The Ayurveda Experience Blog
Lasting beauty is the epitome of beauty. It is an expression of beauty that someone embodies completely. It is very important to understand the concept of “beauty from within”. As we all know real beauty is skin deep and lies in the eyes of the beholder. Your outer beauty and radiance depend upon your internal state of joy, peace, contentment and happiness.
The media has overwhelmed our instinctive connection with the nature of authentic beauty so that we are left with only a veneer of beauty’s character. What we need to recover is the wisdom of beauty – the timeless, universal and absolute truth that exists in our palpable, sensual experience of beauty. It is our birthright to experience the true nature of beauty.
I want you to taste the sweetness of the real beauty that exists within yourself. When you find this precious gem of beauty, your life will be filled with magic because you’ll remember, finally, the truth of who you are and the miracle of your life.
Ayurveda has provided us with an all-encompassing description of beauty with the three levels: inner, outer and lasting beauty and how to achieve them when it says, “shubhanga karanam sundaram.” So that you can get a sense for the exact translation of Ayurveda’s take on beauty, here’s a breakdown of the words in Sanskrit.
shubhanga karanam sundaram
Shubha – Auspicious
Anga – Body / Mind
Karanam – Transformation
Sundaram – Beautiful
Combined, these words express that true beauty involves the transformation of all aspects of body and mind to the most auspicious level. To put it another way, Ayurveda says that the secret to true beauty lies within our ability to attain harmony within the Self. A life that is lived as a reflection of our highest Self, is a life filled with beauty.
It is important to rejuvenate and protect your prana, tejas and ojas so that you can enjoy a lifetime of beauty. These three pillars truly correlate with “satyam shivam sundaram”, which means true beauty is a divine experience.
There are three primal subtle energies which Ayurveda credits for the evolution of beauty. These are universal qualities, which are the fundamental forces behind all the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the Universe. They are: prana, tejas and ojas.
Prana (flow): is the Nature’s intelligence pervading everywhere in the universe. It is the initial essence of creation. The best way to build prana is to eat 100% natural, god made clean foods filled with prana, mana or chi. Drink plenty of clean water. Prana is the force of Life.
Tejas (burn): is the expression of radiant light that transforms food, nutrients and all experiences into the cellular structure. To build tejas you must eat some smart spices and exercise to regulate your metabolic function. Tejas is the force of Light.
Ojas (build): is cosmic glue that holds and binds everything together. You should get good sleep, relax and manage your stress with meditation and try to be happy and cheerful. Ojas is the force of Love.
Since we are all inherently a part of Nature, these three subtle energies exist within us and their presence manifests in unique ways:
When we are full of prana, we experience a sense of vitality, clarity, calmness, and health.
When tejas is strong within us, we have a good metabolic fire, which allows us to have a clear perception of the world around us and see things for what they really are.
When ojas is robust, we have a natural glow and luster that are testimony to a life full of health – with a strong immunity, happiness and a delightful demeanor.
The most important thing to remember is that when we live in harmony with the Self, we support the smooth flow of our energetic prana, tejas and ojas. Together these three components of our health modulate our vitality, strength and longevity and thus, beauty.
This kind of lasting beauty that Ayurveda describes is available to anyone so long as they follow the sequence of nourishing their beauty from the inside, out. Steadily moving from the cultivation of inner beauty, to outer beauty and then finally, to lasting beauty, ensures that there is no stone left unturned along your journey to mastering beauty.
3 Simple Tips For Lasting Beauty
_08182c19_1. Acknowledge Your Inner Worth
Reawaken, rediscover, and restore your Inner Beauty.
2. Accentuate Your Outer Beauty
Take good care of your physical body.
3. Master Lasting Beauty
Live a balanced, joyful life in harmony with your own Self.
Every step of the way counts – there are no short cuts, no speed trains or supersonic planes that will get you there any faster. If we distill the meaning of inner, outer and lasting beauty, we find that they all converge at one final point – Love.
Developing real beauty that lasts is a lifelong process of diving deep within ourselves to uncover the love that we need to transform our minds, bodies and spirits.
Abstract from the book “Enchanting Beauty” by Manisha Kshirsagar, Lotus Press 2015.
Post Photo: Kourosh Ghahremani
