by: Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Beauty and Skin Care
The Three Pillars of Beauty
Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV), the modern, consciousness-based revival
of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition, considers true beauty
to be supported by three pillars; Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty and
Lasting Beauty. Only by enhancing all three can we attain the
balanced state of radiant health that makes each of us the most
fulfilled and beautiful person we can be.
Outer Beauty: Roopam
The outer signs of beauty - your skin, hair and nails - are more
than just superficial measures of beauty. They are direct
reflections of your overall health. These outer tissues are created
by the inner physiological processes involved in digestion,
metabolism and proper tissue development. Outer beauty depends more
on the strength of your digestion and metabolism, the quality of
your diet, and the purity of your blood, than on external cleansers
and conditioners you may apply.
General Recommendations for Outer Beauty
As we will discuss, the key to skin care is matching your diet and
skin care routine to the specific skin type you have. Meanwhile,
there are some valuable recommendations for lustrous skin, hair and
nails that will be helpful to everyone, regardless of skin
type.
1. Diet: Without adequate nourishment, your collagen layer thins
and a kind of wasting takes place. Over time, your skin can shrivel
up like a plant without water from lack of nourishment. To keep
your skin plump and glowing:
A. Eat fresh, whole organic foods that are freshly prepared.
Avoid packaged, canned, frozen, processed foods and leftovers.
These foods have little nutritional value and also they are often
poorly digested which creates impurities that localize in the skin.
The resulting buildup of toxins causes irritation and blocks
circulation depriving the skin of further nourishment and natural
cleansing processes.
B. Favor skin nourishing foods.
1. Leafy green vegetables contain vitamins, minerals (especially
iron and calcium) and are high in antioxidant properties. They
nourish the skin and protect it from premature aging.
2. Sweet juicy fruits like grapes, melons, pears, plums and stewed
apples at breakfast are excellent for the skin in almost
everyone.
3. Eat a wide variety of grains over different meals and try mixed
grain servings at breakfast and lunch. Add amaranth, quinoa, cous
cous, millet and barley to the wheat and rice you already
eat.
4. Favor light, easy to digest proteins like legume soups
(especially yellow split mung dhal), whole milk, paneer (cheese
made from boiling milk, adding lemon and straining solids) and
lassi (diluted yogurt and spice drinks).
5. Oils like ghee (clarified butter) and organic, extra virgin
olive oil should be included in the diet as they lubricate, nourish
and create lustre in the skin.
6. Use spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to
improve digestion, nourish the skin and cleanse it of
impurities.
7. Avoid microwaving and boiling your vegetables. They lose as much
as 85% of their antioxidant content when cooked in this way.
Steaming and sautéing are best.
Caring for outer beauty through knowledge of skin type
Besides these general recommendations the key to Outer Beauty is to
understand the difference in skin types so you can gain the maximum
benefit from your individualized skin care regimen. MAV identifies
three different skin types based on which of the three main
metabolic principles (doshas)- present in everyone, but to
different degrees- is most dominant in your body.
Vata Skin
* Description: Vata is composed of the elements of air and space.
If you have a vata skin type, your skin will be dry, thin, fine
pored, delicate and cool to the touch. When balanced, it glows with
a delicate lightness and refinement that is elegant and attractive.
When vata skin is imbalanced, it will be prone to excessive dryness
and may even be rough and flaky.
* Potential problems: The greatest beauty challenge for vata skin
is its predisposition to symptoms of early aging. Your skin may
tend to develop wrinkles earlier than most due to its tendency to
dryness and thinness. If your digestion is not in balance, your
skin can begin to look dull and grayish, even in your 20’s and
30’s. In addition, your skin may have a tendency for disorders such
as dry eczema and skin fungus. Mental stress, such as worry, fear
and lack of sleep, has a powerful debilitating effect on vata skin
leaving it looking tired and lifeless.
* Recommendations for care
With a little knowledge, you can preserve and protect the delicate
beauty of your vata type skin. Since your skin does not contain
much moisture, preventing it from drying is the major
consideration. Eat a warm, unctuous diet (ghee and olive oil are
best) and favor sour, salty and sweet tastes (naturally sweet like
fruits, not refined sugar) as they balance vata. Avoid drying foods
like crackers. Drink 6-8 glasses of warm (not cold for vata types!)
water throughout the day and eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits.
