Ayurveda Tip On How To Make Your Skin Look Great & Sleep Better

Ayurveda has been known in beauty salons for a very long time. In fact, many people may not understand the potential that resides in the Science of Living because they think it is all just about beauty. If you are new to Ayurveda, you might be scratching your head right now...

What does it have to do with beauty?

If you have known Ayurveda through a high-end salon you might be wondering about the wellness connection. You might also be wondering what sleep has to do with it.

Beauty

Ayurveda is known for prolonging youth and promoting longevity. It is no wonder that one of the most vital daily treatments would result in healthy vibrant skin that others would envy. This treatment helps wrinkling skin look plumper and it is completely natural. Why would this be important? Well softer more supple skin is found very attractive to the world around us. Why do we find younger bodies more attractive? They are full of vitality. As we age we have undergone a barrage of attacks from nature and our choices. The skin will reflect this resulting in many ways. The Ayurvedic perspective is that it is wise to care for the skin from a very young age to keep you looking beautiful for as long as possible. But don't worry if you are reading this and the signs of aging are clear as day. Utilizing this treatment will bring suppleness back to your skin and you will look a million times more radiant than if you did not use it. 

Health

But more than just making your skin look amazing and preventing the look of old wrinkling dried up prune skin, this treatment supports the proper functioning of your physiology. You may just think your skin is like a piece of clothing that serves no real purpose. You just have to wash it every now and then, like laundry. You may not even think what you put on your skin matters, but you will be gravely mistaken. Don't be ashamed if you think like this. Most people do. Yet, with brief exposure to the routines suggested in Ayurveda as well as an anatomy class you begin to make some profound connections. 

For one thing, your skin plays an important role in defense against foreign intruders. The skin supports the removal of toxins from the body through the sweat glands. For those of you that have skin disorders, this function of removing toxins from your blood is the true source of the issues and they can be easily remedied through a few aspects of Ayurvedic treatments. You can even absorb nutrients through your skin putting less demand on the digestive system to extract them. Surprisingly the skin is even better at absorbing some nutrients like magnesium than your digestive tract. The skin also helps to utilize the power of the sun to create vitamin D while producing melanin to protect us from radiation. 

Abhyanga

Enough already! What do I have to do to take care of my skin?

Ayurveda teaches that a daily head-to-toe organic oil massage before showering is the secret to looking young longer as well as resolving many chronic health challenges. 

What? Head to toe? My hair as well? 

The answer is...

It depends. 

The ideal is to do your entire body head to toe. If you were royalty this treatment would be done every day for preventative measures. Obviously, time and resources are not an issue for those with vast amounts of money and people to help keep them motivated. But even these individuals may not be oiled every day if their particular body doesn't require it. A full-fledged Kapha is oily and supple, to begin with. Adding more doesn't create balance it does the opposite. For these individuals, dry brushing to stimulate the skin may be a better option. 

I could go on and on with potential instances where the oil may not be advisable or only advisable with a combination of other treatments. But the truth is this is where seeing a consultant to look at your specific balances/imbalances is truly worth your investment as it is the most advantageous in refining what your body needs. Many people come across Ayurveda, read a post like this then get frustrated because it doesn't work for them or leads to problems. This is the result of thinking you can read an article on a topic like say brain surgery and expect to be able to execute the procedure. Your body, emotions, mental processing, and spiritual experience play a huge part in what needs to take place for your particular circumstances to come into balance resulting in the proper functioning of your nervous system. 

For many, however, a daily oil massage has magnificent benefits and no dire side effects that you need to fear. You don't even have to do your entire body. You can start with just your feet for example. For people who have a hard time falling asleep or sleeping through the night, this is a very wise place to start. Simply put some oil like coconut, sesame, or almond oil on your feet about 30 min before going to sleep. Depending on the oil you choose you might want to put a pair of socks on for a while so you don't make an oily mess all over the place! 

I could write more on this topic but it would be easier to talk about it live. Feel free to reach out for information on the Ayurveda Basics class that I teach to help you understand how to apply daily Abhyanga into your life to improve your health and make you look amazing. 

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