firmly under our kitchen tables. So how is committing to chemical-free eating different to the unpronounceable chemicals found in our face and body lotions? Former Wave Organic Beauty Editor Jaynie Ralph unscrews the lid on the world’s largest green beauty company, Weleda.

For many, filling our shopping baskets full of pesticide-free essentials, even if they cost a little more, is part and parcel of daily life. We feel better, cleaner and somehow purer. We’re happier using products with little or no packaging. The brown and green labels aid our virtues and appeal to our environmentally conscious eyes. Our kitchen cupboards are full of fair-trade, locally sourced food and the recycle bins are reassuringly worn.

How then, do we fair in the other rooms of the house? What about the bathroom cabinet? With our increasingly busy lives, have we thought about what we are putting onto our skin? It’s our largest organ and everything we put onto it goes directly into our body. Yes, of course we avoid anything tested on animals but do we read the label of our favourite beauty brands? Those long names like Methylparaben are like sudoku puzzles and who has the time to google them? Regardless of a growing number of experts linking these chemicals to serious diseases, we still trust those stylish, designer bottles, full of self-esteem promise. Don’t we?

What if we found a 100% natural range with just as effective products that don’t cost the earth? What if the products were biodynamic, which is after all organic with brass knobs on? One that was founded 80 years ago by famous philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner? That could suit our ethos and our lifestyle. For so many reasons Weleda is the brand that supermodels and gardeners rave about alike. Weleda avoids all synthetics. The products look good enough to eat and are affordable. For an established global brand, they actually do work with nature not against it. Weleda grow their UK ingredients in a 15 acre Demeter-certified herb garden in Derbyshire and at other Weleda sites around the world which total 135 acres, together with their extended community fair trade partnerships.

So what’s the catch? How can their prices be so reasonable for such fantastic products? The answer is small, moderate, profit margins. It would seem that the people at Weleda do really care.

Weleda says, “We passionately believe that health is much more than a lack of disease but instead an integrated state of physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. This holistic worldview is the basis of everything we do at Weleda, as we create products that respect the environment, local communities and our global customers alike. In the same way our medicines treat the whole person enabling them to take responsibility for their own health, while restoring their inner balance and strengthening their life force.”

Biodynamic means the rose leaf extract in their rose range has been picked in alignment with the cycle of the moon and the stars and harvested in its tiptop state. We then only need two sumptuous minutes to smooth their wild rose moisturiser onto our skin to smell like a rose garden in full bloom.

Their award winning Skin Food has scooped more accolades than any other Weleda product. This intense protect and repair moisturiser costs only £6.95 for a generous 75ml tube. It smells like a dream with its gorgeous unisex blend of pure oils including sweet orange, chamomile and pansy. It’s a beauty marvel for dry skin patches on elbows or flaky hands. Use it as an intense night cream or just around the eyes after a late night. Amazingly they still use the original formula from 1926. Unsurprisingly it’s a beauty secret amongst the rich and famous. They use it to combat jet lag and all night partying, the lucky things. High profile celebrity fans include Rihanna, Winona Ryder, Erin O’Connor and Claudia Schiffer who was swearing allegiance to their Sea Buckthorn body lotion in October’s Elle magazine.

Of course natural, organic, biodynamic ranges could never replace a balanced diet of organic whole grains, proteins, seeds, vegetables and fruit; alongside early nights, sun avoidance and plenty of water. It is always about balance. No one understood that better than Steiner himself.

Most importantly it’s about knowing that you’re beautiful already, before you open your eyes each morning; the bathroom cabinet or the fridge. When you nourish yourself with nutritious delicacies, grown respecting the laws of nature, you can’t help but look and feel absolutely gorgeous.

