Ayurvedic Water Therapies

Published in Skin Inc., July 2000. Reproduced with permission.

Editor’s note: Skin Inc.® magazine recommends skin care professionals obtain additional training before offering any new products or services.

From The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians.

Water is a powerful life-giving element. It's cooling ... cleansing ... rejuvenating ... satisfying. Water gives stamina and removes fatigue. It aids digestion and elimination. It soothes emotions and supports the heart. In the ancient ayurvedic texts, water is referred to as nectar. Its powerful properties offer effective prevention therapies for cleansing and replenishing the body inside and out. Spa practitioners easily can learn the principles of authentic clinical ayurveda and offer their clients simple recommendations to boost their health and restore radiance to their skin.

According to ayurveda, life is based on the five primary elements of space, air, fire, water and earth, each element giving rise to the next: space creates air, air creates fire, fire creates water and water creates earth. Therefore, water contains not only its own unique intelligence but also the intelligence of space, air and fire. Water can generate electricity. Water can make a seed grow. Water is a good conductor of heat and is instantly re-hydrating. Water is the perfect universal ingredient in all personal care products. The neutral quality is easy on the skin and compatible with other ingredients, and it offers some valuable therapies for nourishment.

Ayurveda explains the crucial role of water in supporting the skin. The skin is structured in six layers. The first layer is called udakdhara, "the layer that holds water." This layer also is referred to as awabhasini, "that which reflects the inner radiance." Since moisture is responsible for the skin’s luster, it grows dull if the body gets dehydrated. Therefore, ayurveda treats the skin from the inside, with internal water therapies. As a general rule, ayurveda emphasizes the daily habit of drinking water to clean the inner channels of the body and flush out the toxins through urination and perspiration. But room-temperature water is not always adequate for purging toxins and re-hydrating the skin. This is especially true after 40, when the body slows down and absorption and circulation need support. When toxins accumulate in the fine microcirculatory channels, water cannot reach the skin’s first layer and the skin gets dehydrated. For more mature clients or those with many toxins, drinking extra water cannot remedy dry skin. Cleansing also is required, and for this, ayurveda offers corrective water therapies.

Internal therapies
The primary enemy of good health and beautiful skin is referred to as ama in ayurveda. Ama is the residue from undigested food that collects in the cells, the fluids and the tissues. The buildup of ama weakens the body and the immune system causing aging and disease. The initial effects of ama are visible immediately on the first layer of skin as dryness, dullness and early aging. As ama builds, it interacts with the blood and tissues. This affects the second layer of skin called raktadhara, “that which holds blood.” This causes imbalance in the skin, which creates breakouts, hyperpigmentation and sensitivity. Ayurveda provides therapies for removing ama internally, to re-hydrate the skin, and restore its glow and balance. These can be offered to clients at spas with follow-up discussion on how to incorporate into a lifestyle outside of the spa environment. Handouts reinforce verbal instructions.

Usnodaka (oo sno' da kah) therapy is the regular habit of drinking boiled water. By boiling the drinking water for five minutes the intelligence of the element of fire is incorporated, which magnifies the properties of the water. Sipping boiled water cleans the fine inner channels of the body and burns ama. This therapy also enhances the power of agni, the fire of digestion. The stronger the digestive fire, the stronger the mental and physical stamina, the stronger the immune system, the stronger the health and the brighter the glow of the skin. Ayurveda recommends pure drinking water with a moderate mineral content. Drinking six to eight large cups of boiled water per day is a profound therapy for hydrating the skin and body and keeping toxins under control. The water can be sipped during and after meals, but not on an empty stomach. Boiled water can be used throughout the day but should not be saved overnight, since its therapeutic properties expire. Ayurveda prescribes three different temperatures for drinking boiled water, depending on the body type. Estheticians can be trained to diagnose their clients’ body types and recommend the appropriate regimen.

Kapha type people, whose predominant elements are water and earth, generally have larger body mass; a slow, graceful manner; and an easy disposition. Kapha types can sip the water hot. This reduces the toxic buildup to which kapha type skin is prone. Pitta types are dominated by the element of fire. They have medium frames with fair, sensitive skin, sharp hunger, keen intellect, and are sensitive to heat and sun.
Pitta types should cool the boiled water to body temperature and drink with or after meals. Pitta types must be careful to avoid hot temperatures. Vata types are predominated by the element of wind and space. They are quick, slight of build and easily tired.
Vata types can drink the water warm, avoiding hot and cold. Their cool, dry skin needs warm-temperature water for hydration and to clear the channels and burn ama.

Aushadhi (oh shah' dee) usnodaka therapy is the practice of drinking boiled water mixed with herbs. Aushadhi particularly is recommended after age 40 when the body slows down its processes of absorption, assimilation and circulation. It also is recommended when there is great accumulation of ama in the body tissues and in the skin. Dry, dull skin indicates ama. Also, the skin becomes less tolerant to the sun and susceptible to early aging symptoms such as spots and wrinkles. In this case, ayurveda recommends some specific herbs and spices for further reducing ama and supporting the skin.

