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DYI Face mask

The BEST Summer Herb

Amalaki (aka Indian Gooseberry, aka Amla) is COOLING. It’s great for pitta tendency people like me who get overly heated (think menstrual related acne, or loose stool), especially this time of year.

It's one of the fruits in ayurveda's digestive formula Triphala. It's english name is Indian Gooseberry.

But it's also a potent external medicine for hair and skin!! ⠀

You can take amalaki internally. It is a super-well-known rejuvenate as it gently cleanses the colon, beautifies hair and skin and is an all-around tonic for the organs. In India its known as a super-food, youth-enhancer!

It’s also SUPER helpful for blemishes. Scroll down for my summer Amalaki face mask.

➳ You can also use the powders in your smoothies or yogurt. It has a delightful sour taste.

➳ Mix it with coconut oil and use as a hair mask. It makes your hair really shinny and strong. This is so good for pitta hair that’s often very fine and breaks easily. It’s hard to grow out your hair sometimes as a pitta.

➳ Mix it with almond oil to make an anti-aging treatment and soften fine lines. (Amalaki is high in Vit C, which helps build collagen).

➳ Mix Amalaki juice or powder with aloe vera juice for a refreshing facewash.

➳ Banyan Botanicals sources THE BEST amalaki, it’s potent, organic and fair trade. Banyan is supporting farmers in Asia, not just doing business and then peacing out. Use the discount code SHAKTI10 for 10% of your order.

Try this facemask, it will change your skin routine forever!!!!

Amalaki facemask with honey (& optional parsley)

This is a great mask for blemishes but it may dry out your skin if left for too long, or used during dry months, or during dry skin cycles. Use this in humid environments, in the high summer season or if you have oily skin.⠀

➳ Start by chopping up finely a sprig of washed parsley⠀

➳ Crush it up in a mortar and pestle until the juice is coming out (the bottom of the clean jar on a chopping board can suffice if you don’t have one)⠀

➳ Add 2 teaspoons of Amalaki (Amla) powder and hot water to make a wet paste with the crushed parsley⠀

➳ Add a teaspoon of Manuka honey to the still warm mixture and blend them all together into a paste⠀

➳ The crushed parsley won’t spread consistently but this doesn’t matter as the hot water will have dispersed its compounds into the paste⠀

➳ You want your face mask to be the consistency of yogurt – easy to spread but not too watery/runny.⠀

➳ Apply the paste while it's still warm⠀

➳ Wash your face of any dirt or makeup⠀

➳ Apply the paste to damp, clean skin⠀

➳ Lie down in your room with mask on for 20-30mins⠀

➳ Wash off with warm water and apply your favorite moisturizer!⠀

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March in the Northern Hemisphere means that as the March in the Northern Hemisphere means that as the weather begins to thaw, Kapha dosha (earth + water) starts to dominate, bringing qualities that are cold, damp, heavy, slow and congestive. This is why many people notice sluggish digestion, mucus, allergies or low motivation this time of year.⁠
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To stay balanced, Ayurveda recommends lightening, warming and gently clearing the system with foods that are bitter, pungent and astringent:⁠
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🌿Asparagus: Light, mildly bitter and diuretic⁠
🍓Raspberries: Astringent and light; gently scrape excess Kapha and support digestion⁠
🌱Dandelion Greens: Bitter, liver-supportive and encourages natural cleansing⁠
🥬Kale: Drying and bitter; helps clear heaviness and stimulate sluggish agni⁠
🌾Amaranth: Light, slightly drying grain that won’t aggravate Kapha⁠
🥗Spinach: Bitter and cleansing; supports blood and gentle detox pathways⁠
🥬Arugula: Pungent and heating; wakes up digestion and clears stagnation⁠
🫐Blueberries: Astringent antioxidants that help counter spring sluggishness⁠
💦Celery: Supports fluid balance and lymph flow⁠
🫘Mung Beans: Light, digestible and tridoshic⁠
🔴Red Lentils: Easier to digest than many beans; light but nourishing⁠
🌾Quinoa: Protein-rich and relatively light (good for Kapha)⁠
💚Brussels Sprouts: Bitter and fibrous; helps move sluggish digestion⁠
❤️Pomegranate: Astringent and agni-supportive⁠
🥦Broccoli: Bitter and scraping; supports the body’s natural detox pathways⁠
🫐Blackberries: Light, astringent and antioxidant-rich for spring clearing⁠
🌿Parsley: Fresh, mildly diuretic herb that supports kidney and lymph movement⁠
🌻Sunflower Seeds: Nourishing without being overly heavy⁠
🎃Pumpkin Seeds: Grounding and supports tissues but not overly oily⁠
🌶️Mustard Seeds: Sharp, heating and Kapha-reducing; excellent for kindling agni⁠
⁠
🌸 If you’re ready to take your Ayurveda studies to the next level, dive into our free Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda Mini-Course right now. Comment WISDOM to access.
Meet core Shakti School faculty Sandhiya Ramaswamy Meet core Shakti School faculty Sandhiya Ramaswamy, Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, educator, chef and retreat leader. Sandhiya is one of the beloved teachers guiding our Level 2 Ayurvedic Health Counselor Online Certification that begins April 21st. 🌿 ⁠
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For nearly a decade, through her practice Alchemy Ayurveda in Dana Point, CA, Sandhiya has helped hundreds of clients and students experience Ayurveda as a true lived wisdom through consultations, workshops, cooking classes and retreats.⁠
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In Level 2, Sandhiya deepens the classical roots of the tradition while making the teachings profoundly practical. Students study essential Ayurvedic theory including Strotamsi (the living pathways of the body) and Samprapti & Vyadhi Marga (the disease process), building the clinical lens needed to truly understand how imbalance unfolds and how healing begins.⁠
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Her fan-favorite class, Cooking with Spices as Medicine, brings Ayurveda straight into your kitchen. Here, food is honored as the first medicine, the kitchen becomes the pharmacy and the spice cabinet your daily apothecary. 🫚💫⁠
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Through hands-on tutorials and ancestral wisdom, you’ll learn how everyday spices awaken digestion, support microcirculation, build ojas and prevent imbalance - using simple “micro doses” you can apply immediately in real life.⁠
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🙏🏼 If your heart is ready to deepen your studies and become an embodied channel for the living wisdom of Ayurveda, we would love to welcome you. ✨⁠
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💚 Level 2 begins April 21, 2026. Reach out with any questions. We’re here to support you.⁠
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& don’t forget to drop Sandhiya some love below. 👇🏼💗
The first month of your Ayurveda awakening be like The first month of your Ayurveda awakening be like… hello, bank account. 🌿🍯🛒

Suddenly your online cart is full of ghee, herbs and jars of ancient goodness and next thing you know you’re feeding your boo a steady diet of mysterious tonics and herbs every 5 hours. 

The Ayurveda glow-up is priceless though - for you AND your family! ✨🌿 If you know you know. 😉

Inspired by @standwellness meme 🔥
Love really is a frequency, and it extends far bey Love really is a frequency, and it extends far beyond the romantic cliches. 💗 One of the most sacred forms of love is the love between friends.⁠
⁠
We felt the love big time in this beautiful Galentine’s giveaway with Herbal Face Food.⁠
⁠
Our two BFF winners, Ashton Miller + Alexa Frear reminded us what this month of love is really about: ⁠
⁠
“My name is Ashton Miller and my best gal pal is Alexa Frear. We met on a work trip and there was something about her soul that drew me in. She’s truly my soul sister! ” ❤️⁠
⁠
We’re so honored that we got to gift these two friends an incredibly indulgent and luxurious skin-loving bundle in collaboration with @herbalfacefood. 🪽🦋⁠
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If you missed your chance to enter, you can still experience the magic. ⁠
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Shop @herbalfacefood with our code THESHAKTISCHOOL for 30% off—or visit the link in our bio.⁠
⁠
🌹 Make sure you’re on the Shakti mailing list so you don’t miss future giveaways like this one. ⁠
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💌 Comment MAIL to make sure you receive the next Shakti Newsletter.
Late winter in the Northern Hemisphere is a kapha- Late winter in the Northern Hemisphere is a kapha-vata crossover season - still cold, but increasingly damp and heavy as the water and earth elements begin to rise. Ayurveda teaches this is the moment to stay warm while gently stimulating circulation and clearing stagnation, so we don’t carry winter’s sluggishness into spring.⁠
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Southern Hemisphere beauties, you’re in late summer/early fall, so follow hydrating and grounding Ayurveda guidance instead of late-winter protocols (tons more on our blog for you, the link is in our bio 😉).⁠
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The sweet spot right now is warm and slightly bitter foods and gently stimulating lifestyle rhythms. Kindle agni, move your lymph and lighten up, without depleting your nervous system.⁠
⁠
Late Winter Self-Care Checklist:⁠
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• Dress warmly even on milder days to prevent mucus and stagnation.⁠
• Get adequate sleep but avoid heavy oversleeping.⁠
• Prep for an Ayurvedic cleanse - it’s a great time to “clean out” your body, mind, home or closet!⁠
• Start dreaming up spring projects and creative plans.⁠
• Add more aerobic movement (walking, dance, fluid yoga, cycling).⁠
• Prioritize daily sunlight and fresh air for natural vitamin D.⁠
• Dry brush (only if vata is balanced) and/or practice warm abhyanga.⁠
• Sip tulsi tea to support immunity and clarity.⁠
• Leafy greens, radishes, broccoli, basmati rice and well-cooked legumes are allies.⁠
• Favor warming spices like mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.⁠
• Fenugreek is your friend - warming, bitter and drying.⁠
• Ginger is warming and activating helping kindle agni while steadying vata.⁠
• Consider chyavanprash for deep rejuvenation.⁠
• Hydrate with warm water and keep skin plump with a gentle mist.⁠
⁠
Ready to live in rhythm with the seasons and your cyclical nature?⁠
⁠
✨ Comment WISDOM and get our free Women’s Wisdom + Ayurveda mini-course and start learning right now.

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