WHAT IS MINDFUL BEAUTY?

I embrace this concept because I believe that every woman is beautiful. Beauty is not one shape, one size or a specific age. Beauty is unique; beauty is individual. Women are at their most beautiful when they fully embrace and celebrate their original, wonderful selves, and right now is your time to shine.

So, what does mindfulness have to do with this? Media images and social messages are always showing us pictures of what someone at an ad agency has decided that we should look like. Nobody should have the power to make this decision for us! Without conscious awareness, we absorb these images, internalizing that this is what we should look like. Enter self-loathing and unhappiness, especially if it is a body type, age or racial group that is impossible for us to ever become. But, with mindfulness, we can step back and simply see advertising for what it is.

It's time for us women to take our power and beauty back! I grew up Eurasian. My mom is from Japan and my dad is Caucasian-American. No one bi-racial was considered beautiful when I was a growing up. Sometimes, I thought something must be wrong with me. I stared at my face in the mirror and tried to hold my eyes open wide to make them look bigger and suck in my cheeks so they would be less round. Trust me, it's hard to talk or do much of anything else when you're doing this.

My mom sensed my worries. One day, she took me to a flower garden. She asked me if I thought it was beautiful and, of course, I answered, "Yes!". Then, she pointed out that many different flowers and plants together created that beauty. The rose was different from the lily, but both were amazing. She taught me that in diversity and originality is where true beauty lies. This gave me great hope and understanding.

With great parenting from my Mom and Dad and a strong consciousness, combined with the privilege to travel, I fortunately realized that so much beauty exists in so many forms. And, my heart breaks when I see any child thinking that she isn't wonderful and perfect, just the way that she is. She deserves to know that she is beautiful. We must be strong for her.

That's why I created this Mindful Beauty forum. Together, we will support each other in celebrating your most beautiful you—YOU! As you strengthen your confidence in your own inner beauty, your outer beauty will shine. Let's enjoy this journey together.

PRODUCT PICKS THAT YOU WILL LOVE