She - YFLO says aye to ayurveda

If you thought air, water or fire type referred only to your zodiac sign, read on. The terms could well let you know your body better, rather than your personality, and a brush-up with the Ayurvedic principles is what the doctor ordered here. January 15 saw a YFLO talk on Ayurveda and beauty, in collaboration with Kama Ayurveda at the Quest mall terrace. t2 was in the audience and came away better informed after a talk by V.R. Vivekanand, clinical registrar at I-AIM Healthcare Centre and senior assistant professor, school of health sciences, Trans-Disciplinary University, Bangalore. He has been an Ayurveda expert for 16 years now. He spoke about body types and women’s health. 

Ayurveda is mostly about prevention rather than cure. There are no standardised rules. Food, sleep and lifestyle are all equally important. Please spend 30 minutes a day doing what you like. Without sleep, you’ll drain yourself out and age much faster. But first, figure out your body type —
V.R. Vivekanand

So what’s your body type?
Air type: Thin, dry, brittle hair, prominent bone structure, hyperactive, learns quickly, forgets quickly, prone to skin and bone-related issues
Water type: Well-built, finds it difficult to lose weight, calm and quiet
Fire type: Vibrant, oily scalp, short-tempered, prone to acne and boils, sweating, prone to excessive bleeding during cycles

Top tips to follow
• Respect your body and pamper it. 
•  Opt for body massages followed by steam or hot shower. Opt for an oil massage for both hair and body. Women who have a higher BMI, should always follow up a body massage with steam, irrespective of seasons, which would help open up skin pores.
•  Acne is often a stress-related problem. Hydrate yourself. Stop drinking coffee, tea or cola —they’re acidic. Also, get enough sleep. Surakta, a syrup by Baidyanath, is good for acne. Take15ml with water, after your meal.
•  Try to take Chyawanprash, originally used to treat heart and lung conditions, especially tuberculosis. It is made with amla, which is rich in vitamin C. Do not take it once you’re sick, as it is mainly for preventive purposes. It helps improve immunity against pollution and allergies. Regular intake will help boost your immunity.
•  Honey is a great natural product. It helps reduce phlegm, which is why it is taken during colds. Externally used, honey is an excellent remedy for burns. But it shouldn’t be added to anything hot. Honey in warm water and lemon is a remedy that is used to shock the body which in turn makes you lose weight but isn’t good for long-term use. And be careful while applying it as part of beauty routine since it turns hair grey.

Ladies tune in to the A-talk

This talk focused only on women which is great because often we forget that men and women have very different bodies so we must treat them differently. Apart from that, all the remedies and tips were also very helpful. We know about most of them and should be following them to take care of ourselves anyway, but we don’t because we forget — Manjri Agarwal, chairperson of YFLO 

Kama Ayurveda products were available for browsing and buying

Text: Deborima Ganguly
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray