Meditating Your Way to Better Skin.
Inhale Calm, Exhale Stress.
“Meditate your way to better skin!” Is something we at Founders truly believe in. Is this really a thing? Can meditation truly benefit your skin? Seems unlikely, doesn’t it?
The answer to all of the above is yes, yes, and yes! It is important to note that one of the largest triggers for acne is stress. Stressors tend to trigger a survival response in the body, which in turn produces hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, cortisol is the primary contributor towards skin concerns - when stressed your body produces this hormone in larger amounts. From this alone, one can see that the importance of managing stress is key to better skin.
Chronic stress, will not only affect one’s digestive processes, but it also has a negative impact on one’s inflammatory responses, sleep cycle, and many other things that help keep our bodies in equilibrium. The minute we lose that balance, one is bound to see its effects on the skin first.
Enter meditation. Meditation comes with a host of benefits, and modulating responses to stressors on a daily basis is one of them. It is something that can be practiced by any individual, at any stage of their life, at any age. Today, even children are taught to meditate!
A study in the Health and Fitness Journal classifies meditation into three types. While the broader idea stays the same, each one of the three concentrates on focused attention, mindfulness, and being kind and loving oneself.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) - Trained by certified trainers, Transcendental meditation is usually a one on one session that encourages a restful state of mind beyond thinking. The session is designed to be a personalized one.
Loving-kindness Meditation - Also known as ‘metta’ meditation, this type involves sending positive vibes by silently repeating a series of mantras. It focuses on sending warmth, kindness, and love to oneself and others.
Secular Meditation - It is largely adapted from Buddhism with careful reduction of principles and practices having a religious or spiritual basis.
While it has been categorized into three concentrates, it is important to note that meditation can be done in many many ways, and styles, thus, we believe that one must do what works for them, and meditate how they would enjoy the process, otherwise it loses its benefits.
Understanding Meditation and Its Benefits
The practice of meditation originated in the ancient Vedic times of India and is described across the Vedic texts. It is commonly used in Ayurveda which is a natural health care system that also originated around the same time period. The true purpose of meditation was described to be the process of connecting to one’s deep inner self.
Today, meditation is highly regarded and is practiced across nations and cultures. It is known to:
Reduce Stress
An underlying trigger to most health conditions is stress. It is unseen and generally underrated, but its effects are extremely strong. Studies suggest that meditation is a simple and quick way to reduce stress and help balance cortisol production.
Enhance Self Awareness
Meditation tends to produce a deep state of relaxation, allowing you to be one with your mind, clearing your mind allows for space and clarity, hence increasing self-awareness.
Heal Emotional Health
Just like the overall health of the body, healing emotional health is equally important and meditation is a trusted avenue. When you meditate, you’re more in control of your emotions. Regular practice also evades native thoughts as a habit and releases happy hormones in the body.
Promote Intrinsic Need to Be Kind
It’s safe to say that mediation is a kindness-generating machine not only for yourself but for others around you too. It induces positive feelings in the body and through regular practice, kindness spreads at a faster pace. Metta meditation is known to emphasize developing feelings of kindness towards oneself and eventually others, however other forms are known to allow for reflection as well, in turn promoting betterment.
Reduce Addictions
Meditation instills self-control and awareness in the mind. Once the mind is controlled, any external triggers that otherwise dominate the body, tend to reduce.
Aid Cognitive Health and Preserves the Brain
A study done at UCLA found that long-term meditators had better-preserved brains than non meditators through age. Participants had more gray matter volume throughout the brain if they had been meditating for an average of 20 years or more.
Improve Sleep Cycle
A well-rested mind is a well-rested body. When your mind is free from thoughts that weigh you down, you automatically sleep better. Reduced tension and a peaceful state of mind pave no way for insomnia whatsoever.
Heal Pain
Perception of pain in most cases is often connected to the mind. In times like these when the body is stressed in general, there’s a chance for the pain to elevate itself and take over. For thousands of years, Buddhist monks have put forth the idea that mindfulness meditation significantly helps ease pain in the body. As per reliable research, “Mindfulness meditation is a technique that has been found to significantly reduce pain in experimental and clinical settings.”