When we balance our diet, our guts and our digestion, wellbeing will certainly follow suit. But Ayurveda is about more than just the body. It is motivated by the mind, the soul, the spirit – and while the food that we eat has enormous impact on all of these, in order to feel truly balanced, we must work to unite both the internal and external. While I draw on Ayurveda in all I do, I also call upon other ideologies – ways of living that support Ayurveda and have offered me a great deal of support when I’ve needed it. Drawing upon nature’s cures is at Ayurveda’s core, but the use of flower essences isn’t commonplace. It is, however, something that can really help us in our everyday lives, so I’ve also chosen to share it with you. A lot of us are familiar with the ‘rescue remedy’ type flower essence. One example is the catch-all remedy that alleviates panic and stress when dropped onto the tongue; I’ve been using it for many years and it’s helped with everything from exams to childbirth! Flower essences go much further than these simple ‘rescue’ concoctions. They work by restoring the body’s subtle energy flow – you may be familiar with the term ‘chakra’, which denotes the seven energy centres of the body, from the crown chakra (head) to the root chakra (base of the spine).
This chapter also looks at how knowledge of Ayurveda can affect our skin for the better. Over the years, I have found that simply being aware of how my dosha affects my skin keeps it calm, happy, balanced and beautiful. As Pitta, heat does not do me any favours, so I never take very hot baths or showers; I rinse my face with cool water, I don’t use heat-up masks or abrasive exfoliants, or anything that is too ‘active’. My skin just won’t tolerate it.
I am fascinated by skin, by its responses and ‘moods’. Shortly after the birth of my first child I decided to train as a holistic facialist. Having spent over a decade researching, trialling, testing and writing about skincare, health and wellbeing products (alongside experiencing myriad treatments, rituals and regimes), my interest in our bodies, and primarily our skin, had been irrevocably ignited. I reached a point where I no longer wanted to simply write about wellbeing; I wanted to be a purveyor of it too. My holistic facials begin on the inside, with an in-depth consultation that takes into account every part of the individual – from diet through to sleeping patterns, skin sensitivity to recent emotional trauma. Your skin is rather like a signpost: it displays the internal, external, emotional, psychological and physical passage of your life. There is almost always a reason behind the skin’s signals, and learning to read them is both important and empowering – and crucial for helping us maintain our body’s perfect balance.
For Ayurvedic skin advice, I’ve consulted Sunita Passi, the highly respected founder of Ayurvedic skincare brand Tri-Dosha, which is made with organic ingredients, including therapeutic Ayurvedic herbs. Here Sunita and I share five essential tips for incorporating Ayurveda into your beauty regime.
The fundamental goal of Ayurvedic practice is to maintain your own innate doshic balance – and that is the fundamental goal of this book, too! Knowing your dosha can also inform our beauty choices. It’s particularly helpful when it comes to cleansing and moisturizing as every dosha has a very specific type of skin, and responds well to particular products.
As I feel it’s important to use things that are as close to nature as possible, I often recommend the following:
• For Vata: soak a cosmetic sponge in raw milk, or live yogurt, and use it to cleanse the skin and pores. Rinse well. Milk and yogurt contain lactic acid, the wonderfully gentle exfoliant, hydrator and soother, so this works a treat as a cleanser.
• For Pitta: Coconut oil is a fantastic cleanser – simply warm it between your hands to melt, then massage over the face. It removes all make-up brilliantly. Remove with a warm, damp cloth.
• For Kapha: When skin is especially oily or congested, use a mix of apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice to remove oils and debris from the skin, and also to balance the skin’s acid mantle, helping to keep the complexion healthy and clear.
Simple, age-old Indian wisdom can help you acquire naturally glowing skin using herbal remedies made from ingredients you can find in your own home. A rummage around your kitchen is all you need for a lustrous complexion.
• For Vata: Combine cooked split orange lentils with ghee and milk until thickened into a paste. Apply as a deeply nourishing face mask and leave for five minutes. Remove with warm water.
• For Pitta: Mix turmeric powder and ground sandalwood in two teaspoons of milk to form a paste. Very high in antioxidants and soothing antihistamines, this combination is ideal for Pitta complexions, which can flare up easily. Apply to skin in a light coat and leave on for five minutes. Rinse away with warm water.
