Is Yoga for Glowing Skin effective?

Yoga for Skin Whitening is Real?

How to get glowing skin?

These questions might have crossed your mind many times. We all want the healthy, smooth, flawless and glowing skin. In fact, getting an instant glow has become easier than ever before with new beauty products and treatments.

 

But, its effect fades away after a day or two. The real secret to glowing skin actually lies in your lifestyle, eating habits, practicing yoga asanas for glowing skin and how you take care of your body (1). Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential to have beautiful and glowing skin forever.

Premature wrinkling due to stress, unhealthy lifestyle and improper digestions are certain problems that affect most of us. It can cause pimples or acne and fades our skin glow (2).

To get rid of these problems sometimes we require rigorous treatments which are full of harsh chemicals that can damage your skin for life (3).

There is another simpler way to get glowing skin. Making a few lifestyle changes like healthy eating, regular exercise or yoga is a more reliable way with long-lasting effect.

Yoga not only helps you feel calm and relaxed but also gives you your daily required dose of exercise. Yoga asanas help in improving our blood circulation which results in improved skin texture.

In fact, yoga asanas help to pump more oxygen into our skin cells, boosts our metabolic rates and improve digestion. All these different factors combine to give you a healthy body and a glowing skin (4).

Today I am giving you a list of 17 Yoga asanas that, when practiced regularly, will help you achieve a healthy and glowing skin, naturally.

 

Yoga Asanas for Glowing Skin

1. Sarvangasana

This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Queen’ of all asanas. It is a type of yoga pose in which the shoulders are used to balance the entire weight of the body. This pose provides stretch to all body parts, in turn, stimulates all functions of the body. It is one of the best Baba Ramdev yoga asanas for weight loss.

It helps strengthen the arms, shoulders as well as keeping the spine flexible. This asana helps in various health problems Indigestions, constipation and varicose veins are also alleviated. This is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin (5). This yoga asana is also helpful in thyroid problem.

 

How to Do Sarvangasana :

1. Lie flat on the back, with your arms on both sides of your body.
2. In one swift movement move your back, legs, and buttocks high enough so that your body balances on your shoulder. Use your hands to support the back.
3. Move both the elbows close to each other. Move both of your arms along the back so that they slowly approach the shoulder blades.
4. The weight of your entire body should be balanced on your shoulder and your upper arms, not the neck and the head. Straighten your back by pushing your elbows onto the floor and your hands onto your back.
5. Make sure that your legs are kept firm. Move your toes till they are on a straight line with your nose and then point them upwards.
6. Make sure that you are not pushing your neck area into the ground; rather keep it strong by slightly tightening your neck muscles. If you think you feel some kind of pressure on your neck, immediately move out of this position.
7. Maintain this posture for at least 10 to 20 seconds while breathing deeply.
8. In order to move out of this pose, slowly bring your knees towards your forehead and lower your hands towards the floor with your palms facing downwards.
9. Without lifting or moving your head, slowly lower your spine, column by column and then lower your legs.
10. Rest in this position for at least 60 seconds.

 

 

2. Shishuasana

Shishuasana or the child pose is extremely beneficial to calm the nervous system. It also aids constipation and relieves your back pain completely. It is a helpful yoga for piles asana.

This pose is fairly easy and would be beneficial to you if you are just a beginner in yoga. However, individuals with serious back or knee issues should not attempt this pose (6). This is the best yoga for glowing skin.

 

How to Do Shishuasana:

1. Sit on the heels, and rest your hips on it. Slowly bend your body forwards, and keep on doing so until your forehead is lowered to the floor.
2. Stretch your arms alongside the length of your body and keep your hands on the floor with the palms facing upwards.
3. If you feel uncomfortable, you can make a fist and rest each fist on top of the other and then rest your forehead on them.
4. Push your chest gently on your thighs and hold this position.
5. To come out, gently move up a column by columns, to sit back on your heels.

 

3. Halasana

This pose is excellent for you to achieve glowing skin naturally as it benefits the digestion system. This pose strengthens the neck and improves leg flexibility.

It calms the nervous system and helps with stress as well as fatigue. It is a little difficult pose but with practice, you can master it. This is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin (7).

