31 Dec Look your Dazzling Best this New Year’s Eve
The new year is almost upon us! And so too are the parties when we ought to look great and dazzle everyone- including the very New Year! Ideally, it shouldn’t end there and should continue for an entire lifetime but that we keep for another occasion!
Hi, Dr Madhura Bhide to the rescue of anyone and everyone who wants to look good. And as is my forte, I do everything Ayurvedic! Original, natural and eco-friendly. From the stuff that you get in your kitchen to your kitchen gardens to the gardens which grow in the wild, all that I prescribe as medication are either attached to or a produce of, Mother Earth. Mixed and taken in the right proportions, everyone – including the environment around us, stay healthy.
And today I shall tell you some steps that if attempted right away, shall bring out the glow in you which shall all but zap everyone at every party that you attend on New Year’s Eve!
Sleep well!
What is it that we ought to get from our sleep? It is Ojas! In Ayurvedic terms, it implies the purest form of radiating energy derived by consuming the right and nourishing of foods. The food part we shall deal with elsewhere. Right now what you must be told in clear terms is that SLEEP IS IMPORTANT not just to look good but even to feel good! Lack of sleep has all the three “Doshas” attacking you from all sides. Vata imbalance which comes from mental stress does not let you sleep enough, Pitta imbalance which typically comes from emotional trauma lets you sleep only intermittently while Kapha imbalance on the contrary is due to over-sleep despite which ones does not feel fresh on getting up.
What I advise is to eat a light, (if possible) Satvik dinner consisting of seasonal ingredients in teaspoons full of ghee just after sundown followed by some rest and a brisk walk right before hitting the bed at 10.00 PM. If sleep seems difficult, do yogic poses like Shavasan and vajrasan to name a few which are sure to relax you. A STRICT NO TO ALL GADGETS AT BED-TIME! SWITCH THEM OFF!
The next morning, get up before the Sun rises which in typical winters in India is between 5.30 and 6.00 AM. If you get your quota of Stage 4 sleep i.e, the most sound sleep pattern, you would awake looking fresh…and in the right frame of mind to party hard!
Exercise well!
A fully rested body needs its share of jump-starting. And that is best done by leaving the bed just before sun-rise. Upon completing the customary bowel cleaning and mouth-washing one must proceed toward the most important activity which shall power us throughout the day and while partying! Yoga and the right amount of physical exertion!
Ayurveda prescribes very specific exercise-forms for each “Dosha” type. Vata calls for light exercises such as a brisk walk. Pitta needs things in moderation like swimming, jogging and running. Kapha needs the most intense of them all like aerobics, sprinting, weights etc. Knowing your Dosha type and exercising is one thing. Co-ordinating it with the existing weather conditions, one’s age and existing physical conditions are quite another and equally important considerations. Exercise in moderation so that you feel lightly strained and catch your breath fast.
By exercising correctly, you get the blood flowing to every part of the body which help them perform well individually besides helping the blood itself carry impurities to the liver. Also, sweating while exercising is one of the most effective way to remove impurities from all over the body. What you get at the end of it is a RADIANCE which speaks only two words! YOUTHFUL HEALTH!
Besides enhancing looks, exercise helps you digest all the awful (some call it awesome! Personally, I don’t!) stuff most folks eat at parties and gets it out of the system pretty fast.
Abhayanga & face-packs
A question of general knowledge. Which do you think is the largest organ in the human body? And what do you think it does for us? Most of you would quite obviously be shocked to know that it is the SKIN! Yes, we under-nourish it, don’t take much care (unless it’s party time! And that too only of the hands and face!) and in some case, out-right negligent.
And what do you think you get in return? A skin which looks and feels worse than an Onion-peel! And has just as much character!
Our skin covers all our vital organs, protects them from the vagaries of nature and weathers, helps them shed toxins and helps keep them alive for all their intended activities.
And for skin which does all its activities efficiently – including attracting the right amount of attention from all the right quarters, there couldn’t be anything better than a daily round of warm-oil massage using the likes of coconut oil or sesame oil or a blend of these with the right herbs and potions!
Post the rigors of exercise when the skin oozes our “Ama” i.e., toxins, what one should ideally do is take a bowl-full of any of the mentioned oils/ blends and apply it from head to toe. To get its right effect, the quantity of oil should never be compromised with. For the first few times, it make seem sticky and oily but if one were to weigh the sheer advantages it brings, these feeling die down fast!
Applying this oil, one must wait for a while for the body to absorb the oil. Next, the oil remaining on the skin can be cleaned away using a dry cloth or a roll of tissue-paper.
A bath in warm water using “Utane/ Ubtan” of besan, triphala, sandalwood powder & turmeric (yes, turmeric is just as good for the skin. But we leave its elaboration for later!) instead of standard soaps and body-washes is the right way to round off the preparation for the eventful evening.
Talking of Utane, the one thing that can bring instant glow to anyone’s face are Ayurvedic face-packs! We mention a few here which if done the right way will surely bring back your radiance and dazzle the day out of any onlooker!
1. Nutmeg in Water or Milk
It’s called “Jaiphal” in our parts and is known to do away with discolorations and pigmentation brought about by exposure to the UV rays outdoors, hormonal imbalances, aging and medicinal side-effects.
Take a spoon-full of dried and powdered/ shredded nutmeg and add it to half a cup of water or milk (the latter if you have a dry, Vata-induced skin). Let it stand for 15-20 minutes and then apply it to the skin and let it remain there for 20-30 minutes. Wash it off with warm water and if need be, a very light soap. It shall enhance your looks and make you smell great!
2. Red Lentils + Milk
Masoor Daal as we call Red lentils in India is known for its fibre content and is know to provide protein + cleans the skin due to its mass. The goodness of this “daal” in powdered form (just a tea-spoon) + half a cup of milk can do wonders to the skin. Its fibre content acts as a scrub to take off dead and dry skin, and with that tan and black-heads. The milk in the concoction helps keep the skin moist and nourished. What you thus get, is a great Glow!
3. Raktchandan (Red sandalwood) + Manjistha (Rubia cordifolia) + Haridra (Turmeric) + Water
Red sandalwood is known for its smell of course. It is also known as a great skin cleanser when its paste is applied externally and left to dry. Manjistha in Ayurveda is the best blood cleanser and equally an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent. Turmeric, as we all know can kill even cancer and can do it leaving one looking radiant. Mix a teaspoon of all these in powdered form and add half a cup of water. Apply to your face and leave for 20-30 minutes. Upon drying, wash with warm water and only if need be, use a very light soap. You would glow for days after this treatment!
Do these and you could just bedazzle the evening. And all through the 365 days of the year!
Do let us know if there is something specific you would like to know. We welcome you to our clinics in Pune. Where you need more details, do visit our website www.recovalife.com or #roadtorecova.com.
An important point we would like to add here is of our sessions in Pune on various activities under Ayurveda which range from teaching yoga to hair-care sessions to correct breathing techniques and so on. The list of our plans is long. But we will do it for sure! And if that interests you, do visit our website and register your email ID to get timely information on all our future sessions.
Disclaimer :
This article is meant solely to provide information about remedies under Ayurveda and is not meant to be used for diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.
Where the reader or any other person has chronic and/or dire health issues, it is advisable to consult a trained and certified medical practitioner for a complete and comprehensive diagnosis which can address the underlying issues effectively.
Recova Life and its constituents are also certified medical practitioners who can be consulted. Our numbers are +91 83800-16119 and Email ID atul@recovalife.com
With respect to the consumption of any herbs, fruits, vegetables and the likes mentioned here, it would be advisable where you consult a certified medical practitioner for his/her opinion before-hand.
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