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“Every person is born perfect.
Inferiority is a mistake of the mind, a cloud covering the light.
Dissolve the clouds by observing a balanced life with healthy
habits. Nourish your mind and body. Connect with your own inner
self. Celebrate your own magnificence and your beauty will always
shine through.” - Dr. Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Ayurvedic
physician and dermatologist
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.
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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. |
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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. |
Beauty Secrets of the World