Do
you ever feel like you’ve tried every skin-benefiting lotion and potion
known to man, and yet, do not see any benefits to your skin? Are you
sick and tired of spending tons of time, money, and energy on
complicated 10-step skin care regimens that are yielding no results?
Ever feel like giving up altogether on the possibility of healthy skin?
Fret no longer. Thanks to the ancient science of
Ayurveda,
which is the sister science of Yoga, it is possible to not only have
healthy, but glowing skin, which truly radiates from the inside-out.
Ayurveda’s Approach to Healthy Skin
In Ayurveda, we work to actively promote health primarily by what we put into, versus onto, our bodies.
Ayurveda, which is comprised of the words “
Ayur,” meaning “life,” and “
Veda,”
meaning “knowledge,” is known as the science of life. As such, Ayurveda
truly touches upon all of the myriad aspects of life that make it as
full and rich as it is. From digestion to psychology to sexual health to
spirituality to skincare, Ayurveda, as a spiritual science of life,
really covers it all, with incredible precision, clarity, and insight.
In the modern era, we work so hard to cover up our skin with various
products, from moisturizers to toners to serums to lotions and creams
that often deliver limited results, at best. At worst, these products,
because they are all chemically based, cause our skin to react, which
means we resort to wearing to makeup, which then further ruins our skin,
creating a vicious cycle.
5 Ayurvedic Secrets to Glowing Skin:
Here are five surprising Ayurvedic skincare secrets that I have truly
benefited from, which you, too, can begin to employ from within to
activate your inner glow.
1) Avoid or cut down on heavy seafood intake.
One of these factors is “continuous intake of
fish in large quantity.”
Because everything in Ayurveda is customized per individual, one
person may be able to safely consume more seafood than another and
actually benefit greatly from the seafood. As a general rule of thumb,
however, it would be best to cut down on heavy seafood intake,
especially if you are seeking to improve your skin in any way.
2) Do not mix milk with fruits, meat, salt, vegetables, or honey.
Ayurveda teaches that are some things that simply do not go together.
The above list are called incompatible food combinations, which hinder
the digestive process. Healthy, balanced digestion is considered the
cornerstone of optimal health in Ayurveda, as healthy digestion reflects
solid overall physical health.
And digestion is not just something that happens in the stomach only.
Skin is the largest organ of the body and is more vulnerable to
disease, infection, injury, and imbalance than any other bodily
structure. When we don’t digest our food properly, it not only affects
our body internally; it is also reflected in the quality of our skin.
That is why we focus so much in Ayurveda on avoiding those foods that
cannot be easily digested, such as the incompatible combinations listed
above.
3) Go to sleep and wake up early.
Sleep is considered one of the three pillars of health, according to
Ayurveda. The body actually heals itself as we sleep at night, ideally
by 10pm. When we miss the ideal time for sleep and try to compensate by
sleeping excessively during the day, our health suffers, and it shows up
adversely on our skin. Excess daytime sleep is also one of the
causative factors of skin-related conditions.
Going to sleep and waking up early, between 4-6am, giving you tremendous willpower, insight, and
clarity, in addition to better skin.
4) Stop sunbathing.
This one should come as no surprise. Ayurveda is all about addressing
the root causes of why health problems manifest in the first place. No
matter how much sunscreen you may liberally apply to your face and body,
excess sun exposure will definitely damage your skin. It is therefore
essential to protect yourself with a hat and/or sunglasses. Whenever you
feel the temptation to soak in the sun, ask yourself, is it really
necessary?
5) Do something to be of service, without any strings attached.
Mental stress is a huge causative factor for skin problems. From Ayurveda, it is an essential part of health
that is just as important as what we put into and onto our bodies. So
much of our stress in life comes from the kinds of relationships we have
with others, as well as our own worries about our current and/or future
security, whether that be physical, emotional, financial, etc.
Whenever we are able to step out of our own suffering enough to help
another, we are automatically filled with joy. Even if all we can do is
spend an hour a week serving soup in a soup kitchen, that one hour can
help us connect with our inherent goodness, bringing out our inner glow
and light .
Beauty is as beauty does, after all.
All the spiritual traditions of the world stress the importance of selfless service. Ayurveda is no exception
in addition to food and lifestyle corrections, and developing better
mental equanimity, it actually lists selfless service as one of the ways
to recover from disease.
When we act in beautiful ways, we are able to connect with the most
beautiful part of ourselves, which is our own ever-glowing, eternally
radiant soul.
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