Yoga for glowing skin

Whether male or female we all want a great complexion and skin. Admittedly, women are bothered about their looks, of which skin tone and complexion form a major part, but really skin tone is an important indicator of sound health. Too much smoking or alcohol and even the wrong diet create toxins inside the body leading to blemishes or patches on the skin. The average person thus has to depend on creams, lotions or medication to get the skin glow back. Cosmetics might mask bad skin for some time but can’t really do away with the harm that has been done to the skin neither can it rejuvenate skin cells to flourish once again. The secret comes from across a thousand years in an exercise system which is famous the world over – Yoga!

What would you prefer? Expensive lotions for skin care or simple yogic postures to give you that movie star complexion + confidence to carry yourself well? Yoga is the only answer to skin troubles.

Requisites for a healthy skin are healthily functioning internal glands and mainly the digestive system. Yogic postures not only ensure all these but even reach the mind – that realm which no other form of exercise can quite reach, to give the skin the touch of salubrity. Make these 3 poses your next of skin:

1. Sarvangasana or shoulder-stand
2. Plough Pose or Halasana
3. Standing forward bends or Hastapadasana

All these asana are invaluable in reversing the effect of age on the skin and correcting any glandular or hormonal imbalances which might affect blood circulation in the vessels. Moreover these asanas open up the chest and facilitate larger intake of ‘Prana’ or oxygen which is that vital life element required for even the largest organ in the human body to breathe through open pores.

These specific poses in yoga are mainly responsible for the face and skin to acquire a healthy sheen giving a movie star complexion to regular practitioners.

Let us now learn how to perform these poses and make it a part of your daily skin regimen.

Sarvangasana: The shoulder Stand

1. Lie on your yoga mat wearing loose comfortable clothes.
2. This asana is to be done preferably over an empty stomach.
3. Take a few deep breaths.
4. Exhale and slowly raise your legs in a straight line vertically to a 90 degree angle.
5. Now slowly raise your waist and hips without bending at the knee and the entire weight of the posture should be on the shoulders.
6. Support your back with your hands if you struggle for balance initially.
7. Keep the waist, hips and legs as ram-rod straight as possible.
8. Tuck your chin in the space formed between your chest and throat and keeping breathing even.
9. Hold for 30-40 seconds and increase duration with practice.
10. Slowly bend the legs at the knees and lower.
11. Lie still in a relaxed state for a while until breathing becomes normal.

Effects – The Sarvangasana massages the pituitary and stimulates the thyroid gland and ensures that the entire endocrinal system in the body functions properly. This helps calm the mind as the blood circulation to the entire body particularly the head, face, and neck improves considerably. This asana is an effective way of reducing skin infections and making the skin tighter as the chin tuck does away all the loose flesh or flab that makes for fleshy jowls and double chins.

Halasana or the Plough Pose

This is called the ‘plough pose’ as the body assumes the shape of a plough, that is used to till the land. Well one can certainly say that the plough pose can still the mind and give the skin a youthful wrinkle free look. Let’s have a look at how to perform this second pose in your skin repertoire.

1. Lie flat on the floor and take a few deep breaths
2. On an exhale raise your legs and take them beyond your head, all the while keeping the head and upper body flat on the floor. Do not raise your head as you swing your legs upwards.
3. Ideally the toes of the feet should touch the floor but that might be a bit difficult as you might not be that flexible. It doesn’t matter. You can leave the legs raised without trying to get the toes to touch the floor as long as you keep them completely straight without bending at the knees. The hands can be extended straight and flat down on the floor or you hold them in a clasp for additional support.
4. Hold the pose for 2 minutes and then gradually release the position.

Hastapadasana or Standing forward bend

In addition to these poses you can also try standing forward bend keeping your legs and knees taut while bending down to touch your toes and tucking your forehead towards the knees. This will ensure a great massage to your internal organs especially your heart and improves blood circulation to the brain, head and hair. Other than a great glow you can also relieve mild depression and fatigue. This pose can challenge your back muscles as the spine may not be flexible enough for the forehead to touch the knees without bending them. The trick is to gradually move into a pose without hurting or straining yourself.

Regular practice of these 3 asanas will certainly yield rich dividends for your skin tone and even more importantly fill the mind with ease, calm and tranquility which are so very essential in looking great as yoga cuts off all those factors that can ail skin like – improper circulation, lack of sleep or adequate rest, internal or core strength, hormonal imbalances, closed pores, improper functioning of the sweat glands, toxins. Indeed yogic postures do get under your skin and over it too!