Could Yoga Give You Better Skin?

People have been touting the physical and mental health benefits of yoga for centuries, but it’s only recently that the connection between yoga and skin health has been confirmed. Could doing yoga really help to improve your complexion? The unanimous answer is yes – here’s how…

Reduces Inflammation and Skin Aging

Let’s start with inflammation. This is something that drastically accelerates the skin aging process, to the point where this has even been given a special name – inflammaging. Many experts believe that low-grade, chronic inflammation is actually the root cause of skin aging, making it important to keep this under control if you want to maintain a youthful complexion.

So, how can you reduce inflammation in your body? One way is by doing yoga. The effects won’t be instant, but research shows that regularly practicing yoga for three months is enough to significantly lower inflammation levels. In turn, this slows down skin aging, meaning fewer wrinkles and dark spots.

Balances Hormones to Prevent Acne Breakouts

If you often experience acne breakouts, then yoga is definitely worth a try. Why? Because it’ll give your endocrine system a boost, which will then help to re-balance your hormone levels. As a result, any breakouts that are triggered by hormonal fluctuations will reduce in frequency and severity. The fact that yoga also calms inflammation in the body will help with this too – after all, inflammation is what causes those pimples to emerge.

Of course, while it’s important to tackle the internal causes of acne, don’t neglect topical skincare either. There are plenty of powerful acne treatments out there that, when combined with yoga, will bring you results even faster. If you haven’t yet found one that works for you, take a look at the Exposed acne treatment products – they combine multiple proven acne-fighting ingredients to create formulas that really do work.

Lowers Stress Levels for Calmer Skin

You already know how yoga helps to balance the hormones in your body, but there’s one hormone in particular that’s worth learning more about. Also known as the stress hormone, cortisol is released in your body whenever you’re feeling stressed or anxious. This hormone impacts the skin in a number of ways – it increases oil production in the sebaceous glands, it causes flare-ups of several skin conditions, and it triggers inflammation in the body.

Fortunately, studies show that yoga can counter all of this. In addition to its hormone regulating effects, it has a huge influence over a person’s mental health. Yoga reduces stress and keeps cortisol levels low, giving you a mood boost at the same time. Certain yoga poses are better at this than others, but, whichever you choose, the secret is to slowly build up your hold time for each pose. This puts your body into rest-and-digest mode, as opposed to the panicked fight-or-flight mode that cortisol is responsible for.

Improved Blood Circulation Gives You a Glow

Do just one yoga session and you’ll notice that your skin immediately looks brighter, fresher, and more radiant. The reason for this is the boost in blood circulation that yoga provides. Increased blood flow means that your skin cells will be receiving a greater amount of oxygen and nutrients, allowing them to function optimally.

Cell regeneration will improve, as will the rate at which your skin cells are able to repair any damage. They’ll also be able to detoxify much more efficiently since they’ll be eliminating impurities more rapidly than they used to. This all contributes to an overall healthy glow.

Improved Digestion

You may not be aware of the connection between digestion and skin health, but the two are strongly linked. This is why those with digestive issues will often have a dull, sallow, and tired-looking complexion. It all comes down to nutrient absorption – a healthy gut will absorb more nutrients from the food that you eat, with these nutrients being key for feeding your skin from within. Poor absorption leaves your skin lacking, causing it to suffer.

While there are several factors that could lead to poor digestive health, one of the best ways to get things working properly is to do some yoga. Poses that incorporate twists are the most effective – they send more blood to your digestive organs and improve gut motility, allowing your body to benefit more from the food that you consume.

Tones Facial Muscles for a Tight and Firm Appearance

While the standard yoga poses won’t give your facial muscles much of a workout, facial yoga targets them directly. Stimulating and exercising these muscles helps to tone them, enhancing their natural shape to reduce facial sagging.

Lifting and firming those muscles will also help to give your face a tighter and firmer finish, minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The Best Yoga Poses for Glowing Skin 

Pretty much every single yoga pose out there will have a positive effect on your skin. However, some are more beneficial than others. If you’re interested in using yoga to boost your complexion, some of the poses to look into are:

• The Mountain Pose (Tadasana) – this one boosts lymphatic drainage (meaning improved skin detoxification and reduced puffiness) while also alleviating stress
• The Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) – one of the best yoga poses for boosting blood circulation
• The Simple Seated Twist (Parivrtta Sukhasana) – a great pose for improving digestion
• The Fish Pose (Matsyasana) – this pose tones both the body and face, offering up fantastic anti-aging benefits while helping to reduce the visibility of a double chin

What About Hot Yoga?

One form of yoga that has become extremely trendy recently is hot yoga. This is basically the same as standard yoga, apart from the fact that it’s performed in warm and humid conditions. As a result, this causes you to sweat more than you usually would.

It may not sound very comfortable, but your skin releases toxins through sweat, meaning that hot yoga is the way to go if skin detoxification is your aim.

Many also don’t realize that their sweat contains a special antimicrobial peptide called Dermcidin. This powerful compound has the ability to destroy certain strains of bacteria, with one of these being the p.acnes bacteria that’s responsible for breakouts.

Getting Started with Yoga

Don’t worry if yoga is new to you – it’s so easy to get started. Many use yoga mats and other accessories, but you don’t actually need any of this – simply pick some poses and give them a try at home. There are numerous tutorials and videos out there that’ll help you on your yoga journey, making it easier than ever to learn new techniques.

You’ll notice some instant improvements in your skin after your very first yoga session, but don’t leave it at that. Instead, make an effort to practice yoga regularly – your skin, your body, and your mind will all thank you.