WINTER DEHYDRATION

SPICE UP YOUR WINTER

TREATMENT REVIEW
Get me Outta Here

PRODUCT REVIEW
Bathing in Oil

SPA CAFÉ
Walnut and Lentil Bake

COMPETITION

The transition from autumn to winter is an important one for us emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. So much of who we are and what we do is controlled by the seasons and with our ability to mask the outside elements, we often find ourselves living out of harmony and out of balance with our bodies.

In this edition, we take a closer look at the importance of water, alcohol (in moderation of course) and time out.

We have created some divine tonics, elixirs and tips for you to banish the winter blues and embrace the most predominant season of them all.

With such distinctive and spectacular seasons in Melbourne and across Australia we focus this winter on bringing your body into equilibrium and hopefully keeping those winter colds at bay.

Take time to balance your body and embrace the cool season ahead.

Enjoy spirited moments of warmth and happiness this winter.

Lyndall

Three quarters of the human body is water. Therefore, it is not surprising that we look to water for healing when our bodies are feeling out of sorts.

History shows that water has been used for healing over and over again and research confirms what history and our senses have known for years.

What are the benefits?
Water can reduce stress, improve mental clarity, boost the immune system, and prevent diseases. If you are dehydrated, your body will simply choose which organs get to drink and which don’t.

Skin is the part of our body that suffers most from dehydration in winter. Increasing your water intake over this period and including it in rituals like bathing or water therapies can improve your skins condition immediately. For great skin you need to guzzle water, not splash it. When you take a drink, your body directs the liquid to the organs that need it the most. If there isn’t enough liquid to go around, the other organs go without. Dehydrated skin is a condition we see on a daily basis. A smooth, healthy face is a good sign of sufficient water consumption. With enough water to go around, the skin soaks up plenty for itself.

How much should I drink and where do I start?
If your body has been used to surviving on almost no water, start small. It may seem difficult in the beginning to drink eight glasses, but once your body figures out what to do with it you’ll refill your system without even realizing it.

In winter, alcohol in moderation is a great tonic that can warm up your system, promote circulation, stimulate your appetite, relieve tiredness and keep out the cold. Going too heavy on the red or tempting fate with the mix of spirits, however, can poison the body and impair the mind, blood and stomach. Moderation is the key to getting the best out of alcohol and so with this in mind, we’ve prepared a couple of medicinal liqueurs you might want to consider this season.

A medicinal liqueur can assist in keeping you healthy over the winter period as it speeds up the actions of any herb that it is mixed with.

Creating medicinal liqueurs can be fun and even more effective if prepared one month in advance, giving the herb time to soak up the alcohol efficiently.

Neutral liqueurs like vodka, are often the best base to start with when mixing up your winter cocktail. Here are a couple you may like to try – one for medicinal purposes, and one for pleasure.

Medicinal liqueur for the common cold with a headache and light fever.
60g chrysanthemum flowers
*60g wolfberry (gou qi zi)
200ml vodka
20g honey
Soak the chrysanthemums and wolfberry in the vodka, in a glass container for between two and three weeks. Add the honey and, when necessary, take one teaspoon twice a day.
* You will need to go to a Chinese Medicine dispensary to purchase the wolfberry.

Blood Orange Cosmopolitan
1 1/2 oz Stoli Ohranj Vodka
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/4 oz fresh Lime Juice
1/4 oz blood Orange Juice
1 splash Cranberry Juice
Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of orange, and serve.

Australia is fortunate enough to have an amazing selection of both Australian and International organic wines on its cellar shelves. When choosing your next bottle of red, consider the fact that grape crops are one of the most heavily sprayed crops around, and that when pesticides are sprayed on the grape skins to protect them from disease, they end up as residue in the wine (by being washed from the grapes as they are pressed or put in the vat). In addition to contact pesticides, there are also systemic pesticides which penetrate the plant and end up in the grape pulp, and inevitably as residue in the wine. A number of these chemicals are of great concern because they are suspected carcinogens.

Organic vineyards choose organic methods to obtain the strongest and richest grapes possible, with the fewest detrimental effects on the environment, and their wines reflect that dedication to quality.

So, when choosing your wines this winter consider the maker, his production methods and the little extras that you may not normally consider when selecting that next bottle of red for dinner.

The season of winter corresponds with the element of water. This strong element has many qualities that, once you are aware of them, will help you to realign yourself with the season. A strong elemental quality of winter is to rest “guilt free”. Now for some of us, the words “guilt free” conjure up thoughts only “allowed” on holidays or when we are feeling sick and have to rest.

To avoid going to those extremes of sickness and to maintain your health year round, taking time out is a vital component of staying healthy during the season of hibernation. See this rest time as a perfect time to replenish your energy, to truly unwind and feel the stillness inside your body. Contemplation, meditation and reflection are all ideal activities for winter.

Our tip for those who find it incredibly difficult to create the “time” for themselves is to book a treatment or activity that focuses purely on the things that make you feel rested. When life coaching our clients, we often recommend that they set up an appointment 3 – 4 weeks in advance and then make a promise to themselves that they’ll keep it – no matter what! Making these promises to yourself ensures that there is time for you in amongst the trappings of work and family routine. Allocate “you” time just like you do for anything else that’s important in your life.

And for those who know how divine and replenishing this special time is, we recommend the detox retreats that bring your body into harmony with the season and have a predominant water element.

Remember, if you’re struggling to make the time, acknowledge why? Check in with your own self worth.

You are going to be far more productive, open and balanced in all areas of your life if you are taking care of number one - which just in case you forgot - is YOU!

