Beauty from an Ayurvedic Perspective - Interview with A.P. Bridget Kaczmarek

An Aryuvedic Perspective on Beauty

Today we sit down with Bridget, who is an Ayurvedic practitioner based in NYC and talk about beauty & skin from an Ayurvedic perspective, how balancing our doshas means balancing our skin and how we can develop a more loving relationship with our face.

Tell us about Beauty & Skin from an Ayurvedic perspective? 

What is beauty? For almost everyone, we are searching for this answer in the outside world for guidance. From a fashion spread in a magazine, to the newest commercial on what can erase those pesky ageing lines and large billboards off the highway selling that exotic beach vacation with a frolicking svelte couple. As cheesy or practical (depending on your outlook) as this may sound, Ayurveda believes it comes deep within the body and mind. 

A lot can be said by just a few facial expressions. Even as babies, we look to read what expression our mother or father has to know what is coming next, their mood and so much more. We start to build an identity for ourselves, separating ourselves from others and the outer world to eventually form an ego. Self-image is then established from our earliest relationships by how lovable or loved we are.* Which then equates into how “beautiful” we are by our perceived idea of beauty.

We continue to develop this image in our minds of who we’d like to be, who we think we are etc. by the conditioning of the environment and people around us. Look around you. For instance one part of the world may say hitting the gym daily and throwing a tire around is the best workout you can get. While another says running goats up the side of a mountain, helping you to develop a larger lung capacity to reach further distances is. I like how Dr.Pratima Raichur, explains in her book, Absolute Beauty, “In Ayurvedic terms, beauty is the face of the Self unbounded - the pure energy of consciousness reflected in the subtlest physical form through the body”. * Pratima also explains in the book how, Ellen Zetzel Lambert, a feminist writer, defines beauty as the “face of love”.*  So the number of wrinkles, or who has the best tan or biggest muscles doesn’t really equate to the beauty of either of their words or how deep beauty really can be. 

Our skin from an Ayurvedic perspective

Our self-image includes the physical body and what outlines our body? The skin. The largest organ in the human body (20 sq ft actually)! Its main job is protecting us, whether that be from the elements, microorganisms and chemicals trying to invade our body. As well as, regulating our body temperature, excretion (think about that summer heat), gathering information through touch and vitamin production/conversion. The skin through the lens of Western Anatomy, has 3 layers; the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. When looking at Ayurveda, there are seven tissue layers and skin is a part of 2 main tissue layers in the body. The first tissue layer is called Rasa, consisting of plasma, lymph and serum. The other layer is Mamsa, which is made of muscle. The top layer of the skin is a part of Rasa, so think about how much water you are intaking or how dry your skin is. The other 6 layers of the skin belong to Mamsa, for example in skin pores where excretions are coming from. As you can see diet, lifestyle and the mind can play a huge part in what goes on with your skin. 

Balance your doshas - Balance your skin

There are all those skin type questionnaires online to discover which of the many products would work best for you. In Ayurveda there are three doshas, meaning energy, manifested physiologically and psychologically as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These three doshas define a person’s makeup and are derived from the five natural elements—air, ether, water, fire and earth. You can apply Vata, Pitta and Kapha to everything, including yourself.

So instead of trying to “fix” a skin issue on the outside, an aryuvedic practitioner would see skin issues as symptoms of an imbalance in your dosha (= energy type). By balancing your doshas and your overall health, that will translate to your skin too.

Vata dosha is responsible for our energy and movement in our mind and body. Examples of Vata manifestation is our breath, speech, circulation and digestion. Air and ether comprises Vata and can be found everywhere in our environment and in the body. From an environment of a windy, dry open field to dry itchy skin.

Pitta dosha translates to “that which digests things.” The elemental makeup consists of fire and water and is responsible for our ability to mentally digest our life experiences and biologically digest our food both chemically and metabolically. You can see pitta in the hot summer season and in that sunburn you acquired at the beach.

