Spring

 

Spring is the season of Kapha dosha which is composed of the elements of Earth and Water. Ayurveda says that “Kapha accumulated in winter is liquefied in the body by the heat of the Spring sun. This can affect the power of digestion and metabolism and result in a variety of complaints.” (Charaka Samhita)

When in excess or imbalanced Kapha is characterised by heaviness, lethargy, accumulated toxins, water retention and sluggishness. Think of what happens when water and earth mix, you get mud! Having too much Kapha is a bit like feeling ‘stuck in the mud’.

Ayurveda tells us that ‘like increases like’ so we need to incorporate those elements that are the opposite of Kapha – light, quick, mobile. As winter melts into Spring this is also the ideal time for us to melt away and eliminate accumulated toxins from our bodies and mind and embark on a ‘mind-body spring clean’.

We can do this in all aspects of our life through our choices in lifestyle, food, activity and spiritual practice. Below are some easy tips for you to include this Spring.

Spring Diet

Eating lots of fresh lightly cooked meals (not raw) that are easy to digest and favour bitter, astringent and pungent flavours such as ginger, pepper, basil, and bitter greens. Eat less of Kapha increasing foods such as dairy, cold foods and drinks, oily and fried foods and those high in sugar. Always allow for at least three to four hours between meals to allow each meal to digest completely. Sipping warm water during the day also helps our body to eliminate. A good way to help your body detox is by eating only kitchari, which is a simple rice and lentil meal, for 24 hours. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe kitchari before, during and after the Panchakarma detoxification treatment. Kitchari provides nourishment while allowing your body to eliminate and heal. Here’s the link to an easy recipe from Dr Vasant Lad:

https://www.ayurveda.com/recipes/kitchari

Lifestyle
Waking up with the sun before 6am is a good way to calibrate your body in line with nature’s rhythms and your body’s circadian rhythms. Kapha time runs from 6am to 10am and this is the perfect time to develop a morning cleansing self-care routine of tongue scraping and oil pulling. Using an invigorating and uplifting body scrub is especially helpful in reducing sluggish Kapha. Aika’s Kapha Body Polish used in your shower or bath will help eliminate toxins, increase circulation, clear the mind and energise the spirit for a new day ahead.

See below for our special Kapha Body Polish offer!

Spiritual practice
Letting go and creating space for newness in our lives is a way to decrease excess Kapha. This is a good time to introspect on what is not working for you and what is holding you back and look at ways you can release this and move forwards. Decluttering your home and workplace is also a good way to increase energy into your physical space. By including a simple daily meditation practice while moving is an ideal way to keep your Prana (vital energy) circulating through your body and mind. Try this simple Pranayama walking exercise for 10 minutes each day to this simple 4.2.4.2 rhythm:

4 – walk four steps and breathe deeply through your nose into your belly for four counts (one count per step)
2 – walk for two steps while holding your breath
4 – walk four steps and breathe out for four counts (one count per step)
2 – walk for two steps while holding your breath
Repeat this cycle for 10 minutes of your walk

Breathing to this rhythm while walking means you are only taking 5 full breaths per minute so you increase the oxygen into your cells and slow down your heart rate to create a feeling of mindful calm. Remember to walk slowly as the idea here is to be mindful in your breath rather than to exercise!

SPRING SPECIAL OFFER!

The Kapha Body Polish (value $56) is all yours when you take home $100 or more of your favourite Aika products.*

Your free gift will be added at checkout when you simply use this coupon code: SPRING

Why Kapha Body Polish?

Kapha Body Polish stimulates and cleanses the lymphatic and circulatory systems, removing toxins, firming and toning the skin while increasing new cell formation. Your skin will be transformed with minerals and hydrating oils that revive even the driest of skins, banishing roughness and flakiness and optimising the flow of Prana (energy) throughout your body. Energising and detoxifying Ayurvedic herbal extracts of Tulsi, Arjuna, Eucalyptus and Dandelion are combined with Himalayan crystal salts, containing 84 minerals essential for your body. A synergistic blend of Lemongrass, Lime, Niaouli and Geranium essences will clarify and uplift your mind leaving you feeling refreshed and enlivened, basking in the divine aroma of true peaceful time for yourself.

