Breathwork is different breathing exercises and techniques that are done with intentionality. There are many different breath exercises to experiment with, but what does breathwork really do? If you have ever been feeling tense or anxious, someone may have told you to “take a deep breath.” This is because breathing promotes blood circulation and oxygen circulation throughout the body. It supports hydration and can quickly cleanse your system, regulate your heartbeat, and ground yourself at the moment. Breathwork has been around for centuries and is used in various wellness practices such as meditation and yoga.
How Breathwork Can Improve Skin Health
You may be wondering how breath exercises and skin health are related. It almost seems too easy. You can actually breathe your way to better skin or, at the very least, incorporate breathwork into your daily skincare routine.
Reduced Stress – When we experience stress, our bodies release cortisol. This is part of our “fight or flight” response. Cortisol can release sugar from your liver, cause your blood vessels to constrict, and invite other hormones, such as adrenaline, into the mix. On top of that, our brains redirect water sources to other areas of the body during a stress response, putting our skin at risk for dryness and inflammation. Stress and skin do not make for a happy combination.
Breathwork is a quick and effective way to manage stress at the moment. It can slow down the release of cortisol and prevent the body from entering fight or flight mode. Breath exercise lowers the heart rate and centers the mind, helping you logically address the anxiety trigger.
Elimination of Toxins – Since targeted breathing exercises can improve blood circulation, your lymphatic system also benefits. Your lymph nodes can gather toxins to be later released by the body. Stimulating oxygen and blood circulation will clear toxins from the lymphatic system faster, rather than allowing toxins to build up, which can cause skin inflammation.
Faster Delivery of Nutrients – When you do nasal breathwork, you release nitric oxide, increasing circulation and delivering oxygen to your cells. This provides a nice, effortless freeway for the vitamins and nutrients to reach your skin without delay.
Better Skin Repair – When you are in a relaxed state, your body can do amazing things. As you sleep, your body works hard to repair damaged cells and minor injuries and restore energy supplies. Breathwork can help your body relax, not just in times of stress, as mentioned above, but at any time. This allows your body the peace it needs to repair and replace skin cells, paving the way for beautiful skin.
Breath Exercises to Try
There are many different types of breath exercises available. A quick search will lead you to thousands of results. Here are three very effective and simple breath exercises you can incorporate into your daily wellness routine.
Easy Deep Breathing
This is a great breath exercise to start with, for it is simple to remember and easy to execute.
- Start by standing or sitting still, with your head straight and your spine long.
- Pull your elbows back slightly, allowing your chest to expand.
- With your mouth closed, take a deep breath in through your nose.
- After the inhale, hold your breath for five seconds.
- Slowly exhale again through your nose for a count of five seconds.
- Repeat several times.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Your diaphragm plays a very important role in your daily breathing and circulation. It is that large muscle that separates your thorax from your abdomen. We’re good at shallow breathing since we breathe without genuinely thinking about it. Diaphragmatic breathing is deep breathing, which could be tricky at first for breathwork beginners, but well worth mastering.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your diaphragm (above your stomach).
- Take a long, deep breath in through your nose.
- Feel your stomach and chest expand with your inhalation.
- At the top of the breath, hold your breath for a few seconds.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Feel your stomach and lungs contract with the exhalation.
Buteyko Breathing
Konstantin Buteyko, a Ukrainian physician, created the Buteyko Breathing technique in the 1950s. It uses breath retention to slow the speed of your breath, calming the nervous system and your heart rate.
- Sit on the floor or a chair.
- Extend your spine to stay in an upright posture.
- Relax you’re your lungs, mouth, and nose.
- Breathe normally for a few minutes. If you find yourself breathing erratically because you intentionally focus on normal breath, try to quiet your mind by thinking about something other than breathing for this part of the exercise.
- Exhale and hold your breath, where there is limited air in your lungs.
- Take your index finger and your thumb. Place over your nostrils to plug your nose.
- Continue holding your breath until you need to breathe. Remove your fingers from your nostrils and Inhale slowly.
- Return to normal breathing for at least 10 seconds
- Repeat steps 5-7.
Please stop the practice and breathe normally if you experience shortness of breath, intense discomfort, or anxiety.
Boost Skin Health Beyond Breathing
Breathing exercises are a simple, effective, and healthy way to boost your skin health. Find a practice that fits your needs and lifestyle and stick to it. You can always look for more complicated styles of breathwork to try if you feel you’ve mastered the basics.
Sometimes, skin health requires more than natural interventions such as breathwork. To maximize your skin’s health and support a natural, radiant, and youthful glow, be sure to maintain a proper diet for skin health. When developing a diet for skin health, be sure to include plenty of natural, healthy, and whole foods. A great practice you can try is shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. There you will find a variety of vegetables, fruits, low-fat, high-protein meat, and poultry, all foods that are good for your skin.
You also want to make sure you use skin products for your skin type. If you use a product for oily skin but have dry skin, you could further dry out your skin and invite a host of skin problems into your life. You could damage your skin if you have sensitive skin but use harsh chemical cleansers.
In addition to a healthy diet and good skin products, you may benefit from comprehensive skin treatment, such as the V2 Beauty Booster. This technique uses a selection of needles to inject a high concentration of natural and free hyaluronic acid and a combination of antioxidants, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. These injections boost skin hydration and improve skin quality.
When injected beneath the skin, this beauty booster effectively plumps, fills and targets dehydrated skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. In addition to hydration, the V2 Beauty Booster activates fibroblasts within the dermis, making them lay down new collagen and elastin. Not to mention an extra boost of hydration!
Your skin loves collagen and elastin – the two components that make your skin firm, supple, and smooth.
Breathe Your Way to Clearer Skin
Now you have more tools to pack into your skincare toolkit. Breathing is essential for life, but also radiant skin. If you want to learn more about breath exercises for skin or are interested in finding a comprehensive skincare treatment to help you meet your skincare goals, look no further than First Impressions Rejuvenation Clinic. The experienced and professional team at First Impressions welcomes any questions or concerns you may have regarding skincare treatment and overall skin wellness. Simply book a consultation, and the team can help you determine what you and your skin need the most. Remember, you are worth it.
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