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Our everyday life goes on in a tense sequence, but meanwhile a holiday is quite simple: it does not need any special dates or special occasions … if you start with your own body.
Our experts:
- Vera Krylova – cosmetologist, aromatherapist;
- Alexey Danilov – massage therapist at CityChic beauty salon;
- Elena Pikalova is a cosmetologist, body care specialist of the Beauty Magic chain of salons.
Our experts shared with us a few simple ideas that will help calm the mind and body in the pre-holiday hustle and bustle. And psychologist Catherine Maillard has prepared a test that will tell you which style of self-care is best for you.
Awaken sensitivity
We are used to using a body scrub to smooth our skin, but exfoliation can give us so much more than just exfoliation. This is literally a tangible pleasure, but not only: only meditative concentration on the movements of the hands and on those sensations that are born under the fingertips can plunge you into a state of relaxation. Awaken the sensitivity of the body at almost every point, stimulate the nerve endings, improve blood and lymph circulation, experience an incomparable feeling of renewal – good peeling provides all the possibilities for this.
How it’s done. To turn this procedure into a real ritual, it is better to put aside the usual scrub and prepare the product yourself. From what – fantasy will tell: ground coffee beans or tea leaves, chopped nuts, medium-sized crystals of sea salt and even fine sea sand are good here. Mix the peel base with a teaspoon of vegetable oil, such as sesame or olive oil. And add a few drops of essential oil: lavender, sandalwood, mint, neroli … Each essential oil has its own purpose – one can soften the skin, the other can tone tired areas, the third can cope with cellulite. You can use the knowledge accumulated by aromatherapists, but the best choice is the oil that you like the smell of – the one that you will feel the need for at the time of the procedure. So you can influence the sense of smell, and through it – on the momentary mood and general condition. Dim the lights in the bathroom, wrap yourself in a heated towel for a few minutes to relieve tension and prep your skin. Apply the peeling mixture to a dry body and gently massage it with stroking movements, moving from the toes and hands towards the heart. Act on a whim: alternate light touches with tangible pressure, tingling with rubbing. At the end, wash off the remaining peeling and generously, without missing a single area, apply fragrant oil or body balm. Rub it thoroughly – so that you feel warmth in every cell.
You can evaluate the professional Aromasoul peeling procedure in the CityChic beauty salon (www.citychic.ru).
Ekaterina Strizhenova, actress, TV presenter
“In order to shake myself up internally, it is enough for me to go to a good film or performance – this is like a driving force for creativity, which encourages the viewer to do something worthy. To recover physically, it is good to go to a beautician. And if there is no time to go to the salon, I take care of myself. Recently, OLAY Regenerist regenerating pads have become my magic wand: soaked in amino-peptide serum, they pleasantly massage the area around the eyes, and care becomes a pleasure.
pat on the head
You can pacify the body, mind and soul with gentle touches to the head: they calm and energize, relieve stress and fatigue. It is as if we are returning to childhood, when our relatives stroked us to console and dispel our anxieties. Head massage, which is widely used in Ayurvedic practice, affects active points and centers, and through them – on the state of internal organs. But it is not necessary to master this art in order to know: a gentle head massage is just very pleasant. And if you add a small amount of special oil to it, body therapy will be added to the therapy of the spirit: such stimulation is very useful for hair.
How it is done Imagine that you are sitting in a forest clearing on a sunny day, the sun warms the top of your head. Rub your palms, shake your hands, feeling how fatigue flows from your fingers. Dip them in warm oil: almond oil for oily hair, coconut oil for dry hair. With light movements of the fingertips, stroke the scalp, “drawing” small spiral circles on it from the bottom up, towards the crown of the head. Gently rub your temples and the back of your head; with short rhythmic taps, “run” from the ears to the top of the head and back. Grab a handful of hair and gently pull in different directions. Finish with real strokes: gently move your palm from your forehead to the back of your head and, if you do not want to be silent at this moment, speak – all those words that you would be pleased to hear, soothing or encouraging. To end, lie down in silence and twilight for five minutes, closing your eyes and placing your hand on your forehead.