Kapha Body Polish Ritual & tips

  • In the shower massage 2-3 teaspoons of the body polish in light circular motions onto damp skin paying attention to the dry and rough areas such as elbows and knees. Shower off.
  • In the bath, after massaging the Body Polish all over your body, sink into the warm water letting the soothing aromas melt away any tensions while you soak.
  • Ideal to use in the bath for after sport for relieving tired and aching muscles.
  • Great to use as a targeted anti-cellulite treatment. Simply massage firmly in circular movements over the affected area.
  • Drink plenty of water after you use the Body Polish to aid in flushing toxins out of your body.

* Hurry as this free offer is only available until the 15th of October 2018. One free Kapha Body Polish per order.

 

WIN $150 OF AIKA SKINCARE!

Why do you choose certified organic? Comment on our Blog and go in the draw to win $150 of Aika certified organic skincare in August.

We value your feedback and would love to answer any questions you have about Aika.
Please visit our website for more information or contact our passionate and dedicated team at Aika HQ

‘Lighting the way for true wellness’

True Benefits of Certified Organic Skincare

September is Australian Certified Organic Awareness month and in line with this I want to share something that’s close to my heart – the true benefits of buying certified organic products.

When you buy a certified organic product what you are really buying is absolute assurance that what you are getting is actually what it says on the label and in the container. With the recent media airing of how certain companies have mislead us consumers it is becoming increasingly difficult to know who to trust and believe.

Greenwashing (making misleading claims about a product’s sustainability and purity), and falsely making organic claims is rife.

Just recently Gaia Naturals (includes GAIA Natural Baby, GAIA Pregnancy + New Mum, GAIA Skin+Body, especially for women, and GAIA Made for Men) a well known skincare brand was fined by the ACCC who released this statement on their website on the 20th of June 2018:

“GAIA described its Natural Baby Bath & Body Wash, Baby Shampoo and Baby Moisturiser as “Pure ★ Natural ★ Organic”. However, these products contain two synthetic chemical preservatives: sodium hydroxyl methyl glycinate and phenoxyethanol.

“Businesses making organic claims must be able to substantiate those claims. GAIA’s claims may have misled consumers into thinking these products are free from synthetic chemicals when they are not,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.

This enforcement outcome with GAIA forms part of broader work by the ACCC relating to organic representations. Acting on information from stakeholders, the ACCC has assessed the use of organic claims across a range of businesses and products.

I’m a mum and the fact that BABY PRODUCTS are marketed in this way to us mums is something I find absolutely outrageous and horrifying!

Then just yesterday the honey industry was rocked with the news that Capilano, Australia’s biggest honey producer, and supermarkets are accused of selling ‘fake’ honey! As the ABC reported on the 3rd of September:

“Testing at a leading international scientific lab that specialises in honey fraud detection has found that almost half the honey samples selected from supermarket shelves were “adulterated”, meaning it has been mixed with something other than nectar from bees.”

What these actions really amount to is unethical behaviour by businesses that value profit over ethics and transparency.

So here’s the deal. When you want absolute assurance that what you are getting is actually what’s on the label and what you want it to be – CHOOSE CERTIFIED ORGANIC!

By choosing certified organic you buy from businesses that are investing time, money and hard work in getting an independent and unbiased certification so you the consumer can rest easy and get what you actually want and pay for.

It would have been so easy for me to have created just another skincare range and called it natural, botanical , chemical free and organic. This would have been the fast, easy and cheap way to get to market. Instead it took me over three years just to get organic certification! ALL Aika’s 29 products are certified organic (not just a few). That’s 29 formulas with over 120 ingredients. I persevered because I wanted to create something that was beyond just a business. I wanted to create a business with heart and soul, something that stood for more than just me earning an income and putting food on the table for my kids. Because I care deeply and passionately about you.

So here’s three great benefits of buying Aika certified organic skincare:

1. SOIL TO SKIN PURITY:
We can prove organic certification for our entire supply chain. This means that every single raw ingredient we use (we have over a 100) needs to be traceable back to its source and verified individually for how each is grown, harvested, processed, stored and transported. It means that all our processes from receiving and storing raw ingredients, our formulas, how we manufacture our products, cleaning processes, water safety, environmental sustainability, packaging and how we deliver our product to market has been scrutinised by ACO and meets these high standards. This is our ongoing commitment to you that you will only and ever get the best of the best from Aika.

