Honey/lemon mask

I have tried this simple mask and it is simply Amazing!

Ayurvedic Beauty Tips

We all dream of beautiful glowing, blemish free skin; some opt for expensive salon treatments whereas a few others rely on homemade recipes. The good thing about home-based recipes is that it does not have any cosmetics and no side effects. Let us look at some simple, but most effective Ayurvedic beauty tips for the face, which can help you obtain naturally glowing, problem-free skin.

Milk:  One of the known basic Ayurvedic tip is using raw milk. Using raw milk helps remove unseen dirt and impurities from the face as well as the pores of the skin. It also adds a subtle glow and acts as a natural moisturizer and therefore is an excellent natural cleanser suiting all skin types. Take 1-2 tbsp. of raw milk, and add to it a pinch of turmeric powder, dip a cotton ball and sweep it all over the face and leave it for 5 minutes. This cleanser removes all dirt from the skin, moisturizes the skin and gives it a nice glow.

Orange: To acquire a smooth complexion

Applying fresh orange juice to your face on a daily basis will help bring about an improvement in the texture of your skin as well as the skin tone. This fruit is rich in Vitamin C, which enables our body to fight ageing and it also acts as a good skin toner, especially for oily skin.

Honey and lemon mask: Honey is an excellent natural humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture), can help you get soft and supple skin. It is extremely useful for avoiding wrinkles, flakiness and dryness. It also includes antioxidant and moisturizing properties that cleans and lightens the skin. Take 1 tablespoon of honey (preferably raw, organic honey), add 3-5 drops of fresh lemon juice and apply on the face, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with water and you will discover soft, glowing skin in no time.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is one of the wonders of Nature that has a number of skin and health benefits. Break open a leaf, take out the fresh gel, apply on your face and massage in. Once dry, wash off with lukewarm water. Aloe Vera cannot exactly cure acne but it has amazing anti-inflammatory properties, thus helping to reduce the swelling and redness of pimples and acne. Noticeable results can be seen in a week’s time. Moreover, drinking Aloe Vera juice can enhance the vitality of the skin and also be useful in case of stomach ailments.

Herbs: Chickpea flour (besan) face pack for dull skin, it exfoliates dead cells, removes suntan, and is a very famous Ayurvedic remedy for face. Take 1 tbsp. chickpea flour in a bowl, add few drops of lemon juice, a pinch of turmeric powder and add rose water or raw milk to prepare a paste. Apply the pack to cleansed face, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Regular usage will get you a soft, smooth, glowing skin, and slowly, the blemishes on the skin will start fading too.

Potato: To reduce pigmentation, blemishes and dark spots

Potato is a very good natural skin lightener. Rub a slice of raw potato daily on your skin to lighten pigmentation, blemishes and dark spots. Alternatively, onion, lime or cucumber juice may be used for the same purpose.

Olive Oil: To naturally moisturize skin to avoid wrinkles and fine lines

Olive oil is a wonderful natural moisturizer loaded with antioxidants and fatty acids. Smooth on a thin layer of it onto your skin before bed every night to rejuvenate your skin and prevent the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

Drink lots of water at least 8-10 glasses keep the skin hydrated from within. You may even add a dash of honey and lemon to the water, consume only warm water, as cold water slows down the metabolic system, and impairs digestion of food and warm water helps in keeping the temperature of the digestive system optimum for digestion.

Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night and exercise regularly, it promotes blood circulation, flushing out toxins from the body and keeps the body and skin healthy.

Inculcate the above Ayurveda face care tips in your daily life; you will notes tremendous change in just a few weeks.

Know your skin type - Ayurvedic Beauty

Ayurveda has a very different approach to skin care from modern medicine. Rather than using topical agents alone like creams, lotions, and oils, Ayurveda treats the underlying skin problem at its root. In Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India, the cause of skin conditions is thought to be due to a dosha imbalance. A dosha is your mind-body type. If you know your dosha, you can take steps to prevent skin problems before they even begin. There are three doshas in Ayurveda: Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha has a unique set of characteristics.

Vatta (Air and Ether)

Those with a primarily Vatta dosha have skin that can be described as fine or delicate yet also dry and flaky.  Vatta skin needs to be nourished and hydrated. It is at risk for premature aging due to a deficiency of well-nourished tissues in the body. Vatta skin tends to be dry, cracked, and thin. Because of its thinness, Vatta skin types have easily seen blood vessels. Lips and fingernails tend to be somewhat pale due to poor circulation. Hydration is essential for this skin type.

