Shel Pink - Slow Beauty: Rituals and Recipes to Nourish the Body and Feed the Soul

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HEARD some version of the phrase beauty comes from within? My guess is that the answer to this question is something along the lines of a lot. Yet, at the same time, social media, magazines, and even newspapers are constantly flooding us with information about antiaging methods, and tips and tricks for enhancing our external beauty. If beauty comes from within, then where is all of this advice and strategy for illuminating our inner beauty?

Well, here it is.

The Slow Beauty practice that you are about to embark upon has nothing to do with creating the perfect smoky eye or combating wrinkles. Instead, its about living a life that centers on a philosophy of living better, more wholly, and more truthfullyand having fun in the process! That is where true beauty springs forth: bubbling up from the inside and spilling over to the outside. At the heart of the Slow Beauty philosophy and practice is the idea that the biggest component of any beauty program should be wellness and self-care. To achieve this, we must each regularly find some time to slow down and connect with ourself.

Within the pages that follow, youll find inspiration, support, and tools for cultivating that beauty within to the point where it spills over to every aspect of your life, including your physical appearance. Yes, well talk about beauty, but well also focus on general wellness, aging happily and gracefully, andmost important of allcultivating a truly joyful life from the inside out.

Know that this practice is called Slow Beauty for a reason. Its what I like to think of as a sustainable beauty alternative. Its not a quick fixmuch better than that, its a solution that will last over time. It will become an inextricable part of your life. And, as Ive seen in both my own life and the lives of the clients Ive worked with, the ongoing journey of Slow Beauty will be one of the most fulfilling, adventurous, creative, and transformative experiences youve ever embarked upon. Rather than a chore or source of stress, this ongoing beauty routine will become a cherished part of your day-to-day life.

Slow Beauty marks a return to our connection with our personal natural rhythms, and ultimately, it brings us back to an unconditional love and acceptance of becoming who we really are. When we live in this sort of manner over a period of time, we naturally and continuously evolve into a more beautiful and timeless version of ourself. Most of all, we find more joy in our life on a moment-by-moment basis. And that is truly beautiful.

Together, well get in touch with the type of beauty that starts from within and emanates outward from there. The type of beauty that defies age. The type of beauty that knows no bounds.

Slow Beauty encapsulates such ideals as inner beauty, self-love, self-care, self-compassion, and joyful living in what is less of a program, and more of an open-source system that will make you look and feel better. This is not a prescriptive program, although I definitely will share tons of ideas for you to incorporate into your own life. Like the Slow Beauty program itself, this book is meant to be playful, iterative, and interactive. With that in mind, there are many ways to enjoy it. There is, of course, the traditional approach of reading it from cover to cover and trying everything in the order in which it is presented. Another option is to engage with it in whatever way feels most natural to you. For example, if you are feeling active, begin with a ritual or a recipe. If you feel as if you need some intellectual stimulation, dive into the Philosophy section. Ready to get creative? Flip to the Mapping section.

With this in mind, Slow Beauty is divided into four distinct sectionsthe Four Pillars of Slow Beauty, if you will.

What kind of beauty book starts with philosophy of all things, right? At a glance, it might sound a bit odd to correlate beauty and philosophy. But Slow Beauty is all about an elevated type of beauty that comes from the inside and, from there, takes up residency in all aspects of our life. Since Slow Beauty is also, in many ways, a personal program that each of us determines the specifics of ourself, its important that it be built upon a foundation and a framework people can understand, get behind, and incorporate into their daily life.

There was a time when philosophy was not only the cornerstone of education, but also of life in general. People had an underlying ethos that informed many facets of their life: the way they thought, what they believed in, and the decisions they made on a moment-by-moment basis.

Over time, philosophy has become a less and less integral part of our system and our life. Look at any college curriculum today and youll see a vast difference in how much philosophy is introduced to students, even between now and a couple of decades ago. Our societys concept of philosophy is now doled out in little nuggets through articles shared on Facebook and Instagram memes. Something may resonate with us, but it is fleeting, and before long, weve moved on to the next thing. Most of us dont have a solid credo to hold on to.

We live in a world that moves quickly, and were constantly pulled in different directions. So many of us are wearing this stress; we dont feel good because of it, and when we dont feel good, we dont look good, either. Its time to slow down and get back in touch with life and ourself. The Slow Beauty philosophy provides us with a touchstone to do that through its belief that it is by making the time to go inward to discover what lights us up and bring us joyand then honoring thatthat we ultimately find true, lasting, timeless beauty. It gives us ideas to marinate on and take with us, and allows these seeds of self-care to continue to grow, even amid all the white noise of our life.