What habits will you invite into your self-care routine this year? The new year can be a great time to reevaluate habits, routines, and tasks we perform less than mindfully, perhaps even on autopilot. To live means to change and grow, but it’s easy for our habits to lag behind our mind and spirit as we evolve. Does your daily routine need a firmware update?
During one such evolution from long ago, I arrived at the home of my Guru to immerse myself in her knowledge and wisdom of Yoga/Yoga Therapy/Ayurveda. Like many young people my age, I traveled with my small bag of favorite cosmetics. Very fond of skin care in my early twenties, my age supported that passion. On the second day of my stay, my Guru made it clear to me she was not so fond of this external remedy for glow. The visual of her throwing out all my favorite, carefully curated cosmetics disheartened me.
But just as the clouds clear the way for the sun to shine, in a short (1-minute) conversation, it became clear she would share the secret recipe of the Yogis for everlasting glow — an invisible crown, the Yogi’s Halo.
I met the Yogis Glow, the secret to healthy skin in 3 simple steps. I urge you to wear this invisible crown, the Yogi’s Halo, every day.
Food for Skin — My Secret in 3 Steps
Many ask the most existential question about skin care – what is the best skin care routine for a healthy glow? I offer this 3-step perfect skin-care routine to you today as a tribute to my grandmother, and her grandmother, and the cosmic mother who nourishes us all. I remember as a child, my grandmother would walk towards me with a bowl of this nourishing mixture and apply it on my face with her soft, motherly hands and say, “You will glow like the Moon.”
My secret to a healthy glow: 3 Simple Steps
Tools: Yogis Glow powder*, face towel, water, and carrier** based on your skin type.
Step 1: WASH
Mix a dime-sized amount of Yogis Glow powder with 1-2 teaspoons of water in your palm and rub it on your face luxuriously. Massage, then rinse with room temperature water (you may also use it to remove facial makeup). Use once upon waking up and once before bed.
Step 2: SCRUB
Mix 1⁄2 teaspoon Yogis Glow powder with virgin olive oil or almond oil. Massage gently and rinse with room temperature water. Apply once a week.
Step 3: MASK
Mix 1-1 1⁄2 teaspoons powder with enough carrier** to make a thin paste. Apply a thin layer on the entire face and neck, avoiding the eyelids and lip area. Let it dry naturally. Dab a cotton pad in almond milk/coconut milk/cow’s milk to moisten the face. Rub the face using the fingers to loosen the grip of powder from the skin and then rinse using room temperature water. Follow with your favorite moisturizer. Apply once a week.
May you glow like the Moon and radiate like the Sun, the beauty of health, goodness, and consciousness. May the realized beings shine through you! Made to honor the absolute beauty. — Tripura Sundari.
*Yogis Glow is like magic dust for the skin, made with 100% pure dried herbal ingredients. My grandmother passed the Yogis Glow recipe on to me, then my Guru revised it and my urge to share this heritage and secret revived it.
**Note: A good carrier used in a face mask makes all the difference. Here is an easy user guide:
• Rose water in case of irritated skin, rashes, red patches
• Honey or whole milk in case of very dry, dehydrated skin
• Egg white in case of wrinkles or early signs of skin aging
• Whole milk or plain yogurt for acne, blemishes, scars, problematic skin
The above recipe is from the book SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care by Indu Arora. The book is available as an e-book or hard copy from the author’s website.
Indu Arora considers herself a student for a lifetime. As a Yoga and Ayurveda teacher, she shares her experiences from the last two decades across more than 50 cities worldwide. Her unique gift makes Yoga and Ayurveda a practice, equally useful for a beginner as for a sincere seeker with a lifelong Yoga journey. She is the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret (2015), Yoga: Ancient Heritage, Tomorrow’s Vision (2005, 2019), and SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care (e-book, 2020; updated hard copy, 2022). She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse.