Today we try to recapture the ancient pleasure of bathing in our homes. The heart of a house may be the kitchen, but its soul is the bathroom. Retreating to a warm, scented, candle-lit bath can provide your body and mind with a sense of calm. The privacy and peace of the bathroom allows for quiet meditation.

To truly moisturise the skin we encourage you to avoid using harsh soaps and instead banish the dry, flaky winter skin with a divine bath elixir. We have put together 6 options for your bath time pleasure- 3 from your kitchen and 3 from Aurora.

1. Sleep time
We’ve all experienced insomnia at least once in our lives and – probably more often – the inability to relax. To calm your nerves, relax your muscles, and help your mind let go, try this simple, soothing recipe.

(a) Sleeptime Bath – Do it Yourself
8-10 sprigs of fresh lavender
1 handful of chamomile blossoms or 3 chamomile tea bags

Light unscented white or ivory candles in your bathroom and turn off the overhead light. Run a hot bath, so the water steams a bit and add all the ingredients while the bath is running.

(b) Sleeptime Bath – Aurora Bliss
A seductive blend of sandalwood, clary sage and benzoin- deeply relaxing aromatherapy oils to calm the nerves and relax the mind.

As your bath is running pour approximately 3 capfuls of Aurora Bliss oil into the bath. We would also encourage a shot of the Aurora Bliss Tea just before bed for a dreamy night of deep sleep.

2. No more sniffles
Everyone has suffered from a cold at least once in their life. Sometimes colds last for a couple of days, and sometimes they last for a couple of weeks. Don’t suffer while lying in bed. Take a healing bath and breathe better.

(a) No more sniffles - home
add 1/2 teaspoon of Eucalyptus mix
add 1/2 teaspoon of Peppermint mix
1 tablespoon of powdered Ginger

(b) No more sniffles – Aurora Detox
A heady blend of spearmint, lemon and Tangerine, ideal for cleansing the body of toxins and relaxing muscle tension.

As your bath is running pour approximately 3 capfuls of detox oil into the bath. We would also encourage a shot of the Aurora Detox Tea just before bed for a deep cleanse internally and externally.

3. An Energising blend
This citrus-y bath will rejuvenate not only your mind, but your skin, too. Try it after a long day of work or after a workout.

(a) Energising blend - home
2 lemons
3 limes
6 sprigs of fresh or dried sage
6 sprigs of fresh or dried Thyme
1 bottle of sparkling or carbonated water

Run a warm bath and add the sage and thyme. Cut one lemon and two limes into slices and float them on the surface of the water. Pour the sparkling water into the tub. Cut the remaining lemon and lime in halves and rub them on your skin, paying close attention to any rough patches.

(b) Energising blend – Aurora Balance
An uplifting blend of lavender, sweet orange and patchouli, ideal for lifting your spirit and balancing your emotions.

As your bath is running pour approximately 3 capfuls of balance oil into the bath. We would also encourage a shot of the Aurora Balance Tea just before bed as a digestive tonic to ensure you wake feeling energised.

Eating in harmony with the seasons can make you look and feel good by boosting energy and aligning your body with the elements. At Aurora, we base our tips for aligning the body with winter on traditional Chinese Medicine philosophies.

Winter is the season of hibernation when energy moves inward. In just the same way as we prepare our body for winter by dressing in the latest Gucci coat (guess you’re starting to guess my passion for clothes!) we are able to prepare our system for the foods that will keep us internally warm.

By responding to our environment, we can avoid its extremes and maintain our own internal balance. Food plays such a ubiquitous role in our day that sometimes we forget its natural ability to promote health and wellbeing.

Winter foods such as grains, dried or preserved foods, seeds and nuts have an inward-moving energy. These foods, in winter, will assist in warming the body and supporting the kidney yin and yang that encourages energy downwards and inwards. Soups and stews including grains, seeds and nuts and other warm foods provide an excellent way of warming up the body for winter.

What are warm foods?
Warm foods include anchovies, bay leaves, capers, chestnuts, chicken (free range), coriander, dill, fennel, leek, mussels, nutmeg, pine nuts, rosemary, spring onions, sweet potatoes and walnuts. Grains, seeds and nuts are other great sources of warm foods for winter but should be kept in moderation if you are including these foods in children’s meals. Grains are often a harder source of warm foods for children’s digestive systems as they are not yet strong and stable enough to cope with large amounts. Too much for kids could lead to a cold.

Should I consider different ways of cooking in winter?
If you’ve had the opportunity to stay overnight with Gran recently, you may pick up a few tips for winter. Like my Gran, we should take a little more time with food preparation over the winter months using methods that are slow and use a low heat. Foods like soups and stews, unmoved during the process of cooking, should be your first choice for winter meals, as these foods tend to have a more calming effect when eaten.

So in preparation for this season, drag out those old Margaret Fulton cookery books and take into consideration those recipes that include warm foods and slow cooking methods. Bon Appetite..

In less than 500 words, tell us what winter obstacles you currently face and why you want to design a plan to achieve goals to get through them and we’ll put you in the draw to win an Aurora Spa Retreat Life Coaching session and Kitya Karnu Steam Treatment.

1. Send an email to info@aurorasparetreat.com and title it "Surviving Winter" and we'll put you in the draw to win.
2. Don't forget to include your contact details
3. Entries close 1st July, 2004
4. Winner contacted by phone 2nd July, 2004

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Aurora Spa Retreat
2 Acland Street
St Kilda VIC 3182
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