 

How to Do Halasana :

1. Lie flat on your back with your arms on both sides of your body and the palms facing downward.
2. By using your abdominal muscles, while taking in a breath, move your feet upwards of the floor and raise your legs to a 90-degree angle.
3. Breathe normally, and support your back and your hips with your hands, then lift them off of the ground.
4. Let your feet naturally come at a 180-degree position above your head, till you can feel that your toes are touching the floor. Your back, at this point, should be perpendicular to the floor. Although this might be a little difficult in the beginning, you should attempt this pose for a few seconds.
5. Maintain this pose for a minute while taking in steady and deep breaths and let your body relax.
6. To move out of this position, gently bring your legs downwards while exhaling.

 

4. Matsyasana

Matsyasana is also called fish pose. When done in water, this pose allows the body to float easily, like a fish. It relieves respiratory problems by encouraging deep, steady breaths. It is one of the best Shilpa Shetty Yoga Asanas for Weight Loss.

Matsyasana stretches your neck and chest and relieves any tensions from the shoulders and neck. This is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin (8).

 

How to Do Matsyasana :

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs pressed close together and your arms relaxed on both sides of your body.
2. Move your hands underneath your hips (or you can hold your feet as shown in the figure below), with the palms facing downwards. Move both your elbows closer towards each other.
3. Breathe in and lift your chest and your head upwards.
4. While keeping your chest elevated, lower your head in backward direction till the top of your head touches the floor.
5. While your head is gently touching the ground make your elbows firmer by pushing them onto the ground and balancing the weight of your body on your elbows and not the head. Press your things and your legs on the floor and slowly lift up your chest from the middle of both of your shoulder blades.
6. Maintain this pose as long as you feel comfortable and take steady and deep breaths. With every exhalation try to relax your body.
7. To come out of this posture, lift up the head and lower your chest and your head on the floor. Bring your arms to rest on both sides of your body and relax.

 

 

Here is an informative video from Lamya on yoga for a youthful and glowing skin.

 

5. Trikonasana

This pose is quite beneficial to achieve a healthy and glowing skin. It helps supply more amount of oxygen to your body and allows the skin to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. It helps alleviate digestion problems and reduces anxiety, back pain, and stress. Try this asana and you will get your answer for how to get glowing skin? (9).

 

How to Do Trikonasana :

1. Keep your feet wide apart and stand straight.
2. Turn the right foot outwards to a 90-degree and move your left foot about 15-degrees.
3. Try to align the middle of the right heel to the center of the arch of your left foot.
4. Make sure that your entire body weight is distributed evenly on both your feet and that your feet are firmly pressed onto the ground.
5. Take in a deep breath and while you exhale slowly bend towards the right side of your body, moving your hips downward and allowing your waist to be straight. Gently lift your left hand higher into the air and lower your right hand till it is close to the floor. Both your arms should be kept in a straight line.
6. Without moving the position of your waist, gently rest the right hand wherever you feel comfortable, your ankle, shin, the ground or the outer side of your foot. Lift your left arm upwards into the air while keeping them in a straight line formation with the top of your shoulders. You may rest the head in any neutral position or you may move it to the left to gaze of your left palm.
7. Make sure that you have bent your body towards the side and not the back. Your pelvis and your chest should be wide open.
8. Ensure that you stretch your body as much as you can and take in deep and steady breaths. And, with each and every breath try to relax your body as much as possible.
9. As you take in a deep breath slowly move upwards and lower our arms to your side, and straighten both your feet.
10. Repeat, on your left side, the same process.

 

6. Uttanasana

It stretches your hamstrings, calves, and hips and relieves stress. Uttanasana strengthens your knees and thighs. It helps with digestion and reduces anxiety as well as fatigue.

It is quite beneficial to aid asthma, sinusitis, headache symptoms, etc. This is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin (10).

 

How to Do Uttanasana :

1. Stand straight with your hands on your hips.
2. Exhale while you slowly bed forwards from your hip joints and not the waist.
3. As you move downwards push out the front of your torso from the groin region and open up the space between your pubis and the top of your sternum.
4. Lengthen the front of your torso s you slowly bend forwards.
5. While keeping your knees firm and straight, slowly bring your fingertips to the front of your toes or touch them to the side or back of your feet. If this is uncomfortable, cross your arms together and hold your elbows.
6. Place your heels firmly on the ground and lift your sitting bones upwards towards the ceiling and move your thigh slightly inwards.
7. While you exhale in this pose lift up and lengthen the torso slightly and while you inhale, bend a little inwards.
8. Maintain the position for 30-60 seconds.
9. To come out of this pose do not roll up your spine. Move your hands back towards your feet and slowly stretch your torso outwards into its true length. Press down your tailbone into the pelvis as you come up slowly with every inhale.

