How to meditate your way to beautiful skin

Have you ever noticed how pimples have an inexplicable way of appearing just before an important date? Although it may feel like sabotage, it’s more a case of your body reacting to the stress hormones brought on by a big event and demonstrates the powerful impact our minds can have on our skin. 

Known as psychodermatology, this link is established at a biochemical level and may explain why Mintel reported that 44% of us suffer from a skin condition. While this one is set to be lockdown-free, a fresh bout of Yuletide skin angst seems almost inevitable, but there are ways we can change that.

‘Our thinking about special occasions like Christmas can be very “sticky”, with old patterns of behaviour arising,’ says Aly Hazeltree, meditation teacher, yogi, EFT therapist and reiki master. ‘Regular practice of meditation can teach us to observe our thoughts for what they are – impermanent flows of energy at a rate of about 60-70,000 a day – without getting caught up in the narrative of these thoughts or manifesting them in reality.’

According to Hazeltree, intrusive thoughts can lead to negative behaviours that impact everything from our gut health to our skin, so it pays to start mastering meditation now, in order to access it easily when it’s required. What’s more, it can easily be incorporated into your beauty regime. Altogether now, mmm…

‘Daily meditation practice has been clinically proven to reduce stress and inflammation,’ says Hazeltree. ‘Not only can it help to regulate the nervous, digestive and adrenal systems, it has been shown to increase tolerance to pain while also contributing to increased levels of overall wellbeing. Some meditations bring the electrical frequencies of the heart and brain into what is termed “coherence”. When the heart rhythm is coherent, the body, including the brain, begins to experience all sorts of benefits including greater mental clarity and intuitive ability, resulting in better decision making.’

‘Anything can be used as a meditation,’ says Hazeltree. ‘Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present to whatever it is you are doing. Use your daily facial cleansing routine or your morning shower to really notice the moment-to-moment sensory experience of cleansing and massaging your skin. Take time to revel in the feeling of the water on your body, noticing the temperature, the pressure, the texture of the towel afterwards and the feeling of being clean. It doesn’t have to be complex. Just try to observe when you’ve drifted off down a thought tunnel, and gently bring your awareness back to the embodied sensations of the routine you’re engaged in. Incorporating a gratitude practice into your meditation is also incredibly beneficial to wellbeing – giving thanks for clean water and soap, in the knowledge that millions of people around the world do not have that simple luxury.’

‘Choose a time and stick to it daily,’ says Hazeltree. ‘Mornings are usually the best as your brain slowly comes out of the theta [deep relaxation] state during sleep. Try to find a space away from family or disturbances. Sit in an upright posture, perhaps in a comfortable chair, so the body is alert but relaxed, and close your eyes. Begin with a very simple practice of silently observing the breath, just ten minutes a day to begin with, then working up to longer sessions.

‘Taking three deep belly breaths, ideally inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six, slowly “scan” through your body from the top of your head down to your toes, with the intention of relaxing each muscle group. Whatever is present in the body, whether it’s tension, aches, pains or comfort, simply allow the sensations to be as they are. Whatever emotions or feelings you notice in the moment, welcome them with compassion. Acknowledge that you’re doing your best, no matter what the voice of the inner critic might say. You can even place one hand on your heart and one on your belly, in a gesture of kindness towards yourself. And just keep a soft awareness on your breath cycle. If you get caught up in a moment of reactivity during the holidays, simply excuse yourself for five or ten minutes for a self-compassion break.

‘Don’t worry about “getting it wrong”. There is no wrong; there is just practice. If the focus on breath is not easy for you, try an open-eyed focus on a candle flame or flower. Additionally there are many great apps for beginners with guided meditation, such as Headspace or Calm.’

To help to cultivate a sense of zen alongside your meditation regime, The Beauty Chef founder Carla Oates recommends adding in a calming blend of plant-based supplements and tinctures to your diet. ‘I’ve always taken a holistic view of beauty and wellbeing, and certainly beauty supplements and elixirs can be beneficial to instilling a sense of calm, as well as promoting a healthy gut and glowing skin,’ she says. ‘There is no question that food is medicine and nurturing our gut can have a profoundly positive effect on our overall health and wellbeing.’

Alongside CBD in topical and ingestible forms, adaptogens in particular are getting a lot of airtime when it comes to dealing with the stresses of modern life. ‘We’ve been inundated with requests from our community saying how exhausted they are and how this year in particular has taken a toll, so I expedited our latest creation, which has been in the works for a few years,’ Oates says. Cue The Beauty Chef Adaptogen Inner Beauty Boost – a restorative blend of energy-boosting vitamins B6 and B12 and adaptogenic herbs including ashwagandha, holy basil and liquorice. ‘Adaptogenic plants have been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Chinese healing traditions to counteract physiological responses to stress in the body, to ensure that the mind, skin, immune system and energy levels function as they should.’