How meditation can help improve your skin
I don’t need to tell you how much the quality of our skin is determined from what we eat and drink. But what isn’t spoken a lot about is how much our emotional state effects it too. I was actually a little surprised at how little I could find on studies done around meditation and the direct impact it can have on the quality of your skin.
One of the main reasons why I like to recommend mediation if you’re experiencing skin irritations is that it addresses the underlying symptoms that generally cause skin problems, so you’ll often see improvements in other areas of your health and wellbeing too. A win-win.
When I was a kid I use to have really bad eczema. Although now it isn’t a constant problem, what I certainly do notice is that whenever I get stressed it will raise its head again. We all know how meditation can reduce stress, which is why it’s my obvious, self-prescribed formula for optimal skin quality.
Stress = Skin irritations
Meditation = Less Stress
Therefore, Meditation = Good skin
Now that that complicated point has been proven, let’s shift our focus to what type of meditation you can try to improve your skin. I would recommend doing this at night as that is when most of our stress is bottled up.
Guided meditation to improve your skin
1. I’d first recommend trying to find somewhere that’s fairly quiet. If this isn’t an option, I would recommend putting on some headphones (noise cancelling if you’ve got them) and playing some nice chilled meditation music.
2. It’s doesn’t really matter whether you’re sitting or lying down; the important thing is that you’re comfortable. Now take a few nice deep breaths. As deep, long, and as full as possible. On the out breathe, really let your body relax a little further with each breathe out.
3. Then bring your focus to the small area around your left nostril. Really feel the air entering the nostril and follow it all the way down into your lungs. Once it fills up the space in your lungs, follow it as it begins to leave the body. Whenever you feel ready, shift your attention to the right nostril and repeat this process a few times. Finish with focusing on your breath entering and leaving the body through both nostrils. Notice your breath getting deeper and heavier.
4. Now really try to feel your toes. As if you’re putting your mind in them. They might start to feel a little tingly as if an energy is moving around and through them. Follow this energy as it begins to move around your feet and creep up your legs. Pay particular attention to how this energy makes the skin feel. Take your time with this and just focus on the different parts of your body as this energy moves around and through the body. You may like to imagine that this energy is like a bright light sweeping over the body, cleansing every part it brushes over and guides through.
5. Whenever you’re ready, start to slowly move parts of your body, starting with your head/neck and working your way down. Take a big breathe in and on the out breathe, gently open your eyes and take a few moments to give thanks for everything that you have.
You can take however long you like to go through the above process, although I think anywhere between 5-15 minutes is sufficient. Do this a couple of times a week and I’m confident you’ll start to see an improvement in your skin.