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" In Eat Pray Love Julia Roberts plays real-life heroine Elizabeth Gilbert, a down-on-her-luck divorc\u00E9e who embarks on a cross-country journey to feed her body, mind, and heart. In anticipation of the book-turned-movie&amp;#039;s release, fans of Gilbert&amp;#039;s well-documented adventure have flocked to Italy, India, and Indonesia with pipe dreams of a similar self-discovery experience. But if traveling in search of inner peace (and your own Javier Bardem look-alike) isn&amp;#039;t a viable option for you, there&amp;#039;s still hope: Here, how to take advantage of health and beauty offerings from Gilbert&amp;#039;s exotic destinations without booking a flight.   ITALY   REACH FOR THE OLIVE OIL &amp;quot;I must have olive oil every day\u2014it makes everything taste great, and it&amp;#039;s also good for the skin,&amp;quot; says designer and wellness guru Norma Kamali, whose olive oil-based skin care line is sourced from a vineyard in Tuscany.   When consumed, olive oil can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of coronary disease, thanks to its heavy dose of antioxidants. For centuries, Mediterranean beauties have also used olive oil as a moisturizer and wrinkle-smoother.  A recent study even suggests that rubbing virgin olive oil on the face and body after sun exposure can help combat skin cancer: Researchers at the Kobe School of Medicine found that hairless mice painted with virgin olive oil after intense sun lamp stints showed signs of cancer much later than those covered with regular olive oil or left dry. The Japanese team purported that the vitamin E and other antioxidants in virgin olive oil helped to &amp;quot;mop up&amp;quot; and neutralize some of the free radicals created from UV rays.  Kamali says that using olive oil on the face can also have a therapeutic effect on the senses: &amp;quot;Every year, as with wine, the climate and conditions around each olive tree orchard change the taste and smell of the oils\u2014when you rub the oil on your face you smell the natural scent of the earth and it&amp;#039;s very comforting.&amp;quot;  TAKE A HOT BATH Once part of the Roman Empire, the elite would visit Spa, Belgium&amp;#039;s therapeutic hot springs to increase circulation, ease tense muscles, and soothe sinus and respiratory conditions.  Today, mineral water\u2014or, as the Italians call it, terme\u2014continues to play a prominent role in Italy, where hydrotherapy is considered medicinal. In the U.S., some spas recreate the natural thermal waters of Italy via hot tubs with hydromassage jets and aromatic oils. For a relaxing at-home experience, draw a steamy bath and add several tablespoons of olive oil, plus a few drops of your favorite essential oil, to nourish your skin and ease your mind.     INDIA   USE NATURAL HERBS AND SPICES Ayurveda is the ancient Hindu system of medicine, and has been around for 5,000 years: &amp;quot;The herbs, and spices used in Ayurveda have been proven to work over centuries,&amp;quot; says Richa Purohit, founder of the new Kesari skin care line. &amp;quot;Mix these tried and tested traditional elements with modern ingredients like retinol and peptides and you&amp;#039;ll be ahead of the game.&amp;quot;  Get Glowing For glowing skin like Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, Purohit recommends a DIY face mask similar to one Indian brides wear before their weddings. &amp;quot;Mix saffron, sandalwood, and tumeric with either yogurt or milk,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;When you apply the solution on your skin it will give off a pleasant aroma and leave a nice golden color.&amp;quot; After leaving the mask on for a few minutes, rinse off. (Repeat the process up to three times a week.) So how exactly does the mask work its magic? &amp;quot;Saffron is one of the rarest, most expensive spices in the world and in India it&amp;#039;s considered the spice of the gods\u2014a symbol of good luck, holiness, and purity,&amp;quot; says Purohit, adding that the spice also happens to be full of skin-beautifying antioxidants. As for sandalwood, she says it&amp;#039;s a natural astringent and antiseptic, making it perfect for battling blemishes (bonus: &amp;quot;It also smells good&amp;quot;).  The final component, tumeric, is particularly healing, &amp;quot;whether you eat it, or put it on your skin,&amp;quot; says Purohit. &amp;quot;If you&amp;#039;re sick with a stomach infection, Indian doctors will give you tumeric with milk because it&amp;#039;s a natural antibiotic. It works the same way with the skin; if you get a cut, just dab a little tumeric on it and it will heal faster.&amp;quot;  Score Lustrous Hair Pratima Raichur, creator of Pratima Skin Care, says that massaging the face, body, and hair with aromatic oils made from fruits, herbs, and spices can have a profound effect. &amp;quot;The word for oil in Sanskrit, sneha, means love,&amp;quot; says Raichur. &amp;quot;Anointing the body with oils on a daily, weekly, and seasonal basis is one of the most nourishing and best anti-aging therapies you can do for yourself.&amp;quot; In particular, massaging the scalp with oil is the secret to getting an ultrashiny mane like model Lakshmi Menon. &amp;quot;My mother taught me to use organic coconut oil as a treatment,&amp;quot; the runway star once told ELLE. &amp;quot;It makes my hair feel luxurious.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Hair oil massage is one of the key beauty rituals in India,&amp;quot; says Purohit. &amp;quot;Most women will get a hot oil hair massage twice a week. If you want to do it yourself, wrap your hair with a hot towel after massaging, read a newspaper during breakfast, then take a shower to shampoo.&amp;quot; Purohit says that massaging strands with oil stimulates the scalp and helps remove product buildup. And, unlike a spray that &amp;quot;just sits on top of the hair,&amp;quot; massaging roots with oil ensures that all the nutrients are absorbed. Popular hair oils in Southeast Asia include coconut, almond, sesame, and amla (Indian gooseberry).   PRACTICE YOGA When you&amp;#039;re overwhelmed with work deadlines, relationship drama, and other minutiae from everyday life, it&amp;#039;s easy to get sidetracked and stressed. That&amp;#039;s where taking up yoga can come in handy, say Yogamaya New York studio directors Stacey Brass and Bryn Chrisman. &amp;quot;The physical act of doing yoga makes you feel as though you&amp;#039;re a part of something bigger and can help you live a life that&amp;#039;s not as connected to the ego,&amp;quot; says Brass. &amp;quot;In the yoga philosophy, what constitutes the mind\u2014where memory lives, where our fears come from\u2014isn&amp;#039;t just in the brain, it&amp;#039;s in every single cell of the body,&amp;quot; adds Chrisman. &amp;quot;When doing poses, you&amp;#039;re making contact with all the parts of the mind\u2014the backs of your knees, the souls of your feet\u2014that you might not be making contact with on a daily basis. You&amp;#039;re being told to move and breathe, which strengthens the connection between your mind, body, and breath.&amp;quot;     INDONESIA   JUST LET GO\u2014AND MEDITATE It&amp;#039;s no wonder Ketut Liyer, the ninetysomething healer from Gilbert&amp;#039;s Eat Pray Love, is so peaceful and youthful-looking: Nyomen Latra, his son, says that the respected medicine man meditates regularly in between meetings with guests. &amp;quot;He wakes up and meditates. He meditates again before he goes to sleep. That is pretty much what he does,&amp;quot; Latra tells Indonesia&amp;#039;s Ozip magazine. Not that meditating is easy stuff\u2014according to Chrisman, it&amp;#039;s extremely difficult: &amp;quot;Your mind begins to land on all sorts of things and all your worst insecurities and fears can rise to the surface. Most people want to ignore that, which is why the typical thing to do in the Western world is to go to a bar or party, be social, and cover your emotion by drinking alcohol.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;The idea of meditation is to sit quietly with your thoughts and practice acceptance and letting go,&amp;quot; she continues. &amp;quot;Letting go seems like an easy concept but in reality, it isn&amp;#039;t.&amp;quot; To begin the path of self-acceptance, start by simply cutting yourself some slack. Instead of always feeling compelled to make plans on a Friday or Saturday night, try treating yourself to a night in. Keep a journal to stay in touch with your innermost feelings and rather than zone out in front of the TV, pick up that book you&amp;#039;ve been meaning to read.  BOOK A BALINESE MASSAGE With influences from India, China, Portugal, Netherlands, and Middle East, a traditional Balinese massage is as varied as Indonesia&amp;#039;s cultural landscape\u2014making it a prime spa selection. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a great mixture of techniques,&amp;quot; says Cecilia Scalco, a massage therapist at The Setai in Miami, one of many U.S. spas that offer the treatment.   Utilizing effleurage, reflexology, and stretching techniques, a Balinese massage also incorporates Ayurvedic aromatherapy: At the Legian Bali hotel, for example, a locally-sourced blend of lime, ginger, and ylang-ylang oil is smoothed onto the skin. &amp;quot;Oil massage is extremely detoxifying\u2014it drains the lymphatic system, improves circulation, strengthens the immune system, and deeply nourishes the body,&amp;quot; says Raichur. &amp;quot;This, in turn, makes you sleep better, reduces stress, and calms the mind\u2014one positive effect begets the next.&amp;quot;  Facial massage can also be beneficial. The Bulgari Hotel &amp;amp;amp; Resort in Bali is an ELLE editor favorite (&amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s The. Best. Place. In. The. World,&amp;quot; said one ELLE fashion editor after a visit)\u2014and word is that their famous face-sculpting treatment is a potent anti-ager. Fortunately, you don&amp;#039;t have to travel to learn Bulgari&amp;#039;s skin-perfecting secrets. Click here to watch a video of the treatment in progress. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/a9061/eat-pray-love-holistic-beauty-tips-467535/>