• For Kapha: In a blender or food processor, mix two tablespoons of plain yogurt with a kiwi fruit and one tablespoon each of almond oil, orange water and honey. The combination of exfoliating enzymes from the kiwi, hydrating lactic acid from the yogurt and nourishing and soothing orange water and honey make this a wonderfully balancing treat. Smooth over the face. After five minutes, remove with a warm wet cloth.
The power of touch, stretch (particularly within yoga) and massage are all important principles in Ayurveda. We so often look to others to help us when in fact we are already in possession of the only tools we need: our hands. If you do not already carry out facial massage, it’s time to start.
I’ve met with two octogenarian Ayurvedic and yoga gurus in my time, both of whom had skin that was as supple and toned as that of a 40 year old. Their secret, they told me, was daily deep-tissue facial massage, which stimulates the nerve endings, in turn stimulating and toning up the facial muscles. It also boosts blood circulation, and any tissue that has blood coursing through it will be better oxygenated, more vital, radiant and healthy. Here is how to carry out a simple routine, which lasts five minutes, and should be repeated every morning:
• Place both thumbs under your chin, and the pads of your index and ring fingers in the space between your lower lip and your chin.
• You want to draw your hands out in long, smooth sweeping motions, with fingers pressed firmly but gently into the skin, and always stroking outward and upward, toward the ears and temples. Let your fingers move firmly along the jawbone, as this is the area that is often most in need of firming.
• When your fingers reach the outside of the face, by the ears, circle the lobes with your thumb and index fingers, which is wonderfully soothing.
• Continue to sweep fingers all the way up the face, one inch at a time, and when you reach the eyes, stay below the orbital bone, massaging skin outward and upward toward the temples. When you reach the temples, press your index fingers lightly into the soft tissue there. Press and release slightly without breaking contact with the skin, for 10 seconds.
• Continue the same motion, upward and outward, over and above the brows, then from the centre of the brows, upward and outward over the forehead.
• Finish with fingers at the temples again – press and release as before, for another 10 seconds.
• Repeat the process five times.
If you want your body to run smoothly, you need to take oil both internally and externally. I take a blend of omega 3, 6 and 9 oils (see Resources, page 220), either straight off the spoon or drizzled over salads, into soups – you name it. If my eczema threatens to flare up, I take three tablespoons a day, every day for six weeks, and it usually settles down again. Topical application of oil is also essential. I’ve never been a body cream fan, preferring essential fatty-acid-rich oils. It’s also easier to find 100 per cent organic oils as they don’t need to be processed or fiddled with, thinned, thickened or coloured. They are what they are.
Neem oil is a wonderful antibacterial oil, ideal for dry, scaly skin – and great as a scalp treatment if you’re prone to psoriasis or dandruff. It’s always used in dilution (at no higher than 5 per cent concentration) as it’s very potent and pungent. It can be bought in ready-to-use concentrations from most health shops or online.
In general, for everyday moisturising, Ayurveda recommends:
• For Pitta: Coconut oil, as it is inherently calming and cooling.
• For Vata: Sesame oil, which nourishes, warms and grounds (in Ayurveda it’s also recommended as a perfect massage medium for irritable babies – rub into the soles of their feet before bedtime, where it will warm through them and help loosen the tension in the body. You can try it on yourself too).
• For Kapha: Sunflower oil is recommended, as it heats up the body, dispelling dampness and energizing the system.
All of the above options are cheap and effective, but I like to alternate with specially blended dosha-specific body oils – you can find these via internationally available brands Aveda and Tri-Dosha, Banyan Botanicals in the US and Ayurda in Australia and New Zealand.
Ayurveda might be gentle but it’s got serious skincare clout. Use the wisdom of Ayurveda to target specific skin problems such as blemishes and breakouts. Here are three age-old solutions to clear stubborn spots.
• Make a herbal blemish paste: Use water to make a paste using one teaspoon each of sandalwood powder and turmeric. Apply to your skin and leave for 15–20 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water. Do this daily until acne starts to subside.
• Apply aloe vera: Break open a leaf, take out the fresh gel, apply to your face and massage in. Once dry, wash off with lukewarm water. This formula does not cure acne but has amazing anti-inflammatory properties, helping to reduce the swelling and redness of pimples and acne. You will see results within a week.
