Unless you have been living under a rock, you would have heard of meditation and perhaps also practiced it lately to lower your COVID life stressors! But what does meditation has to do with skincare? While meditation lowers your stress level and promote inner peace, it could also be your next FREE skincare solution for a beautiful, glowing skin.
Meditation is essentially a practice to reach a higher level of consciousness, enhancing one’s overall wellbeing. This practice originated from India thousands of years ago, and is now widely practiced around the globe due to its immense benefits. The way meditation nourishes the skin is by tackling underlying problems that cause acne and skin issues. As you take those deep, calming breaths of oxygen in, you are…
Reducing Stress
Stress is no new word in today’s day and age. We are challenged with so many obstacles from school, to work, to figuring out what you want to eat, resulting in high cortisol levels, or stress. Stress is terrible for your skin. Along with all the negative health conditions, it can also damage your epidermal barrier, causing skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. A recent study published by Muftin et al. in British Journal of Dermatology showed that people with psoriasis who meditated healed four times faster than the control group of non-meditators.
Meditating can significantly decrease the amount of stress you are having and prevent all these negative conditions. Meditation has contributed to a decrease of anxiety, depression, and fear as well. With meditation, not only will you feel happier, but may also reduce your chances of developing any skin conditions.
Achieving a Glowing Face
What if there was a way to reverse the aging process? Well, we still haven’t found the fountain of youth, but it is shown that meditation can decrease the effects that come along with age, most importantly stress. As you fill your lungs with oxygen and slowly breathe out, you feel a sense of calmness. With every breath in, oxygen reaches your skin which adds moisture and decreases wrinkles. Energy, or “Prana,” results in this calmness you feel, while also helping to repair the cells and tissues in the body. Meditation also aids in aches due to age. So try meditating for a couple of minutes each day to make you feel a little younger while achieving beautiful, youthful skin.
A study published by Ira Das in 2012 demonstrated that “OM” Meditation enhanced Galvanic Skin Response and hence decreases the stress level of the individual. There are countless other undisputed studies which support the notion that meditation reduces stress.
Having a Better Aura
With the practice of meditation and mindfulness, you ultimately feel happier. You become more self aware and have a clear mind. With practicing meditation, your brain will create new neural connections, achieving a more permanent, happier mindset with better quality of life.
Now that we’ve talked about the various benefits of meditation, let’s learn about different kinds of meditation and which ones suit you the best?
Guided Meditation: If you are just starting to try out meditation, guided meditation is the way to go. This form of meditation involves a guide walking you through the process of meditating. The guide will tell you what to do and what to focus on. You can use this type of meditation as a stepping stone to the following types.
Mindfulness Meditation: This form of meditation allows you to become mindful of the present moment by focusing on your present experience. You can sit or lay down, close your eyes, and focus on your breath, feeling the flow of air going in and out…or you can focus on your surrounding sounds, temperature, noise, etc. The main point is that every time a thought comes up, acknowledge it, and slowly bring your focus back to your breath or the present moment. With practice, you become more self aware and can easily let go of negative thoughts and emotions.
Mantra Meditation: This meditation involves repeating a mantra to promote concentration and get away from other thoughts. You can close your eyes and silently repeat the word or phrase to yourself. This will help you become more focused and present.
Transcendental meditation: This form of meditation allows your body and thoughts to settle into a deep calm state. You will be assigned a specific mantra by a guru, where you will repeat this a few times and allow your body to settle. This type of meditation does not require much effort or focus. You will feel at peace.
In summary, meditation can be your ticket to beautiful skin and also help you have a healthy lifestyle. So try getting some Zen in a few minutes each day. If you liked this article, checkout another good read on “Four ways to incorporate yoga and stretching into your routine“.
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References:
- Featured image by Mikael Blomkvist
- Muftin, Z., Gilbert, P. and Thompson, A.R. (2022), A randomized controlled feasibility trial of online compassion-focused self-help for psoriasis*. Br J Dermatol, 186: 955-962. [Link]
- Das, I., & Anand, H. (2012). Effect of Prayer and “OM” Meditation in Enhancing Galvanic Skin Response. In Psychological Thought (Vols. 5, Issues 2, pp. 141–149). PsychOpen GOLD. [Link]
- “A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 29 Apr. 2022, [Link]
- Conlon, Stacy. “How Meditation Benefits Your Skin.” Beauty Heroes, 18 Feb. 2020, [Link]
- Epel, Elissa, et al. “Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2009, [Link]
- “The Happy Face of Mindfulness: Mindfulness Meditation Is Associated with Perceptions of Happiness as Rated by Outside Observers.” Taylor & Francis, [Link]
- Migala, Jessica, et al. “7 Mindfulness Habits for Clearer, Healthier Skin.” EverydayHealth.com, [Link]
- Neera Nathan, MD. “Stress May Be Getting to Your Skin, but It’s Not a One-Way Street.” Harvard Health, 14 Apr. 2021, [Link]
- Wells, Diana. “How Stress Affects Acne.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 Aug. 2018, [Link]