Awakening Beauty- Book Giveaway !

Who doesn’t want to be beautiful ? Admit it or not , all of us want to be beautiful , Last year while I was visiting family in India , my 14 year old niece had asked me at least 35 times if she looked beautiful and when I told her that she was indeed beautiful, she was ecstatic. I am the best aunt she ever has !

Often , we forget how beautiful we are , so much so that I am surprised when people tell me I look pretty , I must admit I really feel weird when someone compliments me on my looks or skin may be because I think certain aspects of my face are not so good or even ugly. While I was reading this book , It really occurred to me that I as an individual should embrace all that I have , restore peace and harmony and love myself in order to feel whole and really feel beautiful inside and out.

Most of us lead hectic lives , a fantastic career , great kids and family structure , busy weekends , girls night outs , you name it we do it , but how many of us , stop for a minute , look at ourselves and say “I am taking good care of myself , I am happy and content , I eat well , I take care of my body , my skin and my face “ ? How many of us set apart a certain amount of time everyday just for ourselves ? Well , I’m sure not many of us ! We , women tend to put our kids , family and career first than ourselves , we are programmed that way ! But if even one person, after reading this article , puts away some time for herself everyday, Id be the happiest !

Listen to the warning signs that work against your rhythm , listen to the Hungry , Angry , Lonely , Tired (HALT) signs and work in communion with your rhythms. Remember that your life is supported by your rhythms and cause it to unfold. By understanding your rhythms, you develop a sense of self , an ever- increasing capacity for genuine love and an ever – unfolding beauty.

What are rhythms ?

Rhythms are nothing but the gentle waves of your inner world which is alive with thoughts and feelings.

How do you recognize rhythm ?

Sometimes by doing nothing and relaxing and gently breathing . A simple way to bring order in your rhythm is to bring order in your environment like cleaning and de cluttering the space around you , enjoying the beauty of nature , most importantly giving time to yourself and trying to cleanse your mind of the negative thoughts that are clouding you.

I truly believe what goes into your stomach should mostly be organic and local. I also believe what you apply on your face also has to be organic. I am willing to cut back on other things which are not so important and spend on things that I use for my skin everyday ! I support cosmetics which have ingredients grown bio dynamically or organic in nature.

What is biodynamic farming?

Biodynamic farming was introduced by Rudolf Steiner , an esotericist, philosopher , thinker , It is a scientific use of crop rotation , composting, integrated soil , crop and pest management keeping in mind the health of the ecosystem and in the early twentieth century

Biological practices banned all the use of synthetic substances such as pesticides and fertilizers chemical in nature and sustainable practices like using green manure , composting , cover crops , crop rotation and companion planting were incorporated.

Dynamic practices included intentions to increase the life force of earth and the farm in general. Some practices were herbal remedies or preparations applied to the soil, the leaves of the plant and compost of the plants to make the plants grow healthier and stronger.

Out of the biodynamic farming was born the organic movement.

Boosting your life force for energy and beauty

Rudolf Steiner says there is an energetic connection between people.Our thoughts , emotions and words are bundles of etheric energy. Susan West kurz , who is the author of Awakening beauty gives us some great insight into this .
She says “ Everyone who touches you with love , care or compassion elevates your life energy and contributes to your health and beauty. The opposite is also true.

Some tips to strengthen our health, improve our lives and develop our beauty.

1.Spend some time in Nature

2.Eat unprocessed plant food

3.Express gratitude and love throughtout the day especially when you drink water or bathe or shower. Water is a powerful healing medium.

4,Dance or do rhythmic exercise

5. Seek out therauptic massage and healing touch like Reiki and acupuncture.

6. Listen to beautiful , harmonious music

7. Use skin care products made of pure plant substances, preferably grown biodynamically or organically

8. Practice rhythm

In spite of all this aging is inevitable , which means we need to be more and more conscious o exposing ourselves to the sources of healing and beauty. The reason being when you reach your thirties , forties and fifties , the life force turns its attention from the physical body towards your internal development , namely wisdom , spiritual development. Therefore your health and beauty depend on the wisdom of choices and how well you care for yourself, both internally and externally.


Thank you all for taking a moment and reading what I wrote. I have written just a fraction of what I have read and understood from this book. All I can say is Take good care of yourself. Truly believe that sometimes if you have to put yourself first ,then you should do it in order to become a better person. I am speaking from experience, I have a 10 month old baby and its no small task to care for her , I have signed away my life to her and I am the happiest about it. I believe if I take care of myself , I can do a better job in taking care of her .

