Practicing any kind of sacred ritual can bring about awareness and transformation. Be it a puja, guru’s blessing, communion, mantra practice or the like, I’m pretty much game to try anything that sounds like it will help me live a more mindful and thus happy life. I think many of us don’t readily think of our daily skin care practice in the realm of sacred ritual, but after I was introduced to an Ayurveda skincare and perfume line, I grew to see this differently.
For those unfamiliar or needing a brief re-introduction, Ayurveda is a holistic system for healing and wellness that originated in the Vedic culture of India over 5,000 years ago. With the rise in popularity of yoga and its related practices in the western world, we’ve seen this science of life (Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that broken down translates as: Ayur “life”, and Veda “science or knowledge”) have a major surge in practice as well. Designed to remind us that our wellbeing is a balanced combination of mind, body, and spirit in relation to our environment, Ayurveda asserts that there are three fundamental “doshas,” or energies, that govern our inner and outer worlds: Vata (Ether/Air), Pitta (Fire/Water) and Kapha (Earth/Water). Although each of us has all three doshas, most people have one or two predominant elements and creating a balanced dosha is essential to achieving and maintaining overall health.
With extensive training and experience in Ayurveda practices and the spa industry, Andrea Olivera is a leading Ayurveda specialist and owner of The Ayurveda Rituals: Studio, Spa & Boutique located in the downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She’s developed Ayurveda Rituals, a line of skincare and botanical perfumes designed to create a daily practice of inner and outer wellbeing and harmony. Her Ayurveda Botanical Skincare line for the face is for use by all three doshas, along with oils for scalp and body and bath salts specifically suited for each dosha type. In addition to every product smelling like a Divine creation, they are all created with the finest natural ingredients. Andrea’s website ayurvedictouch.com offers professional videos and easy to follow instructions for morning and evening ritual application, as well as an online test to determine your particular dosha before selecting any of her products (I took it and learned I’m a Pitta 🙂 ). Only having limited knowledge of Ayurveda products prior to this, I can honestly say I found using her skincare an easy way to create a daily mindfulness practice as her system encourages the use of all of your senses. She even recommends choosing music to create a sound bed, and I’d like to suggest either using mantra or kirtan music, or simply reciting a personal mantra silently or aloud to help support your mindfulness during the particular Ayurveda ritual. As Andrea states, “Ritual is a relationship between intention, desired effects, directed focus and attention, practical application and results.” Her line of perfumes, all appropriately named after sacred deities, individuals or concepts are pure delight, no matter the scent. You can select individual blends in her line based on your particular dosha, or get all of them in travel-friendly sizes so you can sample them all depending on your mood. My personal favorite scents are “Magdalena,” which for me was evocative of ancient and sacred places, and “Krishna,” which I found to be an intoxicating blend of sweet nectars that connected me to my heart and spirit. Andrea shares, “Aromatics engage our senses with creative, evocative and inspirational infusions reminding us that rejuvenation is our birthright.”
If you are fortunate enough to live in the Toronto area, you can visit Andrea’s spa to have one or more of her professional team members pamper you in Ayurvedic treatments and goodness, making sure to depart afterwards with the perfect set of products for your specific dosha. Andrea also offers a wide array of workshops and trainings for those interested in expanding their personal knowledge and care, as well as for those interested in the professional spa specialist arena. For the rest of us, her products are available for easy online ordering.
Ayurveda Rituals is a perfect way to bring the sacred practice of awareness, self-care and ritual into your daily life.
Leanne Wood is the founder and programmer of BlissBubbleRadio.com, an online music station dedicated to playing the most blissful yoga music available—kirtan, mantra, chant, & sacred instrumental. Prior to this, Leanne was the manager of mantra rock band Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe, the founder and director of the non-profit project Shakti Tribe Foundation, the co-founder of the online “yoga for your ears” station Sacred Sounds Radio, and most recently the Volunteer Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (GATE) founded by Jim Carrey, Eckhart Tolle and John Raatz. In addition to Bliss Bubble Radio, Leanne also co-owns HeartLAB Tours, a unique travel company that creates exotic transformational adventures using best-selling authors and wisdom teachers in the new thought movement to lead every trip.