Back in 2001 I decided to participate in a weekend workshop on Ayurveda, given by a great physician, and now dear friend that has also been my doctor for more than 20 years.
What he shared was so shockingly coherent to me that it turned my life around; I took a leave of absence from college and only one month after I began a year-long program in Ayurvedic Studies at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
That year changed my life.
I became an Ayurvedic Practitioner.
I learned, embodied, experimented, the meaning of health, the importance of our lifestyle, the quality of our food, and of organic agriculture.
I reconnected to my spirituality, and opened myself to a broader and more holistic perspective, to say the least. That’s also when I was introduced to natural skincare by a dear friend who swapped my conventional lip balm –made from petrolatum and synthetic fragrances- for a Dr. Hauschka’s lip balm.
Later, I pursued a very successful and fruitful corporate career working for Procter & Gamble, I just couldn’t resist the idea of exploring sustainability and business. I worked with my Ayurvedic doctor for a couple years in the development of a line of biodynamic herbal remedies, and dermatological products deepening my understanding of health and salutogenesis -a medical approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being as opposed to just treating the symptoms of disease.
After that, wanting to learn further on how salutogenesis could impact economic and social living systems, I earned a Masters Degree in Holistic Science from Shumacher College in Devon, England, specializing in “New Economics”.
That led me to living in Bhutan for a couple years, working for the country’s First Prime Minister at the Gross National Happiness Center. The GNH Center is a project dedicated to exploring new development paradigms, right-livelihoods, well-being and economic models that are more coherent with life.
For me this resonated strongly with the Ayurvedic philosophy and further deepened my commitment to holistic health and beauty.
Coming back to the West, with a deep longing for integrating all my diverse life experiences, the calling to start Ayurvedika Skincare arose.
Ayurvedika Skincare is a project where my life-long journey and what I care most about come together.
The importance of health, beauty and well-being intertwined with my love, admiration, and respect for Ayurveda gives our project meaning. It goes without saying that we have a strong commitment in creating new business models that are more coherent with life and that care for all sentient beings, our local communities, and our entire planet.
Gaby Franco
Co-Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer
