The practice of meditating improves beauty both internally and externally by reducing stress and fostering healthy behaviors.
Published: August 26, 2021
While much speculation exists on meditation’s actual origins, practices of “training the mind” date back to 1500 B.C.E. India. Many early mediation records are based in Hindu traditions while others date back to 3rd and 6th century B.C.E. China. It’s difficult to pinpoint when humans began this art of centering, grounding, and remaining present, but one thing is certain - it has stuck around and remains one of the best habits for fostering mental and physical well-being. Bonus: it promotes healthy, glowing skin.
The world in which we exist today demands energetic performances, fast-paced thinking, money-oriented actions, and the like. In trying to find happiness and fulfillment, we’re often left confused, exhausted, and stressed.
It’s no secret that mental and physical health and wellbeing relies on inner peace, purpose, and curiosity about the people and world surrounding us. Meditation helps us access these places within ourselves, allowing us to better turn outward and engage with our daily lives. Being in the present moment proves to reduce stress, quell anxiety, quiet worry, and reduce the risk of depression and other mood disorders.
The mental toll that stress takes on our minds manifests throughout our physical bodies, as well. We are tempted to blame breakouts on hormonal changes, diet, or skin care products, when in fact, stress is often to blame. Meditation can help improve beauty, self-confidence, and more. Here’s what else this age-old practice does for us.
Decreased stress levels allow our bodies to function normally, out of the fight-or-flight zone. As a centering practice, meditation allows us to step away from stressful situations, devices, or tasks and reconnect with ourselves. When our sympathetic nervous system kicks into overdrive, digestion, blood pressure, heart rate, and even saliva secretion are affected. An increased amount of stress hormone is released, wreaking havoc on all of our organs - including the skin. If our bodies stay in this heightened state for a long time, the parasympathetic nervous system has quite a job to do to deescalate stress levels and return our physical processes back to normal. Meditation practices help us prompt the transition from sympathetic response to a parasympathetic response, allowing for a swift transition from stressful to relaxing, once a situation has ended.
Sleep is a necessity for all humans. A solid rest resets our brains, gives us energy, promotes a healthy appetite, and allows our body to cycle through its own unique circadian rhythm. When this rhythm gets thrown off, it wreaks havoc on the body, causing us to binge eat, skip exercise, be unproductive, and the like.
Meditation encourages us to pour our energy outward into friends, family, and hobbies instead of things that cause strife and stress. Meditation helps foster a present-focused mind, which inherently wants to connect in the moment, be kind, and share.
We are better able to tackle stressful, irritating situations when they do arise because meditation has kept us grounded, helped us sleep, and - in the longer run - has allowed us to engage in positive social practices.
Meditation assists in metabolic processes by promoting a regular heart rate and decreasing blood pressure. Chronic pain sufferers may find that meditation is a positive pain-management practice.
Regular meditation fosters blood flow to the brain, which strengthens blood vessels and arteries. This stronger network of pathways improves the health and wellness of the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for memory.
Almost all addictive substances are bad for our skin. Sugar, alcohol, nicotine, and even some prescription drugs are bad for our skin because they dehydrate our bodies. Those relying on certain substances to cope with stress, anxiety, or depression may find that meditation is a healthier coping mechanism that can replace unhealthy tendencies.
Both guided meditation and solo meditation offer a host of benefits. Common misconceptions about meditation often prevent people from wading into this healing practice. Some myths state that the mind needs to be completely clear, the individual must focus on breathing, sitting still is key, and long-practices are best. None of this is true, however, and meditation looks wildly different depending on who you ask. The following are methods of meditation that you may try exploring:
The individual pays special attention to what is happening in the present moment. They may note sounds filling their atmosphere, scents wafting from another room, the feeling in their body, and the like.
This form of meditation involves repeating a mantra or mantras periodically or throughout the meditation practice. It can also involve listening to a recording of mantras during meditation.
This type of meditation involves both physical and mental work. Breathing intentionally releases energy from the body and allows it to move out of entrapment. This can be done with a practitioner or alone by implementing your own breathing exercises.
Meditation classes often guide individuals through a thought pattern based in gratitude, mindfulness, breathing, or even movement.
Meditations based in compassion and self-love ask the individual to sit quietly and ruminate on forgiveness, acceptance, and the release of resentments.
Remember that meditation takes practice and each of these types can be explored. Meditators needn’t stick to one certain kind of meditation, but explore options until you find one or some that are right for your self-care tool kit.
Start small and commit to a short amount of time every other day, or even a few times a week. Incorporate these 5 minute or 10 minute sessions into your morning or evening routine before moving on to longer, more frequent practices. Here are some other ways to begin meditating for beauty, health, and mental well-being:
PICK UP A BOOK ABOUT MEDITATION: Do your own deep dive into meditation’s history and benefits.
CREATE A QUIET OASIS IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE: Use a room mist or lightly-scented candle to create a calm atmosphere. Play relaxing music, decorate with houseplants, and adorn the space with comfy cushions, blankets, or pillows.
SET A TIMER ON YOUR PHONE: That will alert you when the meditation is over. This helps your mind stay present instead of allowing it to drift to daily stressors like time and to-do lists.
CONCENTRATE ON YOUR BREATHING FIRST: By listening to your own breath, you have a tangible touch point to grab onto when thoughts outside the present moment do arise.
WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES: To minimize distraction, wear loose fitting clothing that is breathable and soft.
PLAY SOFT MUSIC IN THE BEGINNING: For those who are very new to meditation, relaxing music can help keep your mind grounded and present.
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE WHEN DISTRACTIONS OR NEGATIVE FEELINGS ARISE: Acknowledge the thought or feeling then recommit to your meditation. There is no perfection in the practice of meditation, just a commitment to being there and showing up for yourself, no matter what else comes along with it.
WORK YOUR WAY TO A DAILY ROUTINE: As you develop your meditation techniques, this healthful habit becomes more enjoyable. For beautiful skin, a peaceful mind, and healthy body, even just five minutes proves useful.
We live in a culture that treats symptoms instead of root causes. Likewise, we treat our skin as a problem to be solved on the surface. So we often slap conventional, chemically-laden products on it, scrub incessantly, and pick at pimples ad nauseam. Meditation works to remedy root causes of a lot of physical suffering, including stress-trigger breakouts.
Pair this practice with the following to achieve meditating beauty.
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Meditation isn’t just about self-healing but about pouring positive energy and sentiments out into the world. The act of centering, grounding, and reducing stress inherently benefits all those you interact with. By proceeding with kindness and compassion, our world gets that much better and our global community that much healthier. By treating others, and the planet, the way we’d like to be treated, we can aim to leave this place better than we found it.
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