10 Best Natural Skincare Products of 2017

Australia and New Zealand Natural Beauty Awards

It's that time again! It's the natural beauty awards where I share my absolute favourite natural skincare and beauty brands from Australia and New Zealand for 2017. Some of these brands aren't very well known, and some are certified organic, you've just got to try them!

1. Best Natural Hand Cream - Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Hand Cream

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2. Best Natural Face Oil - True Serene Face Oil

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3. Best Natural Face Scrub - Edible Beauty & DESERT LIME FLAWLESS MICRO-EXFOLIANT

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4. Best Natural Moisturiser with SPF - Kelapa SPF15 Face Moisturiser

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5. Best Natural Lipstick - Luk Lip Nourish - Tea Rose

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6. Best Natural Hand Wash - thankyou. Botanical Bergamot & Spiced Clove Foaming Hand Wash

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7. Best Natural Shampoo - Organic Care Colour Shield Shampoo & Conditioner

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8. Best Natural Night Cream - Divine Woman Collagen Enhancing Night Cream

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9. Best Natural Body Wash - Only Good Awaken Natural Body Wash

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10. Best Natural Fake Tan - Eco Tan Invisible Tan

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So there you have it! My top fave organic and natural skincare products from Australia and New Zealand for 2017. You'll see True and Only Good are in the list for the second year running. They really are great!

What are your favourite organic and skincare brands from Australia and NZ?

My journey as a Holistic Physiotherapist in Bali, Thailand & India 2016/2017

I've been so lucky to be invited to host retreats and practice holistic Physiotherapy around Asia in the past 6 months. Check out my experiences!

It was so special to be invited to these stunning places, but to enjoy the amazing healthy-yet-delicious food, take part in the meditation sessions and learn from other visiting practitioners was just unimaginably eye-opening for me. The plush rooms and perfect surroundings made it extra enjoyable too. Check out these world-class retreats in India, Thailand and Bali.

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

1. Visiting practitioner at Chiva Som, Thailand

My first invitation was to do a short residency at Chiva Som, Thailand. A favourite of royalty around the world (there was a Princess staying there while I was there...I won't say who!) Chiva Som is a complete wellness escape with everything from a hair salon, to Watsu pool, yoga pavillion, world-class international wellness cuisine and very popular water aerobics classes!

Chiva Som already have a Physiotherapy department, but they don't have any Western practitioners, and they saw an opportunity to expand their offerings. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to treat the senior executives of the resort, and of course experience the beautiful food they're famous for.

I offered treatments for injuries, poor posture, general stiffness and soreness, and gave solutions for healthy ageing; all the the stunning surrounds of the Chiva Som spa. 

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

2. Visiting Master at Ananda Spa, India

After Thailand I flew to Northern India to one of the world's original spiritual places, the foot of the Himalayas, where Oprah, Uma Thurman and countless other celebs have retreated from their lives - to Ananda Spa, Rishikesh. 

I was so honoured to be invited to practice at this infamous retreat (which is also the Maharaja's summer palace) and learned so much about Easter medicine, meditation, Ayurveda, philosophy and other therapies from the other masters. 

My treatment rooms were in the luscious Ananda Spa, using the signature Ananda oils and brilliant grounds for pilates coaching. I worked on everything from shoulder impingement injuries to thoracic stiffness, chronic low back pain, knee pain and everything in between. 

Discover more about my holistic Physiotherapy treatments at Ananda here.

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

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3. Visiting practitioner at Svarga Loka, Bali

In February 2017, I was asked to be a holistic practitioner at a beautiful wellness hotel in the jungle of Ubud, Bali. This hotel may not cater to celebrities, but it's the perfect place to escape the grind and completely retreat to nature amongst Tomb Raider-esque ruins and luscious trees.

I treated some guests repeatedly over my time there, with everything from yoga-induced injuries for those on active retreats, to sore back, acute disc injuries, wry neck, muscle strain, and headache.

