I get a lot of interesting responses on my clients’ intake information forms they fill out when they first come see me. The most common answer I get to the question about a person’s skincare goals is that they want beautiful skin again, with the glow it had when they were young (often phrased something like, “make me look 20 years younger!”). I couldn’t help but laugh at one client’s answer to the question regarding any allergies, answer: “Ignorant people!” I couldn’t agree more!
Aside from the many tools and products I have available in my skincare spa in Rancho Santa Margarita, there is another thing that may do wonders to restore that beautiful, youthful glow to your skin: yoga.
Yoga, as almost everyone knows, is a relaxing, meditative practice. This, in and of itself, can help calm the mind and rid the body of the stress that can lead to breakouts and the signs of premature aging such as frown lines and crows feet. But yoga offers so many more benefits to overall health as well as contributing to beautiful skin!
Vinyasa flow yoga is a fast-paced form of yoga that links breath to movement. It can be practiced in a heated or unheated environment. “Hot” Vinyasa yoga is typically done in a heated studio of 85-95 degrees, making you sweat throughout the entire session. Sweating helps your body eliminate accumulated toxins and waste, which can improve skin health. Think of it as a cleanse, or “flushing” of the body. Many of the yoga asanas (poses), help with lymphatic drainage, which helps to rid our bodies of toxins and helps to boost our immune system. As any good esthetician knows, a person’s health (or lack thereof) will always show on their skin.
Yoga, like any activity that keeps us moving, gets the blood flowing. If circulation is sluggish, your skin will have a dull and ashy appearance. Since the skin is the last organ to receive the benefits of all internal nutrients, the better the blood flow, the better the benefits to the skin. Many yoga poses help improve blood circulation in other ways as well, such as inversion poses, which help temporarily reverse the blood flow from the feet, giving those poor, swollen workers a well-deserved rest.
Other yoga poses can help digestion, which can also have a direct effect on the skin. If your digestive system is not getting rid of toxins effectively, it may show in your skin with conditions such as eczema, acne and rosacea.
Have you seen oxygen facials on the menu at your favorite spa? Many esthethicians perform oxygen facials on clients as an anti-aging skincare treatment. Asanas help to increase oxygenation, much in the same way an oxygen facial does, but from the inside out.
There is a well-known yoga adage that you are as young as your spine is flexible. From a skincare therapist’s viewpoint, not only will yoga help improve strength and flexibility, but it may make you look younger, and aid in beautiful skin, too. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!