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International Yoga Day: Here’s how you can improve your beauty routine starting today!

Following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, every year since 2015, the International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21. Amid the stress and anxiety that everyone is reeling under during these pandemic times, the theme for this year’s Yoga day is ‘Yoga for wellness!’

Yoga can also play a significant role in the psycho-social care and rehabilitation of COVID patients when in quarantine and isolation. Regularly practicing yoga in our daily routine has a crucial role in maintaining our beauty too. Just like our body, skin and face in particular, are often affected by a stressful lifestyle. Here are five Yoga poses that can lead to increased blood flow to the skin, providing it with more oxygen and nutrients, and lending itself to a cutaneous flushing or ‘glow’.

Tadasana

With its focus on deep, rhythmic breathing, this simple standing pose helps alleviate stress and improve oxygen flow. Getting in more oxygen through controlled breathing helps the body to release harmful toxins and keep the skin healthy and glowing. By enhancing blood circulation, Tadasana improves lymphatic drainage, which brightens the complexion and reduces puffiness around the eye area.

Uttanasana

Inversions are one of the best exercises to bring blood flow to the face and increase oxygen supply to skin cells. As per the experts, if one does not have an opportunity for an entire yoga practice, than at least turn upside down for five minutes – this is an anti-gravity and anti-ageing approach and absolutely gives the skin a healthy glow.

Parivrtta Sukhasana

A healthy gut is essential for healthy skin. Oxins not cleared from the body often get deposited in adipose fat tissue and in the skin, which can lead to acne, discoloration, and accelerated ageing. Parivrtta sukhasana is a gentle, seated twist that assists in digestion and toxin removal by increasing circulation and energy to the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and liver.

Matsyasana

For better skin is matsyasana, or fish pose. By gently stretching the throat muscles, fish pose helps flush your thyroid and parathyroid glands, thereby keeping hormones – and hormone-related skin concerns in check. Additionally, matsyasana has great anti-ageing benefits. This pose gives a good stretch to the muscles of the face and throat, which makes it one of the beneficial exercises to reduce the appearance of a double chin.

Bhujangasana

Emotional stress takes a huge toll on your hormones and your skin. When you live in harmony with work, friends and commitments, your stress is reduced and your skin can glow. The cobra pose helps reduce tension, stress and fatigue by opening your lungs and energising your body. By lowering cortisol (the “stress hormone”) and reducing oxidative stress, yoga helps to minimise and prevent the visible signs of ageing skin brought on by dehydration and loss of elasticity.

Along with these five asanas, meditation is also equally important as it teaches us to mental relaxation and concentration.