DELVING INTO THE AYURVEDIC WAY OF CULTIVATING SELF-LOVE

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” – Oscar Wilde
“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.” – André Gide
Self-love is an all-encompassing term, a sense of belief often sidelined while we go about living our lives. The act of self-love has perpetually been encouraged since ancient times, through literature, art, cinema, belief systems, and holistic lifestyles such as Ayurveda. In our postmodern universe, individuals tend to forget their self-worth, their sense of self, while being entangled in daily strife, due to the fact that societal cultures often reinforce the notion that self-worth is determined by physical appearance and affluence. The constant feeling of not being “enough” as per traditional standards have made our lives empty and miserable. How can we fight these feelings? How can we assuage the constant war between appearance and reality? Let us look into how we can consciously cultivate self-love and self-worth with the help of Ayurveda.

Cultivating Self-Esteem Through the Lens of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a 5,000-year old system that is considered a path to attaining peace, love, and wholeness. The primary goal of Ayurveda is to unite the individual self (jivaatman) with the supreme or true self (paramaatman). It is an initiation into a journey to find a part of yourself that is whole and free of blemishes. Once the web of illusion is broken, we can attain a true glimpse into the soul, which is filled with love, warmth, and light. It is important to remember that self-love is not a selfish act, but a way in which we can recognize true beauty in ourselves, and in those around us.

Choosing Uniqueness Over Conformity
A wonderful way to appreciate your own uniqueness is to practice yoga, which helps balance the mind and the body while leading you towards peace and self-realization. Whenever there is a disbalance in doshas, we tend to become judgemental, listless, and anxious. The more conscious we are of our core selves and our surroundings, the easier it is for us to practice self-love. While an individual can be extremely loving and generous despite not loving themselves, the nucleus of self-loathing tends to pour out back into the world in covert ways. The Ayurvedic perspective of every individual’s unique nature revolves around the concepts of Prakriti and Vikriti, namely intrinsic constitution and state of imbalance. These dual states represent who you are at a given moment and how the doshas manifest in your everyday life.

Regenerating Ojas, The Sap of Life
As per Ayurveda, negative emotions are a result of pitta imbalance, especially the sadhaka pitta. The opposing force to negativity, ojas, or radiance of life can help us emerge from gloom and despair. When our ojas is strong, we tend to give out more love around us and to ourselves. Ojas can be regenerated with the help of a balanced diet rich in organic foods, meditation, daily exercise, and mindfulness. Considered the key to longevity and happiness, ojas paves the path to self-care and self-love. Using natural, Ayurvedic Hair Care and Skin Care Products in our day-to-day lives can help us lead a wholesome existence, urging us to practice kindness, gratitude, and ahimsa on a grander scale. This wellspring of love gets recycled into the world and flows back into the self, creating an ocean of stable and positive emotions.

Once you are able to accept yourself as you are, the world will immediately seem less-hostile, less cruel. Embrace your core self with the help of Ayurveda, and don’t forget to give love to the world!