Jan 23, 2024
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Skin Care
Yoga is known for easing stress and building strength — but it can also help your skin. “Moving your body is medicine. It allows for detoxification by flushing all of the organs, it increases respiration, it lubricates joints and strengthens muscles. Breathing and moving in yoga can help to balance hormones and move waste stagnating in the intestines,” says Dr. Genieve Burley to City Fit. All of that contributes to clearer, healthier skin.
Yoga and skincare go well together as part of a self-care routine. Combining practices like yoga with a simple face mask or a short morning skincare routine gives you quiet time to focus on yourself. Below is a look at how yoga can improve your skin — both during practice and in everyday life — plus some skincare rituals to add to your routine.
On the Mat: 5 Yoga Poses for Healthy Skin
Yoga’s skin benefits often begin on the mat. Dendy Engelman, MD, tells SELF: “Yoga causes vasodilation (enlargement of the blood vessels), which leads to increased blood flow to the skin. This allows for more oxygen and nutrients to come to the skin’s surface, creating a cutaneous flushing or glow.” Want that yoga glow? Try these five poses whether you’re at home or in class.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
How to do Mountain Pose
– Stand with your big toes touching and heels slightly apart
– Press your feet into the floor and engage your thighs, drawing them inward and up
– Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor and pull in your belly
– Keep your chin level and draw your shoulders back and down
– Relax your eyes and throat and let your arms hang by your sides
– Optional: bring your hands into prayer at your chest
– Close your eyes and breathe deeply for five breaths
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
This simple standing pose focuses on rhythmic breathing, which reduces stress and boosts oxygen flow. NDTV says controlled breathing helps the body release toxins and keeps skin healthy and glowing. By improving circulation and lymphatic drainage, Uttanasana can brighten your complexion and reduce puffiness around the eyes.
How to do a Standing Forward Fold:
– Start in Mountain Pose with hands on your hips
– Exhale and bend forward from the hips (not the waist)
– Bend your knees as needed to protect your lower back
– Let your head hang heavy
– If you can, place your palms on the floor or behind your ankles; if not, cross your arms and hold your elbows
– With each inhale, lengthen your torso; avoid rounding the back
– Breathe deeply for five breaths
Inversions boost blood flow to the face and increase oxygen to skin cells. If you can’t do a full practice, spend five minutes upside down — it’s anti-gravity and gives your skin a fresh glow.
Parivrtta Sukhasana (Simple Seated Twist)
A healthy gut supports healthy skin. Dendy Engelman tells SELF: “Toxins not cleared from the body often get deposited in adipose fat tissue and in the skin, which can lead to acne, discoloration and accelerated aging.” Parivrtta Sukhasana is a gentle seated twist that helps digestion and detox by bringing more circulation to the stomach, intestines and liver.
How to do a Simple Seated Twist:
– Sit cross-legged (use a block or pillow if your hips are tight)
– Align your head, neck and spine; lengthen your tailbone toward the floor
– Place your right hand on the floor behind you
– Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee
– Exhale and gently twist to the right, looking over your right shoulder
– Inhale to lengthen your spine; exhale to deepen the twist
– Hold for five breaths, then switch sides
Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
Fish pose gently stretches the throat area, helping to stimulate the thyroid and parathyroid glands and support hormonal balance. Matsyasana also has anti-aging benefits. The Social notes: “This pose gives a good stretch to the muscles of the face and throat which makes it one of the beneficial exercises to reduce the appearance of a double chin.”
How to do Fish Pose:
– Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat
– Lift your hips and tuck your hands beneath your buttocks, palms down
– Draw your forearms and elbows in toward your body
– Inhale and press your forearms into the floor, arching your back to lift your chest
– Open your chest by engaging your shoulder blades and lifting higher
– Tilt your head back gently, letting the crown rest on the floor
– Keep your legs engaged and breathe for five breaths
Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Stress really affects the skin. Genieve says: “Emotional stress takes a huge toll on your hormones and your skin. When you live in harmony with work, friends and commitments, your stress is reduced and your skin can glow.” Cobra pose reduces tension and fatigue by opening the lungs and energizing the body. Yoga can lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and cut oxidative stress — helping prevent signs of aging caused by dehydration and loss of elasticity.
