Ayurvedic Face Mapping

Did you zone that there are zones of the face in Ayurvedic Face Mapping? One of my favorite things about Ayurveda is once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Vata

Vata. Air. Nervous system. Very rare will you see cystic, hot, or of substance concerns on forehead. Forehead concerns or most always dry, aging concerns, hence vata. Darting eyes and unable to keep the eyes focused, Vata imbalance. Vata is air, vata moves quickly and is ungrounded in imbalance. Do you ever hear anyone say “Wow, my forehead is so puffy, better do some sculpting on my forehead.” Not often.

Eyes are SO interesting and there is an entire method of eye mapping in itself, iridology. Lot’s of Vata around the eyes and they show some of the first signs of aging. Kidney depletion can reflect around the under eye area, as this space becomes hollow as we age, another component of Vata.

Pitta

Pitta. Fire. Transformation. Hot. Where do we blush when heat rises in the body, most often the cheeks. Extremely hot and cystic acne, the cysts that can get painful, can often be found on cheeks. These are often the cysts that are too inflammed to extract and not necessarily a good idea to try. They need soothing and calming before anything.

There is also a component of heat around the eyes and major liver aspects that can be pitta related. Too much alcohol, bloodshot eyes, jaundice of the liver, yellow eyes, overwhelm of the liver in general through diet, puffy eyes, all very liver and Pitta infused.

Kapha

Kapha. Water and earth. Lymphatic system. This is where we tend to get puffy quick! Do you ever hear “Wow, I have so many fine lines and wrinkles on my jaw?” No, you hear that more around vata. We are always trying to de-puff and sculpt the jaw, move the fluid, which is indeed kapha. Another common area for cysts and more often oozing and pus filed, also can be very hot, aspects of pitta, from the inflammation build up. Jawline cysts can be a fusion of pitta and kapha.

Chinese Medicine Face Mapping

Among many of their diagnostic tools, Chinese Medicine uses the hemispheres of both the left and right side of the body to assist in discovering the root cause of a dis-ease, illness, etc. (maybe allopathy will catch on one day). The same can also be said for the skin and complexion with left side of the face reflecting the liver and the right side reflecting the lungs. Face mapping in both Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda runs deep and both yield many clues in reflecting what may be manifesting from both emotional and/or physical reasons on our complexions, as well as throughout our bodies.

Without getting into the web of details of this diagnostic tool can offer, I do want to share how Chinese medicine articulates the difference between the left and right side of the face, as I’ve personally seen this pattern in both myself and clients.

“Chinese medicine is really big on left and right, Hsu tells us. If you’re breaking out on the left side of your face, it is recommended to eat cooling foods, winter melon, cucumbers and the like. The left cheek is more connected to your liver, which Hsu says is the weakest between 1-5 pm in the afternoon. If you’re having a breakout on your left cheek, try to avoid any strenuous work that time of day. ” — Daniel Hsu, DAOM, LAc

In Chinese Medicine, every organ also governs various systems throughout the body. The lungs govern the skin, which is why the breath, above all, can keep the complexion most radiant. You know that post workout glow via blood flow, circulation, endorphins, that type of radiance, hello breath and oxygen. Through the breath, you deliver oxygen, nutrients and fresh energy to every cell throughout the body. You also decrease stress levels, which among many things, preserves your OJAS, which is your vitality in Ayurveda, but we are going to keep this post Chinese Medicine focused for now.

“Hsu says the right cheek is more connected to our lungs. He recommends doing aerobic and breathing exercises early in the morning to strengthen your lungs. The right cheek is also more sugar focused. If you’re breaking out on the right cheek, I would recommend cutting back on junk food and sugar, as well as wine, taro, and seafood. ” — Daniel Hsu, DAOM, LAc

As for our emotions, our left side is our feminine/yin side and right side or masculine/yang side so notice if you have blocks receiving (yin) or giving (yang). Discovering these intricate ways to intuitively communicate with yourself are key to preserving our health, vibrancy, vitality, and will elevate the way you live. There is so much to digest around both Ayurvedic face mapping and the methods of TCM, as well as the inticate ways we express our emotions through the mimetic muscles of our face.