"If you practise yoga every day, your skin will glow."
This was a teaching that I learnt at yoga teacher training last year. Something I noted and filed away in a corner of my brain, together with a "to do" action - start practising yoga daily.
Sad to say, I hadn't been doing my asana practice daily, managing only to practise on the weekends when I did not have to go to the office.
Having several days of annual leave to consume before the company-imposed deadline, I took a break from work in March for 1.5 weeks. For 7 consecutive days, I attended yoga classes at yoga studios and fitness clubs, clocking between 1 to 3 hours of yoga classes a day.
On Day 4, I suddenly noticed that my complexion was clear and my skin seemed to glow. Was it my imagination, or did my cheeks show a hint of a healthy pink?
Well, although it could also have been partly contributed by the absence of work stress during that time, I don't think just rest alone would have given me that healthy glow.
So... my personal commitment (starting from 30 Mar 2012) is to stick to my daily asana practice. That means waking up 30 minutes earlier than previously to make time for practice.
I'm happy to report that I have managed to practise every day, so far. On one day when I woke up late on a weekend, I practised in the afternoon instead. (Hurray for determination!)
Now, to keep monitoring my complexion as I dive into the world of meetings, projects and deadlines at work...
Any pose would do? Or are there specific poses?
ReplyDelete@gnufnai, did you have a similar experience?
ReplyDelete@whySquared, I received a notification that you'd posted a comment, but I don't know why it's not showing up here.
ReplyDeleteYou asked, "Any pose would do? Or are there specific poses?"
The outer result of good complexion is actually a reflection of the inner state of the body.
Practising yoga daily can help to maintain the healthy state of the endocrine glands in the body, which govern the secretion of the various hormones needed for general good health.
So... the short answer is, it's not a specific pose that will improve your complexion, but rather a fairly complete practice of asanas and ideally pranayama.