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

@aprivewellness

I'm so lucky I've had these experiences and for everything I've learned in these world-class wellness escapes. Now I've combined everything I've learned into my existing events, including the Melbourne One Day Wellness Retreat on June 17th. Book your spot below!

What is Holistic Physiotherapy?

Holistic Physiotherapy blends evidence-based physiotherapy with research-based mindfulness, meditation, breathing and movement. It mixes the proven aspects of Eastern wellness with the existing science of Physiotherapy. 

How is it different to normal physiotherapy?

• Treatment times are 60 mins or 90 mins (not 30 minutes)

• Breathing is a central part of the patient's experience

• Hands-on treatments are in a luxurious setting including quality essential oils, and five-star spa centres at luxury wellness resorts.

• Movement-based Pilates and rehabilitation sessions are set in picturesque outdoor settings within the wellness resorts

• Each session includes time for the patient to ask questions about their injury or concern, and receive exercises to maintain their health and movement long into the future

• Mindset, the patient's view of their body and injury, and their understanding is central to the treatment

I created my holistic Physiotherapy techniques thanks to my experience breaking my back in an accident, and luckily making a full recovery. Through my own injury experience, I realised traditional medical care didn't give me enough support to recovery fully, so I looked elsewhere and now practice what I learned. Read more about my experience here.

To see how I can help you retreat add evidence-based wellness to your existing offerings, get in touch.

3 things you should eat everyday & other wisdom with Amy Ritchie

It's been a while since I've shared wellness words with you, and it's all because I've settled into life as a Physiotherapist in Melbourne, Australia, after leading retreats in Bali. So now I'm all nestled in, here's an incredible interview with our friend holistic nutritionist Amy Ritchie who tell you why you can't hate yourself healthy, and other gems.

What is healthy eating?

This one is tricky. I think often we want to the know the 5 foods we need to eat all the time to be “healthy.” Because this is easy. The real work is looking at who we are as eaters.

We can’t talk about healthy eating, or achieve wellness, without addressing our relationship with food. You can't hate yourself into healthy! Choosing foods from a place of respect for your body rather than hate & restriction is healthy eating.

Enjoying a treat without experiencing shame afterwards is healthy eating.

Why are food pics and cooking shows taking over social media?

We’re visual & we have short attention spans. I love getting inspired by food shows & photos but it needs to leave the screen and get to your kitchen! It’s easy to feel like you’re making steps to being healthy by pinning recipes, but then never actually making them. Get inspired, find one good recipe and then make it! You can pin more later.

I also get curious as to how this plays into overeating. There’s a phase of digestion referred to as the cephalic phase. In this phase seeing, smelling and thinking about food begins the digestive processes in the body. You have a physical response to seeing pictures of food (salivating at a picture is a real thing!) So try to follow healthy food accounts and look before eating not before bed. It may actually be a good way to ramp up digestive function!

What are your 3 favourite things to make? 

Eggs are a go to for me in the morning and lately I’ve been loving them scrambled with some raw garlic, turmeric, cherry tomatoes & arugula (I think you call it rocket). 

I’m also on a collagen/bullet-proof coffee kick. I blend 1 tbsp organic ghee (clarified butter) + ¼ tsp vanilla extract + 1 scoop collagen powder + 1 cup organic French press coffee. It’s heaven - frothy & delicious. The type of fat in butter & coconut oil is more readily used for energy and the collagen powder provides protein.

I also make a lot of wild rice. It’s a great alternative to pasta, white rice or other heavy carbohydrates. It takes a while to cook so I recommend soaking it for at least 4 hours prior, which will also improve digestibility. 

What's the biggest question people ask you about how to eat well?

What can I do to help with sugar & carb cravings. 

What's the biggest thing everyone needs to work on when it comes to nutrition?

Eating real food and not getting to caught up on the logistics.

Real food doesn’t contain ingredients, real food is ingredients.

It doesn’t usually come in a box, or pre-made. Don’t stress red quinoa or white quinoa, kale vs spinach or steaming vs baking. These things matter much less than eating a variety of unprocessed foods daily. 