 

7. Bhujangasana

Also known as the Cobra pose this asana tones your abdomen, improves the flexibility of the middle and upper portion of your back. It helps in improving blood circulation and reduces anxiety and stress.

It is quite beneficial for people with respiratory problems. This is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin.

 

How to Do Bhujangasana:

1.  Lie on your front, with your forehead gently resting on the floor and your toes pressed flat against it.  
2. Press both your legs closer to each other, touching both of your feet as well as your heel, together slightly.
3. While inhaling, move your body from the navel up, that is your head, abdomen, and chest, into the air.
4. With your hands supporting you, pull your torso backward off of the floor.
5. Curve your spine backward column by column and try to straighten your arms.
6. Make sure that your feet are still closely pressed together. Do not strain your body.
7. While exhaling, gently bring the upper portion of your body onto the floor.

 

8. Tadasana

Tadasana is one of the easiest but powerful yoga asana. As the name suggests tadasana is like a mountain. This asana is also subpart of many main yoga asanas like sun salutation.

Tadasana helps you to concentrate on a rhythmic breathing. If you follow a rhythmic breathing your body concentrates on exhaling more toxins than any other time which in turn helps your skin glow.

How to Do Tadasana :

1. Stand straight with hands on your side
2. Bring your hands up in a circular motion from each side to form a Namaste mudra above your head
3. At the same time try to stand on your toes
4. Try to stretch your body up as much as possible
5. Tilt a little backward to give a good stretch to your back
6. Come back to your original position after being in Tadasana for 10-15 sec

9. Pavanmuktasana

Pavanmuktasana is an easy yoga asana which helps you release gas. Bloated stomach is many a time root cause of pimples or acne. If you get rid of bloating your skin will reflect the good health with a glow.

How to Do Pavanmuktasana :

1. Lie down on your back in a comfortable position
2. Keep your legs straight and hands by your side
3. Slowly move your legs up by bending them at the knees
4. Bring your legs close to your stomach as shown in the picture below
5. You can hold your legs as shown below to increase the stretch
6. Be in this position for 10-15 sec
7. Come back to the original position

10. Paschimottanasana

Pashchimottanasana is one of the best yoga asanas for glowing skin. It helps in stretching the leg muscles and back which helps in better blood circulation. This asana is also helpful in increasing the flexibility of your body.

How to Do Paschimottanasana :

1. Sit comfortably on your yoga mat or ground.
2. Stretch your legs outward and keep them straight
3. Keep your spine erect and stretch your hands upward
4. Slowly start bending forward from your hip region so as to touch your feet
5. As shown in the image below touch your feet and be in the position for 10-15 sec
6. If you are not able to achieve full stretch no worries try to hold the position which provides max stretch for your back muscles
7. Relax your body and come back to starting position

11. Adho Mukha Svanasana

We can learn a lot many things from creatures, animal etc. Adho Mukha Svanasana is also one of the poses that dog has inspired us to learn from. If you would have noticed, the first thing a dog does after getting up is stretch its body. This asana has also come from the same logic. Providing stretch to your body.

How to Do Adho Mukha Svanasana :

1. Lie down straight on your stomach
2. Push your hip region up so as to form a curve
3. With the help of your hands and toes lift your body up
4. Feel the stretch in your legs, arms and stomach region
5. Remain in this position for 10-15 sec before returning to original position.

 

12. Dhanurasana

As the name suggests, Dhanurasana is a bow pose. It provides good stretch to your ab muscles, thigh muscles etc. This is one of the best yoga poses for weight loss. It helps to regulate your bowel movements and get rid of bloating.

How to Do Dhanurasana :

1. Lie down on your stomach
2. Keep your body relax. Your hands will be at your side.
3. Slowly raise your arms and legs to form the shape of a bow as shown in the image below
4. Hold your ankles with your hands and try to create stretch in the abdomen region
5. Hold this pose for 10-15 sec before coming back to starting position

13. Shavasana

Shava means a dead body and asana means a pShavasanaasana is to be in a calm state like a deadbody. This asana provides rest to all your body parts and helps the repair of tissue. You feel refreshed after completing this asana.