Weleda are offering Mevolution readers a fabulous 20% celebratory discount to mark the opening of their new online store at www.weleda.co.uk

Offer terms and conditions:

This offer is open to all Mevolution site visitors
The offer runs from 14 October 2009 to 15 November 2009 inclusive
The offer is valid for any purchase from Weleda’s online store.
Simply select purchases and then go the Checkout and key in the promotional code MEV8 and the discount will show.
The discount is only valid on the first order for customers new to Weleda.
For orders of £40 and over members additionally benefit from FREE p&p (normally £3.95)

If Gwyneth Paltrow can do it, surely the rest of us can brave the needles too. Jaynie Ralph gets to the point of acupuncture

The circulation of energy in channels around the body has been a concept fundamental to healthcare in the East since ancient times. Far from being ousted by modern advances in medicine, acupuncture and similar therapies that harness this energy – often referred to as qi or chi (and pronounced chee) – have stood the test of time and are now wellestablished in the West.

Although there are those who choose acupuncture as an alternative to a visit to the doctor’s surgery, increasingly it is being recognised that the two forms of treatment work effectively alongside each other, particularly in conditions such as hayfever, headaches and back pain.

Using needles inserted into the skin at specific points – according to the channel needing attention – the circulating energy is either stimulated or calmed to bring about a state of balance, removing blocks in the qi and giving the body the best possible chance to heal itself. Some acupuncturists burn an aromatic herb called

moxa on the skin to warm it. Others may use cupping to encourage circulation – remember the photos in the press a few years ago of Gwyneth Paltrow with fresh cup marks on her back…?

Because acupuncture is a holistic therapy, quite a bit of time will be spent at your first appointment discussing your general health, including questions about your diet, lifestyle, sleep patterns and even your bowel movements. This is an opportunity to talk with the therapist about any other niggling problems that are bothering you – perhaps PMT, period pain or infertility – as you may find acupuncture can help with those too. Remember that you are being treated as a whole person, instead of just focussing on the problem which has led you to visit the acupuncturist.

You are likely to be asked to lie on a couch, and perhaps remove some clothing, depending on where the needles need to be inserted – perhaps down the spine, in the neck, in the hands or stomach.

After your first appointment you may well feel more relaxed and a step closer towards complete health. If all that’s standing in your way is fear of the needle, maybe it’s time slide open some doors, feel the fear, and do it anyway.

Acupuncture tips

• If you want to keep your clothes on, opt for ear acupuncture
• Avoid drinking alcohol afterwards and sip water instead
• Do say if you think you might be pregnant

Recommendations
Bradley Carr, The Marine Clinic, Marine Parade, Rottingdean, 01273 307001
Elaine Gibbons, 26 Roundhill Street, Brighton, 01273 562676
The Acupuncture Clinic, 143 Portland Road, Hove, 01273 722422. Runs a lowcost clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Jaynie Ralph says: discover your internal corset

The beautiful people adore it. Stars like Cameron Diaz are said to attribute their fabulous figures to it. The goal of The Pilates Method is the union of mind and body; teaching you to move with grace and balance, drawing on your strengths and counteracting your weaknesses.

Pilates focuses on building core strength and improving posture through a series of low repetition, low impact stretching and conditioning exercises that create an internal corset by toning the rectus and transverse abdominis muscles.

Created by Joseph Pilates, the programme teaches awareness of breath and alignment of the spine. The concept of teaching is important, because you learn how to perform the exercises for yourself rather than lie back and have a therapist do all the work.

He originally called his method Contrology – encouraging the mind to control the muscles

– and believed that mental and physical health were essential to one another. He built his exercise programme on the principles of relaxation, alignment, control, precision, routine, centering, flowing movement and breathing. Joseph Pilates was passionate about the importance of correct breathing and co-ordinating each movement with the breath.

Tips

• Take a few classes, don’t try and learn on your own from scratch from a DVD. If the exercises are performed incorrectly you could end up with a wider waist, rather than a smaller one.
• Wear fitted clothing.
• Let the teacher know if you are pregnant as there are certain times when this exercise isn’t advised.

Pilates is often recommended by osteopaths as one of the safest exercise routines because its holistic approach tends to set it apart from many other forms of high impact exercise. It can help people of all ages – including the elderly and children over 12 – with general well being and fitness while its focus on awareness of mind and body can make it particularly effective during pregnancy, to relieve stress or in the prevention of injury.