If you had your way - what are 3 things every one should eat once a day?

Holistic Nutrition is all about what for whom – but for ME: salmon, turmeric, dark chocolate. 

What's your favourite treat?

Definitely chocolate. In all its forms. Pistachios are a close 2nd. 

What is your BEST tip about healthy eating and nutrition?

Listen to your body, get curious. Slow down and pay attention to how you feel after eating. Nobody can ever know your body better than you do. I ask my clients to listen for the whispers. This means hearing and responding to the subtle signs that your body is struggling, before it has to shout. 

In Melbourne? Want to learn more about healthy eating and great, nourishing food?

Come to our One Day Wellness Retreat on June 17th! The food will blow your mind, and it's incredibly healthy!

What's so wrong with emotion anyway?

Have you ever felt blue and told yourself “get over yourself. Just smile and be happy?” You’re not the only one. As a holistic practitioner, I've been lucky to meet and be treated by some of the most brilliant people around the world helping people rediscover their sense of self. Here's what I've learned.

Bottling up emotions is part of living in Western culture, and many holistic psychologists think suppressed emotions could be the reason psychosomatic disorders like depression, anxiety and insomnia are on the rise.

As the West looks more and more to the East for guidance on wellbeing, we’re discovering that healing inside, rather than outside ourselves could be the key to a more balanced life, mind and heart.

In modern Western culture, feelings are grouped into two categories; good and bad. Anger, pain, guilt, fear and shame get stuffed into the bad group, while joy, passion and love are in the good group. 

Life is like a box of chocolates

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,’” (thanks Forest) so you may have encountered some pretty tough stuff that causes you to feel strong emotions.

If a parent left you when we were young, you may feel ashamed of having a parent you didn’t feel loved you. You might feel fear that other people in your life will leave you too. But! Imagine if you told someone that! You’d feel weak and ridiculous! So you pretend you’re fine, even convincing yourself your fine and burying your feelings so deep, you don’t know they’re there. 

We’re programmed to avoid bad feelings at all costs. So we put on a smile, and go about our daily lives. We might even think people won't like us without our mask on, so instead of connecting with people, we connect with other things like a dependent partner, social media, drugs, alcohol, sex, food, exercise, eating disorders and other dependencies. 

What causes addiction? Easy, right? Drugs cause addiction. But maybe it is not that simple. This video is adapted from Johann Hari's New York Times best-selling book 'Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.'

Essentially, we put a bandaid on the feelings and we pretend they’re not there. But what happens when you leave a bandaid on? Slowly, the adhesive wears away, and it starts to slip, until it’s fallen off completely.

When we bottle up emotions for too long, they end up showing up in different ways.

We may be the absolute picture of composure at work, then get home and scream at our partner for not replacing the toilet roll.

The shield around our feelings begins to crack, and we take it out on those closest to us.

Get Comfy with ‘Bad’ Emotions

Nigel McFarlane, psychotherapist and holistic counsellor of the Ayusha Wellbeing Clinic says we need to be able to experience pain, fear, shame, loneliness, and sadness, and not run away from them. Instead of slapping on your happy mask or turning to wine on a lonely night, what if you could just experience feeling lonely while reminding yourself you’re complete within yourself?

If we experience these feelings, and can see them objectively, we’re less likely to be overwhelmed by them. We come to know them, and without latching onto them, we can see them come and go as they will do throughout our lives.

Think of it like meditation. Many meditations teach you to notice your thoughts as they come, but try to watch them pass you by, rather than digging deeper into the thought. Of course, if you’ve experienced trauma or are struggling with elements of your past, seeking help from a trained professional is the best place to start.

Take responsibility for your feelings

Pia Mellody, an incredible professional working with addiction and co-dependency says your feelings are yours. No one can make you feel a certain way.

Have you ever heard someone say “I didn’t want to do it, but she made me.” These statements always sound ridiculous don't they? You know no one can make you do something you don’t want to do, much like no one can make you feel a certain way. Pia Mellody suggests changing the way you communicate feelings and taking ownership of them, rather than blaming them on others.

eg. When you came home and slammed the door, you made me furious. You’re so selfish you knew I was sleeping.

