Facial Yoga to Treat Acne

The art of yoga is not just beneficial for your physical health- it is a practice that improves your overall lifestyle. People of all ages can benefit from yoga's physical and mental health benefits. Yoga can also be an important part of your treatment if you're sick, recuperating from surgery, or living with a chronic condition. It can help you heal faster. Today there are endless problems that can be cured with yoga, one such problem being acne. Yes, yoga for hormonal acne exists! Acne is a very common skin problem that occurs when oil, germs, dead skin cells, and dirt clog pores in your skin. Teenagers are usually most affected by this skin problem, but it affects people of all ages. Acne on the face can have a negative impact on your self-esteem and can lead to irreversible scars over time. Facial yoga for acne is a great way to prevent this from happening to you and keeps your skin healthy and glowing! 

Before we get started, what is facial yoga? 

Facial yoga in simple terms involves massage and movements that stimulate the muscles, skin, and lymphatic system. They are facial exercises that soften and relax your face muscles, which can assist & relieve tension, stress, and concern. Many people trust that daily face yoga for pimple-free and glowing skin makes you feel youthful and using the techniques of facial yoga to clear acne can keep your skin healthy and glowing over a long period of time.

How will it benefit you? 

Facial yoga enhances circulation, lymphatic drainage, and releases tension. This is not only yoga for pimples and marks, it can also help avoid headaches, clear sinuses, and improve your sleep quality. While aging is an inevitable part of life, face yoga can help slow down the process. Specific positions might help us recognise when we're furrowing our brows or pursing our lips unintentionally. When you exercise these muscles, you're bringing more blood, oxygen, and circulation to this fragile skin, which can help to boost collagen synthesis and make you look younger. 

Facial yoga to treat acne and pimples mainly deals with lymphatic drainage, and there are several facial poses and asanas in yoga to cure acne:

1. The Buddha Pose

• Close your eyes. 
• Relax your face and smile slightly. 
• Take deep breaths till you feel calm from within. 

Benefits of the buddha pose: Yoga for face acne may seem fairly simple, but be assured that each of these techniques goes a long way. Stress and anxiety are some of the main reasons behind acne and pimples, and relaxing your facial muscles and inhaling deeply helps to relieve your burden of stress, even if you don't seem to notice it. The buddha pose is almost like pranayam for acne, you have to be mindful and track your breathing.

2. The Balloon Pose 

• Sit in an upright position.
• Place two fingers over your lips and pretend like you’re blowing a balloon. 
• Try to shift the air from the left to the right side of your mouth. 
• Hold it for 10 seconds if you can. 

Benefits of the balloon pose: This is one of the best yoga poses for acne-free skin as it improves your blood circulation and cleanses your skin, thereby getting rid of bad toxins in your body and improves your immune system. 

3. The Fish Pose

Source: >verywellfit

• Suck in your cheek till you’re almost pouting, as the title suggests, like a fish. 
• The tighter you can contract your cheek muscles the better. 
• Repeat it about three to four times. 

Benefits of the fish pose: This pose tightens your muscles and tones your face. If you’re good at contracting your cheek muscles, it helps with good circulation.

4. The Upward Pose

• Sit up straight and crane your neck upwards and look up at the ceiling.
• Smile gently.
• Hold the pose and your breathing as long as you can. 

Benefits of the upward pose: Doing this clears out your toxins, tightens your facial muscles and helps with lymphatic drainage.

5. The Big O Pose 

Source: >Pinterest

• Sit up straight and open up your chest. 
• With your lips folded over your teeth, make an ‘O’ shape.
• Look up and hold for 10 seconds. 
• Repeat this three to four times. 

Benefits of the O pose: It stretches your neck and face muscles, prevents wrinkles and lines around your mouth and also helps with reducing any pigmentation. 

6. Shanmukhi Mudra 

Source: >lightsofspiritual

• Sit in padmasana or any other comfortable sitting position with your head and spine upright. 
• Make a pipe shape with your tongue and inhale. 
• Fill in your cheeks and hold it. 
• Block your ears with your thumb
• Gently place your first finger on your eyes, second on your nose, and third and fourth on the top and bottom of your lips respectively.  
• If your health permits, lock your chin downward and exhale. 
• Repeat this five to six times.

Benefits of the shanmukhi mudra: This asana is performed in yoga to remove pimples. It also relaxes the nervous system and the mind and prevents any stress breakouts. It balances Internal and exterior awareness and reduces anger, anxiety, and irritability. This pose overall ensures the smooth functioning of the facial nerves.

There are also plenty of yoga poses for pimple-free skin that you can try out. With the cooperation of your mind and body, you can try these poses in yoga to reduce your acne and give your skin a healthy glow. Ayurvedic experts have defined three types of acne, and each type can be cured through different yoga poses.

1. Pitta

Pitta dosha is prone to emotions such as stress or rage that can disrupt the body's natural balance. This imbalance might result in pimples that are red and flaming.

What to do:

• Hidden Lotus Pose 

This is a mix of Padmasana, (Lotus Pose) and Advasana (Reverse Corpse Pose). To maintain the upper body while in a forward bend, this variation necessitates the strength of the hips, knees, and ankles. The body moves into prone - resting flat on the floor - and then into a lock with the hands behind in Anjali Mudra, squeezing the knees and ankles with the stability of the hips (Namaskar Mudra).

https://tatianausova.wordpress.com/poses/

2. Vata

When the vata dosha is out of equilibrium, it might cause digestive problems. This causes toxins and fermentation to build up in the intestines, resulting in blackheads and whiteheads.

What to do: 

• Backward Bend Pose 

Doing any basic yoga backward bend will aid in the circulation of blood to the face, carrying necessary nutrients for the treatment of acne outbreaks. This yoga for blackheads and whiteheads is also greatly beneficial for your physical health. 

https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-sports-bra-and-black-leggings-doing-yoga-3822364/

3. Kapha 

Cystic acne is a type of acne that is deeply embedded and lasts a long time. It is caused by a hormonal imbalance that is linked to the kapha dosha, which is characterised by excessive stagnation and heaviness. Yoga poses for hormonal acne help reduce the kapha dosha.

What to do: 

• Lion Pose 

This yoga for cystic acne detoxifies, relieves tension in the face and improves circulation of blood. Inhale and reach the top of the head up to stretch the spine from a seated position with the hips on the heels and hands resting on the knees. Bring your palms to the floor in front of your knees as you exhale, arch your spine, look up at the third eye point, stick out your tongue and roar like a lion. 

https://www.yogidia.com/yogidia/asana/lion-pose#intro

The Final takeaway

Facial yoga is similar to other types of yoga in that it tones the muscles, gets the blood circulating and relaxes you from within and treats your acne. Practicing and perfecting these exercises over time will give you a pimple-free face. At the end of the day, whether you stick to facial yoga or move toward more conventional yoga asanas for acne, you’re taking the right measures and step towards repairing and rejuvenating an essential part of your body. Happy healing!

FAQs

Does face yoga treat acne?

Ans. Face yoga can be super beneficial for treating acne and pigmentation. A regular practise of facial yoga can flush out toxins from your system, help in bringing about a hormonal balance and reduce stress.