We had the true pleasure of sitting down with Martha Soffer, Ayurvedic Guru and Founder of Surya Spa one cold and cloudy morning in Santa Monica. As soon as we entered the space, we were warmly greeted by Martha and her glowing team — with tea and a slice of their famous spa bread and ghee of course. What was supposed to be a short one hour rapid-fire-style interview, turned into a long and beautifully winding conversation between two women who admire what they are each creating and contributing to the world through healing (Christy and healing through regenerative fashion, and Martha and healing through the wisdom and practices of Ayurveda).
Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Bogota, Colombia, and working in computer science at IBM, I got the chance to move to Iowa and get an advanced degree in Computer Science at an unusual and wonderful university known as Maharishi International University, where meditation is also part of the curriculum! One evening in the dining hall, I noticed this beautiful group of women with oil in their hair, and they were just glowing. It turns out they had just come from Ayurvedic treatments at the University’s Ayurvedic school, a week of Panchkarma, which I immediately had to try, and in that moment, my life took an abrupt turn to what would become my ongoing purpose and passion – the study and practice of Ayurveda. And now Ayurveda is my whole world, from the foods I eat, to yoga and meditation, to the products I make for myself and for everyone, and all the treatments and consultations that we offer at Surya … it’s all my way of sharing Ayurveda with the world.
Where do you look to for inspiration?
Right now, Kuan Yin, the Chinese Mother of Compassion, is a huge source of inspiration. I am practicing all her Mantras, which soften and expand my heart, and help me become as loving and understanding as possible. I really love the Heart Sutra and the Prayer of Compassion — Om Mane Padme Hum…. Love is such an important healing force, and I want to express that love, yes, when I’m working on people, but also, even just feeling it, that state, even if I’m just sitting quietly. It’s a kind of practice to see the world through the heart, and a kind of self-love, too…
“Really, we can’t help it — we just are connected to Mother Earth, and when we recognize that and get back in tune with that connection, nature supports us, and we feel that support. That’s really the goal of Ayurveda — to get us back in tune with the music, with the wisdom, of natural life.”
What is a memory in which herbalism impacted you, and you knew you were changed (spiritually or physically)?
When I was studying Ayurveda at the MIU, I was invited to a concert of Tibetan throat singing. I don’t usually talk about these things, but listening to the music with eyes closed, I had what can only be called a vision — the hindu elephant god, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, appeared and told me to make a dhara [a circle of chickpea dough] and put it on my third eye, and fill it with herbalized oil, to calm my mind. When I did this, I had an amazing experience of feeling my consciousness literally change — the herbs and oil somehow helped me to experience a transcendence of time. I immediately tried this on other guests, and many people had the same experience, and we still do this treatment today at Surya when we feel a person needs it. And even talking about it, I’m once again reminded that herbs have so much power, to both heal us physically and to expand and elevate our consciousness, helping us connect to the much larger universe of which we’re really already a part.
Do you have a philosophy when it comes to beauty and self expression?
We think of beauty as something that exists on the physical plane, like beautiful skin or a beautiful flower, and that’s true, but to me, what’s important is to be beautiful in your heart. To feel the beauty that you already are. When your heart is beautiful, when you feel that, you radiate beauty no matter what else is happening — and I know that’s what other people perceive. When we age, we can get caught up in the physical aspect of beauty, and we forget about the heart. Real beauty, for me, is about openness, and that comes from balance. When you are using Surya’s Balancing Collagen Cream or Face Oil to heal and repair the skin, you’re also getting the benefit of rose and special herbs we blend in which help open and heal the heart. We might not talk about it, but with that opening, you begin to feel your inner beauty, too. Of course, the creams and oils also help us on the physical plane, but I always like to remember — and remind people! — that we can’t just focus on the outside… we have to nurture real beauty from our hearts.
What is wellness to you?
When we start to understand the language of our body. By helping us be in balance, Ayurveda is really about preventative care, and wellness is really about paying attention to your body, whether emotional or physical, and then moving with your body’s needs, so you can be balanced and prevent dis-ease, or disease. If you are listening when your body is talking to you, you can find the easy way back to balance and happiness. In Ayurveda, it’s really simple — cool down if we’re too hot, if there’s too much “pitta” or fire, emotionally or physically; calm down if there’s too much “vata,” or the wind element. And energize if there’s too much of that solid earth and water, the “kapha” element. Once you feel well, and back in balance, you can help other people, too, and create an environment of well-being around you, which also helps your own well-being!
