My Favorite Homemade Facial Masks

Detoxifying Clay Mask

Clay absorbs toxins and leaves skin feeling smooth and healthy. Clay isn't just good for the skin it's also great for digestive wellness when ingested. It binds to heavy metals and aids in carrying waste out of the body overall.

Ingredients:
2 tbl. Bentonite Clay*
3-5 tsp. Filtered Water

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix a clay with water until it forms a gummy paste. 
2. Apply to face and neck. Allow to dry on skin for 10-20 minutes. 
3. Gently wipe off with a warm moist towel. Repeat 1-2x per week for beautiful skin. 

Green Tea Mask

I usually apply onto neck and chest.

Green Tea contains poly-phenols which help to reduce inflammation and redness in the skin. This mask contains Matcha an incredibly potent form of dried young green tea leaves. Great mask for soothing the skin and anti-aging.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 tbl. Matcha Powder**
2-3 tsp. Decaffeinated Tea (I like to use Chamomile - hydrating or White Tea - anti-aging)

Directions:
1. Mix matcha and tea until it forms a thin paste.
2. Apply to face and neck. Allow to dry for 10-12 minutes.
3. Rinse face with warm water and wipe with moist towel to remove.  Repeat 2-3x per month.

*You can purchase Bentonite Clay at your local health food store. Check out the Bulk Tea & Spices section for additional savings.
**Sometimes you can find Matcha powder at your local health food store. I ordered mine online through Amazon.


Keri Marino is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Propmaker, and Yoga Therapist in training.  She owns and operates Yoga Unique LLC offering Private classes, Yoga Therapy and Yoga products. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area.

Yogic Perspective on Stress

Keri teaching kids downdog

Let's face it all of us our stressed to one degree or another. Even our children identify with "feeling stressed out." When teaching a kid's yoga class to a group of fourth and fifth graders last September. I asked the children on the first day of the class what they hoped to gain from taking yoga. Their answers were impressive. Before me was a room full of brilliant 9-11 year old kids telling me they wanted to feel angry less and happy more.

One boy talked in particular about how stressed and angry he becomes when other kids pick on him. He said that he hoped yoga could teach him how to find inner peace and calm. By the end of a few months of once weekly classes, for whatever reason, he was able to do just that. When I asked the young boy at the end of the semester how yoga class had helped him, he told me that everyone around him comments on how calm he is now and that he is no longer known as the angry kid. He reported using his breathing practice to fall asleep, meditate, and before big tests to calm down. What a cool little guy.

It was so beautiful to see the kids come into class each week. Some of them feeling noticeably awkward and unsure of themselves. While other kids were just plain oblivious. They hardly knew that they had feet much less which one was right versus left. With a row of grinning teacher's pets lined up few inches from my mat, and some serious yogi's with a focus spread throughout the room. Ironically, I see the same types of students in my adult classes.

According to the study of psychotherapy, somewhere between the ages of 5-8 each individual makes some very important life decisions that shape their habitual ways of thinking. These decisions impact how to perceive and manage stress. During those young years of life, we may decide for example that we have to take care of everything ourselves if mom or dad are not "showing up" for us physically or emotionally. Then as we grow older, we continue to think those same thoughts and may end up in frustrating relationship with partners and friends. These thoughts only hold us back from reaching our full potential. These habit patterns of thoughts and feelings which restrict us are called samskaras. 

However, a yoga practice can teach you that in all moments you have a choice. 

To suffer or not to suffer?

You can choose how you spend your time thinking, feeling, and living your life. You can break the cycle of negative thought patterns or continue to feed them so they grow ever stronger. To break the cycle you must take the time to become aware of them and continue to learn as you go along. Take some time to focus your awareness inwards and you will suddenly become more aware of what decisions will be good for you or not. Seek help from others when you need to and find away to let go of the stress in life. That stuff can really kill you. 

To relieve your stress levels and anxiety keep it simple and decide. Do you want to spend all your time feeding negative thoughts or ones that make you feel good?

When you have negative thoughts come to the surface take time to acknowledge them and try to relax into any discomfort you feel. You are not your thoughts and feelings. During a Bryan Kest workshop last weekend, it was mentioned that 90% of our thoughts are the same thoughts we think everyday over and over again. We mindlessly reinforce the way we feel about ourselves and our life in our unconscious mind all day long! So how many times a week do you tell yourself your fat? not good enough? etc. 

So instead of feeling like you have to run out and do something about your stress levels. Take some time to sit quietly and just acknowledge where you are and how you feel. Through becoming aware of your thought patterns you can grow towards a place of health and balance.

Here are some tips to manage your stress levels:

• Notice how you think about yourself and how those thoughts make you feel. If they make you feel stressed or anxious do something about it. Try to take a healthy action at least 80% of the time.
• Be with your samskaras in a meditation practice, restorative yoga, and in all moments. By simply becoming aware of your thoughts things will naturally shift towards a more balanced place. 
• Allow yourself the luxury of learning continuously throughout your life instead of feeling like you have to get everything right every time. Life is a journey, not a destination. Take yourself out of the pressure cooker and into a big open space to grow.
• Practice conscious breathing. Become aware of your breathing and take time to sit quietly each day and focus on it. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply to calm down your nervous system.
• Do yoga or exercise. Yoga and exercise naturally reduce your stress levels, promote health, and detoxify your body. So that you can meditate comfortably.
• Meditate to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system and promote a relaxation response in the body and mind.

Article and first two photos by Keri Rogers.

Keri is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, creator of yoga props, and health lifestyle educator.  She owns and operates BAYA Wellness, LLC offering yoga classes, handmade props, and healthy lifestyle services. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area offering on-going classes and special events. 

BAYA... Be As You Are!

Contact for details: Website  BAYAWellness@gmail.com or 864-430-1275

Wellness Tips for the Alcohol Enthusiast

In the words of the band, Sublime, "It's summer time and the living's easy." I've compiled a list of 10 facts/tips to help guide any alcohol enthusiast towards maintaining their wellness goals while enjoying the hot days of summer and having fun.

1.Moderation is key. As in all things in life when practiced in moderation drinking alcohol can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Some benefits have been proven and associated with moderate consumption, however, if you haven't drank alcohol before the pro's do not out weight the con's so don't start now. Whether or not you choose to drink is a very personal matter and all individuals should consult with their doctor if debating this decision.

According to the American Dietetic Association, moderate drinking is defined as:

2 drinks or less per day for men

1 drink or less per day for women

1 drink = 1-12 oz beer, 1.5 oz liquor, or 5 oz. wine*

*Traditional servings of wine are 6oz.

2. Hydration is important! Alcohol in it's very nature is drying and dehydrating for the body. If you choose to enjoy an alcoholic beverage drink an extra glass of water afterwards to compensate. Especially in the days of summer it's important to drink water all throughout the day.  Sometimes enriching your beverage intake with electrolytes and minerals is also helpful.  

3. Empty calories. Alcohol contains 7 kcal per gram and the calories provided are "empty" meaning that they are a not providing any noteworthy nutrients.  Choose to emphasize eating all the nutritious foods you can over consuming empty calories like alcohol, soda, candy, and all processed sweet treats.  

1-8 oz. margarita = 300-700 calories

1-12 oz. beer = 90-300 calories

1-6 oz. glass wine = 100-150 calories

4. Filling up on alcohol and other empty calories prevents us from taking in adequate amounts of life sustaining nutrients. By drinking in moderation you allow your body to crave foods and beverages that are nutrient dense and will promote the health of your being.

5. Set limits for yourself and stick with them. Sometimes volunteering to be a designated driver will help you to keep your drinking in check. Also, setting a limit the amount or frequency of your drinking and communicating with friends will help.

If you know you want to have a maximum of two drinks only bring enough cash with you into the establishment to cover the cost plus tip.

6. Listen to your body. When you're having a get together with friends and responsibly drinking alcohol pay attention to how your body feels during the process. Your body will send you tons of signals when you're approaching your limit or you've had too much. Practice ahimsa or nonviolence. Drinking yourself into a drunken, angry, or nauseous stupor may be fun in the moment but will have lasting health effects. The body is an innately intelligent being and a night of heavy drinking can be both stressful and harmful.

7. Think quality over quantity. Have a nice drink - the one you really want. That way your less inclined to crave more!

8. Prevent the alcohol munchies. Pace yourself with the alcohol and make sure to drink plenty of water to prevent the ravenous alcohol munchies that many people experience. We are mostly like to sabotage our healthy eating habits after 10pm.

9. Choose low-calorie and low-carbohydrate mixers! Some simple favorites: water with fresh juice with no added sweeteners (lemon and lime work well), club soda with a splash for fresh squeezed juice with no added sweeteners, diet sodas (limit the amount of artificial sweeteners you injest as these are newer substances and they are believed to "sit" in the liver and accumulate). Also, reconsider drinking that energy drink paired with alcohol due to the fact that energy drinks are high in calories and carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars! Alcohol is a suppressant and energy drinks are an upper - what message are you sending to your body?

10. Enjoy yourself and be mindful of your decisions. When we falter what is important is that we stand back up and keep going. Life is guaranteed to produce change and emotional roller coasters once in a while... smile and stick with what you believe in! :-)

Peace and love! 

Keri is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Culinary Nutritionist, and Wellness Educator.  She owns and operates BAYA Wellness, LLC offering Yoga and Nutrition Services and Products.  Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area offering on-going classes and special events.  Her path as a nutritionist is all about making healthy living approachable... she teaches the components of healthy cooking, eating, and thinking while also offering specialized services like menu planning.  Healthy living is about the whole pictures of wellness... find your path to living well.

