MAKING THE AGEING PROCESS BEAUTIFUL
Holistic therapist and writer, Mahayana Isabelle Dugast, is a good advertisement for her newly-published book Anti-Ageing Secrets, The Complete Self-Rejuvenation Manual for Conscious Men & Women.
Aged 42 and a mother of three, she has a smooth, virtually wrinkle-free skin. The French woman, who has been living in Cork for 15 year, has written her book to beat the recessionary blues. It contains tips, recipes, exercises rituals and self-awareness exercises, all of which cost virtually nothing.
The advice in the book is gleaned from years of giving workshops in holistic coaching and is also inspired by her travels in India where she soaked up ancient wisdom. Mahayana has qualifications from the Association of Natural Medicine in the UK.
The cosmetic industry is built around the notion of defying the ageing process. While Mahayana’s book is about anti-ageing, she is quick to point out that there is nothing wrong with ageing.
“The book is about living in peace with ageing and living a good and prosperous life. Anti-ageing is a huge business and I try to demystify that. I give the readers simple self-help exercises that will help them to be at ease with themselves and grateful for the blessings they have. There is nothing wrong with ageing. However, it is better to age well and feel good in your body.”
Mahayana doesn’t believe in expensive cosmetics. “What counts is moisturising, good food, exercising and drinking enough water. Research has been done which shows that is you are looking for a good body lotion, Nivea is one of the best you can buy – and it only cost a few euro.”
Mahayana makes her owns creams and gives recipes for them in the book. “You need basic oils such as Borage and Star flower. You also need vitamin E and carrot oil. You can add these into a base cream called Aqueous which you can buy cheaply in a big tub from a chemist. In the book, there is also a recipe for moisturisers for mature skin. I recommend Rose oil, Lavender oil, Vitamin E and Frankincense. With these ingredients, you will spend a few euro and have a fantastic moisturiser for yourself that you can use on your whole body.”
Eating the right foods is also covered in the book. “We tend to eat a lot of wheat, sugar, salt and fast food and we don’t eat enough grain. You can get grain in the form of millet and quinoa in some supermarkets and from health food stores. Quinoa is like rice and is full of nutrients that can help us as we age. You boil it in water and serve with sauce and vegetables.”
Mahayana says that drinking water is important. “I would say tap water is fine to drink. If you buy bottled water, you have plastic molecules included in your water. Also, some water filters take out the minerals from the water. I put a crystal in a jug of water because it re-energises it.”
Sell-awareness is an important aspect of Mahayana’s philosophy. “One of the diseases of today is that nobody is happy with what they have and where they are at in life. There is a lack of gratitude. I included exercises in mindfulness in the book. If you are waiting to cross the road, or waiting for your PC to load up, just come into your own body, take a few deep breaths and be in the moment. Everybody tends to rush forward. Just being in the moment gets rid of the stress and is an anti-ageing device.”
Sleep is an important part of any well-being or beauty regime. Mahayana recommends Camomile before going to bed. A good exercise before bed involves lying down on your back with a telephone book under your head and your knees bent for about 18 minutes. It helps to realign the spine. Mahayana also gives advice on detoxing. “It doesn’t have to be a crazy drastic thing. It can be done by eating just apples for two or three days. I do longer fasts, once a year, that involve drinking water and juices.”
Mahayana says that while she practices what she preaches, she believes in moderation and in treating herself. “Sure, I wear make-up. My book is non-judgemental and is not about totally natural. I drink wine, I used to smoke and still have the occasional cigarette. What I am trying to do is offer enough information so that people can make balanced choices. It’s about empowering people.”
The book also contains tips on recovering from Botox and cosmetic surgery addiction – treatments that nobody needs, says Mahayana.
