News
BALANCE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
May 4th, 2008
BALANCE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
An Interview with Dr. Pratima Raichur
on Ayurveda (Ah-yur-vay-dah)
by Anne
Marie Cummings
"When the skin meets the soul and the soul meets the skin, something beautiful, pure and luminescent emerges." Dr. Pratima Raichur
A Chemist, Botanist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Ayurvedic Physician,
and Best-Selling Author, Dr. Pratima Raichur
embarked on her career at age 13 when she started apprenticing for one of India's
foremost Ayurvedic physicians. While working as a researcher at Hull University
in England,
Dr. Raichur began to study the
correlation between modern medicine and Ayurveda-India's 5,000-year-old
traditional medicine, and applied her discoveries to her own practice as an
aesthetician. In the past three decades she has treated thousands of men and
women using her unique system of Ayurvedic remedies. In many cases she has
proven her excellence by clearing up skin
problems that defied treatment by top dermatologists.
It says on your website that you live by the Ayurvedic philosophy. Can you explain exactly what that philosophy is? That everything in the universe is composed of five energies which we are each born with, but each of us has one or two predominant energies. Our constitution (body type) changes according to those energies. Balancing these is what Ayurveda is about.
The body combinations that we each have then are? Vata, Pitta, and/or Kapha. (see the description of each type below)
What does the word dosha mean? Dosha means either excess or lack of. For instance if someone is dosha Pitta, they have excess fire.
Each person has their unique constitution,
and Ayurveda attempts to balance them if they are imbalanced. Are these constitutions genetic? Yes they
are, but the doshas are not. Doshas are
what we create. The aim in Ayurveda is
to balance the imbalances and go back to what we were born with.
Can a person have a combination of the constitutions and be more than one type? Most of us are born with a combination.
So the idea is to balance all
the constitutions within each of us? If
someone is Pitta, they should incorporate some Kapha, and Vata elements? Pitta
means they are born with fire, but when there is excess of it, it's Pitta
dosha. Normal Pitta will have beautiful
skin, a beautiful rosy complexion, but if there is excess, they will have
broken capillaries, and hypertension, it will manifest in many different
ways. We don't know what we are born with; we only know
what we are today. If I give you paperwork
asking you to fill out what constitution you think you are, what you write is
what you see in yourself today, not what you were born with. What you know today is what your dosha is -
in other words, you know your imbalance.
How does a constitution become
imbalanced? We have
too much stress. We don't eat
properly. This list is endless. Whatever we are doing to disturb our own
harmony causes imbalance.
How do climates or change of
seasons affect a person's constitution? Change
of season does affect us. Just like the
human body has a constitution, the earth has a constitution - the fall is
considered Vata, summer Pitta, winter Kapha, and spring is also Pitta.
If someone is living in a cold
climate and is experiencing a prolonged winter - what should they do? Eat
warm foods to help balance the cold outside, exercise or else they will become
lazy, stay away from anything that is too heavy such as dairy and cheese, and
avoid sweets. And in the summer we eat
everything that is cooling, calming. We
drink lots of liquids. All the food we
should eat is sweet in the summer, but not sugar sweet. When I say sweet, I mean salads and greens.
"The inner glow," and "radiance
from within" - this is often language that is used to describe Ayurveda,
right? By
looking at the external you learn to look at the inner. This is the whole lifestyle that we need to
follow. External beauty goes away when
you wash your makeup off. Internal
beauty is the way you live your life. Absolute
beauty is internal and external, but this comes when you understand the
lifestyle of thinking, eating, and living properly. Real
radiance comes when you understand who you are and what your purpose is in
life. You become content and
blissful. This never washes away. This makes no difference with age. There is a saying called, "Satem Shirum,"
which means "Truth and Eternal Beauty."
When you understand that you are the Shiva energy (the soul, the
eternal), and that fire cannot burn it, wind cannot blow it, water cannot wash
it, when you understand this energy, this is who you are. You are Satem Shirum, and you understand what
your constitution is and you fulfill your goals. Then you will become contented. Meditation is a way to become content. The more you meditate, the more you will find
real happiness. You see life is like a
whale - always going up and down, up and down, and staying in harmony no matter
happens is when you are a realized soul.