BAYA... Be As You Are!
Contact me for details: Website or BAYAWellness@gmail.com 

Natural Help when you're feeling Dis-Ease

   At some point or another we've all found ourselves tucked under four blankets, with a temperature, congestion, and discomfort among other things. Our western mind tells us, "Take a pill and feel better." But is this always the best answer? Does popping a pill really examine what is going on in our body?

   Our bodies are inherently smart creatures which aim to heal us. Sometimes doing what is convenient and taking a pain or inflammation reliever can numb our senses and interfere with the natural process of healing.

   It's hard to step away from conventional western medicine and think about natural remedies. All of these little fears start to pop up in our heads and out the mouths of our loved ones... What if it's an infection? What if I am really sick and don't know it?

   However, if you're really paying attention and listening to that intelligent body of yours you will know whether or not you need to rush yourself to the nearest emergency room or whether or not you can utilize natural remedies.  
   In the modern world, both western and eastern medicine have a place in the healing world.  One aims to treat the symptoms and one aims to treat the cause.  For example,  Ayurveda, an old eastern system of holistic medicine, does not place importance on labeling dis-ease. Following principles of Ayurveda practitioners treat the root cause of the illness and forget about all the technical details, treating every situation, every individual as unique.

At the end of the day, achieving health is about diving a little deeper into the discomfort you feel. Bring awareness in your body, your mind, spirit, emotions, physical, etc.  You may be surprised at how helpful and inexpensive some holistic health remedies may be. 

Fresh foods are full of nutrients
and digestive enzymes.  Which
help to nourish our bodies!  

For a fever:

- If your fever is low grade skip out on the pain reliever or anti-inflammatory and cool your body down by drinking cold water or taking a cold shower. A fever is the bodies natural response to fight off dis-ease so by allowing your body to invoke this response you allow it to heal itself. If your fever is high, (102 degrees Fahrenhit +) you know what to do - see a doctor.
- Rest and allow yourself to sleep as much as needed.  Don't push it!  Fever's raise the body temperature and this is turn uses more calories, therefore, draining your energy.  

For congestion and sinus pressure:

Fresh Mint:  Mint is a natural
pain reliever

- Use a sinus cleansing system, like the Neti pot or sinucleanse. You can pick up one of these at any pharmacy or health store. They provide instant relief from sinus pressure and reduce the occurrence of sinus infections.

- Steam inhalations: Boil water and then pour into a deep glass bowl. Add 3-4 drops of Eucalyptus and/or Tea tree or Lavender oil. Sit down immediately and breathe in the steam until all of the essential oils have evaporated. Note: Essential oils keep for six months if stored in a cool, dry place.

- Splash Eucalyptus oil on your shower walls and then take a hot shower. Be careful the floor may be a little bit more slippery than usual!

- Rub a thick layer of Vic's vapor rub on your chest, lie down and let the magic happen.  Some even suggest rubbing the soles of your feet with Vic's, putting on socks, and placing feet on a heating pad.  :-)

Coconut oil is a highly digestible,
healthy fat, and can be used in a
raw or cooked form.  

For sore throat:

- Heat a small cup of water on the stove. Add a 1/2-1 teaspoon of sea salt and stir to dissolve. Gargle with the salt water several times throughout the day.

- Make a hot cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey. Such as, Peppermint (a natural pain reliever),  Chamomile, etc. Drink several times throughout the day!


For cough:
-  Drink warm water, peppermint, or chamomile tea with local honey.
-  The old classic - honey and whiskey... this stuff really works.  

For any cold and flu type illness:

- Get regular and adequate sleep so your body can protect you and have time to recover.  

- Eat small amounts throughout the day of healthy fats, lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables.  These nutrient rich foods will help get you back on your feet!

- Drink plenty of water.... if you can't drink water drink something like coconut water! If you're opting for gatorade or powerade to replace electrolytes then dilute it with water.

- Cut out mucus forming foods, such as: dairy, fried foods, highly refined grains, and sugar.
- Apple Cider Vinegar.  Combine two tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar with filtered water and drink daily for preventative health.  May sweeten with local raw honey and sprinkle with cayenne if desired.  When you feel a cold or sickness coming on drink twice per day.  





***None of the information found in this article is meant to replace the knowledge of your inner guidance system or your health care provider.  

Keri is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Culinary Nutritionist, and Wellness Coach.  She owns and operates BAYA Wellness, LLC offering Yoga and Nutrition Services.  Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area offering on-going classes and special events.  Her path as a nutritionist is all about making healthy living approachable... she teaches the components of healthy cooking, eating, and thinking while also offering specialized services like menu planning.  Healthy living is about the whole pictures of wellness... find your path to living well.

BAYA... Be As You Are!


Contact me for details: www.BAYAWellness.com 

BAYAWellness@gmail.com or 864-430-1275