Maharishi Ayurveda Newsletter Archive

Look Your Best this Holiday Season!

Seven Suggestions for Radiant Beauty, the Ayurvedic Way

Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old holistic healing system from India, has a lot to say about looking, and feeling, beautiful. Beauty begins with common sense. It can be as simple as eating right, getting your beauty sleep and managing stress during the hectic holiday season.

According to The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians, what you put on your skin is absorbed by your skin. If you use heavily synthetic, chemical-laden products on delicate facial skin, be prepared for long-term damage. This doesn’t mean you have to do without cosmetics. Look for natural products, and read those ingredients with a magnifying glass. Many products that claim to be “herbal” or “botanical” can contain artificial ingredients. The Maharishi Ayurveda Youthful Skin line are pure, completely natural products, safe for everyday long-term use.

Protect your skin. Winter winds can be very harsh and drying on some types of skin. Natural fibers such as wool, silk or thick cotton are recommended. Wear protective moisturizer on exposed skin, such as a few drops of Revitalizing Oil, and remember that extended periods of exposure to winter sun can be very harmful. Don’t forget that sunscreen on your skiing trip!

Winter skin is very receptive to deep nourishment. This is the season to pamper your skin with rich nourishment routines, morning and evening. The Ayurvedic herb Gotu kola, for example, is a collagen enhancer and can help your skin look and feel younger. Make sure you use an herbal product that is balanced. Balance is key in Ayurveda, with different herbs in a formulation working synergistically to magnify one another’s benefits and counteract possible side-effects from any particular herb. The Youthful Skin Cream, for example, contains, besides Gotu kola, other Ayurvedic herbs such as Flame of Forest to boost resistance to sun damage and Sensitive Plant to help nerve regeneration.

Diet is key.Holidays traditionally tend to be a time when sweet is supreme. But it’s important to balance tastes at every meal.” Include all six tastes – salty, sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent at every meal, with more of the three ‘s’ tastes – sweet, salty and sour especially recommended for this season. Surprise – Ayurveda says bread, rice and milk are actually “sweet” foods, so you can get the sweet taste without resorting to those calorie-adding heavy holiday confections. Rushed for time? Sprinkle some of your favorite Maharishi Ayurveda Churna over your veggies or other foods at the table.

Beauty begins from within. More diet tips! Include lots of leafy green vegetables in your diet. Eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits. Drink lots of water through the day. Don’t skip meals. Eat pure, fresh foods – stay away from canned or processed foods that contain additives and chemical preservatives. Cook with spices – they’re not only great flavor enhancers, they can help you stay healthy and beautiful. Cumin, for example, helps flush your body of toxins, and this, in turn, can mean a glowing, radiant complexion.

Get your beauty sleep. “Early to bed and early to rise" still holds good if you want to look beautiful everyday. Holidays tend to be the time when sleep deprivation levels shoot up in our 24/7 society. Lack of sleep does not just put dark circles under your eyes and rob the luster from your skin. Sleep deprivation has been linked in recent research to long-term health problems, including obesity. Manage your time, plan ahead, get family members to share holiday tasks.A soothing cup of Slumber Time herbal tea, a warm scented bath, a settling aroma such as Slumber Time Aroma diffusing in your bedroom can all help you get those zzzs.

Stress is dangerous to your health – and it can show. Whether it’s time pressure, or your holiday stress stems from the heart – old painful memories, family conflict – you need to learn to manage it. Music, aromatherapy, laughter with family and friends, a quiet evening stroll – take a few minutes several times a day to consciously relax. A luxurious full-body massage before your morning bath or shower with an Aroma Massage Oil can get you set for a hectic day. Try this quick recharger any time of day – lie down for 10 minutes with Organic Rose Water scented cotton-wool over your eyes in a quiet room and feel the tension dissolve.

This advice may seem simple, basic, but if you follow these suggestions, you’ll be surprised how good you look and feel. True beauty comes from within – from good health and a happy soul. Pay attention to the health of your mind and body, and your friends will say ‘You look fabulous! What’s your secret?’

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