How to do Cobra Pose:
– Lie on your belly with legs extended, tops of feet on the floor
– Place your hands under your shoulders and hug your elbows in
– Press your feet and thighs into the floor
– Inhale and gently straighten your arms to lift your chest (keep a bend if needed)
– Roll your shoulders back and away from your ears to lengthen the neck
– Hold for five breaths
Exercise supports a healthy body, mind and glowing skin. Here are a few more ways to boost these benefits.
Off the Mat: Healthy Body, Healthy Skin
Yoga’s skin benefits are just part of total wellness. Yoga teacher Becky Stefani values yoga and also keeps a nourishing skincare routine as part of her overall approach. Our Lead Skin Care Trainer, Natalie Pergar, also says a scalp massage or full skincare routine can help you relax. Watch the videos mentioned to learn more about these practices.
Tip 1: Embrace Yoga Principles
Yoga isn’t only poses — it has principles you can use daily to support skin and wellbeing. The five niyamas (observances) help build happiness, humility, self-discipline and inner strength. They’re part of the “Eight Limbs of Yoga” and can be applied to everyday life.
– Shaucha (purity): means cleanliness and purification for body and mind. It builds the foundation for health and meditation.
– Samtosha (contentment): look within for happiness instead of wanting what others have. Practice gratitude and avoid blaming yourself for things beyond your control.
– Tapas (self-discipline): involves steady willpower to break habits and make healthier choices, like better eating for skin and gut health. Genieve notes: “We have layers of the epidermis in the gut and in the skin, so what we put in the gut will reflect on your skin.” A diet full of plant foods and antioxidants helps protect skin from sun, seasonal changes and pollution.
– Svadhyaya (self-study): is about self-reflection and understanding your awareness, not just psychoanalysis. It helps you connect with a deeper sense of self.
– Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender): often translated as surrendering to a higher power. It can mean dedicating your work to something larger than your ego. Practicing the niyamas can reduce stress and support clearer, healthier skin.
Tip 2: Wind Down with a Face Mask
Regular face masks help keep skin soft and hydrated and can target aging, oiliness, dehydration, acne or uneven tone. With so many options, choosing a mask can feel overwhelming, so we put together a mask guide to help match masks to your skin’s needs.
Try masking once or twice a week, perhaps while meditating or during a gentle yoga session. Apply masks after cleansing and toning so your skin can better absorb the mask’s nutrients. You can also mix masks to address multiple concerns — our guide gives ideas for blending treatments. Roll out your mat, find a comfortable seat, and let your skin soak up the benefits.
Tip 3: Try Meditation
Meditation is part of yoga that trains the mind to relax and focus. The aim is to stop getting pulled around by thoughts and emotions. Neuroscientist Sam Harris offers these beginner meditation steps:
– Sit comfortably with a straight spine, either in a chair or cross-legged.
– Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and notice where your body touches the chair or floor. Notice sensations like pressure, warmth or tingling.
– Focus on the breath where you feel it most — at the nostrils or the rise and fall of the belly.
– Let your attention rest on the sensation of breathing. Don’t try to control the breath; just observe.
– When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath.
– Notice any sounds, body sensations or emotions that come up, then return to the breath.
– When you realize you’ve been lost in thought, notice that thought as an object, then return to the breath.
– Keep practicing until you can simply witness sights, sounds, sensations and thoughts as they come and go.
Meditating a few minutes daily can ease stress and help the skin. For example, studies suggest mindfulness and stress-reduction methods can speed healing in psoriasis patients. Experts recommend adding stress-reduction techniques like meditation or biofeedback to traditional treatments for better results.
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Tip 4: Skin-Rejuvenating Product Ideas
Treating your skin from the outside matters too. Genieve says: “We need products that are packed with nutrients and made with natural ingredients, like plants. Our skin recognizes elements from nature, not synthetics.” Natural, nutrient-rich products loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants support a youthful, healthy complexion.
Yoga Journal’s beauty experts recommend the Firm Skin Acai Exfoliating Peel, Facial Recovery Oil and Rosehip & Lemongrass Lip Balm to keep skin looking fresh. The peel, packed with antioxidants from acai, grapefruit and goji, helps skin appear firmer. Follow with Facial Recovery Oil, a calming blend with clary sage and ylang-ylang for hydration. Finish with the Rosehip & Lemongrass Lip Balm — an all-natural SPF 15 formula to protect and soothe lips.
Do you have favorite mask mixes or products that boost your wellness and reveal your best skin? We’d love to hear them — share in the comments or join the conversation on social media.