Going to bed early (before 10 PM) is very soothing to vata and will
have a tremendously positive influence on your skin. Avoid
cleansing products that dry the skin (like alcohol-based cleansers)
and perform Ayurvedic oil massage to your whole body (abhyanga) in
the morning before you shower.
Pitta Skin.
* Description: Pitta dosha is composed of the elements of fire and
water. If you have a pitta skin type your skin is fair, soft, warm
and of medium thickness. When balanced, your skin has a beautiful,
slightly rosy or golden glow, as if illuminated from within. Your
hair typically is fine and straight, and is usually red, sandy or
blonde in color. Your complexion tends toward the pink or reddish,
and there is often a copious amount of freckles or moles.
* Potential problems: Among the many beauty challenges of pitta
skin types is your tendency to develop rashes, rosacea, acne, liver
spots or pigment disorders. Because of the large proportion of the
fire element in your constitution, your skin does not tolerate heat
or sun very well. Of all the three skin types, pitta skin has the
least tolerance for the sun, is photosensitive, and most likely to
accumulate sun damage over the years. Pitta skin is aggravated by
emotional stress, especially suppressed anger, frustration, or
resentment.
* Recommendations for care
Avoid excessive sunlight, tanning treatments and highly heating
therapies like facial or whole body steams. Avoid hot, spicy foods
and favor astringent, bitter and sweet foods which balance pitta.
(Again, naturally sweet, not chocolate and refined sugar!) Sweet
juicy fruits (especially melons and pears), cooked greens and rose
petal preserves are especially good. Drinking plenty of water helps
wash impurities from sensitive pitta skin. Reduce external or
internal contact with synthetic chemicals, to which your skin is
especially prone to react, even in a delayed fashion after years of
seemingly uneventful use. Avoid skin products that are abrasive,
heating or contain artificial colors or preservatives. Most
commercial make-up brands should be avoided in favor of strictly
100% natural ingredient cosmetics. And be sure to get your
emotional stress under control through plenty of outdoor exercise,
yoga and meditation.
Kapha Skin.
* Description: Kapha dosha is composed of the elements of earth and
water. If you have a kapha skin type your skin is thick, oily, soft
and cool to the touch. Your complexion is a glowing porcelain
whitish color, like the moon, and hair characteristically thick,
wavy, oily and dark. Kapha skin types, with their more generous
collagen and connective tissue, are fortunate to develop wrinkles
much later in life than vata or pitta types.
*Potential problems If your skin becomes imbalanced, it can show up
as enlarged pores, excessively oily skin, moist types of eczema,
blackheads, acne or pimples, and water retention. Kapha skin is
also more prone to fungal infections.
* Recommendations for care
Kapha skin is more prone to clogging and needs more cleansing than
other skin types. Be careful to avoid greasy, clogging creams.
Likewise, avoid heavy, hard to digest foods like fried foods, fatty
meats, cheeses and rich desserts. Eat more light, easy to digest,
astringent, bitter and pungent (well-spiced) foods as they balance
kapha. Olive oil is the best cooking oil and a little ginger and
lime juice can be taken before meals to increase your
characteristically sluggish digestive fire. Take warm baths often
and use gentle cleansers to open the skin pores. Avoid getting
constipated and try to get some exercise every day to increase
circulation and help purify the skin through the sweating
process.
Inner Beauty: Gunam.
Happy, positive, loving, caring individuals have a special beauty
that is far more than skin deep. Conversely we all experience the
quick and deleterious effect on our skin from fatigue and
stress.
Inner beauty is authentic beauty, not the kind that shows on a
made-up face, but the kind that shines through from your soul, your
consciousness or inner state of being. Inner beauty comes from a
mind and heart that are in harmony, not at odds with each other,
causing emotional confusion, loss of confidence, stress and worry.
Inner peace is the foundation of outer beauty.
Maintain your self-confidence and a warm, loving personality by
paying attention to your lifestyle and daily routine and effective
management of stress (I highly recommend the TM technique for its
scientifically-verified benefits on mental and physical health and
reduced aging.) You will also be healthier and feel better through
the day if you eat your main meal at midday and make a habit of
going to bed early (by 10 PM is ideal.)