Foods to Eat

To look younger, Vatta skin types should eat more whole grains, warm milk, and cooked vegetables. These are nourishing foods that are packed with nutrients and easy to digest. Also, ginger is a great food to replenish Vatta skin because it helps increase metabolism and improve digestion, which impacts the color, thickness, and moisture of the skin. Get the Vatta meal plan.

Herbs to Take

Ashwaganda helps to ground Vatta types, who are constantly moving and tend to spread themselves out too thin. In Ayurveda, by reducing the excess mental activity of Vatta individuals, ashwaganda helps their gut absorb nutrients better, making the skin look younger and less wrinkled. A typical starting dose for ashwaganda is 500mg twice a day.

What to Avoid

Vatta skin types should avoid raw vegetables because their digestion is not strong enough to break them down in order to get the nutrients.

Pitta (Fire and Water)

Those with a dominant Pitta dosha are quite opposite of those with Vatta.  Pitta craves coolness and is actually aggravated by heat.  As a result, those with Pitta skin are easily sunburned and have problems with inflammation, irritation, redness, etc.  Pitta skin is fair, often with freckles and is known to produce a warm glow.   Pitta skin requires great care and is prone to conditions such as pigmentation issues, rashes, and is quite sensitive overall. 

Foods to Eat

Pitta skin types should eat sweet, watery fruits like melons, mangos, and pears. Think of a pot of water on high heat – Pitta evaporates the heat from your skin so you need to add foods with a high water content to keep Pitta in balance. Pitta is the exact opposite of Vatta in terms of temperature, so eating foods that are cooling such as coconut oil and rose petal jam helps to reduce the skin inflammation.

Herbs to Take

There are three great herbs for balancing Pitta skin:

1. Turmeric powder has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and you can use in your cooking
2. Amla berry, which is a cooling herb. You can take this as a supplement beginning at 250mg a day. It is also available in jam form.
3. Fennel seeds, which are ideal for digestion. Chew a pinch of fennel seeds after your meals.

What to Avoid

Pitta skin gets aggravated by eating spicy foods, so they should avoid foods like; chilies, black pepper and jalapenos. The heat in spicy foods further increases Pitta people’s own natural internal heat.

Kapha (Earth and Water)

Kapha individuals tend to have naturally beautiful skin that ages slowly. Their skin tends to be plump and full of moisture. However, out of balance, Kapha skin tends to accumulate more toxins that predispose them to large pores, skin growths, skin eruptions, and a grayish film. The main focus for Kapha skin types should be removing toxins.

Foods to Eat

Kapha skin types should actually favor spicy foods, the exact opposite of Pitta skin types. The spicy food helps to stimulate their digestion and since Kapha individuals have the slowest metabolism, they need all the extra heat their food has to offer. Get the Kapha meal plan.

Herbs to Take

Kapha skin needs herbs that help boost metabolism to remove toxins from their body and help their skin look clearer and more vibrant. Kapha individuals should add black pepper and garlic to their meals. They should also take the supplement guggul, which helps remove toxins by regulating fat metabolism throughout the body.

What to Avoid

Kapha skin types should avoid all heavy, oily foods because their skin already tends to be oily and their digestion slow.

A piece of Paradise

7 dangerous acts after a meal - worth knowing

1. Do not Smoke after meal - Experiments from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes. Chances of cancer is higher.

2. Do not eat fruits immediately after meal - Eating fruits immediately after meals will cause bloated stomach. One can eat fruits one-two hours after meal or an hour before meal.

3. Do not drink tea after - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the protein content in the food we consume to be hundred thus difficult to digest.

4. Do not loose your belt after meal - Loosening the belt after meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted and blocked.

5. Do not bathe after meal - Bathing after meal will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs and body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease, this will weaken the digestive system.

6. Do not go for a walk after meal - People always say that it is good to take a walk after a meal. People believe that taking a short walk after meal makes your stomach feel lighter. But the fact is that walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.

7. Do not sleep immediately after meal - Lying down or sleeping immediately after having meal can cause gastric and infection in our intestine and the food will not be digest properly.

New York Fashion Week - Street Style 2013

Life Lessons from the Monk Who sold His Ferrari

While on my way to Maldives, I dropped into the airport bookstore in Dubai, before boarding the flight and bought “Life Lessons from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”. Basically, it was solely the title that caught my attention. Little did I know, how powerful and inspiring this book was. Once in Maldives, it took me 2 days to finish it. So I wanted to share some insights from it. 

