Gua sha is one of the most trendy self-care and skin-boosting techniques to use right now! But does it really work? What is gua sha anyway? How and how often should we be doing it? Let’s dive right into it!

What is gua sha?
Used in traditional Chinese medicine, gua sha involves scraping a flat, rounded tool, over the skin. Translated, gua means press or stroke, and sha refers to a rash or redness. Gua sha would be best described as a mix of massage and workout – as it helps release tension as well as leaves the skin looking instantly more smooth, glowing and healthy-looking.

The benefits of gua sha
Gua sha has many great qualities and comes in different materials and they all have their own benefits. Jade is known for its balancing effects and helps de-puff features while clearing inflammation. Rose quartz is better known for its wrinkle-reducing benefits. Black obsidian stone is believed to be a powerful protector against negative energy. Of course, all these different stones have their area of expertise, all of the above is achieved by doing gua sha on a regular basis.

Gua sha is a great source of muscle tension and can be used on both face, neck, body, and scalp. The treatment relaxes the muscles, gets the energy and blood moving. By boosting the circulation it takes away toxins and brings in oxygen and nutrients. It also helps with lymphatic drainage which decreases puffiness and prevents the appearance of fine lines.

We take care of our teeth every day so why shouldn’t you do the same with your skin? If you get gua sha into your day-to-day beauty repertoire it will leave your skin glowy and energized.

How to use a gua sha

1. You can use a gua sha on the face, body, and scalp, with a serum or oil – never on bare skin.
2. Hold the gua sha tool with the curved side to your face and glide it gently up and out, starting with the neck, jawline, chin, and around the mouth, between three and five times per area. Always take short strokes in just one direction, not back and forth. Repeat about 3-5 times.
3. Next, press the tool flat to the skin, under the eyes, or over any redness, to soothe and de-puff.
4. Work the tool in small horizontal strokes over the brow bone to lift, or hold and press upwards between the brows to release tension.
5. Stroke down the neck, never upwards, to drain fluid.
6. If you want to reduce puffiness, work lightly, then more firmly, to relax muscles.

Photo: Weronika Karczewska

Today, our culture is obsessed with food. We eat all the time and as a result, we have lost touch with what it means to feel actual hunger – as stated by Dr. Will Cole. We also spend our time obsessing over the wrong kinds of food and most commonly, our weight. But what about the inside of our bodies? We can’t really see what we look like on the inside, but we do see the effects of our bodies’ inner well-being on the outside. Acne, rashes, hair loss, weight gain to name a few – yet most people don’t connect the dots that their issues might origin from the food they put in their mouths.

The healing powers of nature and its plants is something that has been around since the beginning of time. Functional Medicine and the holistic way of life is nothing new, yet it has for the past centuries, knowingly been suppressed, and replaced. In today’s society, our generations are being raised on artificial foods, fast carbohydrates, and sugars. We are constantly surrounded by toxins. It’s been normalized to eat fast food, candy, and consume energy drinks and soda on a daily basis. What most people don’t realize are the massive health effects this pattern has on their future health. By eating these types of “food” on a regular basis, made scientifically in factories, you’re setting yourself up for a shorter life of illness and inflammation down the road as our bodies are not made to handle them. Our DNA has not changed for thousands of years and is not caught up with the massive change in the food that we eat. On top of this, there is a massive loss of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in the food we eat that are essential for the body to function.

Everything in our bodies is connected, and our health or our problems all start with what we choose to consume. Nature provides us with everything we need in order to live a healthy life, but somewhere along the way between mass productions, pharmaceutical companies, money, and technology, we lost the sense of what is real. When people get sick, they choose medicine to cure the problem, instead of looking at why the problem occurred in the first place. A lifestyle change in food habits might just be what your body ordered – the right food is your medicine. Choosing to eat clean, wholesome foods will not only create a richer life for yourself, but also for our planet. Our climate and our health are connected as we so desperately depend on each other and need each other in order to grow and fuel ourselves with the right kind of produce. Healthy fats from avocados, olive and coconut oil, and nuts. Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach, parsley, coriander along with vegetables such as Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower help clean the liver. All-natural foods contain vital substances that help your body function correctly. Spices and herbs are no different! Superfoods like garlic, ginger, and turmeric have been used to cure various illnesses and conditions for ages, so why not boost ourselves when we so easily can!

There are many different diets and trends on how to eat right. Most of these diets emphasize how to lose weight, which with clean eating is not the main focus at all. With the knowledge of eating clean, natural foods, the emphasis is on how it improves your overall health in every aspect of your well-being. It gives your body the ability to be strong enough to fight off inflammation and other illnesses. Your immune system is empowered, your energy level improves, you significantly decrease the risk of getting cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes to name a few of the most common diseases that are being diagnosed today. Don’t be a part of the statistics – educate yourself into healing from the inside!

Your body doesn’t need another quick-fix detox, it needs a natural, plant-based lifestyle with the right amount of clean meats. “If nature made it, eat it. If man-made it, leave it” and honestly, it’s that simple.

Books

Ketotarian – Dr. Will Cole (Highly recommend!)

The Inflammation Spectrum – Dr. Will Cole

Intuitive Fasting – Dr. Will Cole

Plant Over Processed – Andrea Hannemann

Instagram Accounts

@drwillcole

@drmarkhyman

@drjoshaxe

@doctordiamantis

@plantycures

@women.sync

Life constantly tests us and throw us curveballs that we unexpectedly have to deal with. The pandemic is one of them. The world before covid made an entrance was very different compared to the world we live in now.  We filled our days with engaging socially with friends and family, traveled when given the opportunity, worked in offices filled with colleagues and dined at our favorite restaurants whenever we felt like it. Never once did we stop to think, what if all this is taken away? What if all we were left with, was ourselves? 