• Drink aloe vera: Drinking aloe vera juice can enhance the vitality of the skin and is also useful in helping to alkalize and settle the stomach – Ayurveda believes that many skin problems originate in an unhealthy gut.
Aside from being a leading homeopath, Margo Marrone, the founder of the pioneering Organic Pharmacy, is also a font of wellness knowledge – the organic oracle, a seasoned homeopath and someone who also understands how tough it can be to juggle the demands of a very busy life (which she leads, with two kids and a booming international business) while maintaining a balanced body and clear mind. She’s a big fan of the springtime detox and here imparts her tips for living well. They chime very neatly with many of Ayurveda’s key principles, but they also focus on leading as organic a lifestyle as possible – something which isn’t spelled out in Ayurveda, because it predates our use of chemicals and pesticides so food was always organic! For this reason, I think it crucial to couple an Ayurvedic lifestyle with both seasonal and organic living. The former just won’t be ‘balanced’ unless it’s supported by the latter. I’ve put many of Margo’s suggestions into practice over the years (for myself and my children) and always feel so much better for having done so.
Margo Marrone
1 Eat consciously and think about everything you put inside your body – especially its health and nutrition value. Choose organic wherever you can to avoid toxic pesticides, hormones and antibiotics (particularly in soya, meat and dairy). Visit your local farmers’ market for seasonal, fresh organic produce.
2 Your skin is an extension of your gut and what you put on it is just as important as what you eat. Your skin absorbs molecules small enough to penetrate the dermis. Lots of cosmetics that we apply to the skin contain chemicals that are not healthy and can not only cause allergies but can even lead to a toxic overload of our systems – which in turn can cause chronic illnesses and disease, such as cancer. Always look for natural, organic plant-based products – the fewer preservatives, synthetics, fillers and harsh chemicals (particularly pthalates, sulphates and parabens) the better.
3 Feed your cells an abundance of antioxidants from vegetables and fruit, alongside a great antioxidant supplement. You need these to protect your cells and keep you young. Start when you are a teenager (ideally 15), and be religious about it. Most of the antioxidants that you take go to the vital organs in the body – the skin gets very little, so it also pays to apply antioxidant-rich cosmetics to your skin where they can act locally and ward off free radicals that are in UV and pollution.
4 Nourish your cells from within with essential fatty acids – essential to our health! If you have dry skin a tablespoon of omega oil every day is vital to restore elasticity. I recommend a blend of omega 3, 6, 7 and 9 – but at the very least, do increase both 3 and 6 intake.
5 The single most healing thing you can do is to detox your body. Not only does it lower stress, reduce bloating, sort out the digestion and improve sleep and performance, but it also gives the sort of energy you thought you would never have again. Do it gradually and gently four times a year and for at least 10 days – but make sure you eat healthily the entire time too.
6 If there is one thing to remove from your diet, it’s sugar! Not only is it fattening, but it’s also ageing (it causes cellular inflammation, which makes collagen and elastin break down faster). Sugar from fruit is fine in moderation (and best eaten on an empty stomach), but refined sugar should only be eaten rarely (or even better, never!).
7 Drink up – we are lucky to have access to ‘clean’ tap water but with industrialization come pesticides and other contaminants in our water system, including heavy metals and hormones. Either buy pure bottled water (in glass, as chemicals from the plastic bottles also pass into the water) or, better still, have a filter installed to remove these from your water before you drink or cook with it.
8 Scrub up well with a daily skin brush or body scrub to boost circulation and help the body eliminate toxins and better deliver nutrients to cells. Body brushing also stimulates the lymphatic system which helps keep you and your immune system clean and your skin baby soft.
9 Magnesium is a mineral that many people are lacking. Remineralize your body with an Epsom salt bath (follow the instructions on the packet) at least twice a week and take a magnesium complex supplement – particularly if you are stressed, exercise regularly and have problems relaxing or sleeping. Magnesium is the mineral world’s tranquillizer (but without side effects!).
10 Inflammation is the body’s way of keeping our health in check, but keep your skin and immune system’s responses under control with daily doses of quercetin, vitamin C, turmeric and bromelain (the enzyme from pineapples) – and of course avoid excessive sugar.
Yoga and Ayurveda are inseparable ‘sister sciences’, and both part of the wider Vedic science from which Ayurveda originates. I have enlisted the advice of a close friend and wonderfully spiritual yoga teacher, Selda Enver Goodwin. A big believer in Ayurveda (she is very Vata!), here she shares simple-to-master problem-solving poses. Please do try them – they will make an enormous difference to your wellbeing and your sense of inner balance.