You are far greater than you have ever dreamed of being. And no matter what you are experiencing in your life right now, trust that all is good and unfolding in your best interests. It may not look pretty, but it is exactly what you need to learn for you to grow into the person you have been intended to become. Everything happening in your life has been perfectly composed to inspire your maximal development as a human being and bring you into your true power. Learn from life and let it take you where you are meant to go - it has your highest interests in mind.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari books are helpful in discovering many answers to life’s most important questions. Additionally, you will find many truths and gain much insight into the way the world works and how you can succeed within it. However, eventually, most of the answers you are looking for already lie deep within your heart. Thus, there is nowhere else to look. Yes, the words may speed openings for you and serve to help you remember what you already know at your core. However, do not doubt that there is, indeed, a treasure trove of wisdom, power and love slumbering within you waiting to be awakened by your most courageous part. Isn’t that incredibly inspiring to know? You already are everything you have always wanted to become. You simply need to do the inner work required to remove the blocks that have been covering and denying your unique nature.

Basically, the purpose of human life is to walk the path of this Great Awakening of Self and to return home to who you once were (and the place you once knew). It is thoroughly held belief that a newborn child represents perfection and the state of being to which each of us is constrained to return. In the instant after you were born, you were fearless, pure love, innocent, infinitely wise, of boundless potential and beautifully connected with the unseen hand that created the universe. As a child, you were filled with wonder and fully alive to life. Indeed, at that time you were nearly enlightened (to be enlightened is to be all light: one who is all light has no shadows, no dark side, no fears, no anger, no resentments and no limitations). However, most of us on the planet today have lost this connection to our authentic selves, this original state of being in which we were unafraid to walk towards possibility and reach for the stars. We know not who we are. We have transformed into people, who behave selfishly, fearfully and hurtfully. This behavior is not a reflection of our essential nature but is, instead, a reflection of the wounds we have suffered as we have left the innocence to which we were born and traveled along the journey of our days. Thus, only those in pain are able to do painful things. Likewise, only those who have been hurt can hurt others. And, only those with closed hearts are able to act in less than loving ways.

Nevertheless, the whole purpose we are alive is to grow into our greatest selves and remember the truth about who we essentially are. Life will support you perfectly in this pursuit. You will be sent people, events and tests that will invite you to reveal more of your wisdom and discover more of your potentials. More often, your lessons will not come easily. Suffering has always been a vehicle for deep spiritual growth. Thus, those who have endured great suffering are generally the ones who evolve into great beings. Those who have been deeply hurt by life are generally the ones who can feel the pain of others in a heartbeat. Those who have endured hardship become humbled by life, and as a result, are more open, compassionate and real. We may not like suffering when it visits us, but it serves us so very well: it cracks the shell that covers our hearts and empties us of the lies we have clung to about who we are, why we are here and how this remarkable world of ours really functions. Once emptied, we can be refilled with all that is good, noble and true. Troubles can transform, if we choose to allow them to do so. As Joseph Campbell wrote: “Where you stumble, there your treasure lies.”

Therefore: Fear not the unknown, for it is where your greatness lives! Most people spend the best years of their lives in the place of the known. They lack the courage to venture out into foreign territory and are frightened to leave the crowd. They want to fit in and are afraid to stand out. So, they dress like everyone else, think like everyone else and behave like everyone else, even if doing so doesn’t feel right to them. They are reluctant to listen to the call of their hearts and try new things, refusing to leave that coast of safety. So they do what everybody else does. In doing so, their once-shining souls begin to darken and wrinkle. “Death is only one of many ways to lose your life,” said adventurer Alvah Simon.

Clinging to safe shores in your life is nothing more than making a choice to remain imprisoned by your fears. There may be the illusion that you are free when you keep living within the box that your life may have become but, it’s just that: an illusion, a lie you tell yourself. When you leave the box for new views and stop following the crowd, unquestionably, fears will surface you are human. But courage requires that you feel these fears and then move ahead anyway. Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to walk through your fear in pursuit of a goal that is important to you. You are among the living dead when you live in a safe harbor and adhere to the known. You come back to life and your heart begins to beat again the moment you step into the unknown and explore the foreign places of your life. The adventure and thrill of living will come back. Therefore, remember, on the other side of your fears you will discover your destiny. You will discover the beauty of life.

So risk, step out of the box, be different and go where none else dares to go!