Written by Andrea Olivera
Ayurveda is the sister science of Yoga. Ayurveda explains how human constitutions are arrangements of five elements or the 5 Great Elements. Like yogic teachings, Ayurvedic wisdom promotes balance as a key to health and happiness.
As a “bride to be” you may wonder how to move forward balanced and focused while still enjoying all the blissful, joyful moments ahead.
Brides experience great joy, excitement, bliss and, at times doubt, confusion, frustration and stress. This emotional array can be experienced in one moment, one day or over the full year of planning the best possible wedding day.
Weddings are a time of great joy. Family and friends intend to come together to support the bride. Planning weddings often increases stress as a bride takes on more responsibilities and becomes the centre of attention. Also, family and friends may unconsciously look to the bride for resolution to various challenges that arise rather than working in supportive and creative ways to relieve stress.
Ayurveda aims to identify the cause behind each emotional and biological phenomena from gross pathology to radiant health. Ayurveda describes these through an increasingly complex matrix of the 5 Elements, Ether, Air, Fire Water and Earth ,the 3 body types Vata, Pitta and Kapha, the 3 mental states known as Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa, 7 bodily tissues and more.
Treatments are based on ancient healing concepts and designed to release blocked emotions and stress. These are the keys to accessing your deep vitality and natural glow. This is how brides hope to appear on their special day. Their radiance shines from a true feeling of happiness, a true feeling of being supported, accepted. If deep forgiveness towards others is necessary, true forgiveness towards ourselves opens the gate to the inner chamber of our hearts and we can establish a blissful state of being today, everyday and especially on our wedding days!
Knowing your dosha, your type or elemental arrangement, to help make lifestyle choices that balance, restore and rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. Exploring characteristics, tendencies, strengths and needs you can benefit from Ayurveda’s suggested solutions and supports. For every elemental constitution a balancing treatment has been created with health, balance, beauty and bliss as our focus.
First, discover your basic body type by using our automated questionaire at www.ayurvedaritualsspa.com
Next, gain insight into your dosha as you read the bridal descriptions below. Each dosha requires a customized treatment just like each bride benefits from unique care and nurture before and after her wedding day.
Remember there are relationships between organs and reflex points on the body, between a emotions and effects on the skin, between personality traits and permanent features of our faces. Ayurvedic practitioners can easily recognize these effects and customize a healing journey with various treatments including facials, massage, head massage and karmic release and life readings. Brides benefit from beginning treatments 3 to 4 months before their wedding dates to initiate their healing journeys.
The VATA Bride
If your result is Vata dosha, your predominant elements are Air and Ether
You are the excited bride, ever changing. At times you may doubt your choices and decisions. You may create your entire wedding day several times. Finding the perfect wedding dress may feel exciting but overwhelming.
Too many choices can leave you confused. You know what looks great on you yet doubt creeps in to your mind and sets off another great creative cycle for you to explore. You need tremendous support, nurturing and care to prepare for your wedding and you may not recognize this need.
Ayurveda’s wisdom teaches us that Vata body types are considered to be the dry, dehydrated or aging skin and dry, coarse hair and nails with a tendency toward feeling cold, especially hands and feet. Make sure your venue is warm and cozy. Bring a shawl and ensure your dress can provide layers to keep you warm throughout your entire wedding day.
Your emotional state is predominantly anxious, restless, worrisome, curious, and/or doubtful.
Vata balancing Ayurveda treatments use warmed herbal oils that are poured onto the third eye and massaged into the scalp and full body for deep relaxation and stress release.
During your Ayurveda facial avocados, red lentil powder, Rose petals, and wild winter cherry powders are used as a natural exfoliant to remove spent up skin cells that cause the skin to look dull and uneven.
Centering and calming results after Ayurveda treatments leaves you feeling more focused less stressed out so that you can make solid decisions and avoid so many changes to your plans that can be costly.
During an Ayurveda facial and healing treatment for the Vata Bride Andrea Olivera creates a very grounding, nurturing anti-aging, anti stress journey using botanical herbs, flowers, fruits and tinctures that release stress, worry and dryness from the scalp, hair and face .
Calming the mind is extremely important for Vata Brides, The team at Ayurveda Rituals studio spa boutique offer customized Ayurveda Yoga routines to balance the mind with grounding and sedating postures ,a Vata Reducing Diet customized for one’s unique bodymind type and a series of meditations and breathing techniques .
The PITTA Bride
If your result is Pitta dosha, your predominant elements are Fire and Water
You are the perfect bride, the organized and detailed bride. At times you may feel frustrated with all that has to get done. Your nature is one that takes on too much, and will try to fix too many things.
Your quest for perfection may have led you to research all the possibilities available to you, hoping to find the perfect dress, venue and paraphernalia to make your wedding day special and memorable.
You need time to release, replenish and cleanse away all stress and tensions. Ayurveda offers Pitta body-mind types cooling and soothing treatments to help balance your feverish planning and the flow of your bridal journey. Pitta body types tend to be hot and oily, can burn out under stress and require cooling and ventilation. Make sure your venue has great ventilation and your dress is light and cool.
Ayurveda facial treatments focussed on Pitta balancing will sooth redness and sensitivities, oily and congested pores with natural ingredients such as red sandalwood powders, wild asparagus root powders into organic yogurt and coconut milk.
Deep upper back ,neck and shoulder massage to relieve tensions and stress while cool aromatic towels soothe your soul.
The KAPHA Bride
If your result is Kapha dosha your predominant elements are Water and Earth
You are the Sensual Bride, romantic and dreamy. You visualize an intimate wedding with close friends and family. At times you may sense and tend to everyone else’s needs and neglect your needs. You are sensual and caring and feel things very deeply.
You are a true romantic. Allow others to care for you. You deserve to be nurtured. Delays in planning and organizing is common among Kapha types and a relaxed approach to life and stress is innate. You know how to slow down the pace.
Make sure your dress is comfortable and flows with grace and ease. Your body temperature can fluctuate between cold damp feelings to deep and uncomfortable warmth. Light fabrics are most recommended to allow your body to breath. Your best venue is one that is romantic and comfortable with access to thermostat or other means of controlling temperatures.
