I feel like I can’t talk about body oiling enough.. When in today’s culture our main decompression strategy is a screen, be radical. Take a moment to sit and nurture your nerves, your skin, your emotional state. Take the time to check in and see what you’re feeling. Notice. Listen.
Our nervous system is hugely supported by body oiling; by the herbs themselves but also just by oiling the skin. This organ that gets slathered in hundreds of chemicals every day, that takes the brunt of the sun, of our clothing, our soaps and sanitizing gels. And the synthetic perfumes, oh my. Our skin is also one of our elimination organs, along with our kidneys, bowels and lungs. When one of these organs is blocked, the others need to take the brunt. So help your body out and treat your skin as more than a bag for your bones, as more than just what the world sees. Give it some love. Pay attention to it, is it dry or flakey? Oily? Does it look parched? This is a great time to see where you're at and examine your body. Feel your joints, give your feet a little massage, give some love to those love handles, massage that breasts, bellies and buttocks.
If this isn't enough to convince you, take a moment to recognize the link between healthy skin and our immune system. We try to nourish and replenish healthy gut biome for healthy living, but pay little attention the mircobiome of our skin. Our skin plays host to many bacteria, many of which educate our immune system and protect against the invasion of more pathogenic or harmful organisms. By slathering our body in synthetic fragrances and other such nasty chemicals, we create environments that are inhospitable to that wonderfully rich and protective bacteria! Take care of what you put on your skin as you are of what you eat.
