The practice of yoga has many physical and mental benefits, including improving your skin. Not only does yoga tone your muscles and reduce stress, but it is essential to your beauty routine to help you achieve glowing skin as it helps to detoxify the skin. If you are not already incorporating yoga as part of your healthcare routine, you may want to consider adding it to get the following benefits to your skin.

Increase Circulation

One of the best benefits of yoga is that it improves circulation, which helps your body in a number of ways. Yoga can stimulate blood circulation to improve skin texture. There are certain postures that increase the flow of blood to the face, such as child’s pose, shoulder stand, and triangle pose. These poses all enhance circulation underneath the skin. Since blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to the skin as well as gets rid of waste, the result is glowing skin.

Reduce Stress

When you feel stressed, a lot of things can happen in the body. When you are in a mode of constant stress, the body’s response is to produce more cortisol. Cortisol contributes to the buildup of sebum in your pores, which eventually leads to acne breakouts. Stress can also make the skin more sensitive and reactive. However, yoga’s deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress and the production of cortisol as you let go of anxiety. Researchhas indicated that practicing yoga regularly can decrease the amount of stress in your body. Restorative poses like supported bridge or spinal twist allow the body to relax.

Yoga can also help you get better sleep. And when you are well-rested, your skin appears more vibrant. When your body gets adequate sleep, skin cells can repair and recover from stressors.

Fix Damaged Cells

The body’s cells can become damaged due to a variety of reasons. Yoga improves body healing as it provides more oxygen to the skin’s cells which helps regeneration. The deep breathing that occurs during yoga forces the lungs to accommodate more oxygen, which helps the blood get to the skin cells. This blood has regenerative properties to heal skin cell damage that is caused by sun exposure and free radicals.

Clears the Skin

Vinyasa yoga energizes the body by releasing toxins and impurities with sweat. Sweat helps to get rid of the toxins and dirt in the pores and can regulate hormone glands. When the body sweats, it also releases Dermcidin, a natural antibody that kills bacteria. Since acne and dull tone are caused by toxins and bacteria, sweating them out with yoga can create a healthier complexion. Yoga asanas or poses that involve deep breathing that increase oxygen supply to rid the skin of impurities.

Acne is an inflammation of the skin caused by stress, food, and the environment. Certain yoga poses such as sun salutations can reduce inflammation that is caused by acne as well as improve immune system function.

Aids in Digestion

Digestive health is strongly linked to the appearance of the skin. Good digestion means efficient nutrient absorption in the body. The place where you absorb nutrients that repair the skin is the same place where the elimination of toxins takes place. A digestive system that is not functioning properly leads to acne, skin allergies, and dull skin. Yoga can improve digestion and reduce bloating, which in turn improves your skin.

Improves Muscle Tone

Wrinkles appear for several reasons, including age, smoking, stress, and exposure to the sun. Hatha and facial yoga stimulate the facial muscles to regain their natural shape and prevents sagging. Facial yoga exercises firm the skin so that cheeks look fuller. Because yoga relaxes the muscles in the face, skin will look healthy and rejuvenated. Moving the muscles in the face aids in circulation which can promote the production of collagen, which keeps skin firm and young-looking.

Four Yoga Poses that Benefit Your Skin

The regular practice of yoga will benefit the skin, but these four specific yoga asanas are a great place to start to see the benefits on your face:

1. Forward Fold. A very easy yoga position, forward fold promotes the circulation of blood to your face and head because you lean over. Start with your feet about hip-width apart and parallel. Slowly bend forward from your hips and exhale as you bend. Bring your face toward your knees. Hold for 30 seconds.
2. Downward-Facing Dog. This inverted pose also gets blood to the head and face. From a crawling position, lift your knees and reach your bottom to the ceiling. Keep your hands and feet on the floor to make an inverted V shape, without locking your knees. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Similar to downward-facing dog, this pose also improves circulation. Instead of having straight arms with palms on the floor however, arms are bent so that your head or forehead rests on the floor. Relax your neck and look down at the mat. Hold for 30 seconds.
4. This pose opens the chest and encourages you to breathe deeply. Begin in plank position and lower your body to the floor. Press down with your hands and send your chest forward. Keep your legs on the mat and release your torso back down again.

Incorporating yoga into your fitness routine several times a week will produce the most benefit for your skin.

Hot Yoga and Your Skin

Hot yoga is a type of yoga that takes place in a heated room, and can give your skin additional benefits. The temperature in a hot yoga room can be as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit. As you move through poses in the heat, the skin experiences numerous effects. As your body temperature rises, you will most likely begin to sweat, which can help flush out clogged pores and remove toxins from the body. Sweat accelerates the detoxification process to help the skin perform optimally to excrete toxins.

Those that exercise at levels where they sweat regularly often have clearer skin that seems to ‘glow’. Hot yoga can help achieve the level of sweat needed to rid the body of these toxins. The added moisture in the air also allows the skin to be cleansed further with a steam-like effect. Pores are loosened with the steam which allows the release of bacteria, which reduces breakouts.

Your Skin Deserves the Best

Yoga offers natural benefits to the skin for a radiant appearance. Yoga can benefit your skin’s appearance in several ways. To keep your skin looking its absolute best, BB Aesthetic offers a variety of services to enhance your skin care routine.