Embracing Our True Beauty at the 9^th Moebius Syndrome Conference

July 30 – August 1, 2010

I was very happy to be invited back to the 9th Moebius Syndrome Conference in Broomfield, Colorado as a guest speaker and workshop facilitator. Moebius is a rare neurological disorder that is present at birth that affects the 6^th and 7^th cranial facial nerves, leaving those with the condition unable to move their faces (they can’t smile, frown, suck, grimace or blink their eyes) and unable to move their eyes laterally.
“There may be skeletal involvement causing hand/feet anomalies and/or club feet. Respiratory problems, speech and swallowing disorders, visual impairments, sensory integration dysfunction, sleep disorders, and weak upper body strength may also be present.  Approximately 30% of children with Moebius syndrome are on the autism spectrum.” For more information go to www.moebiussyndrome.com .

My power point presentation, “Embracing Our True Beauty” offered tools and

practices to cultivate the capacity to experience more of our true beauty as well as the beauty around us in the world. Afterwards, my colleague and friend, Sarah Hyde, offered Outer Beauty Enhancement sessions with the generous help of Laura Mercier cosmetics. It was a truly transformational weekend!

2006 Moebius Syndrome Conference

It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to offer a presentation at the 2006 Moebius Syndrome Conference  about “Embracing Our Deep Beauty”. The first part dealt with nurturing an inner beauty experience daily and the second part demonstrated outer beauty enhancement and transformation with the help of Kryolan Cosmetics.

I was asked to speak on the difference between Beauty and Glamour and how we confuse the two in our culture. In my speaking presentation I shared stories from my personal experience battling the inner challenges of low self esteem, eating disorders and a poor self image during a destructive period of my young adult life; my experience working in the “heart of glamour” as a makeup artist and hairstylist in the fashion industry; and finally, how dance and movement allowed me to see that our true beauty comes from being authentically present and connected in our bodies and with ourselves.  We are all such unique creations, each of us, with abilities as well as disabilities.

(Click images for larger views.)

As a group, we practiced The Beauty Embrace by simply setting an intention to love and accept all aspects of ourselves without condition. We set an intention to honor our unique gifts and talents and to affirm our willingness to hold ourselves with more compassion and respect.

The outer beauty enhancement half of our day was a lot of fun and a touch of glamour, actually, was kind of healing…

Participants enjoyed making “positive affirmation” bead bracelets at the bead table and the spirit of creativity was definitely in the air!

The best part of the day for me was making new friends. Natalie, Emma, Melanie, Sunshine and all the others (please forgive me for not remembering everyone’s name) thank you so much for sharing your beauty with me and allowing me share the outer beauty magic that I love to do.

Continuing her involvement with Teens Turning Green, Kathleena volunteered at the Project Green Prom fashion show at The Village in Corte Madera in May 2009. You can read more about Project Green Prom in the Marin Independent Journal. In the photo below, taken by Robert Tong, you can see her applying environmentally friendly cosmetics to Morgan Abbett.

Embracing True Beauty Workshop (photo by Ivy Rashid Mulholland)

My friend Sonja, author of beauty blog The Coveted, invited me to do a workshop with Chinese teens on March 29th that incorporated self-care, beauty and makeup tips, as well as a photography session. Neutrogena was good enough to donate products. Read Sonja’s post for all the details.

Teens for Safe Cosmetics strives “to inform teens about an all-encompassing eco-lifestyle, beginning with greener alternative choices in cosmetics and personal care products as many ingredients have links to cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm.”

Kathleena appeared in a YouTube video with the Marin-based coalition and participated in the Zensational Green Spa at the 2008 Radio Alice Now and Zen Fest.

Watch the YouTube video where Kathleena talks about Jane Iredale cosmetics as part of a Teens for Safe Cosmetics event.

Conscious Beauty was part of the celebration for National Nursing Home Week by bringing a little nurturing, styling and outer beauty appreciation to some lovely ladies at the Villa Marin Retirement Home in Terra Linda, CA on Mothers day.

National Nursing Home Week began on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008 and continues through May 17, 2008. American Health Care Association established the week-long celebration in 1967. Activities are designed to foster intergenerational relationships, collect and preserve patients’ reminiscences, strengthen relationships with family members, celebrate quality, and recognize all staff members who demonstrate excellent care giving.

Click on an image to enlarge it.

Kathleena facilitated a special workshop for women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction at a residential detox facility called Chrysalis in Oakland, CA. The purpose of the workshop was to help participants to explore and nurture a healthier, more loving relationship with their bodies and to foster more self esteem.

Utilizing a combination of modalities that included movement, theater exercises, music, & singing, Kathleena crafted a program that culminated in a mask ceremony, “Removing The Mask of Addiction.” With the support of other participants, each woman experienced her face being cast with plaster strips during a guided meditation to create a personal “shadow mask.”

The sensation of the hardening strips of plaster on the face provided a powerful metaphor for the suffocating effects of substance addiction. Subsequently, the masks were painted and adorned creating an alchemic opportunity for the captured shadow soul fragments to be transformed into beautiful pieces of art.

Click images to enlarge.

Moebius Syndrome is an extremely rare condition which typically affects the sixth and seventh cranial nerves. These nerves affect the face and eye muscles and cause facial paralysis. Characteristics of Moebius Syndrome include lack of facial expression, crossed eyes, and inability to smile.

It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to offer a presentation at the 2006 Moebius Syndrome Conference  about “Embracing Our Deep Beauty”. The first part dealt with nurturing an inner beauty experience daily and the second part demonstrated outer beauty enhancement and transformation with the help of Kryolan Cosmetics.

I was asked to speak on the difference between Beauty and Glamour and how we confuse the two in our culture. In my speaking presentation I shared stories from my personal experience battling the inner challenges of low self esteem, eating disorders and a poor self image during a destructive period of my young adult life; my experience working in the “heart of glamour” as a makeup artist and hairstylist in the fashion industry; and finally, how dance and movement allowed me to see that our true beauty comes from being authentically present and connected in our bodies and with ourselves.  We are all such unique creations, each of us, with abilities as well as disabilities.

(Click images for larger views.)

As a group, we practiced The Beauty Embrace by simply setting an intention to love and accept all aspects of ourselves without condition. We set an intention to honor our unique gifts and talents and to affirm our willingness to hold ourselves with more compassion and respect.

The outer beauty enhancement half of our day was a lot of fun and a touch of glamour, actually, was kind of healing…

Participants enjoyed making “positive affirmation” bead bracelets at the bead table and the spirit of creativity was definitely in the air!

The best part of the day for me was making new friends. Natalie, Emma, Melanie, Sunshine and all the others (please forgive me for not remembering everyone’s name) thank you so much for sharing your beauty with me and allowing me share the outer beauty magic that I love to do.