I recently dropped a kid off at college and found myself stressing over how she’d take to adulting. Eighteen years of stability, comfort and organic food given up for a tiny box of a room, unhealthy food, and the freedom to binge on alcohol and god knows what else teenagers binge on. I suddenly seemed to be afflicted with amnesia, unable to recall any risky behavior I might have indulged in when I left home for college. My mom asked me if I’d taught her to cook. I rolled my eyes and said, “There are thousands of YouTube videos that she can watch to cook anything she wants. The correct question is, “Does she want to cook?””. What about managing money? We live in a world of digital currency. No more worrying about cash when there’s Venmo. The question is, what will she spend money on? As this conversation went on, I realized, somewhat triggered by Yuval Noah Harari’s works that I’d been reading, that two important questions to answer on our journey to adulting is “What do I really want?" and “Why do I want it?” As Google becomes our most trusted friend and guide, TikTok and Instagram tell us what we should like, and Amazon tells us what we should buy, do we have free choice anymore? “Know thyself” is age old wisdom but is probably more relevant and important today than it has ever been. 
The oldest seeds of human self awareness can be traced through the hazy maze of history to almost ten thousand years ago. The roadmap for human life lies like a diamond in the rough within the cryptic, archaic Sanskrit literature called the Vedas. Aptly called Purushartha (literally translated to “self meaning”), the Vedas alluded to four objectives of human life: earn one’s living, experience life to fulfill one’s desires, live a life of balance to understand and abide by what’s right, and finally, learn to let go, be “free” of desire. Detailed works expounding upon each of these four objectives were subsequently recorded by various scholars. We can distill some core principles from this ancient wisdom and use them as a compass to help us live with awareness. 

Artha, pursuit of material objectives: The Purusharthas advocate for the pursuit of wealth and material comforts. However, this needs to be done within the boundaries of Dharma. Dharma is a word that is impossible to translate into English. In this context, it implies that the pursuit of wealth must be done without harming others and in an honest manner. The guidance is to work with utmost focus without being attached to the work, or the fruits of the work. Through our work, we contribute our bit to the betterment of humankind. How do we interpret this in modern society? Some thoughts: 

• Understand the meaning of positive contribution; if what you do hurts other beings and disturbs the natural order of things, you will not be fulfilled even if you make a lot of money. 
• Work with utmost sincerity, for its own sake, without expecting to be rewarded for it.
• YOU are not what you do for a living. 
• Do not objectify yourself by valuing yourself based on how much money you make.

Kama, pursuit of human desire: What’s the purpose of pursuing wealth? For one, it is to enjoy the comforts and pleasures of human existence. Another is to give to others, spread our wealth to uplift others in need. Just as there are boundaries around how we earn our living, there are boundaries around how we pursue our desires, again within the dictates of Dharma. Here Dharma implies balance. Excessive pursuit of pleasure leads us astray from the path of fulfillment. Pursuit of our desires is generally accomplished with money. The key is to understand what we will spend it on, and how much we will spend. 

• Understand what you value. What brings you joy? Earn and allocate money to make your real desires come true. 
• Have a system to determine the monetary value of things. Such as a price comparison chart, reviews of the product, evaluation of the alternatives to understand the gap between having vs. not having the thing you desire. Having a system will help clarify your needs vs. wants.  
• Indulge in your passions, desires, and work without harming others, including yourself.
• Once you have taken care of yourself, give what you’re comfortable with to uplift others.

Dharma, upholding the balance in our life: Dharma implies many things; duty, code of conduct, balance, and purpose. We uphold the laws of the society we live in so that we may live freely. Breaking the law comes with the consequence of punishment. This is an obvious example of living according to Dharma. There are also moral responsibilities and our values which dictate our behavior and actions. 

• It’s highly worthwhile to identify your core values. This will help you understand your actions and help align the choices and decisions you make with who you are. (There are quite a few exercises to help you do this). 
• Pay attention to your feelings; some things and people energize us, others drain our energy. Choose wisely!
• Being authentic to yourself is the greatest act of self compassion and courage, and is good for your health. Never hesitate to acknowledge how you feel; with this awareness, comes clarity to take action. Bottling up our feelings comes from fear, destroys balance, and leads to self destructive behavior. Expressing our feelings thoughtfully leads to growth. 
• There are ten qualities that help us align with Dharma: resilience, forgiveness, self control, integrity, purity and hygiene of body and mind, reason, knowledge, truth, and control over anger. Strive to live by these. 