To restore the balance, Ayurveda
relies on dietary guidelines, what's the Ayurveda way of looking at food? Can you talk more about this? For one
thing it's not about calories; it's based on the six different tastes: sweet,
sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Ayurvedic diet says we should have all these tastes in our daily diet,
but in accordance with our constitution.
A balanced diet for Vatas would mean not to eat anything cold, they
should eat more soups and steamed vegetables, more carbohydrates because they
don't have high fire. Pittas are already
hot so they should eat salads, but they should not eat hot spices, fried, or
fermented food, and for Kaphas, sweets are bad for them because they have a
tendency to gain weight. Kaphas need to
stay away from dairy and cheese, and anything sour.
You began studying Ayurvedic
counseling in Mumbai, India at the age of thirteen, who
did you study with? Why so young? I was
so young, but it just happened that way.
I studied with my neighbor, an older man who was very famous in India
and it just so happened that he and my grandfather were very good friends. My grandfather started saying to me that
instead of playing after school with my friends I should go and help him make
his herbal concoctions. So my
grandfather sent me to him every evening and I would help him with his herbal
preparations, and then of course he started teaching me. And because I was a young girl, being a
woman, he started talking to me about skin.
That's how my study began. It was
destiny.
The role of Ayurveda is to
rebuild tissues, strengthen the immune system, and restore balance to the whole
person. So your clinic addresses issues
that have to do with the whole person, and not just the skin? Yes because
skin is only an external cover which reflects the internal imbalances. Everything inside is reflected on the outside
so we need to work on our digestion, our elimination, our emotions. We do everything.
In an article in Healing Lifestyles & Spas, it says
that you treat people with anorexia - so you have clients who are interested in
more than just their skin? Anorexia
for me is an extreme imbalance of Vata.
So I treat imbalances. For
instance I don't treat cancer as cancer.
I don't treat cancer at all. It's
a medical term. I'm not allowed to use
that, but according to Ayurveda, you are treating the imbalance that's caused whatever
illness there is. Nothing cures; it's
about trying to bring about balance.
Prevention is better than a cure - that's what Ayurveda says.
What is your approach to skin
care? If
someone comes to me with acne who has already taken antibiotics, the reason
they are breaking out is because the cause has not been addressed
properly. So what do I do? I change their diet. A medical doctor doesn't believe in diet and
nutrition, but I start with the diet and then I go into their emotional life. I teach them meditation and help them to reduce
stress. I give them herbs - I balance
from the inside out.
On your website you list a
number of reasons as to why we have skin problems. I think one of the most common may be nerve
and stress related. You mention that the
skin is a mirror of the mind, that every thought and emotion affects the skin,
that stress stimulates the adrenal glands, resulting in increased production of
steroids, which in turn produce more oil which can clog the pores. The result, acne. Yes,
this can be the case for some.
How long does it take you to
look at someone's skin before you know their constitution? Within two minutes. I
examine a person's nails, their tongue, their pulse. When I observe someone from head to toe, all of
these things together tell me what the imbalances are.
Do we naturally crave the scents
that help balance our constitutions? This depends
on how balanced we are, this depends on how close we are to what's good in
ourselves. It's like cravings: some
crave what is good for them, not what is bad for them. We are normally attracted to what makes us
feel good.
In your book Absolute Beauty: Radiant Skin and Inner Harmony Through the Ancient Secrets ... what are some of the secrets you reveal that have been handed down from one generation to the next? The simpler the life, the better. Simplifying can be less stressful. Stress is a perception. What creates stress in this country is that we try to do too many things in too little time. We never stop. We want too many things. Just being thankful for what we have is the simplest way to put it. When I was young my mom used to tell me to always speak good words because the walls are always listening and saying "so be it." Whatever you think, you become - whatever your thoughts are, that's what you attract. You may have heard of that book, The Secret, but my mother said to me, "always be good, think good thoughts." The main thing my mom taught me when I was very young was about the image of a supreme mother goddess called Chamunda. She is a combination of three important powers. My mother showed me a statue of this goddess and said, "You want to be beautiful right?" And I said, "Yes." And then she said, "Then you will need to have these three powers - knowledge, strength, and purity. When you have these, there is prosperity, beauty and bliss." As a woman my goal was to achieve those three.
