My wife Susan wrote a blog today that inspired this blog. I was fortunate to discover a health practice many years ago and to adopt it into my life. This practice has become so much a part of my life that a day without it does not seem the same. If you do this practice in the morning your day goes better and if you do it at night you have deeper and more refreshing sleep. I am referring to something that I call the Body Rub or The Art of Skin Rejuvenation. It takes about 10–15 minutes in the morning, night or both.

This is a traditional technique that has been practiced in various ways in different parts of the world to help improve the skin, lymph and general health. I originally learned it from my teacher, Michio Kushi, as the body scrub. It is generally recommended to scrub vigorously with a damp cloth, dry cloth or body brush to invigorate and exfoliate the skin and improve circulation.

After years of practicing the body rub in different ways, it occurred to me that a gentle rub is even more effective than a vigorous scrub in many ways. I would like to explain the reasons I have made this fundamental change to this long-standing practice.

Our skin renews itself every 28 days. As long as your skin can get oils, moisture, nourishment and oxygen from inside it will always be young, fresh and blemish free, at any age. This sounds too good to be true. but it is not. The body rub is a life changing technique. You can think of it as technique that literally winds back your biological clock.

A gentle rub with a hot damp cloth encourages our pores to open and allow fats and toxins stored in our skin to release. The harder we scrub, the more we seal our pores, preventing this release of toxins. I have observed for many years that people who do the body rub the way I recommend have skin that looks much clearer, brighter and fresher than others.

Simply fill your sink with hot water, dip in a folded cotton cloth, wring it out so that it is damp, and gently rub your skin. Try to cover your entire body. Do the body rub in the sink and not in the bathtub or shower. You can learn the specific details in my book, The Ultimate Guide to Eating for Longevity, or through the Beginner Macrobiotic Course offered at SHI Macrobiotics.

I am now going to make some more bold claims about the benefits of the body rub. The only way you will know if these claims are true is to do it faithfully everyday for three weeks. You can then determine if you want to incorporate this practice into your life. The body rub cleans your mind as much as it cleans your body. You will find it much easier to let go of worrying or irritating thoughts after doing the body rub. Day by day you will find that you become more aware of your body and will experience an improved self image. Make sure to rub the areas that you are not fond of. The body rub is also a mindfulness and spiritual practice. It is a deep expression of your self appreciation. I hope that you find the body rub to be an enjoyable and valuable addition to your life and a resolution worth keeping. This is your time, no kids, cell phones, iPods, etc. Just gently rub your skin and allow your mind to be free.

A macrobiotic diet and lifestyle should be adjusted from person to person to get optimum results. That is why consulting a macrobiotic specialist is essential. With over 45 years of experience, Denny Waxman is an accredited macrobiotic counselor ready to help you feel better through diet and lifestyle. Contact Denny Waxman to schedule a macrobiotic consultation session today.