Remember, kindness, friendliness and sincerity naturally attract
people to you. On the other hand, being uptight or tense makes
people want to walk the other way, regardless of your facial
structure, body weight, or other outer signs we associate with
attractiveness.
Lasting Beauty: Yayastyag
In order to slow the aging process and gain lasting beauty there
are two additional key considerations beyond those already
discussed,
1. Eliminate toxins and free radicals in the body: The main
deteriorating effects of aging come as toxins and impurities
(called ama in Ayurveda) accumulate throughout the body. These
toxins may begin as free radicals in the body, or over time may
become oxidized into free radicals, all of which contribute to
premature aging in the body. For lasting health and beauty it is
essential to avoid and neutralize free radicals, to prevent
impurities of all kinds from accumulating and to remove those that
have already become lodged in the body.
The most powerful cleansing therapy in Maharishi Ayurveda is
"panchakarma" therapy, a series of natural treatments ideally
performed twice yearly, that involves 5-7 days in a row of massage,
heat treatments and mild herbal enemas. Ayurveda emphasizes the
importance of undergoing this cleansing program once or twice a
year to prevent impurities from accumulating, localizing and
hardening in the tissues. Just as we change the oil in our cars
regularly for optimal performance and lifespan, Ayurveda recommends
that we cleanse the “sludge” from our tissues on a regular basis
through panchakarma treatments.
Best of all, panchakarma treatments are luxurious, blissful, and
make you feel (and look) completely rejuvenated in just a few days
time. I have had many a patient who told me that friends asked them
afterwards if they had gotten a facelift, they looked so fresh and
youthful!
Other free radical busters include: reducing mental stress, eating
antioxidant foods like leafy green vegetables, sweet, juicy fruits
and cooking on a daily basis with antioxidant, detoxifying spices
like turmeric and coriander.
2. Add rejuvenative techniques to daily living:
The daily activities of life in the modern world systematically
wear us down and speed up the aging process. Ayurveda maintains it
is crucial to practice daily rejuvenative regimens to counteract
the stressful wear and tear of everyday life. According to Ayurveda
the most important rejuvenative routines for your life are:
a) Going to bed by 10:00 PM. This simple habit is one of the most
powerful techniques for health and longevity, according to
MAV.
b) Meditate daily. Any meditation that does not involve
concentration (which has been shown to increase anxiety) can be
very helpful. I highly recommend the twice-daily deep rest and
enlivenment of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, whose
benefits have been verified by over 700 published research
studies.
c) Eat organic, whole fresh food that is freshly prepared. There is
an Ayurvedic saying: "Without proper diet. medicine is of no use.
With proper diet, medicine is of no need." Be sure to avoid those
leftovers, processed and microwaved foods for better nutrition and
vitality.
d) Perform Ayurvedic oil massage in the morning (abhyanga). Morning
oil massage purifies the entire body, reduces anxiety and stress,
helps prevent and heal injuries and supports circulation. It is
especially helpful in creating a radiant complexion and keeping
your skin youthful. Research shows it may also help prevent skin
cancers.
e) Practice yoga asanas. Maintaining flexibility and circulation is
key to health.
f) Practice pranayama (yoga breathing) techniques. Pranayama
enlivens the mind and body. Ideally practice the following sequence
twice a day. Asanas, pranayama and meditation.
Summary
Everyone's unique beauty shines forth when they have radiant health
and personal happiness. Beauty is a side effect of a balanced,
fulfilled life. Supreme personal beauty is accessible to everyone
who is willing to take more control of their health in their
day-to-day life through time-tested principles of natural
living.
For most of us, beauty is not a gift but a choice. Every woman can
be radiantly beautiful simply by beginning to lead a healthier
life. You will be rewarded by the glowing effects you will see in
your mirror each day and the powerful, bliss-producing effect your
special beauty has on everyone in your life.
About the Author
Nancy Lonsdorf M.D. received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins and did
her postgraduate training at Stanford. She is currently the Medical
Director of The Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Vedic City Iowa
http://www.ayurveda-ayurvedic.com
Labels: beauty,
Maharishi
Ayurveda, natural
medicine
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