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The Maharishi Ayurveda Natural Medicine Approach to Beauty and Skincare
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by:
Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
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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
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