In a tradition I typically save for my personal journal on the eve of my birthday, I usually write a letter to myself to celebrate, and encourage the constant evolving that I choose to do. These are the words that came today as I reflected on my year.
Dear beautiful self,
Another year wiser and with a few more wrinkles, I’ve seen you grow in your willingness to reach out and ask (and receive) help. I’ve seen you overcome challenges that were unexpected, and do it with grace and gratitude. I watched you grow your business and become more confident and more self-assured in what you’re here to do. I’ve seen you stay consistent with your strength training program, sometimes battling the pain like wielding a sword against an enemy. I’ve seen you be generous and kind to those who may not have always deserved it. I watched you demonstrate bravery in extremely challenging situations.
As you continue to age, I see you learning to ride the waves of the process of the body changing. I see you worry about the things that you may not have control over and I hope that you remember that like fine wine and good cheese, the aging process just gets better.
I hope that this coming year you will continue to embrace all of you. You will navigate what life hands you with tremendous courage, and also an openness to staying with vulnerability. Your determination to find equanimity—or the balance between effort and ease—will be something that becomes quite easy for you if you stay the course.
A year or so ago I reacted to the frustration I feel at times for the yoga culture we have seemed to create in the western world. I opened my mouth in a fit of grievance and spoke truthfully about this publicly. Some heard it with curiosity and grace, while others were dismayed at my seemingly arrogant stance on this.
In our western yoga culture there seem to be so much focus on the physical body, and it’s honestly so disheartening, especially since Yoga teacher trainings capture the philosophy and other aspects of Yoga over the course of the 200 or 300 hours of learning. At least they should.
Let me be clear, of course the sensations we feel while putting our body into a certain shape can be a stepping stone for awareness and so much more, BUT it is also so overly misguided and misunderstood that I find myself saddened that so many people are not having the access to the deep philosophy and way of being that the practice offers.
I am in a variety of social media forums for Yoga teachers and every single day there are questions on how to build a sequence, or how to create a “peak pose”, or how to teach an arm balance that is probably obtainable to 3% of the population. Why??
Let’s back up to simply defining Yoga.
The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body.
Yoga is alsoa balanced state of the body and mind.Yoga is a balanced state of emotions.Yoga is a balanced state of thoughts and intellect.Yoga is a balanced state of behavior.
That is not touching your toes or being on the floor in contorted positions or standing on one leg.
Let me share with you the Yoga students I got to share Yoga with today and how they got to practice.
I entered into an assisted living setting to find a group of woman sitting in a living room. I scanned the area for what I was soon facing and “read the room” as we are trained to do.
Here is where the essence of Yoga was in this moment–I “united” with a woman suffering from confusing dementia and lack of word recall. She was agitated, angry, and utterly confused. I was able to get her to sit back down as I gently held her hands. I moved her arms in circles and gently pulled her into a soft forward bend. I rubbed her feet with lavender as I responded to every single irrational statement that she made that was her reality. I asked her questions about the incoherent story she was living and sharing with me. I heard her.
Within a few moments of receiving the lavender foot rub, her language became less erratic and she relaxed into her easy chair.
Was that considered Yoga? Was she experiencing a balanced state of emotions? Absolutely.
A lovely woman who was sitting across the room in a catatonic state, quietly asked for some of the “stuff that smelled good.”. A few minutes of a loving hand massage and she too softened into herself.
Was that considered Yoga? Was she experiencing a balanced state of thought? Absolutely.
As a Yoga teacher of 16+ years I am still astounded that our world doesn’t see that moments like this IS Yoga. It IS human connection. It IS a desire to help people experience balance of mind and emotions. It IS a desperate attempt to bring unity to their spirits.
I could care less about a sequence or a peak pose.
Perhaps that is why it has been impossible to find a Yoga teacher willing to get out of their physically focused way and truly share the entire essence Yoga, from the heart. This is about the greater good and a selfless offering that changes the lives of those in their final chapter of life. Some perhaps, in their final pages.
If I sound bitter and frustrated, I am. All I can do with this is walk it off, know that I served well today and the right person will come into my life to share this with.
I grew up in the 70’s era where the only sunscreen around was the infamous zinc oxide slapped onto the nose long after the sun had already blistered it a few times. There might have been something call sea and ski that had a distinct smell but the memory of it is not super vivid. All I know is that this redheaded gal spent most summers with sunburns and blisters. As an adult I admit I was far from consistent when it came to sunscreen, until a few years ago.
Sadly, the damage of 50+ years in the very strong Colorado sun has taken its toll. I have had more basal cell cancers cut out than I can recall and a few squamous ones, too. A recent trip to the dermatologist resulted in yet another biopsy and the unexpected follow up call saying I need to have surgery to get the rest of it. Not fun. This particular spot is on my collarbone where the skin is super thin and fragile.
Most people who know me are surprised that I am a mom to a 32 year old and that I have a handful of grandkids because honestly, I do not look 52… at first glance anyway. Sometimes my son and I when out together get confused as siblings or worse, that we are a couple. (It helps that he is balding and looks much older than his 32 years and I can most days pass for 40-ish). Overall despite the decades of sun exposure my face has not taken too much of a beating and I have been taking really good care of it.