The response to this will never be good. But what about this?

eg. I'm feeling angry about last night and I wanted to tell you so I can move on. When you came home and slammed the door I felt angry. I was asleep and I also got a fright. 

Ultimately though, not latching onto our emotions can be difficult, particularly when we’re having a tough time in many areas of our lives. Here are some ways to make it easier:

1. Yoga

Yoga not only teaches you to stay calm in the face of stress with metered breathing, it also teaches you to appreciate your body and what it can do. This helps to build that understanding of ‘inner self’ so when you’re lonely, you don’t feel worthless. You feel alone in yourself, but that self is pretty great!

Yoga/Pilates fusion at an Aprivé Wellness Retreat

2. Breathing and meditation

There are now hundreds of medical journals showing the benefits meditation has on the mind; not just for clarity of thought, but in conflict resolution, ability to problem solve and to control your thoughts. Luckily, the benefits aren't only cognitive. 

Meditation and breathing also changes the parasympathetic nervous system response and switches off your stress response to help keep you calm, which means when you experience tough emotions, you’re able to observe them in a controlled way, rather than become overwhelmed.

3. Remind yourself emotions are good

Feelings and emotions are how we’re able to experience love and joy, but fear and loneliness are also huge part of our lives. Instead of putting on your mask, try sitting with your feelings; whether they’re happy or sad. Notice how it feels to experience them, and see them as a part of you that ebbs and flows.  Don't condemn yourself, or others for showing emotion. 

4. Share your feelings with people close to you

Sharing feelings is tough, and makes us feel weak and vulnerable, but maybe that’s what it takes to have a more meaningful life?

I’m certainly no master at acknowledging emotions. I’m much more of a ‘put on a happy face and get on with it’ kinda gal, but after being lucky to have worked in holistic wellbeing around the world for the past few years, I’m learning the bandaid fix is not sustainable. We have to deal with those things we’ve buried away as they’ll find their way up to the surface when we least expect.

One part of dealing with those things is telling the ones we love how we feel; not just negatives but positives too. This creates real, meaningful connections with the people around us. Communicating emotions can open us up to those true friendships and partnerships that generate the emotional support many people in the Western world are searching for.

As the West looks to the East for more and more spiritual guidance, we’re learning that looking inside ourselves and noticing our emotions, then dealing with our own inner pain and not being shy to share it could be the key to happier, more fulfilling lives.

What do you think?

Free Workshop in Ubud Bali - Your Beautiful Spine

Feb 15th - Svarga Loka Resort

I'm so thrilled to be in Bali at the stunning Svarga Loka Resort, and Ayusha Wellbeing Clinic. The setting of this incredible clinic feels so remote, surrounded by dense jungle, yet it's only a few moments walk to Ubud landmarks like Alchemy Cafe and the oldest temple in Ubud.

Yoga is so central to the Ubud community, but I've spoken to so many yogis who experience back and neck pain. This is certainly not anything they're doing wrong, it's just a consequence of our modern lifestyles. Unfortunately, even one hour of yoga a day can't make up for eight hours of sitting (of course it helps!) So! I'm hosting a free workshop at Svarga Loka to help teach Ubud locals all about spinal pain. Why it happens, why it doesn't go away, and the best things you can do to keep it out of your life.

Come and enjoy this one -hour workshop, and try our Dragonfruit Kombucha, all for free! BYO yoga mat if you wish, but others will be provided. See you there!

WHEN; Wed Feb 15th 6:30pm - 7:30pm

WHERE: Svarga Loka Resort

More Info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/163881950777809/

4 Small Changes for a Happier, Healthier You

With so many wellness pros around the world, we chatted to one special woman, Pazit Barak, who helps people from around the world enhance their health and wellbeing at her retreats in Cambodia. Here are her top wellness tips.

Tips for a Healthy New Year with Pazit Barak

Long working hours, lunch on the go and minimal sleep has become a normal way of life in today’s western society. Balancing work, family and friends as well as finding time for ourselves seems almost impossible.  However, finding time for ourselves is vital, yet somehow we put it on the back burner behind looking after everyone else. As Eleanor Brownn once said “Self-care is not selfish, you cannot serve from an empty vessel.”

When we push ourselves to the limit on a daily basis we slowly become more and more drained. We start getting aching, lethargic, can develop skin problems, anxiety and even depression.

For most of us, a demanding lifestyle is unavoidable, but the good thing is that we don’t have to change our lives completely to improve it. If you can make the time, signing up for a yoga and meditation retreat is a great way to reset and re-balance. However, the following small changes take up little time, can be integrated into your daily life and are guaranteed to result in a happier, healthier and more positive you.

 1.     Regulate your sleeping pattern

In Chinese medicine and throughout the practice of yoga we are taught that our bodies are at one with the universe and flow to the same natural rhythm. It is believed that when we fall out of sync with the universe and become disconnected that our energy levels drop. With this in mind, it is recommended that to shine our brightest we should rise just before the sun and sleep when it sets or no later than 10pm.

In Ayruvedic medicine it is understood that before sunrise the hours are governed by air and space, making us feel lighter and providing us with support for the day. After sunrise the hours are run by water and earth making us feel heavier and less energised.

Eight hours of sleep in total works out perfectly. If you do not feel like this is possible in one go, take an hour and a half nap in the day if you can, no more and no less. This is a full sleep cycle and will leave you feeling rejuvenated.

2. Exercise for 5 minutes a day

You’re probably wondering how 5 minutes of exercise a day could possibly make a difference, but trust us, it does. Whether you, walk, skip, stretch or practice yoga they are all great. Just make sure you are consistent and you will see a shift in how you feel both mentally and physically.

By being active each day, even for such a short amount of time, you will improve your overall fitness including cardiovascular health, burn off stress resulting in an elevated mood and even increase brain power. Make sure to pay attention to your breath for a more powerful practice and a deeper connection between the body and mind.

3.) Practice self-love

Every day we are mindful about how we treat others and try to always consider the outcome of our actions but, sadly, we do not tend to behave the same way when it comes to how we treat ourselves.

Today, in the West especially, we are constantly working towards the next achievement, living in competition with others and ourselves. Whether it’s a higher paid salary, a bigger house or a new car. The list goes on. We rarely, if ever, take the time to sit back and realise what we already have and how much we have already achieved.

Take a few minutes each day, at the same time if you can, to write down five amazing things about yourself. It can be anything from you inherent strengths to something wonderful you’ve achieved. Write it down, reflect on it and appreciate how great you are.

4.) Spend 20 minutes in nature

The setting of Aprivé Wellness' January Retreat

It doesn’t have to be in the up a mountain or on a tropical beach, it can simply be your garden or the nearest park. We spend so much time in offices, houses, shops and transport we can forget how beautiful nature can be and how embracing it can benefit us.

Trees and plants are our best friends, our life source. Being amongst them cleanses our system as well as our soul. Venturing out barefoot can also help ground you as well as allow your body to absorb minerals from the earth. So get out there, connect with the universe and feel free!

We know this may not be easy to start with but give it a go for a few weeks and see how you feel. Fully embrace each change. Be consistent but if you do miss one, don’t be hard on yourself. You will still see change. You will still feel the difference. If you punish yourself you will only feel tension. Simply learn from it and change it for the next time.

By being mindful of your surroundings, taking time for yourself and being proud of who you are, you’ll feel lighter, happier and stronger. As Buddha once said “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”.

About the author - Pazit

Pazit is a yoga and meditation practitioner and teacher as well as holistic healing therapist. She specializes in Reiki, Pranic healing and Reflexology. She is also a theatre coach and life coach at Vagabond Temple Yoga & Meditation Retreat in Cambodia.

www.vagabondtemple.com

info@vagabondtemple.com