Meditation Can Lead To Healthier Skin
There are major skin benefits to getting on board the zen trend.
The health benefits of meditation are pretty incredible. Science shows that taking up the mindfulness practice can lower stress levels, help you lose weight, kick certain addictions, and even become a better athlete, just to name a few.
But if those mind-body benefits weren’t enough to convince you, now there’s another reason to get on board – it can also help your appearance.
You may have observed that people who had been meditating regularly seemed to look substantially younger than their real age. This is actually supported by science – one groundbreaking study back in the 80’s showed meditators had a younger biological age compared to non-meditators.
How exactly does this work? One of the most important, researched effects of meditation is its ability to lengthen and improve the activity of telomeres—the protective caps at the end of chromosomes, which shorten with age and with chronic stress. And, more recent studies have shown that meditation can cause changes in our genes. In particular, meditation can suppress the response of inflammatory promoting genes, a.k.a you’ll have less inflamed skin and fewer wrinkles in the long-run.
On a more immediate level, we know that regular meditation reduces sympathetic nervous system activity by decreasing cortisol and epinephrine levels—the hormones responsible for the flight or fight response. This in turn reduces blood pressure and heart rate and increases the oxygen in your cells. And when there’s increased blood flow, it helps bring nutrients to the skin, and removes toxins. The end result is a dewier, more radiant complexion.
By suppressing the body’s cortisol response (thereby improving negative emotions and stress management), meditation is also beneficial for any skin condition worsened by stress— which includes acne, psoriasis, eczema, hair loss, and autoimmune skin diseases. The cherry on top? You’ll prevent accelerated skin aging. (There’s a reason those wrinkles are called worry lines!)
That’s not to say meditation is a replacement for your products, but meditation should be part of a prescription for healthy skin which includes a good diet, sleep, and good quality skin care products and treatments.
Where to start? The good news is there are more resources for beginners than ever.
Meditation Made Easy
Meditation is simple – it’s just you, sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing. In a frequent chaotic world, this simple act can be incredibly calming.
Enhance the experience by diffusing Aromatherapy in a diffuser – it has been expertly formulated with vetiver, sandalwood and frankincense essential oils to encourage slower, deeper breathing.
Meditation Tips
Simple tips to help you create a moment of zen so you can focus on just breathing in and breathing out.
- Create a routine – meditate after regular activities to help your mind create a positive habit.
- Set the scene – choose a calm, quite space and diffuse meditation blend to enhance feelings of harmony.
- Get comfortable – you don’t have to sit crossed legged but don’t get so comfortable you snooze.
- Let your thoughts flow – let thoughts float in and out without fixing them.
- Start off slowly – start off meditating for 5 minutes and then build up to longer sessions slowly.
- Join a class – if you find it hard to motivate yourself you’ll also meet some like-minded people.