Moksha, freedom from human suffering: Moksha is the most elusive, least understood of the Purusharthas. It is freedom from fear, desire, and suffering to finally know who we really are. There is a concept of a true self; moksha is finding this self, finally knowing the “Truth”. A path to Moksha is through leading a life of Dharma. One can also attain moksha through study or spirituality. Attaining Moksha is considered to be the ultimate purpose of life.

• We cannot attain Moksha without fulfilling the other three Purusharthas. 
• Answering the question “Who am I?” is not defined by our current role in society or the work we do. What we do should be the result of self awareness. 
• Practice checking in with your feelings to identify what gives you true joy. 
• When things look bleak, take a moment to remember that there is a journey worth exploring, that into your own mind, to know who you are. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Do you, or your loved one, suffer from acne? Do you feel like you've tried everything but nothing seems to work? There's good reason why most acne products don't work. The fundamental issues are:

1. There are multiple factors that cause acne.
2. There is no "broad spectrum" one size fits all acne solution. 
3. Different products address specific causes of acne - if your acne is not caused by the factor that a particular ingredient addresses, it won't work for you. 

​This blog post is meant to be educational and it is my hope that at the end of it, you will be empowered to make appropriate choices towards a solution that works for you. 

What is acne?
Acne is characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease. It presents as closed or open comedones - i.e. whiteheads and blackheads - and inflammatory lesions - i.e. pimples, nodules, pustules. Typically acne is prevalent in young adults with girls being affected at a younger age (average 12 years) than boys (average 15 years). Adults also suffer from acne, typically women, due to hormonal issues. Since acne is characterized as a disease, it is a medical condition.

Causes of acne
There are multiple factors that cause acne. Below are a few well known ones:

• microbial colonization with P. acnes - bacterial infection 
• sebum production - sebum is the term for a complex of oils including triglycerides (fatty acids) and fatty acid breakdown products, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters and cholesterol that is produced by the skin. Recent research indicates that certain characteristics of sebum is associated with acne, namely, increased sebum production, alteration of lipid composition and the oxidant/antioxidant ratio characteristic of the skin surface lipids. Diet is linked to these sebum characteristics. 
• complex inflammatory mechanisms - inflammation is the body's immune system's response to an irritant. It involves changes in the blood, such as an increased number of immune system cells.
• neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms - emotional stress induced acne
• diet - linked to sebum characteristics
• genetic factors - there is some research showing evidence of an "acne gene" 
• hormonal factors - androgens, a group of hormones, are linked to adult acne in women. "Androgens like testosterone stimulate sebaceous gland growth and sebum production. Estrogens have the opposite effect, that is, they inhibit the secretion of androgens, modulate genes involved in the growth of the sebaceous gland and inhibit their function. The activity of the sebaceous gland therefore depends on the estrogen/androgen ratio." 

Current treatment for acne
Modern treatment of acne falls under four categories:

1. Topical - creams, gels, lotions, and washes that are used on the skin and contain drugs and active ingredients that treat acne
2. Systemic - oral or topical antibiotics to treat inflammation
3. Complementary and alternative medicine - topical products or oral supplements that are herbal 
4. Physical - comedone extractions, laser treatments, cryotherapy

By far, the most common treatment is topical - i.e. products applied on the affected area. Below is a table that summarizes modern treatment options:

The current practice for treating acne combines multiple methods and ingredients in the hope that one or more of them will address the patient's particular acne. 
The major drawbacks of such an approach are side effects of using too many products, bacterial resistance to antibiotics rendering them ineffective, and expense involved in buying multiple products. 

Unfortunately, from my study, Ayurveda does not delve much into female hormonal issues in general. So this is a topic that I need to spend more time researching. 

In summary, both modern scientific research and Ayurveda point to multiple factors that cause acne. Therefore the most effective solution is one that is customized to your particular TYPE of acne. While there are many over the counter products for acne, you need to understand the cause of your particular type of acne and the ingredients that are suitable to address it for the products to be effective. The concentration of the active ingredients is also crucial in the efficacy of the products. 

