Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way. Beauty cannot be obtained through a facial cleanser but via balancing the whole body, improving digestion, optimizing energy and diagnosing the nature of one’s being dosha. True beauty comes from taking care of our health and hygiene, and understanding that we are an invaluable manifestation of life’s energy.
Beauty has many parts. It is the outer beauty that is a healthy body, the inner beauty that is a warm and pleasing personality, and innocence of mind and heart.
Outer Beauty
Outer beauty is simply a reflection of good health that comes from good digestion, healthy eating habits and lifestyle. Our busy modern lifestyle, which is so deadline-oriented, makes it difficult to have healthy eating habits.
What we eat and digest is very important for maintaining our health. It is recommended to eat the largest meal at lunch when the digestion is the strongest. Eat only half the appetite. Twenty-five percent should be water and remaining air. Be quiet while eating, focusing on the process of eating without being distracted by TV or other work-related activity. Avoid drinking cold water or cold beverages. They negatively affect the digestive fire within. On the other hand, drinking warm water helps reduce weight. Eat simple food without too many varieties in tastes. It helps keep the mind calm. Eat on time and do not skip meals. Eat healthy fresh food and drink enough water throughout the day to remove toxins from the body.
Four major nerves on our feet are connected with the eyes. Foot massage helps improve eyesight and relax the body. A foot massage also opens and energizes subtle energy pathways from the lower to upper body.
Coconut oil and mustard oil are both good for hair health. They not only help maintain healthy hair, but also keep away colds and headache, and repair nerves. Gently massaging with warm oil on the scalp helps calm the mind. Ayurvedic oils prepared using botanicals like brahmiand bhringrajhelp make the hairs healthy.
Inner Beauty
It was Ayurveda, the 5,000-year old ancient science of medicine, that first defined beauty in holistic terms; it said that true beauty comes from within and starts with consciousness. Ayurveda focusses on healing the self from the inside out.
Reducing stress in life helps us become more confident and experience inner beauty. Meditation and listening to soothing music helps reduce stress. Spending time with kids or friends who are young at heart makes us feel more energetic and forget our biological age. Laughter yoga helps reduce stress and makes us feel beautiful.
Our senses are windows of our consciousness and their health can be improved using sounds, massage, natural environments, fragrances and a balanced vegetarian diet. Yoga and meditation are tools to connect our innermost awareness and rejuvenate cells.
Sleep
Both a healthy diet and good sleep quality are essential to maintain true beauty. Good sleep is needed to be rested, alert and fresh every morning. We need both good quality and the right quantity of sleep. We must avoid staying up late and sleep early to wake up before sunrise. Matching our circadian rhythm with nature helps the body repair at a deeper cellular level.
Eat light at dinner time and sleep for about two hours after dinner.
Full body oil massage helps improve sleep. Rose has a therapeutic scent helpful for sleep. Rosewater spray on the body helps keep the skin soft and supple. Rosewater applied on the skin helps hydrate, clean and soothe the skin. It is also now also being used as a health beverage because of its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities.
Keep the bedroom clean and do not watch TV or take work to the bedroom before sleep. Calming music or meditation before sleep is useful. Avoid arguments, phone calls or watching TV just before sleep time. Washing feet with water or taking a shower with warm water before sleep is helpful for sound sleep. Practice the yoga nidrasleep meditation before sleep. It is also helpful to avoid Tea and coffee before sleep.
After waking up, starting the day with a glass of warm water with lemon juice in it to remove toxins and hydrate the skin.
Beauty Tips
Use neem oil to spot-treat pimples or any skin-related problems. A cotton swab can be used to directly apply on the pimples or inflamed area.
Applying aloe vera gel on the face helps improve the skin quality, making it supple, smooth and younger-looking. It treats skin problems, including pimples and dark spots below the eyes.
Swishing sesame or coconut oil like a mouthwash helps with oral hygiene, gum health and, thus, heart health.
Using a wooden comb improves hair health.
Spend some time in the sun for vitamin D and to improve circulation in the body.
For healthy skin and to remove pimples, mix ajwainpowder ( Trachyspermum ammi or bishop’s weed, or carom) with lemon juice and apply on skin.
For healthy skin, mix turmeric with white sandalwood powder and mustard oil. Apply this paste on the skin before having bath.
Mix glycerine with lemon juice and some rosewater. This mix can be applied on the clean face before going to sleep and washed off in the morning. It will improve skin health.
Multani clay or Fuller’s Earth Clay can be used like a soap on skin and hair during bath for healthy skin and hair.
Remember
It is time to move beyond the color of skin, figure statistics and other measurements to define beauty. True beauty is an expression of a beautiful mind that is made up of our thoughts, feelings and everything that makes our personality.