Category: Inner Beauty

No periods… a message from my body

~ womeninlivingness

Six years ago the doctor asked me if I wanted anti-depressants and suggested I saw a psychotherapist for eating disorders. I’d had some big life changes and reacted with a huge amount of emotional turmoil and stress. I lost about 12kg and went down to 42kg within a few months. My periods stopped and I had no energy or enthusiasm for anything in life. 

I thought I didn’t have an eating disorder because I wasn’t obsessed with my weight or my body – I just didn’t care, about myself or anything else. I shut myself down as a woman, to myself and the world, and gave up. Continue reading “No periods… a message from my body” →

My journey with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome

~ womeninlivingness

Since my early twenties I have had severely irregular periods and could go three to six months, sometimes longer, without any.   

I was overweight, moody and had excess facial hair. 

I felt uncomfortable as a woman. 

I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and so began my journey with ‘fixing’ my periods.  Continue reading “My journey with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome” →

Wearing a Cardigan of Protection

~ womeninlivingness

Recently, I have felt something changing within me, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I noticed that my cardigans seemed to be too big or not sitting well on the shoulders. They were like an oversized coat that no longer fitted my frame and I started to question whether it was my posture, or my weight. Both remained the same, but something else had changed. Yesterday the understanding came fully as I was booking in for my monthly Esoteric Breast Massage – a super supportive modality offered by women practitioners trained by Universal Medicine. Continue reading “Wearing a Cardigan of Protection” →

Women are Magnificent

~ womeninlivingness

In my work as a midwife I have the awesome privilege to be with women when they can resource deeply their true magnificence.

Being pregnant and giving birth is a time in a woman’s life when she has a relationship with her body that is very real and full. A time when she can get to know herself and her true strength and qualities, as her body does some of the most amazing and miraculous things ever. Continue reading “Women are Magnificent” →

The Power of a Smile: In Celebration of the Woman I am

~ womeninlivingness

It was a Friday evening. My children and I were walking down a busy city street to get something for dinner. I’d just come straight from work, so wasn’t especially ‘made up’ to go out; just relaxed and feeling a little tired from a busy week.

As I walked along I noticed a lady pushing a pram coming towards me.

Her head was hung low and she looked very despondent. I kept my gaze on her and began to smile; very soon she raised her head and we locked eyes. I broadened my smile and felt I was beaming from every pore in me. I did not do what I sometimes can do and make it a fleeting smile – I continued to hold the lady in my gaze and felt I was almost having a conversation with her – it felt amazing. Her face responded immediately and lit up in a glorious smile too – her whole face and body seemed to transform.

This moment seemed to last an eternity as we continued to walk towards each other, locked in each other’s gaze.

Continue reading “The Power of a Smile: In Celebration of the Woman I am” →

A Woman’s True Beauty: The Strength in Fragility

~ womeninlivingness

Women – Are we living in a man’s world? We all know about boys having to be tough – “Boys don’t cry”, boys get given toys to confirm their future roles – trucks, footballs, fiction-hero’s, games of war….

We women may feel that we have to compete in this competitive male world, and many of us have tried to create an even playing field in our pursuit of equality for women – with the fight for the right to work, equal pay in the workforce, day-care for young children, female cricket and footy teams, promotions, baby bonuses and more. At the same time we have found ourselves often comparing with each other with regard to academic achievement, ideals of beauty, having more money or a successful career, being in relationships versus being single, and having kids.

Have we lost the precious qualities of true beauty and fragility in this battle for equality and respect?

Continue reading “A Woman’s True Beauty: The Strength in Fragility” →

My Lips, Red Lipstick and Me

~ womeninlivingness

I suppose that almost every woman has to criticize something about herself: her legs, her bum, her breasts, her hair, her nose – sad but true.

For a long time for me it was my lips.

I really did not like my lips. They were small and slim, had no true colour and they felt hard. I felt there was no point in giving them any attention, other than some light, almost colourless lip-gloss sometimes.

One day a friend of mine, while we were sharing with other friends what kind and colours of lipsticks we use, said to me: “I think that a warm deep red would suit you very well!”

“Whaat?“ I said. There’s no way I would wear a darker colour and especially not red! My lips are small and in no way beautiful enough for the colour red!

Over the next two days she ‘haunted’ me with the red lipstick. Every time I saw her she said smilingly, ‘red lipstick!’ and I’d start to run….

Continue reading “My Lips, Red Lipstick and Me” →

Let’s Face it: Accepting and Embracing our own True Beauty

~ womeninlivingness

For many years, practising as a Professional Make-up Artist and more recently advising and offering Inner Image Consultations, I’ve noticed that as women we’re still apologising for the way we look. Why do we resist accepting and embracing our own true beauty?

The most beautiful make-up of a woman is the love that she is.

Until we truly claim the woman within, we will continue to mask and hide our Divine Beauty underneath layers of protection that no amount of make-up can penetrate.

Continue reading “Let’s Face it: Accepting and Embracing our own True Beauty” →

Learning to Love Myself and Trusting I am Enough

~ womeninlivingness

I am a beautiful woman!

Wow – that’s a bold statement to make about myself but make it I will. Let me explain.

When I say I am beautiful I don’t mean in the way society dictates. I don’t have a perfect figure, whatever that is, and I’m not a model.

I’m beautiful in the way I love myself.

Continue reading “Learning to Love Myself and Trusting I am Enough” →

Beauty Tip for Women: Ladies, Pull up a Chair!

~ womeninlivingness

All my life I have been the typical ‘no fuss’ woman who ‘put my face on in 5 minutes’! Then all this changed, I felt that standing up to do my morning beauty routine just wasn’t cutting it anymore, so I decided to pull up a chair, a simple act that led to a miracle!

Pull up a Chair SG Image 1
Sharon Gavioli, May 2015

Unusual beauty tip you might say, but for me it has made a huge difference in how I feel about myself throughout the day.

Continue reading “Beauty Tip for Women: Ladies, Pull up a Chair!” →