On our latest episode of IGTV, Business Director Vanessa Grutman hosted the Founder and CEO of Mala Collective, Ashley Wray, to discuss stress-reducing practices to nourish our skin from within.
“Stress has a deep impact on our skin. It increases cortisol which results in inflammation, and at the skin level, can lead to a cascade of problems like increased wrinkle formation, acne flares and eczema” explained Vanessa.
We are living through a period of heightened stress. At Project Skin, our philosophy has always been to approach aging from the inside out – and as such, we wanted to learn more about how to cultivate a sense of calm from our local inspiration:
In our interview, Ashley shared that self-connection should feel intuitively good to you. She explained that for her, a daily gratitude practice with her morning coffee allows her to slow down, shift perspective and set the stage for her day. On some days, Ashley’s mindfulness practice includes meditation, on while on others it includes yoga or a walk in the park.
“There is no wrong way to meditate,” Ashley emphasized. What is important is building a habit, and for it to stick, it has to feel easy and graceful for you. Whether that be in the morning, before bed, or somewhere in between, it’s about finding the time to show up for yourself every day.
Meditation can be done in any position that feels grounding, whether that be standing, sitting on a chair or on the floor. Ashley likes to use their Meditation Sit Set, which helps her elevate her hips, straighten her back, and support her ankles.
Mala beads and mantra can help to focus our attention during meditation. Ashley reminded us that it is natural for our minds to wander. Mala beads provide a tactile energy point to focus our attention on during meditation, while a mantra – which is a word or phrase that can be repeated during meditation – is another way to focus our minds. Ashley loves using “I am” statements, which act as affirmations to support rewiring in our brains towards our intentions.
Ashley led us through a body-scan meditation (about 15 minutes into our IGTV episode) to help our listeners find their “I am” statement and mantra. For the full interview and to try it for yourself, you can tune in here.
Mala Collective is a local Vancouver business with a mission to offer tools and practices that empower people to live with intention. They work with female artisans in Bali to create beautiful products to support your meditation practice. To learn more, you can visit their website: https://www.malacollective.com/ or Instagram: @malacollective.
