Beauty Redefined

By way of this column, the Zen Institute would like to join the nation in commemorating Women’s month this March.  For our part, we have requested a few special friends to share to us their thoughts and views on total beauty inside and out:

For Cristina C. Ponce Enrile, Chairman of Jaka Group and Phil. Ambassador to the Holy City, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Some beauties are soulful, some are spiritual, and there are some others who possess it inwardly. A beautiful woman is one whom others take a second look at, often eliciting comments, ‘What a beautiful face she has!’  Character plays an important role, too.  A person who does not deceive, is honest, does not pretend what she is not, is humble and not haughty in the way she speaks - all these make a person beautiful.  To be beautiful inside and out, Cristina adds, “your body will have to be healthy and your thoughts pure.  You have to be sincere because you can not fool people and the real you would show at once.  Kindness is your best asset.  You have to have God's blessings to be happy, to show beauty that radiates from inside.”

Cory Quirino, the country’s wellness and beauty icon, defines beauty as a “universal by-word that has become the aspirational goal of all men and women.  Beauty is the manifestation of a serene spirit, both physically and mentally.  It is the unseen force that energizes the aura of a person - one deeply rooted in a loving heart.  The world's magazine covers define beauty as the perfectly aligned face, the supremely shaped figure, the flawless complexion.  Thus, beauty has two components - the physical and the spiritual or the outer and the inner.  For what good would it be to be physically beautiful but be mentally and spiritually uncentered.

The outer body is connected to the inner body - both landscapes need special attention and here’s how:  get healthy; no amount of designer creams and lotions will award you of a great complexion if you don't embrace a wellness lifestyle.  Add more veggies to your meals, exercise, drink 10-12 glasses of water daily.  Sleep before midnight.  Get six-eight hours of sleep.  Meditate and pray.  Lighten up.  Be kind to yourself.  Pamper yourself in ways you have forgotten to do.  Take a break.  Take life's challenges with a sense of faith and a sense of humor so that you can laugh your problems away knowing their solution is at hand.  You can tell when a person has that "put together look".  She has an aura that is bright and bouncy.  It will clearly reflect on the quality of one's skin, the body, energy level manifested and the naturalness of one's smile.  If one were to give it a description, it would be ESPRIT - the French word for the joy of living or zest of life.”