Beauty From The Inside Out

Throughout my travels around the world and my years of practice as a health educator, I have learned that many health and beauty problems are caused by improper diet, stress and the accumulation of toxic waste in the body.  In fact,  Japanese women, like their Chinese neighbors, developed an extensive beauty ritual that is still being practiced by the Geisha today.  Their system of beauty includes many techniques that are only now being discovered by the West.  For example, they developed methods of facial massage to enhance their beauty, a practice that only recently has begun to be investigated by Western cosmetologists.  This practice removes both tension and toxins from the face.  Japanese women also understood that feeding the inner woman developed the beauty of the outer woman.  For instance, they believed that eating kelp and seafood would contribute to the beauty of their skin and glossiness of their hair.   Indian women have been practicing the art of Kayakulpa for many hundreds of years.  This is an Ayurvedic massage technique designed to free the body of toxins and to unleash their natural beauty.  In fact, in the Ayurvedic tradition, massage is considered just as essential to health and beauty as a good diet and other lifestyle habits. 

It must be obvious to you that when I talk about beauty in this context, I am not talking about the market-driven ideals of the moment. These various cultures teach us that the external beauty we are all seeking is an expression of the combination of the balance of the outer and inner.  Outer beauty obviously aims towards the perfection of what is visually perceived by others.  It includes the obvious traits such as body contours, skin texture, and the quality of the hair and nails.  It also includes grace in posture and movement and the more subtle qualities of freshness, vitality and a brightness of being.  Many non-Western cultures have always understood beauty to be the product of general health and appropriate personal care rather than a cosmetic event.

I created the Inner Beauty Institute in Sausalito, California in 1979 and have dedicated myself to studying and teaching the principles of inner beauty and, most specifically, how they contribute to that superficial beauty so important in our culture.  Inner beauty includes our physical health,  emotional states and mental abilities.  As our physical form can be transformed by diet and lifestyle, we can also train our minds to cultivate positive states of being.  Just as we can purify and strengthen the body to enhance our beauty, we can tame and discipline the mind.  We can do this by truly accepting who we are and by caring for and appreciating ourselves.  The more we nurture ourselves, the more radiant we become physically, regardless of our particular body shape or proportions.

In most Eastern cultures including Japan, China, Indonesia and India, it is common knowledge that many of our health and beauty problems are the result of a state of “congestion.”  Congestion is defined as the the clogging of our tissues and tubes and  the suffocating of our cells and, consequently, of our vitality.  It is caused by the over consumption of foods and non-foods, such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, refined sugar and chemicals and the consequent reduction in eliminative functions.  It is also caused by negative states of mind.

The consumption of more fresh, pesticide-free fruits, vegetables and water and the reduction of animal fats, heavy proteins and abusive substances is the beginning of the rejuvenation process for the human body.  This was discovered long ago by many less “sophisticated” cultures and is still true today, although conventional medical science may make light of it in deference to the “quick solution.”

Congestive problems are most common in Western, industrialized civilizations.  Colds, flus, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and allergies are all examples of congestive disorders.  These medical problems may be prevented or treated, at least in part and often quite dramatically, by a “back to basics” diet and an ongoing program of cleansing and detoxification.  As these health conditions begin to clear, the external changes are quite dramatic as well.  The skin is clearer, the eyes are brighter, the attitude is more positive, and our effect on others is more uplifting.

I consider the cleansing and detoxification process to be the missing link in Western nutrition and a key to the health and vitality of our civilization. In my two decades of clinical practice, I have extensively utilized various cleansing and rejuvenation practices from other cultures for both myself and literally thousands of clients. I truly believe that these practices are some of the most powerful healing therapies I have seen. They initiate a true healing of ailments rather than simply a suppression of symptoms.