We are currently living in a time of enlightenment and awakening. People are looking for answers, reasons and ways to live a new life post covid. As we are slowly beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we are also faced with a new reality. Many of us have changed our every-day behaviors and going back to how it was pre-covid isn’t an option. We have been forced to learn a new way of living, which in all the horrific events that has happened, can be chosen to be viewed at as something positive. The world slowed down, our lives was put on hold. For the first time in our lifetime, we received an unexpected pause in life. This gave us the opportunity to reflect, not only on how we were living our lives, or how it was affecting the world, but it had us thinking; how DO we want to spend our time on this earth? We have a limited amount of time in this life, in this experience, in this body. Do we really want to spend it the way that we have in the past, or do we choose to learn and grow from the experience to become better human beings for ourselves and for all things living? 

We don’t stay the same as we always been. We are constantly growing and changing with our experiences and developing into the people we are supposed to become. If covid thought us anything, it’s to be present in the NOW. When there is nothing else going on, we enjoyed the quiet and embraced the moment. Can you allow yourself to relax and let go of your expectations, your demands and live in the now, just as it is? It’s not difficult to be present, we just have to remind ourselves to be just that.  

We just need to stop, pause and listen to what our intuition is telling us and keep practicing this, every day. Because every day we are getting closer to the pre-covid lifestyle, and our mind will be our biggest enemy with all the internal battles we faced before. 

Mindfulness and spiritual interest during the pandemic have grown tremendously. It has given people comfort and the tools and ability to see clearly what is happening, in order to be able to act on that as wisely as possible. The ability to break down the enchantment of the negative thought, is the human superpower. With this control, we can achieve anything we put our mind to and can create the kind of life we want for ourselves. During the past year people have searched out new hobbies that perhaps they always been curious about but never really took the time to practice because life got in the way. We lost our playfulness and stopped practicing what truly makes us feel good inside as responsibility, bills and mortgages got in the way. Society has changed and it has forces us to change along with it, but with working from home, we found ourselves with much more time on our hands which allowed us to become creative and search within ourselves again. Meditation, yoga, pilates, nature-walks, gardening and surrounding ourselves with loved ones and animals was incorporated in many lives as we realized how good it made us feel. We needed to be reminded to let our inner child come out as we were slowly going back towards our natural state of being. Being one with ourselves and with nature. This is so important to remember and to try and keep incorporating in our lives going forward. Our world needs it and the human and animal life depend on it. 

We don’t need a new year to reflect on what we truly want out of life. We already have the answers within. 

Our mind is there, guiding us with all the best intentions. All we have to do it stop and listen. 

DAILY AFFIRMATIONS: Smile, drink your water, eat clean, listen within, breathe, move your body, be in nature, remember why you started, spread love and positivity. 

What are the secrets behind Matcha tea and why has it taken the spotlight away from previous favorites as the regular green tea? Well, we’re here to tell you that there is a reason why it’s been rising in popularity the past few years! Let’s go over the natural health benefits of this super-ingredient and how you can incorporate it into your everyday lifestyle. We´ve done the research, so that you don’t have to! 

The Matcha Tea 

Matcha tea is not a newcomer. It’s been around since the 12^th century and been used by Buddhist monks and in tea ceremonies for ages. Matcha origins from Japan and the camellia sinensis plant, which is grown in the shade, out of direct sunlight to protect and contain the nutrients in the leaves. They are harvested after thirty days and steamed, dried and grounded into the powder we pour into our cups, giving us all the amazing health aspects without any loss of quality in nutrition. It is a one hundred precent natural ingredient that is packed with antioxidants and full of natural vitamins that our bodies need to fight off inflammation, cell damage and chronic disease. So, in terms of if the matcha tea is good for us? YES, it is! 

Health Benefits 

One of the main health benefits of matcha is the extreme high level of antioxidants. These are natural compounds that prevent our bodies from aging, developing cancer cells and chronic disease. Matcha is the antioxidant powerhouse when comparing to other natural food sources such as blueberries, spinach, broccoli and pomegranate – matcha have up to twenty times as many antioxidants. Sadly today, when consuming these fruit and vegetables bought in grocery stores, they don’t contain as many antioxidants as they used to, leaving us lacking in some of the most important ingredients that promote our health, in which matcha is an amazing addition to increase these levels. The more antioxidants you have, the better your body is equipped to fight off infections and inflammation which later on can develop to serious health conditions. 

Matcha is also very rich on natural vitamins and fiber. Vitamin C, selenium, zinc and magnesium to name a few key minerals that are packed in the matcha leaf and crucial for our body’s overall wellbeing. It also boosts the metabolism, assisting with weight loss and even promotes heart health. As if these weren’t enough reasons to begin consuming matcha – it also contains amino-acids that put you in a calm and meditative state, increases your focus and concentration. So basically, it’s beneficial for both body and mind – we do love you so Matcha!

How To 

The most common way to consume matcha is with the traditional bamboo whisk. Put 1-2 teaspoons of the matcha powder in a cup, pour in hot water and mix it from side to side with the whisk until foamy and finished. It is fun easy to incorporate this into your daily routine and it can also be used in smoothies or as a replacement of the coffee latte with the all the health benefits included.