Absolute Beauty

When we are in balance—when we are healthy in body and mind—we are naturally resistant to all disease, and the skin is naturally glowing. When we are out of balance, whether the symptoms appear on the surface of the skin or somewhere else in the body or mind, the cure is the same: To balance ourselves internally and externally on all levels of life—body, breath, mind, and soul.

this is ancient news for Ayurvedic practitioners, who have long known that hair is a waste by-product of bone tissue formation, and that early graying is a sign of bone tissue imbalance which, left unchecked, typically progresses to bone disease

The first stage of imbalance occurs when a dosha starts to accumulate in its natural seat because of stress and improper lifestyle.

the reciprocal affects of the dhatus and emotions

We would say that we absorb the subtle energies of all nutrients—physical and psychological—not only into the body, but also directly into consciousness through the operations of the three doshas. In this way, the qualities of our emotions are reflected in each of the dhatus, just as the qualities of our food are.

Whether the stressor is the wrong food or an undigested emotion, it takes a couple of weeks from the time the stress occurs for this type of acne to break out.

Rasadhatu gets its nutrients directly from the food we consume—both edible and emotional—and then provides nutrients in turn to the other dhatus.

Therefore, a strong immune system and beautiful skin require strong ojas, a balanced constitution, and the proper transformation and function of the dhatus and waste products.

Once the mind makes its decision that an event is stressful, the thought itself becomes our molecular reality in the form of biochemicals called catecholamines—the “stress” hormones that arouse key bodily systems to prepare for fight or flight. The brain, mindful of a crisis or a threat, signals the hypothalamus, which activates the master gland, the pituitary, which in turn activates the adrenal glands, whose hormonal secretions provide the familiar adrenaline “rush” symptomatic of the stress response. It is through the combined and protracted effects of these stress hormones on the immune system that thoughts have the capacity to make us ill.

This is the kind of psychological stress with which Ayurveda is concerned, and as we said, it arises from our subjective perceptions of reality.