Merlion Wayfarer recently attended Bryan Gan's beauty workshop organized by OMY and Panasonic.
Bryan Gan, a former engineer, pursued a career in beauty and alternative healing after leaving his job in the government sector. He is a regular on popular TV programmes like Lady First (女人我最大), and shares home beauty DIY tips, food cures and acu-pressure for anti-ageing in his blogs.
Fresh Air
Bryan shared on the 4-7-8 breathing exercise for better sleep. Pioneered by Arizona-based Dr Andrew Weil, this simple method "takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere".
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle two more times for a total of three breaths. This simple exercise should be performed at least once every morning after waking up and once more every evening before bedtime.
"Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders."
For a more detailed explanation, visit Dr Weil's page on
"Breathing: Three Exercises".
According to Bryan, our lung capacity decreases as we age. Lung health governs hair and skin. Hence the importance of good breathing techniques to be practiced daily.
Porcelain Skin
White fungus is good for skin. As this comes in many types, he recommends spending a bit more for the expensive range, costing around S$11 per box. For skin allergies, he demonstrates a clapping and "hammering" exercise to activate the acupoint just above the knee cap (when in a sitting position).
He also uses the Facial Roller to demonstrate several techniques to better skin, stress relief and greater relaxation.
Roll from mouth up to eye about 10-15 times to tighten skin...
To help clear the lympathic system, he shows where the tension can build up along the jawline and along the neck and shoulders...
This is where to massage for relaxation -
Draw an imaginary line from between the 4th-5th finger down to the wrist...
Demonstrating the massage at one go...
He proves his techniques by showing the difference between one side of the face (with the massage) and the other side of the face...
Added with the Compact Facial Steamer, he recommends usage at least once weekly, about 20 cm above the steamer to prevent burns. Splashing with cold water will seal the facial pores and improve circulation and absorption.
Detox The Natural Way
The body accumulates water through a high salt diet and alcohol consumption. Bryan recommends the use of corn silk to remove water retention. Boil the corn silk in water for ten minutes and drink once to twice a week to detox and reduce inflammation.
Some of the other remedies he recommends include:
- When lying down, place your thumb just above the naval. Press down 6 seconds and release. This removes excess water in the digestive system.
- Boil yellow chrysanthemum flowers for headaches and white for eyes. Baby bud chrysanthemums (胎菊花) are for detoxification while wild chrysanthemums (野菊花) serve the same purpose, but may be too cooling for some.
- Yellow Thai longans are the dessert variety. For insomnia, skin radiance and stagnant blood around the eyes, he recommends taking 3-4 dried black longans and boiling them with red dates.
For those interested to purchase Panasonic beauty products, here's how you can own one:
Big crowd of ladies waiting to try out the Panasonic beauty products...