2. PEACE OF MIND
Regular audits are essential for our suppliers and includes inspection of farming land including soil and water testing for toxic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilisers to ensure growers and handlers are meeting these set standards. Aika also undergoes yearly audits on all our systems and processes which include inspection of our certified organic facility The Lighthouse, to ensure we adhere to the strict ACO standards. Regular testing is carried out on our products which guarantees that no chemical residue is present in our product. We want you to have absolute peace of mind as to what you put on your skin.

3. ECOLOGICAL HARMONY
Using certified organic products ensures that we protect and promote a more sustainable environment for everyone. It ensures that animal welfare is maintained, there is no animal testing of raw ingredients or end products. It means that farming communities benefit from fair trade practices and child labour is not used. Since all our products are certified organic what goes down the drain won’t harm the environment. All our packaging has been assessed to be eco-friendly, recyclable and biodegradable. Kind to you, kind to our planet.

At Aika we stand by the Sanskrit philosophy of Ahimsa – do no harm.

Aika’s Australian Certified Organic (ACO) certification logo.

 

Next week on the blog – Celebrating Spring the Ayurvedic way!

 

WIN $150 OF AIKA SKINCARE!

Why do you choose certified organic? Comment on our Blog and go in the draw to win $150 of Aika certified organic skincare in August.

We value your feedback and would love to answer any questions you have about Aika.
Please visit our website for more information or contact our passionate and dedicated team at Aika HQ

‘Lighting the way for true wellness’

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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Magazines test1

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Aika Wellness Vibes

FIRST LIGHT

What an incredible time it’s been since we launched Aika! We officially alighted during the October new moon on the festival of Deepavali or Diwali, the FESTIVAL OF LIGHT. Deepavali celebrates the victory of good over evil. Light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It is a reaffirmation of Hope.

Launching on this day was deeply significant for us. You see our Vision is all about Light:

OUR WHY

“We’re lighting the way for true wellness to heal the world”

This is our WHY. The reason we wake up every morning with a driving sense of purpose and the reason we go to bed with a full and grateful heart. We are here to shine a Light on what true wellness is – beyond skin, beyond beauty, beyond lifestyle, beyond health. It encompasses all these and is yet so much more. We believe that true wellness comes from the Soul. It is our Soul’s desire to be in a shining state of Light. From this space, we can heal ourselves and that’s when the real magic starts to happen. When we are in balance and brimming with life-force, our essence, we are fully able to express our love, creativity and joy. It is then that we can offer the best of ourselves to others. When we do this, we heal the world.

BEAUTY TO WELLNESS

Aika is here to redefine beauty and take it into the realm of true wellness where it belongs. Taking beauty into the realm of wellness means that we do things differently. It means you will only get the purest skincare on earth, no compromise. It means you can rest assured that we have done the hard yards, the research and taken the time to bring you only what will make you look well, feel well and be well. We do this by creating the most sensuous, sustainable and soulful products and wellness experiences on the planet. Because we believe YOU deserve the best.

Award Winning Skincare

We joyfully wrapped up our first month by winning the ‘Cosmetic of the Year’ at the Australian Organic Annual Awards in November. These awards recognise leadership in the Australian organic industry. The judges’ comments encapsulate our vision:

“Aika presented a really interesting point of difference that was extremely impressive. As the only certified organic Ayurvedic inspired skincare, they have tapped into a booming market in a unique way. Aiming for global wellness, they are sustainable, ethical and supportive of organic farming. They go beyond being a beauty product but aim to empower, heal and promote both inner and outer health to the wider wellness community.”

Launch Winner!

In this spirit of joy and celebration we are excited to announce that the WINNER of our Landing Page Launch competition is

….Drummroll …

Dani!!

Dani, you have won one of our gorgeous Discovery Packs that include the complete Arise and Retreat Rituals, everything you need for glowing gorgeous skin. All you need to do is check your email!

A big thank you to all of you who subscribed to become Friends of Aika. We are so grateful for your support and will continue to send you exclusive Friends only offers throughout the year.

We wish you a wonderful Christmas and holiday season full of love, joy and wellness.

Give the gift of wellness to someone special this Christmas with these gorgeous bundles of beauty. Now that special person could be You! These are limited edition gifts sets at limited edition prices so get yours quick before they are all gone!

Shop Christmas Gifts

We wish you a wonderful Christmas and holiday season full of love, joy and wellness.

We value your feedback and would love to answer any questions you have about Aika.
Please visit our website for more information or contact our passionate and dedicated team at Aika HQ

Together, we can heal ourselves and the world.