Meditate Your Way to a Brighter

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January 30, 2019

When I see a zit or two on my face, there’s usually something at play. I’m either about to get my period. Or I’m feeling crazy stressed. For the past few months, I’ve been consistently dealing with the latter and I just couldn’t seem to chill out. And the zits are the worst kind, the type that just don’t go away by themselves after a few days.

Perhaps I only have myself to blame. For weeks I wasn’t sleeping, I was constantly tense, and I just wasn’t being kind to my body. I wasn’t eating the healthiest things and I was skipping workouts pretty regularly. Plus my new blemishes were giving my seemingly calm exterior away.

That was until I latched on to the connection between stress and acne I realized my lack of chill was making my stress hormones turn on my skin. Obviously I needed to find a way to relax.

You don’t have to be a drug addict on your knees to need to de-stress. “Everyone suffers in their own way. Unfortunately, stress is a massive epidemic. Perhaps that’s why we are also seeing an increased incidence of adult acne” says Dr Kenneth Lee, medical director of SW1 Clinic. We need a solution to the massive destruction this is causing in our lives. And if de-stressing can give our lives some balance and bring the glow back to your skin, why not?

There are no excuses really, because the act of meditation doesn’t have to be time-consuming to be effective. If you can meditate even one minute a day, that repetition in behavior will create long-term change. All you need is to be willing. And that willingness will open the door for you.”

Best of all, meditation is a no-risk practice. We have this tool that has the power to heal. There are tremendous health benefits to meditation: lowering your blood pressure, creating more sustainable energy, releases irrationality, supports your lymphatic system. The science is sound: If you’re reducing your stress through this process, you’re reducing inflammation in your body. In case you’re still not convinced, here’s how meditation can change your your life, not to mention face and skin!

Meditation slows down the aging process.

Meditating for just a few minutes every day brings energy (also known as prana) into your body and creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. During meditation, prana helps repair your body’s the tissues and cells which give skin a fresh, youthful glow.

Also, mindful breathing while meditating adds oxygen to the skin, which is key in boosting cellular health. This increased oxygen rejuvenates your skin, balancing your body and your mind while transforming your body’s cells and tissues.

It brightens your complexion, reduces wrinkles and slows down the aging process from the inside out. Meditation also lowers blood pressure and tension-related pain such as headaches, ulcers, insomnia, muscle aches and joint problems, making you look and feel younger.

Try: Finding a short time each day when you can be still. Try Water Infusion Mask on your face, then sit in a comfortable position. Lying down tends to make you sleepy, so our recommendation is to stay seated. Then just silence your thoughts and focus on your breathing. You don’t have to devote hours to this practice, even a good 10 minutes is plenty.

Meditation improves self-confidence and mood

Your complexion is intimately connected to feelings of self-confidence. When your skin looks better, your sense of confidence increases, too. A regular meditation practice increases the brain’s ability to repair itself and grow new neural connections. Like a muscle, these neural pathways get stronger and more effective over time with practice.

As a result, people who meditate experience more happiness, inner peace and an overall sense of well-being. Meditation also increases your brain’s serotonin production, which makes you feel better and literally improves your mood.

Like a candle, meditation shines your light. And the more you meditate, the more you glow.

Indeed, happiness comes from the inside out.

Try: Whenever you are feeling anxious, worried or insecure, first adopt a ‘power pose’. Sit straight and upright, and get rid of any hunched shoulders. Open up your chest and sit tall. By adopting a more confident posture, you will also begin to feel more confident. Close your eyes and then focus on your breathing. You may find that you are breathing quick shallow breaths, try to slow your breathing down and gently ‘banish’ any thoughts entering your mind. Let your mind be empty and clear. every time a thought comes in to distract you, just be aware and gently let it go, then return to your breath.

Meditation helps you make healthier choices.

With a meditation practice comes more awareness of your breath, your body and your surroundings. This leads to increased ability to pause, be present and consider your lifestyle choices.

This can manifest in several ways, from communicating more effectively with your loved ones, or simply becoming more conscious of where and how your food, clothes or skin care products come from.

Meditation can also create a gentle space to slow down and enjoy the process of taking care of yourself, such as taking a few extra minutes to enjoy taking care of your skin.

When we are more in touch with the present moment, we can fully exist and feel gratitude for every moment in our lives – the only moment we ever truly have.

Try: Set some time aside devoted to your meals. Eat slowly and midnfully, trying to savour every flavour in your food. Be aware of the texture, taste, smell of every bite. Slow down your eating and you may also find yourself getting full much faster, this can help prevent weight gain in the long run.