Yoga For Glowing Skin: The Skin Benefits of Doing Yoga

The yogis have known this for ages, but the benefits of yoga for the health of the skin have recently been realized by yoga enthusiasts. A few sessions with their yoga instructor has not only boosted their inner calmness, flexibility, and overall health, but it has also impacted their skin’s health positively. The skin glows more than ever, breakouts aren’t as frequent, and it always seems to have that rosy glow.

While all yoga poses are beneficial, practice-specific poses like the cobra pose, fish pose, child pose, and breathing exercises to reap its benefits for the skin.

Every individual who is drawn to yoga has their own reasons to start practising it and making it a part of their routine. For many, the serenity experienced afterwards helps them to de-stress and feel relaxed. For some, the stretching helps them to relieve muscular stress and alleviate pains of different kinds. The overall toning of the body that is achieved with regular practice is just one of the added benefits of practising yoga.

Just like the body benefits from these poses and breathing techniques, the skin also benefits from them in the process.

The improvement in circulation and delivery of nutrients and oxygen brings about positive and healthy changes in the skin. The elimination of toxins is also optimized with yoga, which helps to keep your skin blemish-free and young-looking.

When yoga is combined with a healthy diet and a good skincare routine, the wonderful effects that start to become visible on the face are worth the effort. Yoga is a wholesome workout for the body and can be benefitted from just by spending a couple of minutes practising it every day.

Here is how yoga benefits the skin.

Why Is Yoga Great For The Skin?

Yoga, with its numerous poses and breathing techniques, brings about many changes in the body that works towards the betterment of your skin’s health. It is great for the skin because of the following reasons:

Stimulates Blood Circulation

The blood circulation in the body needs a boost now and then, and yoga is an excellent way to achieve this. The movements help to improve circulation to the various organs of the body, including the skin. Better circulation to the skin translates to the efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients.

Enhances Lymph Drainage

Proper drainage of lymph from the body is as important as having good blood circulation.

Waste products from the cells are eliminated from the body via the lymphatic drainage system. Through yoga, this process works well due to the lymphatic massage brought about by the body movements.

Eliminates Toxins

Improved blood circulation also means that toxic substances are carried out of the skin cells and eliminated from the body efficiently.

For example, toxins built up due to exposure to pollutants and other impurities that enter or develop the cells.

Boosts Oxygen Levels

Certain poses in yoga help to open up the chest cavity and this helps to enhance the flow of oxygen from the lungs and heart to various organs (and cells of the body).

Better oxygen delivery helps to improve the cell regeneration process, and also enhances the healing and recovery from free radical damage.

Better Digestion And Absorption Of Nutrients

Yoga poses that help to improve digestion can make the process more efficient by stimulating the various organs in the digestive tract.

Better digestion causes the food to be broken down into important nutrients, which can then be easily absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the skin cells.

Restore Hormonal Balance

Yoga is a restorative form of exercise that facilitates the reinstatement of the body’s normal hormonal levels. By bringing about a hormonal balance, various skin problems caused due to an imbalance such as excess oil production, pimples, and skin dullness can be tackled.

Improves Immune Function

Yoga also promotes the immune system response to various infections that attack the body on a daily basis. Microorganisms are defended better by the immune cells, thus preventing the skin cells from becoming infected easily.

Reduces Stress Levels

The calming and relaxing yoga poses help to lower stress levels by clearing the mind and the body. Increased stress can wreak havoc with the skin and cause acne, dullness, dark circles, and premature ageing signs to develop.

Tones The Skin

Certain yoga poses that stretch and exercises the facial muscles can help to tone the skin and make it appear firm and supple.

What Types Of Skin Problems Can Be Reduced By Doing Yoga?

Yoga regulates many processes in the body by improving the circulation of body fluids and stimulating the activity of different organs. These internal changes, along with the sweating causing the elimination of excess salts and toxins, help to alleviate multiple skin issues.