Selda Enver Goodwin
1. To Improve Sleep
Little frustrates me as much as a bout of insomnia. The body tosses, the mind ticks and muscles twitch. It’s primarily caused by an increase in Vata in the mind or nervous system. It can also be related to constipation, stress and being over-tired. Oddly enough, getting out of bed can actually help.
Try Shoulder-stand pose at the end of the day, before bed or in the wee hours. It stimulates the thyroid, increases blood supply and soothes the nervous system, making it perfect for a calming night’s rest. Avoid doing this during menstruation and late stages of pregnancy.
Lie on your back, and bend and squeeze your knees into your chest. With hands by your side, palms down, breathe out and raise your hips off the floor. Press your hands on your hips by bending your arms at the elbows. Breathe in. Raise the trunk up perpendicularly, supported by your hands until your chest touches your chin. If you suffer from high blood pressure, stay here and continue to breathe. Use your legs to balance you – bent or straight, whichever feels most comfortable. Only the back of the head and neck, the shoulders and the backs of the arms up to the elbows should rest on the floor. Place your hands to the middle of your spine, with your palms against your back. Breathe. Stretch your legs up to the sky, toes together, pointing up. Stay here for 5–10 minutes, with deep, even breaths. Gradually slide down, using your hands as support, then release and relax.
If you are a beginner, start by bending the right knee and placing the right foot on the left knee. Rotate or twist your hips forward to bring the knee to the forehead. The left leg should be horizontal to the floor. Repeat on the other side.
While I am in Shoulder-stand I imagine a tube of light running along my spine. I visualize my in- and out-breaths flowing up and down the tube. This creates focus and an intention for the breath to become louder than your thoughts.
2. To Boost Immunity
Health is an old English word for whole. Our immune system does a remarkable job in defending us against sickness, but on occasion even this miraculous structure weakens. Boosting immunity begins by understanding the immune system as a whole. Through yoga, we can balance and harmonize the entire body. Like many people, my body has a mini breakdown during the winter. I now take extra care to ensure that my body is insulated from within and my vitamin D levels are elevated. Then I formulate a physical and spiritual practice to protect my body at this time. Most yoga poses will help to increase your immunity, but one of my favourite poses for firing up the system is the Bridge. This posture is not only great for opening the area around the heart, it also presses directly on two main acupressure points. You’ll get a feeling of vitality in the lower back and support on the shoulder blades, two inches away from the spine. These are the points said to help govern immunity, especially to colds and flu.
Lie on your back. Bend both knees and place your feet under your knees, hip-distance apart and parallel. Plant your hands by your hips and, curling your tailbone up to engage the navel, lift your hips high. Work your shoulder blades underneath you so they’re flat on the floor, and if possible, reach for, or toward, the outside of your ankles. Do not bind the hands under your body as this can lift you onto your arm muscles, and off your shoulder blades. We want to focus on the pressure points there, and into the lower back. Lift your chin and arch your neck just enough so you could slip a hand between the back neck curve and the floor. If this is hard for you, place a high block or a rolled towel or two under your hips.
Stay here, breathing into the shoulder blades for one minute or more, then come down and gently hug your knees into your chest.
For a spiritual focus, I concentrate on lifting my heart up toward the sky and expanding my chest to opposite sides of the room. This actively increases the backbend, which is said to help us let go of our past and move us confidently into the future.
3. To Aid Digestion
When my digestion is out of sync, it’s not just a ‘gut feeling’, it’s my gut actually feeling bad. I’m prone to sudden skin breakouts and an overall body heaviness. I need to untangle the physical and emotional knots of life, often held in the belly region. I find Twists enhance the energy flow and nourish the organs back to full health. However, there are contraindications associated with going into deeper Twists, so it’s best to start off with a very gentle body fold. In time, if you are not pregnant and not suffering from any back problems, hernia or hyperthyroidism, you can practise them under the guidance of a competent teacher.
For a simple, effective starter, lie on your stomach with interlaced fingers under your head. Bend the left leg sideways and bring your knee toward the ribs. Keep the right leg straight. Swivel your arms to the left, resting the left elbow near the left knee. Place the head on the elbow crease of the right arm or where it is comfortable. Rest here and take five full deep breaths, before changing sides.
