BEAUTY
AYURVEDA RITUALS
P
racticing 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