Dull And Tired Complexion

With improves, circulation, nutrients, and oxygen are delivered ideally to the skin cells. This helps to fix the dullness and tiredness that seem on your complexion due to the daily brunt the skin experiences. Stressed skin due to external or internal stress recovers to develop a glowing complexion.

Acne

Excess oil production due to hormonal imbalance is the primary cause of acne. Yoga regulates hormones and balances the sebum production by the sebaceous glands. Also, yoga helps to remove toxins from the body, which is present can lead to breakouts.

Underactive Sebaceous Glands

Skin dryness caused due to underactive sebaceous glands can be treated with the sweating that accompanies the yoga poses. Also, the pH balance of the skin is restored, which further regulates sebum production.

Suggested Article: Anti-Ageing Skincare Routine For Mature Skin

Ageing

Facial exercises along with other yoga poses can promote muscle density and collagen production. This helps to diminish the signs of ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

Dark Circles And Under Eye Bags

Enhanced blood circulation, nutrient delivery, and oxygen levels contribute towards refreshing the skin under the eyes and getting rid of puffiness. Dark circles also improve with time as better sleep is the key benefit of yoga.

Skin Pigmentation

When the circulation is optimal and toxins are being removed efficiently, the melanin production in the skin is also regulated. Hyperpigmentation due to sun exposure and other marks or spots on the skin will slowly start to fade away.

What Yoga Poses Can Fight Skin Problems?

Yoga poses and their variations seem to be a never-ending story.

When it comes to specific poses that help fight skin problems, there is a handful that is recommended by experts.

These poses are range from simple to moderate in complexity, but are nonetheless, easy to learn and practice.

Cobra Pose, Shoulder Stand, Fish Pose, Triangle Pose, and Child Pose help to boost blood circulation and regulate hormones.
Sun Salutations are a great way to bring about wholesome changes in the body as they work on all the different body parts.
Breathing exercises (Pranayama) improve oxygen flow to the skin cells and calm the mind.
Half Lord Of The Fishes Pose helps to improve digestion.
Rabbit Pose and Camel Pose lower stress and also restore the hormonal balance.
Bharadvaja’s Twist is another great yoga pose that massaging the digestive organs and helps to detoxify the body.
Facial exercises involving the cheek, neck, and jaw muscles tone the skin and prevent sagging.

How Do You Do Them?

Here is a simple step-by-step procedure for the top five yoga poses that benefit the skin.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

From an upright standing position, start to widen the gap between your feet until they are about three and a half to four feet apart.
Slowly turn your right foot to 90 degrees, with the toes pointing outwards.
Turn your left foot inwards at a 45-degree angle.
Stretch out your arms and raise them parallelly to the floor. Keep your fingers pointed to the sides and your palms facing the floor.
Bend to your right but keep your torso facing forward. Stretch out your right arm and place your hand on your shin.
Stay in this position for a few seconds while inhaling and exhaling slowly.
Repeat on the other side.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Lie on your stomach on a mat. Keep your back and legs stretched out.
Slowly place your palms next to your chest, just below the shoulders.
With a gentle push, raise your upper body off the floor while your palms are still on the ground.
Arch your back softly and lift your head up towards the ceiling.
Breathe in and out for three to four times and gently go back to the original position.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

Start by kneeling on a yoga mat and by keeping your legs just as wide as your hip.
Place your hands on your hips and slowly push your pelvis forwards.
Stretch out your arms and reach for your heels. Try to hold the heels for a few seconds, while breathing in and out gently.
You can keep the toes tucked in (bent) or your feet flat with toes pointing outwards, depending on how comfortable you are and your level of expertise.

Child Pose (Balasana)

Kneel on the mat and sit down to rest your buttocks on your feet. Keep your feet as close to each other as possible, with the big toes of both the feet touching each other.
Keep the spine straight and upright.
Begin to stretch your arms in front of you on the mat little by little.
Bend your back forward as you reach out with your arms. Continue doing this until your forehead touches the ground/mat.
Stay in the position for a few breaths and come back up slowly.