What does regeneration mean to you?
When I was studying Ayurveda at the MIU, I was invited to a concert of Tibetan throat singing. I don’t usually talk about these things, but listening to the music with eyes closed, I had what can only be called a vision — the hindu elephant god, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, appeared and told me to make a dhara [a circle of chickpea dough] and put it on my third eye, and fill it with herbalized oil, to calm my mind. When I did this, I had an amazing experience of feeling my consciousness literally change — the herbs and oil somehow helped me to experience a transcendence of time. I immediately tried this on other guests, and many people had the same experience, and we still do this treatment today at Surya when we feel a person needs it. And even talking about it, I’m once again reminded that herbs have so much power, to both heal us physically and to expand and elevate our consciousness, helping us connect to the much larger universe of which we’re really already a part.
How do you connect with Mother Earth?
Mother Earth is everything! We’re already connected with Mother Earth, though we often forget. We can’t be separate, even though we might not remember. We’re affected by the tides, the weather, the sun, the moon, and our breath in nature when we take a walk. I love connecting to trees and flowers by sharing my breath with them, which is actually a very specific kind of Ayurvedic practice! I also reconnect to the Mother when I meditate morning and afternoon — and in those quiet moments, I feel guided and protected. One of the most profound ways I remember my connection to Earth is remembering the miracle of birth, and everything I experienced bringing my two wonderful children into being. When I grew them in my body, I was so conscious that they were being made by the Earth. I was strict about eating natural, unprocessed food, and taking in fresh air, and all of life’s wisdom, which of course, is the literal definition of Ayurveda — The Wisdom of Life — doing everything I could to create really conscious beings. Today when I see my kids, my husband and I still feel that connection — it’s like Mother Earth says hello to me through them, and lets me know that she loves me, and that I am always connected to her, and a part of her. But you don’t have to have kids to be connected to Mother Earth. Really, we can’t help it — we just are, and when we recognize that and get back in tune with that connection, nature supports us, and we feel that support. That’s really the goal of Ayurveda — to get us back in tune with the music, with the wisdom, of natural life.
Visit
suryawellness.com
@suryabymartha
We had the true pleasure of sitting down with Martha Soffer, Ayurvedic Guru and Founder of Surya Spa one cold and cloudy morning in Santa Monica. As soon as we entered the space, we were warmly greeted by Martha and her glowing team — with tea and a slice of their famous spa bread and ghee of course. What was supposed to be a short one hour rapid-fire-style interview, turned into a long and beautifully winding conversation between two women who admire what they are each creating and contributing to the world through healing (Christy and healing through regenerative fashion, and Martha and healing through the wisdom and practices of Ayurveda).
Tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Bogota, Colombia, and working in computer science at IBM, I got the chance to move to Iowa and get an advanced degree in Computer Science at an unusual and wonderful university known as Maharishi International University, where meditation is also part of the curriculum! One evening in the dining hall, I noticed this beautiful group of women with oil in their hair, and they were just glowing. It turns out they had just come from Ayurvedic treatments at the University’s Ayurvedic school, a week of Panchkarma, which I immediately had to try, and in that moment, my life took an abrupt turn to what would become my ongoing purpose and passion – the study and practice of Ayurveda. And now Ayurveda is my whole world, from the foods I eat, to yoga and meditation, to the products I make for myself and for everyone, and all the treatments and consultations that we offer at Surya … it’s all my way of sharing Ayurveda with the world.
Where do you look to for inspiration?
Right now, Kuan Yin, the Chinese Mother of Compassion, is a huge source of inspiration. I am practicing all her Mantras, which soften and expand my heart, and help me become as loving and understanding as possible. I really love the Heart Sutra and the Prayer of Compassion — Om Mane Padme Hum…. Love is such an important healing force, and I want to express that love, yes, when I’m working on people, but also, even just feeling it, that state, even if I’m just sitting quietly. It’s a kind of practice to see the world through the heart, and a kind of self-love, too…
“Really, we can’t help it — we just are connected to Mother Earth, and when we recognize that and get back in tune with that connection, nature supports us, and we feel that support. That’s really the goal of Ayurveda — to get us back in tune with the music, with the wisdom, of natural life.”
What is a memory in which herbalism impacted you, and you knew you were changed (spiritually or physically)?
