By Dr. Nirvana S. Pillay, Medical Scientist & Founder of Nirvana Natural Bliss
Yoga, should in fact be second nature to me since my mum was a Yoga Instructor way before it became popular and trendy. My mum used to take my brother and I to an ashram at my hometown of Pietermaritzburg, where she would instruct yoga to a group of ladies on a weekly basis. Come to think of it Cape Town has become my hometown now ,as I have spent more than half of my life here and of course, my son is born here and where we now live.
Anyway, at the time I didn't quite understand what was going on in these classes and my brother and I would giggle when the group of ladies would chant in unison "Om".
As I reflect on this now, I think it would be have been greatly helpful if I knew the importance of the practice. This got me buying books on yoga, attending yoga classes and really loving the benefits that it gives to the body. In fact, if I had more time I would love to host yoga classes for mums and tots as it would be a highly beneficial at all levels-bonding, quality time together etc..
Living in an era where we are rushed for time I wanted to find out what yoga poses are actionable for me and how can it help benefit my skin too.
When you practice yoga, the blood circulation in your body is enhanced. This means more oxygen is circulated. The blood flow also imparts a warm glow to the cheeks and face. Apart from this, toxins are flushed out, and the body is toned, stress is reduced, it refreshes and rejuvenates, but also enhances facial radiance.
After researching this, I thought that poses (asanas) that would increase blood flow to the face would be most beneficial to glowing skin. There is a wealth of resources from yoga instructors that you can find online but today I would like to share a routine that makes sense to me that I found online and is of course achievable for me -the not so athletic type.
1.So the Cobra Pose relieves the stiffness in the back and shoulders .It enhances your mood and make you skin flexible and smooth.
2.The Fish Pose improves respiration , helps normalise hormonal imbalance and soothes muscles. It makes your skin appear more flexible and smoother.
3.The Plough Pose improves blood circulation in your face and head. Proper blood circulation is driving force behind glowing and problem-free skin. When your blood circulation is adequate to your face, your skin starts glowing as a result.
4.The Shoulder Stand improves the texture of your skin by enhancing the blood circulation. When you practice this pose, the blood rushes to your head. It helps alleviate adult acne and pimples.
5.The Triangle Pose improves the blood circulation to your face and head. It increases the oxygen supply to your head and face and improves the quality of your skin.
6. The Child Pose improves the blood circulation to your head region and enhances your mood. When your mood is uplifted, it reflects on your skin.
This is an illustration of another resource which I found with a few similar poses as the ones I had referenced. You can of course visit their website for more information.
I hope that you at least found this blog informative and got you thinking about the practice of Yoga and really taking a few minutes a day to do these poses-even if you just have time for 1 pose it is a great start.
If you would like to watch this instead click here.
