Being new in the yoga world can be daunting. However, the quest to find what works will be overwhelming whether you are naïve or someone looking to take their practice to the next level. There is Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Mysore style, Vinyasa flow, Bikram yoga, Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Yin yoga, etc, etc. The list can be exhaustive but when you’re looking for something that’s right for you. But if you were looking for something that provides very specific benefits? What if you wanted to not only take on a challenge, get in shape but also improve your skin? That’s where you will find Power yoga. Power yoga benefits for the skin are praiseworthy.
What is Power yoga?
Power yoga is a very active and athletic style of yoga, developed in the 80s, based on the traditional Ashtanga yoga. In a surprising twist, it was developed on the east and west coast of the USA, simultaneously by two students of K. Pattabhi Jois, Bryan Kest, and Beryl Bender Birch. They wanted yoga to become part of the athletic world.
Power yoga is a fixed sequence practice, meaning you do the same groups of postures every time. There are six sequences in total and you must complete one before moving on to the next. The beauty of Ashtanga yoga is its flexibility in a variety of postures which allows everyone to find their own style. That’s how it is an excellent base for Power Yoga. Teachers design their own sequences, while students synchronize their breath with their movement.
Power Yoga Benefits for skin
Power yoga is associated with increasing your muscle flexibility, muscle stamina, and cleansing your nervous channel. A benefit that is not talked about often enough is what it can do for your skin.
Here are a few benefits:
- It flushes out the toxins from your body. Moreover, it regulates the digestive system, making the internal purification better. This results in glowing skin and removing dark circles around the eyes.
- The workout helps reduce stress and improve sleep cycles. Stress is a major reason for skin problems ranging from wrinkles to acne. A well-rested body and reduced stress are what contribute to clear skin.
- Another benefit of good blood circulation is that it helps the skin heal better and faster from skin infections.
- It can help your skin become firm and tight by toning the body leaving your skin looking younger and glowing.
Which Power yoga poses benefit the skin?
While all the postures have an overall benefit for wellness and health, these are poses that lead to benefits for the skin:
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Focus:Â This is a simple standing pose that involves deep breathing that promotes the flow of oxygen in your body. It may not look like much but it just goes to show you how challenging actively standing can be.
Skin:Â Improves lymphatic drainage which makes the skin glow.
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Focus:Â This pose is known to help relieve insomnia and is regarded as a relaxing and stress relieving pose.
Skin:Â This is an inversion pose where blood flow will be towards your face. Therefore bringing some much-needed oxygen supply to skin cells in your face.
ParivrttaSukhasana (Simple Twisted Seat)
Focus:Â This pose increases flexibility through the spine, shoulders, and chest. The twisting stimulates and tones the abdominal region, including the kidneys. This helps with the detoxification of the body and boosts energy.
Skin:Â By improving circulation in the gut area, toxins move out from the body instead of storing under the skin.
Matsayana (Fish Pose)
Focus:Â This pose stretches the front chest area of the body while strengthening the back muscles of the back and neck. This opens up the lungs which help alleviate respiratory ailments and improve breathing.Â
Skin:Â This pose is great for double chins because it stretches the muscles around the throat and face.
Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Focus:Â Like the fish pose, Cobra poses stretches the upper and middle areas of the body. These areas include body spin, chest, and tones the shoulders, abdomen, and buttocks. This stimulates the abdominal region and improves digestion.
Skin:Â This pose minimizes aging by the loss of elasticity and dehydration.
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Focus:Â This pose focuses on the lower regions of the body strengthening. This includes muscles in the thighs, hips, and back while toning the knees and ankles, improving metabolism.
Skin:Â Improving the metabolism by flushing toxins from under the skin leaving it acne and blemish-free.
Ustranasana (Camel Pose)
Focus:Â This pose tones the lower body while stretching the upper and middle regions. Particularly the front areas like chest, abdomen, and hip flexors. This opens up the lungs and abdomen increasing breathing capacity and also stimulates the kidneys which improves digestion.
Skin:Â This pose improves posture and stretches the skin leaving it firm.
Important things to note
- The best time to do Power yoga is in the morning.
- Due to its focus on athletics and it is vital to use the right breathing technique.
- It should be practiced on an empty stomach.
- Avoid poses like headstands when on your menstrual cycle.
- Those with high blood pressure, knee problems, and back pain should avoid power yoga.
- People with heart diseases should avoid forward and inverted postures.
Does yoga improve skin?
Skin glow is all about better blood flow around your skin. Yoga is a good source of vasodilation which means the enlargement of blood vessels which increases the blood flow carrying more oxygen stared blood. This gives a pump to your skin with a hint of glow.
Can yoga remove pimples?
Researches have shown that acne or pimples can be due to stress. Stress acne and pimples can be treated by fighting against the stress doing yoga. Yoga is basically a great source of relieving stress and tension and hence helps you treating your skin problems.
Conclusion
Power yoga is a style that favors modern times with people focusing on being fit and active. Other than power yoga benefits to skin it also provides more cardio than regular yoga. Requiring practitioners to move swiftly from one pose to another. It improves blood circulation, strengthening the body, stretching essential muscles, and improving digestion. All these benefits culminate in glowing, healthier skin. The flexibility of power yoga allows for customizable sequences that can be modified to suit the preferences of teachers and students. While this style is mainly preferred by people of the athletic variety, it does have specific poses for skins that can be practiced by anyone.