Look After Yourself.....

Hello Everyone
   
How are you all? Not long now we ALL hope!! There is light at the end of the tunnel. The fun we will all have and to make it even better, Spring is on the doorstep. 
   
From my side, I have decided, for the first year ever, to do Lent. 40 days and 40 nights of no sugar, booze. I thought it would be a huge challenge but it's been so easy. Like many, my love of wine is not problematic by any means... merely habitual.
That glass or 2 every evening, one while cooking dinner and and another with dinner. Any way I'm nearly 3 weeks in and it's been a walk in the park. 
   
Coupled with this, I have had a few minor health issues recently and to cut a very long story short we have established that many of my issues are attributed to lack of hydration so, I have given myself the challenge of drinking 2 litres of water a day and the difference it made is crazy. I have bought myself this monster bottle and it really works. The difference is honestly amazing!
I don't know about you but I have definitely up'd my game in the self care department. I used to wash my face with soap and then simply slap whatever moisturiser was nearest me. Since lockdown I have research and listened. I rave about it but Caroline Hirons book is marvellous. Really insightful with lots of great advice, tips on improving ones skin and its totally written with a truly no nonsense attitude. No sales pitches just good honest, sound advice. 
Skincare
With this in mind, I recently came across Luminous Facial Yoga. I started following the girls Camilla and Debbie and then every so often would partake in a few of their  online tutorials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a40gEXbkUag.  It is easy, relaxing and most of all it works. Over to you girls.
  


How did you come up with Luminous Face Yoga?

    Years ago, we discovered a book on our mother’s shelf by a lady called Eva Fraser, who looked INCREDIBLE for her age – it was a wonderfully 80’s book, explaining how to exercise the muscles in your face.  When we hit our mid thirties, we became increasingly interested in non invasive anti-ageing techniques and we were curious about facial exercise. We found the information online really difficult to navigate, which lead us to the decision to train as face yoga practitioners, initially out of a desire to simply understand how to do it for our own faces…we were so impressed by the results we went on to train in Facial massage, Gua Sha, Indian head massage and Reiki. We were completely sold on the idea of taking a holistic approach to maintaining a healthy and youthful face and decided we wanted to start banging the face yoga drum for all to hear!  

    Where did the practice originate from?

    Facial exercises have been around for over 2,000 years and a lot of the techniques are rooted in Ancient Chinese and Indian traditions – some historians suggest that even Cleopatra did them! And Hollywood stars have been using facial exercise techniques for years! There is a really informative article which gives a thorough history here. 

    How often should one practice in order to see results?

    The time it takes to see results differs from person to person, but in general you should start to see results in your face and neck area after 2 weeks, most noticeably in your complexion.  After 2-4 months you should begin to notice a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and within 6-9 months people have reported that they look and feel several years younger – as well as feeling generally more relaxed and energised. Taking progress pictures along the way will really help you chart your results.

    Any products you believe can compliment the practice?

    We recommend using a facial oil after the exercises and acupressure but before the relaxation and massage to allow your fingers to glide.  We are enjoying using an oil cleanser at the moment and so we incorporate the relaxation and massage techniques into this stage of our nightly routine. 

    Can all ages see a difference?

    Absolutely! The benefits of exercising and massaging your face spans all ages – it is never too early or too late to start. Stimulating the blood flow to your face through massage is a universally healthy thing to do – exercising the 57 muscles in your face and neck will either firm and tone them or maintain them (depending on what age and stage you start!), and practicing our relaxation techniques, to calm the mind & boost the natural flow of energy around the body is a tool that is useful at any age for maintaining good mental wellbeing.  Face Yoga isn’t a magic bullet, you get out what you put in, but it really is possible to reverse wrinkles if you practise regularly – we are living proof of that! 

    Would you like to create your own products eventually?

    Never say never! But for the moment, we are enjoying selling our Gua Sha and crystal roller face tools and have our work cut out running the website and teaching face yoga classes, whilst also juggling young children and the chaos that brings – there are never enough hours in the day!

    Out of lockdown do you host events?

    Yes we do – we were scheduled to do several skincare product launches this year, but sadly Covid has disrupted those plans for the moment! Events wise we are really flexible and can cater to most requirements – we have done corporate workshops, hen parties etc. we’re here for it all! 

    What's next for Luminous?

    We have been overwhelmed with the response we’re received since launching at the start of last year – we have lots of exciting content planned and Guest Expert sessions scheduled – we want to continue empowering our members to look and feel the very best version of themselves!

    Thank you all and don't forget our first Spring Summer Collections launches on Monday 8th at 6 pm.

    Have a great weekend!

     

    Rae xx