Do you look in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you are? Do you gaze into your eyes and see the wisdom and compassion that looks back at you from within?
Have you ever simply smiled at yourself and acknowledged just how amazing you are and the journey of your life so far?
At the age of 61, I find myself peering into my face with a kind of wonder. I know this face, and yet it is constantly changing. I trace the lines around my eyes gently and with respect. These eyes have beheld so much beauty and also so much pain.
I am curious at the way creases appear in my cheeks as I smile and am so grateful for all of the laughter that has graced my face. I am somewhat amazed that I don’t have more “worry” lines in my forehead as so much of my early life was full of anxiety, stress and worry.
As I gaze at my reflection in the mirror what I see most of all is love. I also see courage, strength, softness, radiance and the reflection of a woman who knows that true, authentic beauty has nothing to do with how we look, only with how we feel. The energy that we give to ourselves is the energy we receive from ourselves.
It wasn’t always like this. I used to scrutinize the way I looked and found myself disapproving of the slightest “imperfection.” I was hard on myself, my body and my appearance. I remember someone asking me what I wanted for my 21 birthday, and I replied harshly, “Just give me a crate of anti-wrinkle lotion!” I thought it was all over once you were past your early 20s. Boy, did I have a lot to learn!
I am so grateful for the way that life and my body have taught me how to love and appreciate every part of myself.
Age can be the most wonderful teacher if we allow it. When we realise that every moment is precious, we stop pretending that we have forever and begin to linger longer in the moments we have now. When we understand that our thoughts are like magic elixirs and that fabulous energy is created from choosing fabulous emotions, we soar!
One of the most powerful things we can do is to love who we are. Love is an energy that can transform us. It seeks to uplift, soothe and heal us. Feeling radiant and full of positivity is a beautiful side effect of showing you that you love and care for you.
As a Body Confidence Expert and Coach, I spend my life helping women of every shape, size, weight and age, fall in love with themselves a little more every day. This is the legacy that I seek to leave. A trail of sparkles that lights up people’s lives and constantly invites them to look at themselves with love and exclaim, “Aren’t I fabulous?”
I don’t mean that this is done in an arrogant or superior kind of way but in a way that simply understands the truth of who we all are, because the truth is that we are all fabulous! We have travelled our journeys. We have climbed the mountains, become lost in the wilderness, taken the road less travelled and returned home again and again to the hearth and inner welcome of our own being.
And so, I wanted to dedicate this piece to our beautiful faces. To every smile you have smiled, to every tear you’ve cried, to the way your nose crinkled up with fun when you were truly amused, for the compassion and tenderness in your eyes and to the way you have faced the world with your courage, bravery and determined optimism. Take a little time to send some loving energy to the face that you have shown the world and bask in your own eternal radiance.
This beautiful energy facial uses a combination of energy medicine, yoga, Qi Gong, resistance exercises, loving touch, therapeutic massage and positive loving intentional affirmations.
Touch your face lightly and with respect. Take this time to connect with you and show how much you love and value you. Our faces often store a vast amount of tension, especially around the forehead, jaw, scalp and eyes. You can do all of these exercises in sequence or just pick and mix! They can be done anywhere – your car, before a meeting, first thing in the morning, last thing at night.
Always approach these exercises with great love and respect – show your face you love it with every touch! Enjoy!
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Vigorously rub your hands together. Gently massage the energy all over your face with gentle upward strokes. Repeat 8 times and then shake off any excess energy. Repeat the mantra, “I am loved.”
Lightly tap all over your face with your fingertips. Imagine you are standing out in the summer rain and feeling it gently fall upon your skin. Remember to tap down the sides of your neck to help with detox. Repeat softly to yourself, “I am glowing.”
Rub your hands together once more and gently place the palms over both your eyes. Link your little fingers together. Allow your eyes to be bathed in that beautiful energy. Then, take the two index fingers (the magic fingers) and press them gently into the corners of your eyes between the brows (the inner eye socket).
Focus on your breathing. Press your fingers into the ridge just underneath your eyebrows. Press the index fingers into the sides of the eyes. Then take the two fingers and press just on top of the cheek bones. Say to yourself, “My vision is clear.”
Place the two index fingers to the side of your eyes. Lift upwards, creating some resistance. Gently, see if you can wink from the bottom upwards. Bringing the underneath of the eye upwards. The fingers help create resistance which helps the eye muscle work a little stronger. Repeat gently, “I behold beauty everywhere I go.”
Imagine that your two index fingers have become full of magic and they have extraordinary powers. Place them one on top of the other on your forehead and gently draw small “C” shapes. Your intention is to release any stress, tension and negative thoughts. Imagine that your fingers are releasing and erasing any lines of worry or tension leaving your forehead softened and released. Repeat, “I am calm and relaxed.”
Gently place both hands on the side of your face. Widen the fingers slightly and press down lightly. Now, make a wide smile with your lips together. Really bring the corners of your mouth up and out. Hold for at least five seconds. Repeat. The affirmation here is, “I love myself; I love my life!”
A lovely energy exercise for the lips. Blow kisses. And then blow the kisses against your hand for a little more resistance and then let it go! Tell yourself, “I am fabulous!”
Place both hands in prayer position and put your thumbs underneath your chin with the hands over your nose and lower face. Open up both hands and draw them along the jawline, lifting up both sides of your face. Come up to the temples and tuck your fingers behind the ears and smooth your hands down along both sides of your neck.
Rest your hands on your collar bones for a moment, breathing deeply. Tap in the centre of your collar bones. Repeat, “Everything comes to me with ease and joy.”
If you would like a handy reminder of the Radiant Glow Energy facial please sign up for the FREE E-BOOK the Radiant Glow Energy Facial.
What do you love more about you now that you are in your 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? Have you ever simply smiled at yourself and acknowledged just how amazing you are and the journey of your life so far? What do you do to bring love into your days?