For preparation of aushadhi, boil one liter of water for five minutes, then pour into a thermos. Add herbs and spices according to your body and skin type, as described below. Close the thermos to keep the herb water hot and after straining, drink it with and after meals. The herbs and spices in these recipes can be purchased at natural grocers.

For kapha types: To a thermos of boiled water, add 2 thin slices of fresh ginger root, 2 basil leaves, 2 whole cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds and 2 pinches licorice powder. Sip hot, during and after meals.
For pitta types: 2 pinches of Indian sarsaparilla powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 pinches of licorice powder, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds. Drink at body temperature throughout the day, alternating with plain boiled water.
For vata types: 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, 3 pinches of ashwagandha root powder and 1 pinch whole root licorice powder. Drink warm.

One of the keys to these therapeutic recipes is that they retain the most important aspect of the spices and herbs, the aroma. Like aromatherapy, the fragrance is important for clearing the internal channels. The most important point is that while these therapies are a valuable aid in cleansing the body of ama, they cannot accomplish much on their own. They depend on the ayurvedic principles of diet.

First, food should be eaten according to body type and the season. Also, good eating habits should be observed, such as eating in a settled and happy environment, favoring a moderate diet — not too light or too heavy, served at moderate temperatures, not skipping meals, eating fresh food and not eating leftovers. If these principles aren’t observed, ama continues to be created and all the water in the world will not wash it away. Estheticians can learn these basic dietary principles in training.

External therapies
Ayurveda offers a regimen of external therapies including face and body steam, body wraps, body and facial clays, and baths using water, milk, mud, floral waters or herbs. There also is a face and body milk foam massage with floral waters that is good hydrotherapy. Because of their anti-aging properties, milk baths have been used by royalty since ancient times. Milk enhances the luster of the skin, and when used regularly, it helps eliminate premature wrinkles.

Ayurvedic steam treatments use authentic herbs that are harvested at the prescribed season, cycle of the moon and time of day. This protects the intelligence of the herbs, ensuring maximum potency and disallowing any side effects. For all skin types, ayurvedic treatments keep the steamer at a safe distance to prevent damage to the skin. Since most practices are set up for all of these treatments, estheticians need only be trained in these ayurvedic procedures to incorporate them into their practice or spa setting.

Therapeutic baths are the most highly extolled therapies in ayurveda. These can be offered as part of ayurvedic treatments at the spa if the equipment is available, or offered as part of a healthy home regimen. When following the recommendations of temperature, pressure, flow and materials according to body type, a bath offers many useful benefits:

It enhances agni, the metabolic fire.
It hastens the transformation of the dhatus, the raw materials of the body that become blood, tissue, muscle and bones.
It enhances ojas, the final and most refined product of digestion that creates bliss and radiance on the skin.
It gives stamina and eliminates fatigue.
It removes perspiration, dirt and environmental residues.
It's cooling — or warming.
It's relaxing and rejuvenating.

In this case, ayurveda recommends adding herbs to the bath water. The addition of herbs and flowers enhances the quality of absorption, aids in detoxification, balances the physiology, gives overall freshness and adds luster to the skin. Through training, estheticians can become familiar with body types, herbs and flowers, and learn to give the appropriate instructions. Morning hours are the ideal time for bathing — when the greatest benefit is available. The therapeutic bath enhances absorption, nourishes the skin and aids in detoxification. Ayurveda recommends eating something light first if very hungry, or postponing the bath for a while if a heavy meal has been eaten. The individual body type determines the ideal pressure, flow, temperature and ingredients. The determining factor is that one should feel good during and after the therapeutic bath. Sukhoshna is the Vedic term for "pleasant warm." If there’s any discomfort with temperature or pressure flow, simply adjust. The ideal temperature and pressure flow for body types are:

Vata types — lukewarm water with moderate pressure
Pitta types — cool in summer, warm in winter; use low pressure
Kapha types — warm water with generous amount of pressure

Mud baths rich in herbal minerals are the most valuable skin therapy for re-hydration, detoxification and nourishment. Mud — the earth element — is a natural medium for water, herbs and minerals. Mud has special holding and releasing powers. Just as it holds and protects a seed underground and releases it at the appropriate time, herbal mud protects the skin and nourishes it with the properties it absorbs from the herbs. From the mud application, the skin directly absorbs and integrates the properties of nature.

Estheticians trained in authentic ayurveda will learn the principles of combining mud with herbs, such as always processing at room temperature and only using water as a solvent. Mud always should be of the highest quality — clean and free of pesticides and bacteria, and containing a moderate amount of minerals. The ancient texts of ayurveda describe an exceptional kind of mud in India called "skin of the rock," which is harvested dry by peeling it from the rocks. This mud has been used by generations of royal families and is still used today in India, as well as in the United States, in ayurvedic spas.

Incorporating therapies
Ayurveda's water-based therapies are poised at the cutting edge of the beauty industry. These time-tested procedures work as well today as they did 5,000 years ago, and many are as simple as boiling water. Estheticians can learn more about authentic ayurveda, its principles and its preventive therapies, and recommend them accordingly to clients. Training in clinical ayurveda is brief and easily learned, and will add a unique body of knowledge to any spa for keeping clients healthy and radiant and coming back for more.

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