Pulse January / February 2018 | Page 36

convERSATIonS WITH SHel PinK by Kelly Heitz in tHe faSt-Paced, tecHnology-driven world we live in, it’s more important than ever to take a few things slow. Shel Pink, founder of SpaRitual and recent author of Slow Beauty: Rituals and Recipes to Nourish the Body and Feed the Soul, applies the much-needed concept of taking it slow to the beauty industry. Her book introduces lifestyle philosophies and rituals to readers in the hopes that they’ll adopt them as a lifestyle, rather than hope for a few quick fixes. broken into four parts (philosophy, rituals, recipes and mapping), Slow Beauty guides the reader through an individu- alized method of self-care and self-love. It’s an inside-out approach that will change how readers approach both the way they think about beauty, and the way they think about themselves. In this month’s Conversations, we spoke to Pink about the inspiration behind her new book and how she hopes readers adopt a slow beauty way of life. Pulse: Can you explain the concept of slow beauty for our readers who might never have heard the term before? Shel Pink: Slow beauty is a concept to help people reframe how they approach beauty, and a way to understand its conver- gence with health and wellness. When we feel good, we look good. Slow beauty is an act of self-care and self-love instead of experiencing beauty only as anti-aging and a pursuit of perfec- tionism. In the book, I share information on how to shift our mindset from growing old to growing young. Slow Beauty is a call to action to make a connection to the deeper layers of beauty, and an integration with health and wellness for a sustainable self-care practice of rituals and recipes to nourish the body and feed the soul. Ultimately, Slow Beauty is about joyful living and a commitment to always becoming the best version of our self. P: Where did the concept of Slow Beauty originate for you? SP: The seeds were planted in childhood. My mother set me 34 PULSE ■ January/February 2018 on this path, introducing me to the teachings of healing modal- ities like reflexology and iridology, and introducing me to spa treatments to calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety. She also taught me how to read ingredient labels on products and showed me what ingredients to avoid. She emphasized the importance of thinking about what we put on our bodies and in our bodies, and selecting healthier options for diet as well. When I left home, I continued this path, seeking out other healing modalities and discovered meditation, yoga and Ayurveda as well as other physical, spiritual and emotional approaches to well-being from the vast teachings of the worlds unique cultures. P: How can spas integrate the ideas of Slow Beauty? SP: Spa treatments are an important aspect of slow beauty that shouldn’t begin and end at the spa. My hope is that spas will encourage people to continue the wisdom of the spa tradition at home in between their appointments, and offer their clients experiential and dynamic on-site education on how to incor- porate self-care rituals at home.