Kapha dosha, and is made of the elements earth and water. In the body Kapha is responsible for solidity, all structures and proper amount of fluids. Nourishing, bringing structure and solidity in the environment and the body. Seeing Kapha in the mind of a supportive and caring friend or someone with large pores or thick skin.

So everything from what you ingest or put on the skin, can be tailored to support what the doshas are doing in the body. As an Ayurvedic practitioner or even a student of Ayurveda, one is always looking to find balance, as balance is perfect health. That also means great skin! 

How do you take care of your Skin, what’s your routine? 

Dinacharya (daily routine) and Ratacharya (nighttime routine), are cornerstones to good health (and ultimately great skin) in Ayurveda. As great as a routine is for a healthy developing child, your body and mind knowingly or unknowingly is craving this too. Sticking with a consistent morning and evening routine for the skin is really important. 

Splashing cool water on my face in the morning is a great wake up call. Next steps are to cleanse, exfoliate (every 2-3 days), rose water, essential oil blend for rejuvenation (I custom blend this myself usually), moisturize and finally apply SPF. I also love using a rose quartz face roller. Especially when I’m having jaw tightness or puffy bags under my eyes (I store it in the fridge in the summer….oooooh lala la). My nighttime routine is super simple. I wash my face, spray rosewater and top with a moisturizer.

What are your favourite products/things you do in terms of Ayurvedic health routines?

I’m sure everyone has quite a list and I could go on about this for a while. So instead I’ll just give a few things from the oral care portion of my morning routine that can help everyone/every dosha.

My morning routine includes a simple yet effective oral routine. This consists of tongue scraping, flossing, brushing and oil pulling.  I’m sure the readers here are familiar with flossing and brushing, however, a quick note on scraping and oil pulling which are Ayurvedic practices in oral hygiene.

 In Ayurveda, the tongue holds a connection to vital organs in our body. When we don’t properly eliminate toxins they can accumulate and affect our health. Using a U-shaped metal scrapper (stainless steel is tridoshic, meaning can be used for all three doshas), gently scraping across your tongue back to front pulling these toxins for us that accumulate overnight. This process clears bacteria and toxins, enhances flavour and stimulates the internal vital organs. 

Finish off this oral routine with oil pulling for additional cleansing, prevention and whitening. By swishing oil (usually unrefined sesame oil or maybe coconut oil in the summer) in the mouth the liquid begins to pull the toxins from all the nooks and crannies in your mouth. You “swish” this natural mouthwash for 5 - 15 minutes and then spit that out once you are through. Do spit out in the trash can so as not to clog your drains. Note do not do this if you have a longstanding disease, autoimmune disease and/or fever.

What are things you can do to support your skin that are true for all doshas? 

There are so many things from an Ayurvedic perspective, but pulling a really key one here, would be HYDRATION. Drinking half your weight in ounces of water (for every glass of caffeine add one more). It’s so important for almost every bodily process, organ, function etc. but especially for the skin. Keeping the skin hydrated to ward off dry skin, itchiness, roughness and hardness. Water keeps the skin feeling refreshed and helps with elasticity. If you've been getting in your targeted amount of water glasses, you have quicker recovery after skin injury, are less likely to suffer from scarring, wrinkles, soft lines and ageing. It’s great to have local spring water too. Making sure you get extra nutrients without additives to promote an even healthier version of you! 

How can we work towards a more loving relationship with our Face & Body? 

Oh that’s a good one, start with the mind and everything else (including the face and body) will follow. Yes, this may seem lofty, but practically, to work on this, include taking time for yourself, meditation, journaling and walks in nature. These are great tools that are right at your fingertips with minimal to no cost, but all the benefits! 

*from: Raichur, Pratima, Absolute Beauty, Harper Collins Publishers, Ny, NY 1997 Pg 7-8.

To book a consultation with Bridget, visit her website.

For more inspiration about integrating an ayurvedic way of living follow Bridget on Instagram.

Photo Credit: Aurae LLC.

Bridget was interviewed by Isabelle, Founder of & Spirit.