When I was studying Ayurveda at the MIU, I was invited to a concert of Tibetan throat singing. I don’t usually talk about these things, but listening to the music with eyes closed, I had what can only be called a vision — the hindu elephant god, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, appeared and told me to make a dhara [a circle of chickpea dough] and put it on my third eye, and fill it with herbalized oil, to calm my mind. When I did this, I had an amazing experience of feeling my consciousness literally change — the herbs and oil somehow helped me to experience a transcendence of time. I immediately tried this on other guests, and many people had the same experience, and we still do this treatment today at Surya when we feel a person needs it. And even talking about it, I’m once again reminded that herbs have so much power, to both heal us physically and to expand and elevate our consciousness, helping us connect to the much larger universe of which we’re really already a part.
Do you have a philosophy when it comes to beauty and self expression?
We think of beauty as something that exists on the physical plane, like beautiful skin or a beautiful flower, and that’s true, but to me, what’s important is to be beautiful in your heart. To feel the beauty that you already are. When your heart is beautiful, when you feel that, you radiate beauty no matter what else is happening — and I know that’s what other people perceive. When we age, we can get caught up in the physical aspect of beauty, and we forget about the heart. Real beauty, for me, is about openness, and that comes from balance. When you are using Surya’s Balancing Collagen Cream or Face Oil to heal and repair the skin, you’re also getting the benefit of rose and special herbs we blend in which help open and heal the heart. We might not talk about it, but with that opening, you begin to feel your inner beauty, too. Of course, the creams and oils also help us on the physical plane, but I always like to remember — and remind people! — that we can’t just focus on the outside… we have to nurture real beauty from our hearts.
What is wellness to you?
When we start to understand the language of our body. By helping us be in balance, Ayurveda is really about preventative care, and wellness is really about paying attention to your body, whether emotional or physical, and then moving with your body’s needs, so you can be balanced and prevent dis-ease, or disease. If you are listening when your body is talking to you, you can find the easy way back to balance and happiness. In Ayurveda, it’s really simple — cool down if we’re too hot, if there’s too much “pitta” or fire, emotionally or physically; calm down if there’s too much “vata,” or the wind element. And energize if there’s too much of that solid earth and water, the “kapha” element. Once you feel well, and back in balance, you can help other people, too, and create an environment of well-being around you, which also helps your own well-being!
What does regeneration mean to you?
When I was studying Ayurveda at the MIU, I was invited to a concert of Tibetan throat singing. I don’t usually talk about these things, but listening to the music with eyes closed, I had what can only be called a vision — the hindu elephant god, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, appeared and told me to make a dhara [a circle of chickpea dough] and put it on my third eye, and fill it with herbalized oil, to calm my mind. When I did this, I had an amazing experience of feeling my consciousness literally change — the herbs and oil somehow helped me to experience a transcendence of time. I immediately tried this on other guests, and many people had the same experience, and we still do this treatment today at Surya when we feel a person needs it. And even talking about it, I’m once again reminded that herbs have so much power, to both heal us physically and to expand and elevate our consciousness, helping us connect to the much larger universe of which we’re really already a part.
How do you connect with Mother Earth?
Mother Earth is everything! We’re already connected with Mother Earth, though we often forget. We can’t be separate, even though we might not remember. We’re affected by the tides, the weather, the sun, the moon, and our breath in nature when we take a walk. I love connecting to trees and flowers by sharing my breath with them, which is actually a very specific kind of Ayurvedic practice! I also reconnect to the Mother when I meditate morning and afternoon — and in those quiet moments, I feel guided and protected. One of the most profound ways I remember my connection to Earth is remembering the miracle of birth, and everything I experienced bringing my two wonderful children into being. When I grew them in my body, I was so conscious that they were being made by the Earth. I was strict about eating natural, unprocessed food, and taking in fresh air, and all of life’s wisdom, which of course, is the literal definition of Ayurveda — The Wisdom of Life — doing everything I could to create really conscious beings. Today when I see my kids, my husband and I still feel that connection — it’s like Mother Earth says hello to me through them, and lets me know that she loves me, and that I am always connected to her, and a part of her. But you don’t have to have kids to be connected to Mother Earth. Really, we can’t help it — we just are, and when we recognize that and get back in tune with that connection, nature supports us, and we feel that support. That’s really the goal of Ayurveda — to get us back in tune with the music, with the wisdom, of natural life.
Visit
suryawellness.com
@suryabymartha
