External Factors
We all wish we could clear up our skin. Many of us are tired of the flare ups, the expensive lotions and potions that never quite covered the spots or stopped them from showing up in the first place. We’ve probably thought to ourselves, “Maybe it’s time to find natural remedies.”
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It is your perimeter, regulating temperature, allowing interaction with the environment through the sensation of touch. Your skin is porous, whatever you put on your skin eventually makes its way into your body.
Your skin is a mirror of what is happening inside your body. Toxins in the organs, unresolved emotions, genetics, drugs, alcohol and eating habits all play a role in the health of your skin. Think of your skin like a filtering system, as important to your digestion as your colon and liver. Most of us will blame our skin issues on the choice of food we make. There is usually much more at play.
Often when we reflect on what else is happening in our lives, we admit that we are stressed at work or we don’t have enough time for ourselves. Work can leave us feeling stressed, and disrupt our sleep and eating habits.
When dealing with an emerging emotion, it is best to eat the opposite of what you are craving. Fresh, raw food allows the body to cleanse and brings emotions into our awareness.
A regular yoga practice offers support when introducing new habits and shifts in behavior. Long term these options provide relief where heavy make-up and medicated creams cover up issues or hide our true selves from the world.
Natural Remedies
Heal yourself from the inside out with these simple fixes for troubled skin from the Kundalini Yoga tradition
1) Drink 2-4 cups of chamomile tea daily as an inner cleanser for the skin.
2) Green grapes can be eaten for a clear complexion. They are high in vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.
3) Dry skin brushing – a soft bristle brush used over your body before showering helps remove dead skin cells and promotes good circulation.
4) Make a paste out of tumeric and water spread over the face and then rinse with warm water.
5) Make a face exfoliant using sea salt and sesame oil. With light pressure massage scrub onto face and then rinse with warm water.
Meditation
Sitali Pranayam is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It’s an ultimate quick fix when skin flares up! It’s great to curb symptoms of rosecea. It’s also a gentle liver cleanser.
Inhale through a curled and extended tongue. Exhale through the nose. Do 26 of these breaths per practice session.
Ideally do 26 in the morning and 26 in the afternoon.
This post was originally published on May 15, 2013.
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