Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

87

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

Kellyis a passionate writer and raw/

vegan chef who combines her love

of writing with her forays into health

and wellness. Kelly has travelled

and worked across the world in health resorts,

detox centres, raw food restaurants and wellness

retreats, sharing ways to live simply, mindfully and

sustainably. Recipes and e-books are available on

Kelly’s website. http://www.bellaandbhakti.com

have enjoyed a comeback on the food scene,
possibly due to their ‘Instagram-worthy’
appeal. Spring is the perfect time to start
planting your own edible flowers and the
great news is, they don’t require much space
and they will bring colour and vibrancy to
both your garden and meals.
Simply grow your edible flowers as you
would normal ornamental flowers, but avoid
all chemicals and animal manure for four
months prior to harvesting. Instead,
manually pick off pests and promote
beneficial insects by growing a diversity of
flowers. The flowers need little garden space
and can be grown in containers on your
balcony. Water gently every day or two and
they are ready to pick when they are fully
open. All flowers are a little different —
some are fully edible, and for others just the
leaves are edible — so check before you start
munching! Make sure you wash thoroughly
(and gently) before eating. Keep the flowers
in a sealed container in the fridge and treat
with care. Add to fresh salads, rice paper
rolls, cakes, desserts, dressings, ice cubes
and as a garnish for meals.

Popular varieties to enjoy include:

• Viola • Nasturtium


• Geraniums • Hibiscus


• Echinacea • Calendula


• Native violets • Rose


• Lavender • Dandelion

*Eat flowers only when you are positive that
they are edible. Some flowers look very
similar, so be sure before consuming.

IN THE BEDROOM
Having plants indoors and in our bedroom
can result in better air quality, reduced
stress, less anxiety, headache relief, boosted
mood, illness prevention, improved brain
function and improved sleep. The quality of
our air can greatly affect our overall health
and wellness. By adding more indoor plants
to your home, you will not only gain purer
air, but may also find that your health,
attitude and energy levels begin to improve.
These plants can help contribute to a
healthier atmosphere in your home and
produce a calming and cleansing effect on
all inhabitants.

• Aloe vera plant: increases oxygen supply,
  helps with insomnia, easy to keep alive
  and reproduce.


• Lavender plant: reduces anxiety and
  stress, slows the heart rate, improves sleep
  and has an overall calming effect.


• Jasmine plant: helps to improve the
  quality of sleep as well as alertness and
  productivity, reduces anxiety and stress.
  
  
  • English Ivy plant: named the best
    air-purifying plant, beneficial to those who
    suffer from asthma or breathing problems,
    significantly improves quality of sleep.
  
  
  • Snake plant: improves air quality, helps to
    avoid eye irritation, respiratory symptoms,
    headaches and may also improve
    productivity levels.
  
  
  • Spider plant: Has shown to remove
    around 90% of the potentially cancer-causing
    chemical formaldehyde from the air. It will
    also absorb odours and fumes as well as
    sustaining oxygen levels in the room,
    promoting better sleep.
  
  
  • Peace Lily: helps to filter out harmful
    benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde
    toxins in the air. The flowers can also boost
    a room’s humidity levels which suppresses
    airborne microbes and helps to relieve
    allergies.
  
  
  
  

IN THE BATHROOM

The arrival of spring welcomes brighter,

healthier skin and as we peel off the layers

and climb out from hibernation, our skin

rejoices! Along with enjoying plenty of fresh

alkalising foods and clean filtered water, we

can also awaken our skin with a little extra

topical nourishment. DIY skincare is actually

much easier than you think. Mother nature

provides us with an abundance of natural

ingredients. Our skin is the body’s largest

organ and studies have found that our skin

absorbs at the very minimum 60-70% of what

we put on it. The skin on our face is more

porous and will absorb even more, making it

incredibly important to avoid chemical

products in favour of natural ingredients. Try

this simple face mask at home and get ready

to start glowing.

• 1 tsp. matcha tea powder


• 1/2 a large ripe avocado


• 1 small banana


• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and

either blend with an immersion blender

until smooth or mash well with a fork.

Apply to a clean face avoiding your eyes.

Leave the mask on for around 10 minutes

and then wash off with warm water.