You’re a Natural Beauty - October 2025

Each month Adele Trathan and Sara Whatley look at seven elements of living the life of a natural beauty, helping you to enrich the mind, body and soul in balance and holistic harmony 

YOGA

Supine Spinal Twist, Supta Matsyendrasana 

This immensely relaxing spinal twist is often practiced as a cool down after a yoga session or other sports and can be a welcome release after a long day. It can also be a great pose to counteract sitting at a desk all day or leaning over a phone or laptop. 

The Supine Spinal Twist improves flexibility right up the back from bottom to top and into the neck, and stretches the chest, glutes, hips and shoulders. It also provides a gentle massage for the digestive organs, aiding digestion and calming the nervous system. 

Lying on your back, bring you right knee up and hug it to your chest, then let that knee fall to the left side, aided by the left hand on the knee. Let the right arm reach out to the right side at shoulder height and turn the head to the right. Gently come out and repeat on the other side. 

ESSENTIAL OIL 

Peppermint 

Peppermint is an aromatic herb in the mint family. It’s a hybrid mint that’s a cross between spearmint and watermint. It can be found naturally in North America and Europe. The oil is extracted from the leaves and has a sharp odour that’s cool and refreshing, with a similar taste. The main chemical components of peppermint oil are menthol and menthone. 

Records of the medicinal use of mint plants go all the way back to the times of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. While some of the potential benefits of peppermint oil are based on personal testimony, research is ongoing into the health benefits. Some of the most extensive research has focused on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastrointestinal (GI) conditions that can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and/or constipation. Research has found that treatment with peppermint oil improved abdominal pain and other symptoms of IBS – but it should only be used under medical guidance. 

Other benefits of peppermint oil: 

Peppermint oil or menthol may help remedy pain from headaches and migraine attacks when applied in the nose or inhaled. 

Peppermint oil also has mild antimicrobial properties and may help soothe itchy skin when diluted and applied topically. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Hello ‘Aloe Vera’ 

If you are not familiar with this wonderful succulent plant that grows abundantly in tropical climates, it’s time to get to know Aloe Vera – as it has many health benefits. It’s been used for centuries as a medicinal plant, both topically and orally and research has shown it may help your skin, dental, oral, and digestive health as well as improving blood sugars. 

Aloe vera is extracted as a juice or a gel. Generally, aloe vera juice can be consumed as a drink, while the gel is often applied topically. 

Aloe vera is generally known for a topical gel used to treat sunburn. However, it may also provide other health benefits including:

● Topical application of aloe vera gel is believed to improve skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of wrinkles

● Help strengthen hair and condition the scalp

● Aloe vera juice used as a mouthwash may improve various dental and oral conditions due to antibacterial properties

● Some research suggests aloe juice could benefit digestive health

● Preliminary research found that aloe vera juice may improve fastingblood sugar levels in people with pre-diabetes 

THERAPY CORNER

Group Therapy 

Group therapy can be a useful way to share with others who are experiencing common problems, supporting and advising each other. Each members participation is central to the success of the session, both their own and other members. Some people find a group atmosphere intimidating at first but ultimately very helpful to connect with others and enter into group discussions offering new perspectives and life experience. 

Sessions are led by a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with approximately 10 people (can be more or fewer). Reasons for seeking group therapy might include episodes of anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or post traumatic symptoms, and can help participants see links between past and present and coping strategies for the here and now. It can be painful to face the past and 

the truth, but with the support of the therapist and the group it can help to feel you are not alone in your experiences. 

IT’S A GUT FEELING 

Kombucha 

Kombucha is a delicious effervescent drink made from black or green tea, fermented with bacteria, yeast and sugar. It has been drunk for thousands of years and has many health benefits including being full of probiotics. 

Kombucha has recently become very popular and is readily available to buy, but it is also relatively simple to make at home. You will need black or green tea bags, sugar, filtered water and a kombucha scoby culture. 

This is a gelatinous blob that forms on top of the fermenting kombucha. It is a living symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, and can be bought or sourced from someone already brewing their own kombucha. 

The ‘mother’ scoby will produce its own ‘baby’ scoby which can eventually be separated and used to start a new fermentation. 

Fermentation takes between 5 and 10 days, getting stronger if left longer. The bacteria naturally produces carbon dioxide giving the kombucha its distinctive fizz. 

CRYSTAL POWER 

Tourmaline 

Tourmaline is often referred to as a ‘receptive stone’ providing protection and grounding. It comes in a wide array of colours and has an opaque transparency and lustre. Tourmaline is celebrated for its ability to inspire enlightenment, balance and remove blockages in both the physical and spiritual realms. 

Practical Uses: 

Healing Properties: While different colours of Tourmaline connect with different chakras, the main ones that Tourmaline focuses on is the heart chakra and the root chakra. Tourmaline is thought to help promote a positive spin on any shadowy negative thoughts. 

Physical Properties: Tourmaline is thought to aid the immune and nervous system. It also encourages healthy digestion for those with stomach issues and is believed to help strengthen bones and teeth. 

Spiritual Properties: Tourmaline works with all the chakras to keep energy flowing freely. Tourmaline is particularly connected to the heart and root chakra, which enables the giving and receiving of authentic love and compassion through a firm grounding. 

SUPERFOOD

Apples 

It’s not just an old wife’s tale – ‘an apple a day’ may really help keep the doctor away! This nutritious fruit offers multiple health benefits and comes in many delicious varieties, from crisp and sharp, to sweet and juicy. Apples are nutrient-dense fruits and a rich source of polyphenols, an important group of antioxidants. 

To get the most out of apples eat with the skin on as it contains much of the fibre and most of the polyphenols. They are high in fibre and water means they are satisfyingly filling when eaten whole. They also contain pectin, which is a type of fibre that acts as a prebiotic in your gut microbiome, which contributes to better gut health. 

Health and nutritional benefits include: 

● Apple skin is rich in the antioxidant quercetin, which can help regulate your immune system and reduce inflammation 

● Quercetin may also protect your brain from damage caused by oxidative stress 

● Research has found that eating 100 to 150g of whole apples is associated with a lower chance of heart disease and risk factors such as high blood pressure