Eternal Beauty (The Aura of Ayurveda)

Eternal Beauty is a systematic compilation of simple, healthy tips for nurturing and preserving natural beauty. The book is based on Ayurveda's threefold concept of beauty - physical, mental and spiritual. It elaborates on a daily routine recommended for optimal health and beauty without cosmetics. Presented as an easy-to-access manual, the book includes:

• Dietary and lifestyle advice for your constitution

• Daily routine to minimize stress, reduce aging signs and enhance beauty

• Ayurvedic beauty therapies practicable at your home

• Body care tips for physical beauty

• Remedies to beauty problems associated with your constitution

• Methods of achieving emotional well being and spiritual beauty

The book has a comprehensive herbs glossary, appendices and illustrations; and offers a new approach to beauty from an Ayurvedic perspective, thus promising to be an excellent guide to holistic health and beauty.

Dr Partap Chauhan (BAMS) is a silver medallist in Ayurveda from the University of Delhi, India, who has also studied under the renowned Ayurvedic scholar, Shri Nanak Chand, an expert in Ayurvedic Rasa Sastra.

Dr Chauhan began his endeavor toward Ayurveda globalization in 1992, by establishing the Jiva

Ayurveda Clinic and Panchakarma Center followed by Jiva Pharmacy and Jiva Ayurveda, the first comprehensive online resource on Ayurveda. Dr Chauhan travels extensively and is regularly invited to conduct lectures and workshops in over 30 countries. Although he practices an ancient Indian medical science, Dr Chauhan makes optimum use of modern technology in his quest to spread Ayurveda to every corner of the world.

Ayurveda is an Indian medical science that originated over five thousand years ago. It is the only medical science that talks extensively about the prevention of disease and the maintenance of health, in addition to treatment of diseases. It contains practical information on diet, lifestyle, seasonal regimens, and formulas to correct physical and psychological imbalances.

The word Ayurveda literally means “the science of life.” The word Ayurveda is made of two Sanskrit words—ayus and veda. Veda means knowledge, and ayus is described as a combination of the body, mind, senses, and soul. In brief, Ayurveda guides us towards a healthy, happy, peaceful, and long life.

Since Ayurveda refers to the body, mind, and soul, beauty according to Ayurveda is also three-fold-physical, psychological, and spiritual. Ayurveda believes in natural balance and propounds the use of herbs, fruits, and vegetables as aids to beauty. An important Ayurvedic rule for beauty formulations is: “Don't put anything on the skin that you cannot eat.” Whatever is applied on the skin ultimately goes into the body through the pores, so it should be as pure and as healthy as the food we eat.

Ayurveda advises the use of natural ingredients for manufacturing skin scrubs, facial masks, shampoos, oils, creams and other beauty products. The basis of the Ayurvedic idea of beauty is the use of natural beauty-care substances.

Modern practices often violate the principles of natural living. The first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is to put into our mouth—via the toothbrush—a bunch of man-made, unnatural chemicals. Our cosmetics, soaps, bath gels, shampoos, perfumes, dishwashers, and floor cleaners are all made of unnatural chemicals. We eat processed food containing preservatives and additives. Even the fruits, vegetables and grains that we eat are grown with chemical fertilizers rather than natural, organic ones. We work long hours in offices with artificial light and air-conditioning systems. Our environment is polluted with chemicals, smoke, and noise. Naturally pure water and clean, fresh air are becoming scarce resources in an environment that is becoming increasingly toxic to life.

The human body has the ability to eliminate natural wastes produced as a result of metabolic activities. Overexposure to chemicals in our everyday life blocks our otherwise efficient toxin elimination system. Hence, the body is not able to eliminate even natural wastes. This can lead to a number of beauty-related problems such as acne, dull skin, dark circles under the eyes, hair loss, cellulite, obesity, and blemishes. Ever-increasing mental stress and emotional concerns of modern life also lead to the blockage of subtle energy-carrying channels of our being.

Our lifestyles are often as detrimental to beauty as the environment. Our food, which is the only way to energize skin cells and tissues, hardly contains any nutrition in these modern times, ironically. Junk food, fast food, and food without much nutritive value have become our main diet. We do not have time to prepare a proper breakfast. We eat a fast-food lunch at our desks, and for our supper we cook a prepared frozen dinner in the microwave and consume it in front of the television. Coffee keeps us alert, alcohol “relaxés” us, and drugs treat our ailments. All these unnatural lifestyle elements make us look tired, exhausted, and not very beautiful. Our efforts to look beautiful involve putting more chemicals on our skin. This ultimately makes us even less healthy.

**Contents and Sample Pages**