Recommendations
Drop-in classes on Saturday and Thursday with Sean at Prince Regent Swimming Complex, Church Street, Brighton, call 01273 625454
Courses and one-to-ones with Francesca at Whatling School, Dyke Road, opposite Tin Drum, call 07958 204211
Course with Claire Lee at Hove Pilates, call 07973 719363 or visit www.hovepilates.com

Jaynie Ralph suggests the medium is the massage

Touch – the language of love and connection – is an essential part of life. It doesn’t get much better than massage; skin on skin, gently letting go of everyday aches and allowing older postural patterns to ebb away.

Ask anyone about their last massage, then stand back and watch how they slip into a smiling – almost lovesick – trance. Apart from the obvious benefits derived from kneading tightly knotted muscles, it is generally accepted that massage stimulates the nervous system and receptors, triggering release of

endorphins which creates deep relaxation and, if you are lucky, a blissed-out state of euphoria.

Massage therapists skillfully locate areas of stiffness, pain or aches with their hands, fingers and sometimes forearms or even their feet. In most cases you wear only your underpants and are well covered with warm, soft towels. Usually oil is used to help massaging hands glide over the skin, allowing smoother, deeper pressure.

These days massage has to be one of our most affordable luxuries. It’s also as available as fish and chips and it comes with a menu – from Hawaiian massage to ‘no hands massage’ there are plenty of styles to choose from. Sports massage takes a correctional approach for an out-of-balance posture or injury. Aromatherapists add essential oils to massage oil, adding a whole new dimension to the healing process. If you want to keep your clothes on there’s traditional Thai massage. Many therapists offer gift tokens which make a welcome birthday present.

Tips

• Have a massage as regularly as you can afford – many therapists will offer you a special price if you book a series
• Book your appointment when you have time to relax afterwards as you may be tired
• As after most therapies, avoid alcohol and sip plenty of water

The ancient art of massage isn’t just for the alternative crowd. There are forms of massage that are suitable for all ages from babies to the elderly – even singer Christina Aguilera doesn’t go on tour without her personal massage therapist.

Recommendations
Rosalie Samet, Hawaiian massage sessions, workshops and trainings, 01273 730 508, www.hawaiianmassage.co.uk
Paula Perry Natural Ways in Lewes, 01273 475757
Elaine Colomberg, traditional Thai massage, 07966 046960

Jaynie Ralph says yoga changes your mind and body

In a city where yoga never sleeps, sun salutations are a staple part of Brighton living. From hot yoga studios to leafy, green parks, there are plenty of tranquil places to practice yoga.

The name ‘yoga’ comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘union’. Its origins are lost in the mists of time, but much of today’s yoga can be traced back to Patanjali who gathered and wrote down the foundations of yogic practice around 200BC in India. Since then it has been practised and developed in the East through the teachings of many great yogis, and in recent decades has found a very firm foothold in the West.

The benefits of yoga are widespread and include physical improvements, such as promoting a supple spine and regulating blood flow to organs, tissues and glands, as well as affecting the mind to bring calmness and clarity. Pranayama – work on the breath – is also an essential part of all forms of yoga.

You might like to see yoga as an intelligent method to move the vital lifeforce energy around the body, or just as an all-round enjoyable way to take time out for yourself. Either way, Brighton offers many styles to choose from. Do your research well though, according to your personal requirements and level of fitness. High-impact ashtanga yoga may not be just what the doctor ordered, while a dose of gentle hatha yoga may be much more what you are looking for. Some classes, like kundalini yoga, offer a more spiritual approach, or you may be interested in detoxing with bikram yoga. Iyengar yoga puts strict emphasis on form and alignment, and uses traditional hatha yoga techniques in new manners and sequences. Whatever the name or the approach, all yoga has the same aim – to calm the mind, strengthen the body and unite the soul.

Tips
• Find a yoga practice that appeals to you and commit to it for a few weeks
• Yoga isn’t competitive, so take your time and let your body go to where it feels comfortable
• Take a bottle of water along with you

Yoga promotes balance and, under professional guidance, can help to alleviate backache, constipation, headaches and high blood pressure. It promotes relaxation so is an excellent tonic to alleviate stress.

Recommendations
Bikram Brighton – yoga in a heated room - £30 for first month unlimited.
01273 721944
Kundalini Yoga with Ishwara – 07980 928386
Brighton Natural Health Centre – 27 Regent Street - 01273 600010