While in this pose (which resembles a flapping fish), focus on the abdominal region. With as much detail as possible, I try to visualize the sensation running through and around my stomach. If it’s feeling rather like sluggish dark molasses, I simply imagine golden liquid moving fluidly and freely from one organ to another. Visualization often helps to focus your attention and keeps your mind from racing back and forth. It does take time, so be patient and try not to punish yourself if everyday thoughts do take over. Acknowledge them, come back to the breaths and start over. It’s called practice, after all.
4. To Combat Stress
Stress is difficult to define. What appears to be stressful for one individual is simply not so for another. This makes it more complicated to measure how much stress a person feels when exposed to certain situations. In yoga, we try to tap into our ‘inner guru’, or inner teacher. Listening to our bodies can often indicate the area that is causing stress. I have found that being open to experiencing the stress allows space for growth. I question, become aware of what it is that is happening and try to understand what my body is really feeling. I ask myself if it’s fact or simply my interpretation. Is it my body or my mind that is doing the talking? Coming from a place of honesty or authenticity allows for shifts and transformation to take place. A method I use for achieving complete relaxation is Yoga Nidra or ‘yoga sleep’. It can be practised any time of the day.
Lie down on your back on the floor, with a slight distance between the legs and both hands away from the thighs. The fingers of the hands should be open, palms facing the sky. Eventually the goal is to make the body become entirely still – peaceful, attentive; you get rest without becoming sluggish. Lie absolutely straight. Concentrate on the breath moving in and out of the body. Watch the body as the navel rises toward the sky during the inhalation and falls toward the earth on the exhalation. Experience the sensations of how the body is feeling as more breath comes into the lungs. Imagine them expanding, filling with air, light and vitality.
Then focus on one part of the body; perhaps start with the feet. Imagine your mind’s eye looking at the toes, the big toes, the balls of the feet and the heels. Now make them absolutely loose. Move from the big toes to the ankles, the thighs, toward the abdomen, chest and eventually the head and the eyes. Tell each body part in turn to soften and just let go. In my experience, the first five to eight minutes can be the most challenging. The mind can be agitated and unsettled. Once this phase passes, the mind tends to calm and the thoughts slow down.
Flower essences are prepared by infusing the blossoms of plants in water, which is then diluted in a specific way and preserved. These preparations embody the distinct imprint or energetic pattern of each flower species, yet they differ from essential oils because they have no scent. The essences work through the body’s acupuncture meridians, creating positive effects on the way we feel, and are a vibrational tool that helps people reach their full potential.
Once you get used to using flower essences, you’ll see how effectively they work to harmonize your system and offer real strength and solace at times when you’re really struggling. A flower essence, however, is only as good as its producer, and the homogenized bottled ones you get in most big supermarket-style pharmacies might have been on the shelf for years, gathering dust and depreciating the entire time. Try to find a reputable organic essence provider – the internet is a great source of organically certified producers who work with tiny batches, and can ensure quality. If in doubt, testimonial pages can really help you make up your mind.
Here’s a list of some of Annee de Mamiel’s favourite flower essences to provide you with a powerful alternative therapy kit.
Annee de Mamiel
• Aloe vera flower essence is needed by those burning the candle at both ends. These individuals may tend to overuse their innate abundance of fiery forces, resulting in burnout. Typical users of aloe vera are workaholic types whose drive is so intense that they neglect their emotional and physical needs, often sacrificing rest, food and social contact in order to accomplish their goals.
• Alpine aster is great whenever you find it difficult to rest and relax, feeling cut off from your core, constantly on the go, for busy times full of stimulus/worry/excitement – when you have little time to connect within. It helps create time for contemplation and review; for retreat and recuperation.
• Fig releases fears, improves memory and helps you to organize your thoughts.
• Le jardin des alpes encourages rest, renewal and relaxation. It helps you let go of external demands for a period in order to return to gentleness and compassion within. It helps you to be present and find renewal in the everyday rather than waiting for some imaginary time in the future when you hope you will be able to stop and be still.
• Nasturtium is powerful and begets glowing vitality, flaming, radiant energy and warmth, new possibilities, inspiration and courage.
• Rosemary imparts a warm physical presence, clarity of perception, memory and a richer, higher perspective.