Striking a pose

This International Day of Yoga, lets look at some of the reasons why a regular practice of yoga can do you a world of good.

Like many other activities, yoga too is done to stay healthy in mind and body. If you wish to extend the benefits of yoga to your skin, then embrace yogic principles into your life, such as cultivating happiness, self-discipline, inner strength, contentment and gratitude.

Many poses or asanas help with a healthy gut, which is essential for healthy skin. Yoga flushes out the toxins from the system thus preventing acne, discoloration and accelerated ageing.

The yogic principle of self-discipline requires one to give up on certain habits that could lead to a healthier self. Breaking this chain with behavioural and lifestyle changes is again a yogic activity. Yoga also boosts immunity and keeps us healthy, which is good during these pandemic times. Akshar from Akshar Power Yoga says,  “By practising asanas like Chakrasana (wheel pose), Dhanurasana (bow pose) and Ustrasana (camel pose), the chest expands and the lungs get more oxygen. This is important to increase oxygen levels. This makes the pose beneficial to prevent respiratory diseases like coronavirus.”

There’s also face yoga, which involves exercises that stimulate the skin and lymphatic system.Facial yoga also takes care of the stress related to anger, anxiety and worry, thus alleviating the tension of nerves and relaxing the facial muscles. You can practice it while in the bathroom, cooking or reading.

There are yoga exercises to help with concerns related to double chin, jawline, under eye and more. Ema Trinidad, international face yoga instructor, says, “Do you know that your emotions and constant facial expressions get etched on your face? One of my secrets to achieving a youthful looking face is the facial muscle memory technique in face yoga.”

If you want to try it out, Trinidad suggests, “Get a mirror and observe your face. What is the muscle memory that you have saved on your face over the years? Muscle memory or motor learning can be re-learned through constant practice.”

Wondering what to wear while practising yoga? It’s common knowledge that yogis don’t need to always be dressed in yoga pants to strike a pose. We have spoken a lot about athleisure wear that can be used with equal ease for yoga or for a Zoom call but let us also discuss off-beat clothing options that could transform into a style statement. Some yoginis do the best poses in organic sustainable sarees.

Yoga is about fluidity in movements and it requires alignment of body, mind and soul. You can wear anything and practise yoga. Manisha Soni from Akshar Power Yoga says, “I have built myself to practise in any attire! It’s a mental state.”

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