FACIAL MASKS

Honey Facial
(warning - do not use this if you are allergic to eggs!)1 tablespoon honey1 egg yoke1 teaspoon olive oil
Beat the egg yoke with a fork, add the oil and blend well. Add the honey using a spoon that you have rinsed with hot water and blend well again. Smear it all over your face with your fingers, except do not cover your eyes. Leave it on your face for 15 minutes, then rinse it off.
Cucumber Facial
1 cucumber
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon witch hazel (you can buy this in any drug store)
1 egg white, beaten with an electric beater until fluffy.
Peel the cucumber and run it through a blender or a food processor. Pour the cucumber pulp into a colander or strainer and force it through, catching the liquid that comes out in a bowl underneath. Combine the cucumber liquid with the lemon juice and the witch hazel. Stir it and add the beaten egg white gently. Put it on your face and leave it on for 15 to 25 minutes, then rinse off.

Skin Care During Winter

Skin, the protective covering of our body bears assault of changing climates and seasons. Scorching heat of the summer vexes the skin with sun burns and dehydration. Thus the skin needs rest and rejuvenation in winter. But winter takes its own toll on the skin. The cold and dry weather of winter brings about drying of skin making it scaly. Lack of sufficient humidity out doors leads to cracked skin. Indoor heating further removes the traces of moisture and aggravates dryness of skin. Cracked, chapped and dry skin leads to various skin infections. Hence the skin has to be rejuvenated and care should be taken to keep the skin moist, soft and smooth.
The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. In winter the agni or body fire (digestive power) increases with the support of vata . The increased body fire even digests heavy foods easily and quickly. When sufficient food is not available for the amplified body fire it affects the nutritive fluids of body leading to vitiation of vata. Thus the vitiated vata assigns its qualities of coldness, dryness and roughness to skin. Hence in winter a great care should be taken to protect the skin with various measures regarding diets and lifestyles.
Skin care diet for winter
1. Drink plenty of water to keep the skin hydrated. Drinking warm water in winter prevents vitiation of vata and diseases which arise from vata.
2. Soups which are sour and salted - balance vata.
3. Include honey in the diet.
4. Avoid Consumption of junk foods, too much of sweets and oil food as these lead to weight gain.
5. Your diet must ideally comprise of Cane juice, milk and clarified butter (ghee) during winter.
6. Stay away from cold and refrigerated foods like ice creams, milk shakes as they vitiate vata.
7. Gorge on warm and heavy food to fulfill the requirement of increased body fire.
Skin care life styles for winter
1. Always wear warm clothes which are made of wool, silk and cotton.
2. When you are wearing clothes in layers wear cotton clothes next to your skin as they do not cause skin allergy. Moreover they absorb sweat. Where as synthetic clothes fail to do so. Unabsorbed sweat harbors microorganisms which cause skin infections.
3. Avoid long hot showers and bath.
4. Quick three minutes bath is advisable.
5. Twenty to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can give your skin a healthy glow.
6. Avoid repeated washing of face. This washes off natural oils from your skin and makes the skin dry, scaly and wrinkled. Use Luke warm water instead of hot water to wash face.
7. Use an indoor humidifier to place moisture in the air.
Skin care accessories for winter :
1. Massage your body with oils which are infused with vata balancing herbs.
2. Apply moisturizing lotion liberally all over the body.
3. Smear lip balm on lips to prevent chapping of lips.
4. Take care of your skin on heels with balms and moisturizing products.
Enjoy the winter with a glowing skin. I wish you a Happy winter.

Yoga for Glowing Skin

Medically poor diet and poor stimulation of the circulatory and excretory systems and subsequent build up of toxins are the root cause of skin eruptions.

Shitli Kumbhak paranayam has the potential to reduce facial wrinkles. It also improves blood circulation and purifies the blood, reduces toxins and acidity and prevents skin infections. Process: Fold the tongue so that it protrudes a little from the mouth. Slowly inhale through the mouth. While inhaling one should feel coolness inside the neck. Then swallow the breath and hold inside your stomach. Hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through the nose.

Yogic body cleaning processes known as Shatkarmas (these are cleansing kriyas like kunjal, neti, dhoti, vasti, sankhprakshalan and tratak) are extremely powerful detoxification techniques. When the different systems of the body have been purified, the overall result is that energy can flow through the body freely.
Yogic massage with different kind of oils (as almond oil, apricot oil and sandalwood essential oil) are best for the skin. These massages also increase the circulation to the face and skin thus bringing much-needed nutrients and oxygen to rejuvenate and remove toxin-causing matter.

Practice of Varun Mudra enhances physical beauty, decrease dryness of the body and adds a glow to the skin. Join the fore part of the little finger with the fore part of the thumb to form the Varun Mudra .


Some Ayurvedic beauty tips :
• Mix a half teaspoon of turmeric with almond oil, apply to the skin with a facial sponge, and rinse off.
• Herbs like neem, tulsi and sandalwood are extremely effective in curing acne, eczema and other skin diseases; especially a face pack of sandal wood .

Here is a kriya to Reverse the Ageing process.
The body is programmed for normal wear and tear. The pranic currents of paanch mahapranas within the body i.e Prana, Apana, Samana, Udaan and Vayan are programmed to flow in their respective directions and take the body to its logical end. Our ancient rishis discovered that reversing the process of pranic flows has the effect of reversing certain ageing processes, processes responsible for apparent decay of the body viz grey hair, sagging skin and loss of the youthful physical glow.
Reversing the Pranic flow is called Viparitkarni - a technique prescribed by the ancients to reverse the ageing process.

Viparitkarni Kriya: Lie down on your back. Then slowly lift the lower part of the body upwards (as shown in the picture) till you are in a position where the legs are perpendicular to the ground. Remember the legs should not be tilting towards the face. As you lift the body - inhale and hold your breath for a comfortable time period; then exhale and slowly come down. Remember the key is not to overstrain yourself. Caution: The body should not be diseased, that is to say you should practice this kriya only when there are no physical ailments in the body. If there is a problem in the body then do other asanas and kriyas to get rid of the disease first. The body’s ageing process can be reversed only if the body is disease free.