For the last 10 years I have been very diligent with what I put on my skin and besides sunscreen, the only thing I use on my skin is stuff that I make myself so I know the ingredients are pure. Our skin is after all our largest organ and it absorbs everything we put on it. I make my own foot salve, body butter,eye lash serum, cuticle and nail serum, and hand balm. Sure, it takes a little time but it is so worth it. I know exactly what I am putting on my skin and consider it to all be the cleanest and purest skin care. Plus, I cringe at the thought of paying upwards of $50 – $100 for a high quality facial serum. The DIY facial serum that I use works the same or better, lasts longer, and costs significantly less.
I have been making a face serum to offset the damage of the sun for quite some time and I think it is amazing. I use pure essential oils and rosehip oil as my carrier. I have found rose hip to work best with my aging skin, but I also know that jojoba is a great option, too.
You only need 3 items to make this DIY Face Serum. These are my favorites— dropper bottle, carrier oils, and essential oils.
The carrier oil is generally inexpensive and can be used for other DIY projects. All together, depending on the essential oils you use, this serum will likely cost under $10 per bottle. The essential oils you invest in can be used for a variety of other uses, or you can just use them for serums and they will make about twenty-five 2oz serums. Can you imagine spending department store prices twenty five times??? Another benefit to this investment is that I know exactly what I am putting on my skin. There are no unnecessary fillers, synthetic ingredients, or preservatives that are not good for me.
A few words of caution when it comes to essential oils.
First, please be sure you are using a high quality essential oil, and do not use fragrance oil from the drugstore. Even though these are labeled as pure oils, they have been tested and they are synthetic. These will damage your skin! If your bottle of essential oil states fragrance oil anywhere on it, do not apply it to your face.
Second, be wary of ordering on Amazon because most of these have been tampered with. If you’ve ordered from there and your oil has smelled or looked “off”, then you’ve experienced this. These can damage your skin because you don’t know what’s in them. They are frequently diluted with low cost coconut oil which can sometimes clogs pores. Because of this, the essential oils I trust to use with my skin and my family are doTERRA essential oils because of their purity, testing standards, and commitment to sustainable practices.
You can customize this serum to your skin’s specific needs. Since I am targeting aging and sun damaged skin, I carefully selected the essential oils listed below. At my age, I need all the anti-aging wrinkle fighting help I can get. So I chose some specific oils to help with those needs, like Blue Tansy. You can use as few as 1 or 2 essential oils in this, or as many as you like. Use what you have or grab a few new ones.
If you’re not sure where to start, Lavender and Frankincense would be good choices. Of course grabbing these at wholesale makes the most sense and is easy to do! With wholesale pricing you get a 25% off retail cost and there is no requirement to make purchases.
Frankincense – I consider this one a must in this recipe. They knew even thousands of years ago the amazing benefits of Frankincense. It can help with fine lines and wrinkles, reduction of the appearance of scars, and give an overall radiant and youthful glow.
Lavender– The is one of the most popular essential oils of all time and with good reason. It has incredible benefits for the skin. It can help reduce redness, blotchy patches and reduce acne. It has anti-inflammatory properties that help your skin heal from irritations, sun burn, insect bites, or bacteria. It can also help detoxify the skin, heal, soothe, and prevent wrinkles. It’s a superstar!
Helichrysum – This is a beautiful healing oil that is great for inflammation, cell regeneration, and can help diminish scars. It is called “The Everlasting Flower” because of its ant-aging rejuvenating benefits for the skin and ability to improve the complexion.
Yarrow | Pom – This is so wonderful for skin all on it’s own that many people will slather this all over their face to reap the benefits. It has a beautiful blue tint to it that may turn the skin a bit blue at first, but will go away in a few minutes.
Geranium– Geranium essential oil has fantastic benefits for the skin. It can help with acne breakouts, wrinkles, skin irritations, and skin infections. I highly recommend adding this one.
Tea Tree– Tea Tree essential oil especially good for acne prone or oily skin. It is naturally cleansing and purifying and will help fight acne causing bacteria. A must for any serum.
Copaiba – Copaiba essential oil is widely used in cosmetic products including soaps, creams, lotions, and perfumes. It is high in beta-caryophyllene which has been studied for its affects on skin. Perfect for any facial serum.
Cypress– Cypress oil supports restoring skin’s hydration and eases oil and dry skin issues. The decongestant quality of cypress oil reduces skin pigmentation and puffiness. Skin-soothing properties calm the irritated and inflamed skin and accelerate the healing process.
*Blue Tansy occasionally I add this special blue oil because it truly is amazing for the skin. While it is a pricier one, it has some amazing benefits and is a very popular essential oil in many skin care products you can buy anywhere. This one is the purest of the pure.
I apply the serum to a clean face at night and use the rose quartz roller to spread it all over my face and neck area. I smell amazing and while I sleep my face is getting restored by the essential oil benefits.
This gorgeous ebook has some great ideas and tips for how to use essential oils in your home. The investment goes way beyond this face serum!
Please note that I may receive commissions when you click my links and make purchases. This doesn’t affect your price in any way and helps offset the cost of running this website.
Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life. Stacie is currently contracted across the country in a variety of residential programs for adults with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.
With over fifteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is a E-RYT 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.
Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes. In addition to teaching classes in her studio and in the community, Stacie also continues to offer Yoga and Wellness coaching individually to those seeking private sessions.