What kinds of ingredients are included in your products? All of our products contain one hundred percent pure essential oils, herbs, and flower essences designed for the individual skin and body type by combining the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with western medicine and herbs. They do not contain any chemicals or preservatives, and are not tested on animals. Their effectiveness is attributed to the use of all-natural high-quality ingredients and unique preparation. My products are like food for the skin that is good enough to eat.
SOME OF DR. PRATIMA RAICHUR'S UNIQUE SKIN PRODUCTS
Vata Herbal Facial Cleanser (2oz - $18)
For Dry,
Dehydrated Skin
Healing comfrey and basil work with exfoliating lemon peel and nourishing
lentils, that carry lipo-protein to the skin, to restore moisture and help skin stay soft and hydrated.
Pitta Herbal Facial Cleanser (2oz - $18)
For
Combination/Sensitive Skin
Soothing sandalwood and healing coriander combine with antiseptic neem and
natural astringent orange peel to cool, calm and reduce redness to sensitive,
inflamed and/or acne-prone skin.
Kapha Herbal Facial Cleanser (2oz - $18)
For Oily Skin
Natural astringents like red sandalwood and
fenugreek combine with shikakai fruit and manjishta root to help reduce
oiliness, tighten pores, heal blemishes and improve skin tone. Skin feels fresh
and invigorated.
Saffron Ghee (0.5oz $27.00)
This rich, warming energy of organic Ghee and stimulating Saffron work together
to deeply nourish, hydrate and improve the circulation under the eye area, with
an added glow. Combined with soothing Rose
and anti-oxidant rich Triphala, this rejuvenating eye salve provides an
effective remedy for fine lines, wrinkles, crow's feet and dark circles.
Rare Earth
Mask (2oz. $25.00)
This anti-oxidant packed mask, uses mineral-rich clay to detoxify and exfoliate
the skin and effectively reduces the appearances of pores, pigmentation and
discoloration, leaving skin even-toned, smooth and visibly brightened.
CONSTITUTIONS
Kapha - Oily, Earth type of skin
People with Kapha type of skin
are Earth predominant and also have a strong water element. The characteristics
of Kapha are oily, cold, heavy, soft, slow, dense, dull and lubricating. The
skin imbalances can be identified by the following characteristics: cool, fair,
oily and thick skin, large pores with proneness to cystic acne, and deep
wrinkles.
Vata
- Dry/Dehydrated, AIR type of skin
People with Vata type of skin are Air
predominant and also have strong ether elements. The characteristics of Vata
are light, dry, cold, rough, and mobile.
Vata type of skin imbalance is seen as thin, dry, rough and cold, prone
to premature aging. A lack of sebum
occurs because the sebaceous glands are low in number and are sluggish. The
small pores characteristic of this type of skin lose water quickly. The loss of
water leads to tiny superficial wrinkles. Signs of aging, therefore appear much
faster for Vata constitutions than with other types of skin.
Pitta - Combination/Sensitive, FIRE
type of skin
People with Pitta type of skin are Fire
predominant and also have a strong water element. The characteristics of Pitta
are slightly oily, hot, light, mobile, sour-smelling, sharp fluid, and pungent.
Pitta skin imbalance is usually warm, reddish, sensitive, with blotchy red
patches, medium pores with large pores in the T-zone, and skin prone to
blackheads and allergic reactions.
PRATIMA Ayurvedic Skin Care Clinic and Spa
in SoHo, Manhattan, offers a unique array of services to restore balance to your whole being, address problem skin, counter the effects of stress and aging, and cultivate a genuine, lasting beauty. From exotic facials and massages to traditional Ayurvedic therapies incorporating elements such as milk, rose, sandalwood and pure oils mixed with herbs, each treatment is customized to complement your individual dosha (body type) leaving you with a revitalized, radiant beauty that emanates from deep within.
PRATIMA AYURVEDIC SKIN CARE
110 Greene St.
Suite 701
New York, NY 10012
(212) 581-8136
(Between Prince and Spring Streets)
- Rasa Spa 310 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY, 14850
- 607.273.1740
- info@rasaspa.com
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