The Ayurvedic approach offers the following benefits:

• To quote from Charaka Samhita, A handbook on Ayurveda edited by Gabriel Van Loon, "[All substances have qualities.] [In reality, all substances will have several qualities.] [By substance, it means food, herbs, weather, music, people, disease symptoms, etc.] [The beauty of this system is that everything in life may be viewed on the same radar screen, as it were, so that cause and effect is easy to see and treatment may be achieved with any substance, so long as it is opposite to the quality of the aggravated substances or pathology. 
• The Ayurvedic approach is inherently a personalized approach - it involves figuring your dosha imbalance, lifestyle, and mental state and thus can be more effective if done correctly. 
• Typically has minimal side effects if done right. 

To learn more, book a consultation with Saroya today!

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6560440/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3051853/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780801/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835906/
https://www.aad.org/member/clinical-quality/guidelines/acne
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6360964/
https://www.jidonline.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0022-202X%2815%2930101-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366450/
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/21/8/1063
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330243222_Review_on_Yuvanpidika_Vis-A-Vis_Acne_Vulgaris

Roses are abloom where I live (northern California). A friend asked me to share beauty recipes using roses - so here goes. But first, a quick introduction. Ever since the world changed with the spread of Covid 19 and we were asked to shelter in place, I started a self study of Ayurveda. I discovered the ancient texts of Charaka and Vagabhatta - the Charaka Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam. Once I started reading these texts as well as numerous papers published by Indian academic institutions on the science of Ayurveda, I was completely blown away by the simplicity and consistency of this approach. I cannot go back to my old way of doing skin care.
According to Ayurveda, every substance in the universe can be used as medicine provided you know what you're doing and how to use it. Every substance has certain properties which should be understood so that the maximum benefits are derived from it. So before we talk about how to use rose, we need to understand what to use it for.

Rose is Bitter, Astringent, and Sweet in taste.
It has Light and Slimy properties.
It is Cold in potency.
Therefore, in Ayurveda, rose is used to soothe Pitta dosha and any disorders due to this dosha,. Rose is especially good if you have sensitive skin that tends to get inflamed easily. You can use rose externally as well as internally; use it fresh or dried. But first things first:

• Make sure they are not sprayed with any pesticide or other chemicals. Do NOT use store bought roses unless you are 100% sure they are pesticide free.
• Pluck your roses mid-morning. Rinse them gently in cool water and separate the petals. Make sure there are no bugs.
• If you want to dry the petals, spread them on a clean towel and dry them in the shade. Once dry, store them in an air tight non-metallic container in a cupboard so that it is not exposed to sunlight. This way, you can use the petals for up to one year.
• Use the most fragrant rose varieties for maximum benefit.

The best way to use roses for skin care is via face masks.
Use fresh or dried rose petals to make these masks.

• Crush about 10 fresh rose petals using a mortar and pestle. Add a teaspoon of raw honey and mix well. Apply this to your face and let it sit for about 10 minutes before washing off with cool water. This is a good way to cleanse the face all year around.
• If you suffer from acne, the following face pack can be helpful. Take about 7-8 dry rose petals and a teaspoon of masoor (red) lentils. Grind into a fine powder in a coffee grinder. Make a paste of this with enough milk (whole milk is best). Apply this to your face.
• if you have a lots of roses, consider making an everyday facial cleanser. Roses can be combined with appropriate lentils for your skin type (dosha). To find out more about crafting a personalized cleanser, contact Saroya.

Note: face masking, or mukhalepa in Ayurveda, needs to be done in a specific way.

• Thoroughly cleanse the face with a gentle cleanser and pat dry.
• Face packs need to be applied thick - precisely as thick as a quarter of the width of a finger. Use a clean cosmetic brush to apply the mask thick and evenly.
• The mask should be removed when it begins to dry. Never let the mask dry completely on your face.
• Wash off the mask with cool water and apply a drop or two of a facial oil suitable for your dosha or the current season.

Roses can also be used internally. Consider making rose Gulkand, a sweet dish. You can find many recipes online.

Or drink a rose tea.
To make rose tea, pour just boiling water on 3-4 dried rose petals. Let it steep for 2-3 minutes and drink the tea. Rose is good for the heart and balances Sadhaka Pitta - a sub-dosha of Pitta that influences emotions. . You can consider making a nervine tea by making a tea of rose, chamomile, and lemon balm. This combination is calming to the mind and helps the nervous system. Drink a cup before going to bed to set a calming ritual.

I hope you find these recipes useful. Comment down if you plan to try any and how they worked out for you!