Ayurvedic head massage can be done at the Kerala Center (www.kerala-ayur.ru).
“As a professional athlete, I know well what it means to feel your body or live apart from it. I can’t live without massage. Moreover, the body understands only a solid, athletic, without concessions and strokes. And a bath – with a bath attendant, with a broom, with a scrub and a font. Two hours – and I have a holiday! Plus a contrast shower in the morning and stretching exercises at least every other day. True, all this must be done only with a positive attitude, otherwise there will be no result.
Cook warm
Warming up and feeling how not only chilled hands thaw, but also how inner tension goes away is especially pleasant in winter. We draw the beneficial power of warmth from a fireplace fire, in a relaxing bath … But there are other ways to enjoy it. And with him to feel the beneficial effects of herbs and spices, which are so well versed . A special massage with herbal bags warmed in oil can treat joints, relieve apathy and regulate the energy balance of our body. But even those who do not know this science can enjoy using the basic principles of “heat therapy”. Its basic principle is simple: a mixture of herbs and spices is wrapped in a cloth and dipped in heated oil. From the fragrant heat, which freely “walks” through the body after the spicy knot, tension disappears and a deep sense of security and tranquility appears.
How it is done There are bags with ready-made mixtures, but it is more pleasant to make them yourself. As a base, you can take rice and boil it together with herbs, or mix steamed herbs with salt. Add those spices that you especially need at this moment: for example, ginger to restore strength; turmeric to tone the skin; cardamom to recover from physical or mental fatigue; nutmeg to keep warm; saffron to calm down… Tie this mixture in a tight linen knot, heat coconut or olive oil and soak a bag in it. Move the knot around the body with smooth, unhurried movements in the direction of blood flow. Stop at the joints and “circle” around them. Listen to your feelings, let them guide you: somewhere you want to walk weightlessly with a warm bag, somewhere you want to press, somewhere you want to hold a knot that breathes warmth over your skin. When finished, spread the oil that has not yet been absorbed over the body and allow yourself to do nothing and not think about anything for a while.
Vasant Lad “Ayurveda: herbs and spices”. Sattva, 2005.
Alexander Malenkov, editor-in-chief of MAXIM magazine
“It’s quite difficult for me to pacify my rebellious spirit, and if melancholy or anxiety has attacked me today, you can’t fix the matter with any strokes and incense. But I fell in love with massage and do it every week. Firstly, with its help, I solved my back problems, and secondly, it seems to me that I am doing something extremely useful for my body and thus clearing my conscience.
Enjoy the aroma
The power of smells is great: they can calm and give strength, restore strength after a hard day and create a good mood in anticipation of important events. Essential oils, sources of aromatherapy, can be added to certain dishes and enriched with facial products, transform the atmosphere in the house and alleviate ailments – both body and soul.
How it is done A few drops of cinnamon essential oil help restore emotional balance, rose oils nourish the skin and cure anxiety, ylang-ylang oils repair damaged areas and relieve irritability, patchouli oils eliminate flaking and focus attention. Aromatic baths with the addition of citrus essential oil (it must first be dissolved in ordinary oil to avoid burns) improve blood circulation and smooth cellulite, and a spot-applied essential extract of fir oil heals cuts. But there are also very simple gestures. To give the pillow on which we spend every night a lavender smell of calmness or the scent of cinnamon that takes us to the world of dreams – what could be better in order to have pleasant dreams and get up in the morning full of energy and in a good mood? Apply one or two drops of your favorite essential oil to your pillow, or prepare a spray: dissolve a few drops of the oil in alcohol and add distilled water to the mixture. Experiment with scents and create your own fragrance blend for your home. “Your” smell can not only be used in an aroma lamp, but also saturate sachets of dried flowers with which it is good to shift linen, take them with you on trips. Then, wherever we find ourselves, we will always have a pacifying aroma – a holiday in the middle of everyday life.
You can get individual recommendations from an aromatherapist at the Iris Center (www.aromatherapy.ru).