I'm An Herbalist, Chef & Ayurvedic Expert — How I Balance My Skin

"That's the beauty of Ayurveda, it's intuitive. If I'm too hot, I'm going to take off my sweater. If I'm too cold, I'm going to put it back on. If I am sluggish, I should exercise and move my body. If I have a cold, I should eat or drink something that's warming," says Ayurveda expert Martha Soffer, who is an herbalist, chef, Panchakarma expert, master Ayurvedic Pulse diagnostician, and founder of Surya Spa. Soffer is a sought-after expert who has scores of celebrity clients at her Los Angeles–based spa.

In this episode of Clean Beauty School, Soffer and I discuss her winding journey into beauty and wellness, a thorough explanation of Panchakarma, and overlooked signs your doshas may be unbalanced. I also got her best tips to find balance—be it with sleep, skin, or soul.

Tune in for the entire conversation. And in the meantime, check out my favorite takeaways here.

To ground a restless mind….

"If you're experiencing bloating and not sleeping, that's too much Vata or too much air. Both of these things are air. Bloating is air. Not sleeping is air because your mind is thinking, thinking, thinking and not able to settle down," she says. "So that means you need more warmth because there's too much coldness."

To balance out the restlessness, consume warm herbs and hearty, grounding plant meals. 

To cool the body down… 

As Soffer explained to me, a question she often asks new clients is, "Do you sweat at night?' And for those, who respond yes ("They'll say to me, 'I feel so hot. I have to take all my blankets off and have to sleep with an air conditioner,'" she says.), then that points to them being too Pitta. 

"That shows me they're having some hormonal changes and probably consuming foods that are too hot for the body," she says. "They're putting too much fire in the body." 

To balance fire, Soffer recommends cooling treatments and foods—and avoiding hot foods and drinks. So limit your intake of spicy plants and herbs, caffeine, and alcohol. Check out some ayurvedic cooling tips here. 

To center yourself any time of year…. 

Eating seasonally is one of the core principles of Ayurveda, as it helps balance the body accordingly. "Live with the season. So whatever the body, whatever the earth is growing during that season, that's what you should eat because the earth is producing it for you," she says. 

Tone in for more insights: