Discovering True Radiance: Ayurvedic Practices for Spring
As much as we love the idea of a fix-it-all face cream, the truth is that radiant skin begins within. Sure, quick fixes are enticing (like, really enticing), but a true glow comes from small, consistent efforts with diet and lifestyle.
Your skin is a great communicator for whatever is going on within the digestive system. Rather than only approach complexion concerns with skincare products, we ought to look at our relationship with food and other forms of nourishment.
That’s Ayurveda’s perspective, at least. And as a 5,000 year old continually practiced system of wellness, I find it particularly hard to argue with.
A couple of Ayurvedic concepts to keep in mind as we dive in:
The 20 Gunas (or qualities)
This is a set of opposing qualities used to describe all of nature. Things like hot and cold, cloudy and clear, heavy and light, rough and smooth, etc.
Like Increases Like and Opposites Balance
When you have a ‘cold’ and rely on cold foods like ice cream and iced beverages, or are exposed to the cold weather, you’ll notice the sickness sticks around longer. Or gets worse! If, instead, you’re bundled up, sipping on soup, and drinking warming ginger tea, you’ll get better. Adding in more warming qualities balances the cold qualities.
We are a Microcosm of the Macrocosm
Composed of the same elements and moved by the same energies as the cosmos, we are quite literally made of stardust. Acknowledging this helps us to understand why, on a rainy day we may find ourselves needing to pee more often (you’ll notice it now, I’m tellin’ you!). More moisture in our environment means more moisture within our bodies.
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” -Rumi
The Gunas of Spring
With the arrival of Spring, sap begins to run and the river’s ice gives way to a bubbling flow beneath. The ground swells from rain, forming a sticky mud. And while the sunshine beams down longer, it’s still quite chilly.
Spring is characterized by elevated moisture, heaviness, and cold. We must introduce the opposing qualities if we want to avoid illness and maintain our health. Especially if our constitution already contains a good deal of these qualities.
Maintaining Balance
This Spring, focus on incorporating more
Warm
Dry
Light
qualities into your diet and skincare. This ensures that all the fluids (blood, plasma, lymph, digestive juices, urine, sweat, tears…) keep flowing optimally. Otherwise, we can experience stagnation, poor appetite, congestion, weight gain, allergies, a foggy mind, or lethargy. Let it flow, baby!
Food Tips for Spring
This season can be particularly challenging for me. But with over 10 years of practice, I have really come to lean on my Ayurvedic habits. Here are my top tips for supporting digestion this season:
Spice it up. Incorporate more pungent, warming spices like ginger, lemon, and pepper. Having condiments like mustard, sliced chilis, and ferments are great ways to up the warmth without overheating.
Get bitter. Favor bitter vegetables like asparagus, radicchio, arugula, and cabbage. My favorite way to cook these? Steam, sear, wilt, and braise…respectively! Artichoke and radish are great too.
Skip the dairy. At least cow’s milk products as they are heavy and dense. Especially when consumed cold or at night. Since they are light and warming, goat milk products are great alternatives!
Stay warm. Sip warm water (with lemon if you prefer) first thing in the morning. This softens and clears the channels, helping to move along any gunk that’s gotten stuck. Sticky gunk leads to poor digestion, imbalance, and illness.
Skincare Tips for Spring
Just like our digestive system, our skin is craving some warm, dry, and light qualities too. In my six years of formulating ayurveda-inspired skincare, these have come to be my most effective spring practices:
Dry brush. This energizing practice is best done in the morning as it can be quite stimulating. Before showering, begin at the feet and brush the skin in an upward motion. Be gentle but brisk and give extra attention to areas that are prone to stagnation (breasts, bum, thighs, etc).
Cleanse with clay. I alternate between oil cleansing and using a clay-based cleanser. (See this guide for tips on how to get started creating a skincare routine.) For Springtime skincare, I choose the clay-based cleanser more frequently as it helps to dry up the natural increase of moisture/oiliness on my skin. I might opt for oil cleansing half the time and clay the other half. (Whereas in the winter, I’m mostly cleansing with oil and using the clay as a weekly masque if needed.)
Swap your facial mist. I frequently reach for hydrosols such as Lemon Verbena, Tulsi, Sweet Fern, or Juniper as they have slightly more astringent and invigorating properties.
Lighten up the moisture. Find a moisturizer that contains mostly lighter, drier oils such as grapeseed, almond, plum, argan, moringa, or sunflower. Of course, this is relative to your skin needs. Those with oily skin will want to lighten up quite a bit while those with lots of dryness may only want to lighten slightly. Or maybe not at all!
For my fellow empaths and highly sensitives, I feel you will find this information particularly supportive. These practices help us ground into nature, strengthening our boundaries and replenishing our cup that is all too easy to pour from.
The consumption of food is when nature becomes a part of us from the inside out, while the application of skincare products is when nature becomes us from the outside in. Sandwich that beautiful body of yours between the loving embrace of nature and you will find yourself happy, healthy, and living in true radiance.
Want to learn more about your unique constitution? Or explore customized ways to stay balanced this Spring? My waitlist is FINALLY OPEN! Get on the list for an Ayurvedic Health Consultation with me today!