Body Beautiful

Beauty cannot be defined in words.  Writers, poets, philosophers have spent centuries writing on the subject and yet beauty has infinite dimensions, constantly re-creating itself. This itself proves that beauty is not just skin deep but has more to do with the inexplicable energy that one exuberates.

We all want to look our best and this inert human desire is unfortunately exploited to the hilt by a multi-trillion dollar industry that sells 'hopes in a jar' misleading desperate seekers. This article is a humble attempt at bringing to light ways that can help us realise our dream of achieving eternal youth and beauty.

To begin with, anyone serious about the pursuit of beauty should read the latest book by Yogi Ashwini on Anti-Ageing titled ‘Sanatan Kriya - The Ageless Dimension’. Not only does the book prescribe numerous asanas and kriyas for health and vitality but also explains in detail the process of ageing and how our ancient rishis gave us the perfect science to stall it.

Next, moving to simple daily beauty rituals, I often find many people laying all their focus on their face while completely ignoring the rest of the body. True, face is what people see the most; however, the way you take care of the rest of your body is an automatic reflection on the face. No one can ignore a lady with beautiful hands and feet or a perfectly toned body or shiny healthy hair.

Below is a list of suggestions on taking care of your skin this winter:

1.Yoga for inside-out balance of mind, body and spirit

2. Daily dry skin brushing, while more of a western concept does have subtle benefits in sloughing off dry skin cells and stimulating blood circulation through this process

3. Self-massage at least 2-3 times a

week with cold-pressed, unrefined organic vegetable oils, sesame, olive, mustard or almond oil during winters gives the skin a boost of vitamins and essential fatty acids (EFAs)

4. After a bath, you can apply the same oil all over your wet body.  A warm bath opens up the pores which not only absorb oil easily but also the wetness allows for lubrication. If you have excessively dry skin, use an organic body butter or body lotion on clean dry body. It is important to let your skin breathe. Poor quality creams and oils tend to cling to the skin with a shine and clog the pores over time

5. Steam taken as often as possible along with plenty of water to drink

6. Massage the face with a good organic face cream, at least 2-3 times a week at night. I also recommend facial oils as they are potent with vitamins and anti-oxidants

7. Take care of your hands and feet by soaking the feet in relaxing salts

or plain warm water, scrubbing the soles with a good quality foot filer, massaging with ultra-rich shea butter or similar buttered cream and keeping the feet warm and comfortable through the day