We , The Daily tiffin team are giving away Awakening Beauty – Dr Hauschka Way by Susan West Kurz with Tom Monte . Please leave a comment in the below comments section. Meeta and I will pick up the winner randomly and inform the winner and post the book in 7 days. Last date for leaving a comment is 25th Feb 2009.

---

Check out more details of the book on Amazon



The book has a lot of information about

Sustainable beauty practices.

Details about specific healing conditions.

The advantages of using plant products especially from Biodynamic and organic farms.

Great recipes for facial scrubs and best of all over 60 recipes for a healthy skin and beauty.


Note: Awakening beauty was used for reference and the above content is picked from the book. Thank you to Cercone Brown & Co, the publishers for sending us the book.

This post was written by Dee

Are you interested in contributing to The Daily Tiffin? Drop us an email: thedailytiffin@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your ideas.

Eco Friendly Home Keeping

---

With more news coming out about the dangerous toxins used in household products , its easy to feel overwhelmed or a little over it. Contrary to what many of us believe green cleaning is not expensive.It’s a lot more easier and a lot more safer. It doesn’t cost more, or take more time than the usual , doesn’t make us compromise of what we think as clean .However it just tends to change our definition of CLEAN.

Green Cleaning is something that is free of toxins apart from keeping our countertops shiny, appliances and cupboards free of fingerprints , the windows clean and clear. By and large it means that some cleaning products which have toxins are not cleaning products at all. In a green cleaning mindset , cleaning means that the air quality should be as clean or cleaner when you started .The shelves are dusted , the fabrics and the windows are clean the furniture /floors if wood are finished with sealants and varnishes which don’t pollute. In short the room is free of dirt and is healthy and fresh. Green Cleaning mindset also finds ways of cleaning that helps reduce energy , water and other resource consumption. Rather than buying a separate cleaner for every job , there will just a few and some even basic stuff that can be made at home using vinegar and vegetable based soap.

Some essential inexpensive green cleaning ingredients for your home

1. White distilled vinegar : loosens dirt anddeodorizes, It also removes mineral deposits, stains and tarnish and eliminates static cling whne added to the rinse cycle. An alternative to vinegar is lemon juice which is great for polishing metal or cutting grease.

Always look for white distilled vinegar as the darker ones stain. Also its not a good option to use on sensitive surfaces like marble.

2.Baking Soda : Its just abrasive enough to make a great scrub without damaging most surfaces. It also eats odor and great for sprinkling on carpets and vaccuming , thus deodorizing the home. Also great in refrigerators , kitchen cabinets, drains.

Add it to the wash cycle to soften fabric. Mix it with acidic vinegar, forms a fizz and speed up your cleaning process . This is great for cleaning toilets and blocked drains. Remember to look for baking soda that is “ pure” or 100 % sodium bicarbonate.

3.Castile Soap: It’s a soap made from vegetable oil instead of animal fat. Dilute it and you can use it as an all purpose cleaner, laundry or dish soap,spot remover and body washer. Remember to look for something that is non petroleum based and does not contain detergents.

3.Borax and Washing Soda : These are alkaline in nature and similar to baking soda except that they are stronger and have to be kept away from children. Add either of them to your wash for extra cleaning an brightening or use to scrub extra stubborn stains on countertops or bath tubs.

Borax is a great disinfectant for cloth diapers and a highly effective mold killer and a toilet bowl cleaner.

Washing soda can be mixed with baking soda and can be used to clean non self cleaning ovens.

Some Anti Bacterial Arsenal that can come handy

Soap and Water : This is a great cleanser , believe it or not, can be used for just about anything like cleaning cabinets, countertops to carpets and fabric stains. Use warm water and its just as effective as any anti bacterial all purpose cleaner.

Vinegar : Researchers suggest that White distilled vinegar is known to kill 99% bacteria and 80% of germs. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar and it comes in handy when there is a problem and some quick cleaning to do.

Tea Trea Oil : This is antibacterial in nature that has been used for centuries. Its potent and a great Anti - mold spray . Use just one teaspoon with 2 cups of water and spray it on the mold. Look for something that says 100% pure essential oil rather than a perfume or aromatherapy oil. Normally pure essential oils are stored in dark bottles rather than light.

Lavendar Oil : If you don’t prefer the smell of Tea tree oil , lavender is the next best option. You can use it to scent your cleansing products as the smell has a calming soothing effect . Add it to your vaporizer and it can fight colds and calm you.
Add it to your all purpose cleaner and it becomes an antibacterial all purpose cleaner.

