Samaya Journal

Five mindful minutes with…Eminé Ali Rushton

We caught up with Eminé Ali Rushton, the award-winning beauty and wellbeing editor, about how she maintains balance in her demanding life as a working mother-of-two.

Beauty Director at the thinking woman’s monthly Psychologies, Eminé is an Ayurveda convert who is the author of The Body Balance Diet Plan. She is also a regular guest contributor to SAMAYA’s Journal.

Q. Dosha?

A. Pitta-Kapha.

Q. At the core of Ayurveda lies the concept of achieving harmony between the mind, body and soul. How do you find balance living a hectic and busy life?

A. Meditation, yoga, breathing, my children, bathing, eating well, and trying to maintain perspective over the ‘small stuff’.

Q. Ayurveda is based on the belief that in order to achieve and maintain balance, we should pay attention to our lifestyle as a whole. Regular exercise plays a huge part in this. How do you like to work out and is it easy fitting exercise into your daily schedule?

A. Ayurveda recognised only yoga – and this was seen as exercise for the mind as much as the body. I follow this belief… I walk everywhere, am active with my children, and practise slow, more meditative yoga in the evening. I do not ‘exercise’ in a traditional sense and find the high intensity mentality too punishing!

Q. A nourishing diet plays an important role in Ayurveda. Do you have a favourite cuisine and what’s your signature dish?

A. Food is medicine, that is Ayurveda’s belief. It’s one that we pay attention to at home… we grow our veg and herbs on a little allotment plot, and make 95% of our meals from scratch… we love Indian food: chana masala, tarka dal, dal makhani, and my husband Paul is an incredible cook, who really ‘gets’ spice. We don’t have a signature, but I do love his seasonal tagine, made with lentils and whatever veg has just come out of the ground – squash is lovely.

Q. When our particular dosha is balanced the results can be seen with radiant, healthy skin. How would you describe your skincare routine?

A. Gently cleansing, warm steam, serum, and oil. Easy, organic, simple and customised based on my skin on the day.

Q. Why are natural beauty products important to you?

A. It just feels natural to choose natural… I’ve always been that way… it’s an extension of the food I eat, the home we live in, the choices we make. My skin tends to get really upset with me if I use something very fragranced or synthetic!

Q. Favourite SAMAYA product?

A. Pitta Cleanser. Lovely and unctuous, jasmine-scented, and silky & milky when rinsed away.