Finding harmony and balance in our lives is something that we all strive for. It’s never the easiest of endeavours especially as the world we live in has become nothing short of intense. For over five thousand years, the ancient principles and practices of Ayurveda, have been intricately designed to help and support humans to attain harmony and balance through a variety of natural sources. By using these herbs, spices and oils both internally and externally, your body will function effectively and endure. As Ayurvedic practitioners have witnessed, emotionality and physicality will stabilise with the right ingredients; this coincides with the theologian Thomas Merton’s philosophy that ‘happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.’
To India, much of Asia and many Asian communities, Ayurvedic ingredients and products are an everyday occurrence. Generations have passed down mixtures and methods for women, men and children to utilise when it comes to wellbeing, beauty and grooming. So, while the benefits are no surprise to me and my Indian heritage, it is still very new and unique to the West. A variety of different Western natural beauty brands have emerged taking the very idea of harmony and balance from Ayurveda and they have turned it into popular and lucrative products. Samaya is that one such brand. With a chic and sophisticated aesthetic that is favourable to the Western culture, they have cleverly fused it with Eastern ideals and beauty methods. Using all-natural ingredients and Ayurvedic principles, the brand promises that harmony and balance can be achieved through the use of their skincare alchemy.
Any Ayurvedic doctor and brand will always ask questions about your skin type, body type and body function. The aim of these questions is to determine what Dosha or constitution you are. As it is commonly defined, your Dosha is one of ‘three energies believed to circulate in the body and govern physiological activity, their differing proportions determining individual temperament and physical constitution and when unbalanced causing a disposition to particular physical and mental disorders.’ Once your Dosha is confirmed, specific beauty ingredients, methods and wellbeing foods are shared with you and these very elements are supposed to give you the happiness, wellness, balance and harmony that is needed to live a more fulfilled and healthy life.
The three groups are known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. While it is not the easiest to compartmentalise individuals into such specific groups, the majority of your traits are likely to fit at least one group in particular. The premise of the Dosha and Ayurveda is to determine where you fit and whether your skin, body and wellbeing are out of balance and how you can use natural ingredients to bring stability and harmony back to your lifestyle. By doing this it will alleviate future ailments and current body issues.
Qualities of Vata
– You are energetic, creative, worried, tired, indecisive, slender build.
– You have cold hands and feet, delicate dry skin and hair.
Qualities of Pitta
– You are well-proportioned and compact.
– You have a focused mind and love of order.
– You are confident, passionate, enjoy challenges, angry, impatient.
– You need gentle skincare as you have sensitive and irritable skin; are susceptible to wrinkles, sunburn and inflammation.
Qualities of Kapha
– You are laid back, easy-going, stable.
– You have a steady energy level, strong physical frame but are lethargic or apathetic.
– You are relaxed, have a reasonable approach, compassionate, gentle, kind.
– Your skin is thick, pale, radiant, glowing.
– You have clogged pores, excess oil.
My Dosha is Pitta. Any skincare products that I use have to be gentle and sensitive in order to keep my skin in balance and stop it from getting inflamed. Samaya has abridged a lot of the information regarding Ayurveda and Doshas and it has created a simple skincare regime for each Dosha. With a cleanser, anti-ageing cream, anti-ageing treatment oil and supplements, you have a fully functional skincare step-by-step that uses ancient and tried-and-tested ingredients to give you the perfect skin experience.
The Pitta Anti-Ageing Oil (£79) is the product I have been testing for the past few months. It has been designed to ‘protect and soothe the skin whilst carefully targeting the signs of skin-ageing, resulting in skin that appears youthful and radiant.’ Jasmine, neem, lotus, turmeric, saffron, Shatavari and Gotu Kola, are all ingredients that have been specifically selected to help improve mood, reduce anxiety and stress, heal skin and reduce roughness. For a Pitta individual these ingredients maintain a coolness and serenity for emotions, physicality and skincare. I can say truly that this oil is remarkable. In the last month I had a rapid succession of breakouts, something I had not experienced since my teenage days. My normal skin type is combination/sensitive, but I rarely get blemishes, so you can imagine how worried and stressed I was in addition to a lack in confidence. It’s likely that there was a hormonal imbalance as well as the onset of stress as I start to embark on my business venture, and the coupling of the two results must have caused a skin reaction. While many would assume putting oil on your face during a breakout will only make things worse, this is a common misconception. The Samaya Pitta Anti-Ageing Oil has antioxidant and astringent properties with the inclusion of neem and turmeric, so by me applying the oil day and night for almost two weeks, the blemishes disappeared. The oil helped to remove the impurities and any bacteria on my face, which in turn helped to dissipate the spots.
The lightweight cleansers, moisturisers and oils developed by Samaya have been carefully and diligently thought-out. The skincare market is constantly flooded with serums and oils to provide the skin with a more concentrated nourishing effort. These serums and oils often include one powerful ingredient, and this is what is focused on through a variety of marketing campaigns. Consumers will feel compelled to buy the product because it is said to be the one product they need and ultimately this product may not fit their skin type or body constitution. Samaya has understood the principality, importance and effectiveness of Ayurveda and it has been able to harness these ancient remedies into simple skincare ranges to work unequivocally well with different skin types. Above all else the Samaya brand has understood the significance of harmony and balance; how these two elements keep an individual content and full of confidence by humanising their products. They know that products that truly work can not only benefit the wellbeing of an individual, physically, but also mentally. When I know my skin is healthy, glowing and nourished I feel more positive and hopeful, which results in better energy levels and a want to do more.
Samaya has taken the benediction of an ancient tradition and brought it into the asymmetrical nature of the twenty-first century!
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