Some more tips on eco-friendly home keeping.

Use old soft clothes like T shirts or in case of abrasive cleaner, you can use loofah , a gourd which is commonly found. Restrict the usage of paper.

Use cotton bags while shopping instead of using plastic bags . A lot of stores give away good quality and fancy tote bags at various promotions these days.

Limit/optimize your consumption of energy , water . A lot of energy companies these days give you an estimate of the amount of consumption of energy in your home. Some also give a breakdown per appliance per year , looking at which you can cut back on things you think are going overboard. Ask your company if they do that for you.

Finally Recycle , Reduce , Reuse and lets rejuvenate our lives!

This post was written by Dee

Are you interested in contributing to The Daily Tiffin? Drop us an email: thedailytiffin@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your ideas.

Recycling: A Primer

‘Going Green’ seems to be the buzz these days. Looking around, one could notice that a growing number of companies and individuals are embracing practices that are safer to the environment. Even though this movement has gained momentum, we still have a long road ahead. A huge percentage of people still think going green is a lot of work. In reality, its a lot simple. With a few small changes, you would be surprised how achievable this feat is. Of course, you cannot make all the changes in one day. But baby steps is all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Greener living starts with the practice of “three R’s” – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce what you use, reuse what you can and then recycle. Practices like buying in bulk, reusing grocery totes instead of plastic bags, avoiding disposable products like paper cups, paper towels, are few of the practices to reduce and reuse.

When it comes to recycling, there is a lot of information to be gone through, that you may be left with a lot of questions. What are those recycling numbers? Why do I need to sort my recyclables? Why wouldn’t my recycling service accept certain products? Is recycling so confusing that you wouldn’t really bother? Fear not, it isn’t that complicated.

Theoretically, it is possible to recycle much of the household waste. But practically what is recyclable is dictated by your community recycling service. Glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic are all recyclable. When it comes to plastics though, they have to be sorted based on the type of resin its made of. To determine, look for the three arrow symbol, called ‘chasing arrows’ on most plastic containers. The numbers inside the arrows are the codes that the industry uses to distinguish the resin. Lower numbers are easier to recycle, but some recycling facilities accept higher numbers too. This is what the numbers mean and some places where they are used.

1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE) - Clear sturdy plastic used in drink bottles and food containers
2 - High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) - Milk containers, detergents and cleaning supplies
3 - Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) - Clamshells, blister packs, piping, shower curtains
4 - Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) - Grocery bags, squeezable bottles, wrapping films
5 - Polypropylene (PP) - Yogurt containers, bottle caps, prescription bottles, microwavable containers like Tupperware
6 - Polystyrene (PS) - Styrofoam items such as coffee cups, packing peanuts
7 - Other - Made with a resin other than the six listed above.

Find out what kind of plastics your community recycles and sort accordingly. Previously, you may require to sort glass, aluminum, paper and plastics (the accepted codes). But with a new program called ‘single-stream recycling’, everything goes into one container.

If your community doesn’t have curb-side recycling pickup, talk/write to the appropriate individuals. With enough people requesting for such services, they may consider doing it.If you are looking for incentives to motivate your friends and neighbors, there is program called RecycleBank that offers reward points for the amount of recycled wastes. These points can be redeemed with many of the organizations they have partnered with. Meanwhile, you can find out where the nearest recycling centers are in your area from this directory. Call ahead to find out what they recycle. The center that I visit, offers free recycling to non-commercial wastes, once a week. An identification or water bill to prove that you are a resident, is what they ask for.

Try employing a few of the above said steps everyday. Once it becomes a routine you would hardly fell that its an extra work. If you are already doing all of these, pat yourselves on the back. But don’t stop there. Find out what more you can do. The world wide web has a wealth of information to go green and save our beautiful blue Planet Earth.

These are some of the links to learn more about green living. The facilities given in these links may be available only for a particular region. If you know of other useful links on green living, pertaining to other regions, please leave them as comments. It will be mighty useful for our readers living across the globe.

• Earth911 - has a wealth of information on recycling
• Find recycling facilities near you
• Catalog Choice - a free service to stop unwanted catalogs. Eliminates paper wastage
• Sew your own green grocery bag, designed by the Green Bag Lady
• Sew your own diapers
• Recycle electronics. USPs has started a program called 'Mail back'
• RecycleBank - Earn rewards for recycling

This post was written by Suganya

Are you interested in contributing to The Daily Tiffin? Drop us an email: thedailytiffin@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your ideas.