How to Do Shavasana :

1. Lie down on your back with some space between your legs.
2. Keep your hands resting by your side facing up
3. Close your eyes and feel the relaxed state of body and mind
4. Starting with your toes, concentrate on each of your body parts for 3-4 sec and repeat in your mind that the body part is in the complete relaxed state.
5. Be in the relaxed state for 5-7 min and then feel each part is getting active again
6. Open your eyes and feel the serenity and relaxed state of your mind.

14. Natarajasana

Natarajasana is a yoga asana derived from dance. Nataraj is the perfect dancer and a pose from dance was named after the god of dance, Natarajasana. This asana helps in maintaining balance and provide stretching to your legs and hands.

How to Do Natarajasana :

1. Stand relaxed on your yoga mat or ground
2. Lift the left leg up and push it back
3. Hold your leg with left hand
4. Stretch your right hand out to form a dance pose
5. Maintain balance on one leg for 10-15 sec and then return to the original position

15. Shirshasana

Shirsha means head and asana means pose. This is one of the most difficult poses as this require standing on your head. This helps to improve blood circulation in your head and upper body.

How to Do Shirshasana :

1. If you are trying this asana for the first time do not overdo it. Do this asana near a wall to take support
2. Near the wall, get into a child pose
3. Keep both the palms covering your head
4. Push your lower body up to stand upside down on your head as shown in the image below
5. Keep your body in a single straight line so that the blood flow is directed downward
6. Keep this position for 10 sec and get back slowly in the starting position

 

16. Suryanamaskar

Suryanamaskar or Sun Salutation is an ancient Indian yoga technic. It is a set of 12 different yoga poses which provides stretch to all the body parts. If you join any yoga class you will learn Suryanamaskar in it for sure. You can read my post on How to do Suryanamaskar to know about the poses and how to perform the sequence to get the maximum health benefit.

 

17. Padmasana

Padmasana is a sitting technique which helps you to concentrate on your breathing. This asana also help in keeping your body straight and that helps in the stomach and abdominal muscles to get good exercise.

How to Do Padmasana :

1. Sit in a normal position first on your yoga mat
2. Your left leg will be below your right leg
3. Twist your right leg a little to feel a light stretch
4. You can do this asana by reversing the leg positions as well

Tips for Glowing Skin

Apart from these beneficial yoga poses you can make other small changes in your lifestyle for healthy, glowing skin. Make sure to keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water. You can also try facial yoga exercises for glowing skin.

Make sure that you eat healthy food and try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Getting enough sleep is also important for a naturally glowing skin. You can read my article on beauty tips for glowing skin.

Skin Care Routine

When you plan to have a flawless and glowing skin, an extra care is needed for the same. Scrubbing, toning and moisturizing help your skin to keep its glow. Scrubbing helps in removing the dirt from your skin which a toner adds freshness to the skin. Moisturising keeps your skin away from rashes and damage. You can follow a complete skin care routine for getting a healthy skin.

Natural Home Remedies for Glowing Skin

Along with these lifestyle changes and yoga poses you may also benefit from home remedies such as a haldi and besan paste to add a golden glow to your skin naturally. You may even try a sandalwood paste or multanimitti which are all known to be beneficial for your skin.

There are many home remedies for glowing skin which can help your skin to get rid of pimples or dark spots and bring a glow. You can also try homemade face pack for glowing skin.

Foods for Glowing Skin

As we discussed above your lifestyle and eating habits plays an important role in deciding the texture of your skin. You need to include vitamin E, C, A rich foods in your diet to get a smooth and shiny skin.

Including the foods for glowing skin in your diet helps to rejuvenate the skin and fight skin problems like acne, wrinkles etc.

 

Whether it is home remedies or simple lifestyle changes, the key to a healthy skin is having a healthy body. Yoga helps you achieve mental as well as physical health benefits. Apart from glowing skin Yoga has other health benefits.

It is a good way to keep your self-feeling youthful for a long time. Do let me know if you like today’s post, you can provide your comments/feedback below.