Maybe it’s because I’ve done massage for 16 years, but I care how things feel. Whether shopping for clothes,  temperature of water, how my skin feels, I want to feel good.  Several years, during the cold weather I started experiencing dry skin even though I was drinking plenty of water.  It wasn't anything out of control, but it was just uncomfortable.

My yoga therapist suggested I start daily body brushing & abhyanga aka self-massage. I knew of body brushing was good for exfoliating the skin, but only knew abhyanga as a luscious spa service, not as a technique for daily self-care.
I made time to do a quick body brushing (maybe 3 minutes) and a good oiling/self-massage (maybe 2-4 minutes depending if I add in affirmations while I’m massaging), probably 4-5xs/week.  It’s one of the many things I’ve been adding to my weeks to focus more on self-love and drop those old self-neglect patterns.   
I noticed right away my skin looked and felt better all day. Not just for a few hours in the morning. Especially when heaters are on or if it is windy outside my skin just drys up, but with regular exfoliation, supporting circulation and nourishing my skin, I feel good all day.
Body brushing is brushing the skin with a dry rush to encourage new cell renewal, lymphatic drainage, cellulite reduction & it removes dead skin cells. Double bonus: smoother, brighter skin plus less ingrown hairs.
Wanna know more? Check out this video featuring my favorite body brush from Mio Skincare ( Mamas-to-be: check out their awesome prenatal skincare line)
Abhyanga is a form of self-massage which nourishes the skin and body plus stimulates the organs and increases circulation. The easiest way to describe how to do it is, using a fair to generous amount of oil, you massage around the joints and up & down the bones.
To learn more about abhyanga, how to do it, plus where to buy your own massage oil, go to Banyan Botanicals. They are a great resource for information on Ayurveda plus quality, safe products.
For my face I use the science-based skincare system, Celavive. This system is paraben free, dermatologically tested,  has Olivol® Botanical Blend and USANA InCelligence Technology®,  It supports the natural beauty-preserving functions within my skin,  For more info or to purchase the skincare regime I use, which is ideal for dry, sensitive or combination skin types, check it out here. For predominantly oily skin, go here.
Before trying a daily body brushing or self-massaging routine, let me suggest a couple things:

1. Pick an old towel that will become your designated oiling towel.  Abhyanga can potentially get oily. Keep it on a towel you can wash, but know that oil tends to ruin fabrics over time so don't choose a nice one.  Also, use it for your body brushing as well, those skin cells go somewhere might as well get mostly on a towel you'll be washing regularly. 
   
2. Heat up your oil. Nothing crazy, and don't microwave. Place your oil bottle in a bowl and put some hot water around the bottle in the bowl, to heat up your oil. Warm oil feels so much better on your skin that oil that’s a little cold or just room temperature.  If you want to just warm the oil in your hands, you have greater risk of getting oil all over the place.
   

So now over to you, what are you favorite ways to take care of you skin? Any DIY recipes you love?
To learn about what daily routines: physical, mental, or emotional,  support you or deplete you, schedule a yoga therapy session,              Yoga Therapy Sessions: Thursday 10am and 11:30am at Yoga Yoga: Westgate Location
Email [email protected] to request my available appointments:
March 8th
April 19th

Welcome to 2018. We started this Monday with a Full Moon in Cancer.

We are beginning a new year, a fresh start to creating more ease & presence into our every day.  

I usually set a list of resolutions and core-desired feelings (for more on this visit www.daniellelaporte.com) and try to accomplish as much as possible. "Hit the ground running" if you will. 

But I'm tired of feeling rushed to create a legacy or pressed for time when it comes to making time for my friends and family. I want to feel more ease and more grace.

So rather than burning out within the first weeks of this New Year, I am taking my time. I'm keeping space in my schedule to go at my own pace.

A Full Moon in Cancer asks us to look at how we relate to ourselves and others, how we relate to our work, our home, our goals.

I spent New Year's day dancing with Dr. Deb Kern at her PranaShakti Dance class, here in Austin, and using the nurturing, motherly energy of this full moon to enjoy some extra self-care and delicious New Year’s meal.

As we take time to connect with your core desired feelings or set your resolutions for the coming year, the full moon makes us more sensitive so it’s an excellent time to really connect with how you want your year to feel.  

Simone Butler, author of Moon Power: Lunar rituals for connecting with your inner goddess, describes how we might experience the energy of the moon in Cancer:  

“We like to nest when the Moon is in cancer...We’re just too tempted to sleep in, hang with our homies, get caught up on chores, or lose ourselves in a good book or movie.
Nurture your Moon with food and drink that feed your soul, but hopefully don't expand your waistline too much.
Cancer needs a secure place to put down roots, and that means home...Give your home a little loving attention now. Burn some sage to clear the atmosphere, let go of clutter that’s blocking your energy, or organize a family cleaning day.
Most of all, pay attention to your feelings, You will be more sensitive than usual and perhaps prone to tears. Nostalgic memories may arise. Let yourself grieve, and honor the memory of those you’ve lost…” 

Let yourself move slowly into your new year. Set heart-felt, desire-focused intentions full of feeling. The blue moon at the end of the month with give us a motivational boost so if youre finding it hard to start those resolutions, just take your time for now.

Now over to you:
What are some of your resolutions or core-desired feelings for the year? Let me know in the comments below.

Remember how computers and the internet were designed to make our lives so much easier that we could work less.  In fact, most people work more, sometimes working and checking emails even after they've left the office.  Even my mom was talking about getting off social media because it was too overwhelming and taking up too much of her time.  
I'm agree, we haven't taught how to have clear boundaries around what we take in from social media or the internet, in general.  This information overload is creating sleep disturbances, serious neck alignment and tension issues, and leaving us feeling paralyzed to take action.
Here are my Top 3 Ways to Avoid Information Overload:

1. Dont Drain the Bank: We only get the mental energy to make so many decisions in a day. Don't get frustrated when, by the end of the day, you can't decided on what to do for dinner. There's only so much to go around. So meal prep for the evening, make your biggest decisions first thing, and delegate trivial decisions to others.

2. Clean Up Your Inbox: Go through your email, regardless if you just delete them or you let them pile up and promise to read them later, any email list you've subscribed to that you never read, unsubscribe.  Letting those pile up can leave feeling drowning in email. 

3. Power Hours: At work, break your day into "power hours". 45-90 minutes of focused, intentional work. Then get up, get away from your computer or phone, stretch/walk/socialize/rest for 15-30 minutes then get back at it.  Breaking your day into power hours will help you be more productive and less tempted to start scrolling through cat videos on the internet. Think about it, at work, during an 8-hour day, you may get 3-4 hours of actual work done, the rest is time spent trying to get back to work. Break up your day, be efficient, your body will thank you for not forcing it to sit at the desk all day.

Got any tips that really work for you?  Let me know in the comments.