Yogis, very often have a distinctive glow, bright eyes and a gravitating aura. They also often look a lot younger than their chronological age. So, what’s their secret? I began my research; I started reading up (I've probably read just under 100 in-depth books on the correlation between yoga, beauty, and Ayurveda), I attended yoga festivals and even started hanging with Yogis. It all started coming together; it was a lot deeper than what I imagined it to be.

At the annual Evolution Yoga Conference in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to meet and interview an array of renowned yogis: Dario Calvaruso, a senior teacher at Pure Yoga, who has yoga retreats in exotic locations around the world eg. Mongolia and Myanmar. Sharon Gannon, the co-founder of the savvy Jiva Mukti Yoga and Guru Jagat, the Kundalini yogi whose followers include radiant celebrities Alicia Keys and Kate Hudson. We chatted about Ayurveda, beautifying super herbs, age-reversal yogic Asanas and Kriyas. They also shared sacred wisdom and mantras, which they believe are the foundation of beauty.

Sharon Gannon

“Be kind, Be kind, Be kind. The key to beauty is to be kind to others. Yoga teaches us if you want to be happy make others happy if you want to be beautiful assist in making them beautiful.  Whatever  you want in life you can have, if you can make it happen for someone else.  This plants the right type of karmic seeds, whatever we do to others will come back to us”.

"Rosewater in a spray, it's a natural astringent and I also put it in my eyes because it brightens them and makes them alive especially in cities where there is pollution.  The enzyme exfoliant from organic beauty line Tracy Martyne is excellent. 

“Make a facial mask by whisking ½ an avocado and mixing 10 silicea tissue salts - Apply this combination on your face and neck for 20 minutes and wash off. Try to do this once a week” Avocado is packed with good fats and vitamin E, which helps nourish the skin. Tissue salts are minerals found naturally in the human bodily tissues. Interestingly, they also occur in rocks and in the soil. They replenish and rejuvenate the skin and body at a cellular level. The cell salt Silicea enhances skin elasticity and prevents wrinkles naturally.

Dario Calvaruso

“According to ancient Greek and Eastern philosophy, we are a reflection of our internal being; we cannot separate the two. They are connected.  Kindness, forgiveness, and positive thoughts help us to radiate our soul’s inner light outward and our face illuminates"

“When our Agni (digestive fire) is strong we absorb nutrients better and this reflects on the skin. One of the best ways to enhance Agni is to sip on warm ginger tea during the day”. To prepare ginger tea, take two inches of ginger, grate it, and add the pieces to two cups of boiling water. Steep it for around 10-15 minutes and drink.

“Amla is loaded with vitamin C (it contains 20 times more vitamin c than an orange), which helps keep the complexion bright and hair shiny”. The berry is also known to slow down and sometimes even reverse premature greying.

“Stress is one of the major contributors to accelerated ageing, Brahmi is considered the ultimate ‘stress buster’ according to Ayurveda”. The miraculous herb acts as a natural adapt genic by decreasing cortisol hormone levels and soothing the nervous system. Include this herb during rough times in the night before sleeping.

Guru Jagat

“Love Yourself” The key to beauty is from the moment you relate to yourself in a beautiful way you become more beautiful.  “Being comfortable in your own skin is enlightenment”

Have a cold shower whilst doing Abhangya (Ayurveda oil massage).  “Dry brush and massage oil (sesame in winter, coconut in summer) onto your body- and get into a cold shower and massage your breasts, ovaries or any area you have cellulite. The circulation boost and the power of cold showers is a great beauty secret!”

“My teacher ‘Yogi Bhajan’ says women should include Chlorophyll in their diet.  Most green vegetables and plants have chlorophyll but it's difficult to sometimes get green juice when your travelling so I add liquid chlorophyll to my bottle of water and sip on it during the day. It's so hydrating and helps protect the body from radiation". Chlorophyll helps bring oxygen to our blood and skin, which increases our energy and gives us a lovely pink flush!

“Practice 3-minutes of cat-cow is a wonderful age reversal because it helps to pump Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This helps the body to stimulate collagen production which helps plump and firm the skin. 3 minutes a day of cat-cow done consistently for 90 days can reduce wrinkles.  It’s one of the major secrets to youthfulness”