People ask me all the time how my skin looks so radiant. Even though I had a career in fashion, I never once touched a beauty product. I kept it simple by using organic oils from the health food store on my skin. No $300 skin products for me, no facials. To be honest, I have had a bit of a stressful life. A high powered career, children, two divorces, owned businesses, lost businesses, moved, and lost my mom at a very young age. But it doesn't show on my face. Do you want to know the secret? Thirty-five years of meditating every day.
I'm far from perfect, but I decided at the age of 21 that meditation was going to be my thing and I was going to do it consistently. I started out taking "mind control" courses, which was a way of getting into a deep meditation. I fell in love with the feeling. Everything about it felt right. Even though I studied with Swami Satchidinanda, did many silent retreats at Yogaville and Kripalu, I never bought into the image that one had to meditate in lotus position sitting in a quiet room. No way, I lived in New York City, traveled on the subway, went to concerts at Madison Square Garden, and went to football games at Giants Stadium and I would practice meditation everywhere. It was so important to me that instead of stopping my day, I included it wherever I went.
When I had my children, I thought, "Why not teach them to do the same?" Every night, I guided them in a brief meditation before bedtime. Again, incorporating it in my day and my routine was the key to keeping it in my life. However, the benefits were (and continue to be) amazing. My children, to this day, know how to relax and connect to a vibration of peace, no matter where they are. And for me, I hear it all the time: "How does your skin stay so smooth? You're positively glowing, are you always so happy?" It's not that I'm shallow, but I have to admit that it does feel good. When I started meditating, it was to connect more deeply to the universal energy. These days, I meditate an hour a day, every day, but it's not always at home. At spin class recently, I went into a deep meditation -- music blaring. Meditation has allowed me to connect to my intuition on a very deep level. I don't read any of the articles that have recently been published on why meditation is good for you and for children. I already know why it's good for me and guess what? It is the best-kept beauty secret out there.