Why belly breathing is good for your skin
So, lovely friends, if you hadn’t realised already, I am a big fan of doing the right thing for our skin, whether you choose my SkinGoal products or not. Every product I have created is to help women and men achieve healthier, stronger skin and combat the natural ageing process, which is without doubt harmed by the busy lifestyles we lead.
One of the most important things we can gift our skin is oxygen. Ahh, I hear you say, but I am breathing quite successful 24-hours day, so surely my skin is getting all the oxygen it needs? Actually, very probably not. It seems as we get older, we’re less good at the mechanics of breathing than we might be, tending to take shallow breaths that while keeping us alive, don’t flood the body with all the oxygen we really need.
Under oxygenated skin can look dull, leading to comments about how tired you look, or queries if you’re getting enough sleep. Without the right levels of oxygen, skin is unable to maintain its natural vitality, which can not only lead to a dull overall appearance, but also those dreaded fine lines and wrinkles. Properly oxygenated skin looks firmer, vitalised, and plumper, all the things we love.
How do we oxygenate our skin?
Facial massage
Incorporate a daily facial massage into your morning routine. This will not only help with drainage, easing away any puffiness and swelling, and release stored tension in your muscles but also boost circulation, bringing more oxygenated blood to your skin. You can use a facial roller or a gua sha. I choose to use a gua sha, a pretty rose quartz one that feels lovely and cool on my skin, and works beautifully with my Serum Serene.
Exercise
You don’t have to run 10k to claim you have had some exercise. A 15-minute walk, alternating brisk (as you can manage) with gentle will get the heart pumping and boost your circulation. And there’s nothing like that fresh faced look you get after a toddle in the fresh air!
Exfoliation
I have talked several times about the necessity to regularly exfoliate, using AHAs or BHAs. Exfoliating the skin lifts away the dead cells that block oxygen entering from the outside, and boosts the circulation to the epidermis - with a resulting oxygen boost.
Belly breathing
This is the option I really want to talk about. Belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, is the conscious form of deep breathing that really fills our lungs and sends extra volumes of oxygen all around the body.
When we draw in deep breaths, excess carbon dioxide is flushed from our respiratory system and more oxygen enters the blood system leading to increased oxygen levls for all the body’s organs - including the skin.
Belly breathing isn;t something we can really do all the time, we’d look a bit odd, for starters, and it requires concentration and focus. It’s brilliant to combine with meditation, and you can find lots of guided meditations online that start with the breathing. I use Calm app, but there are plenty of free ones on YouTube, if you want to give it a go without spending any money.
Here are the basics to get you started on your own:
Lie down and get comfortable. The first few times you will do this, you will need to concentrate, so lie on your bed or the sofa, or even the floor, with a pillow under your head. Make sure you’re at a comfortable temperature. Place both hands across your diaphragm (it sits right below your ribcage, above your belly.)
Breathe in slowly, drawing your breath first into your belly, then allowing your ribs to expand. Inhale through your nose to a slow count of five. Don’t do a massive inhale, just steadily draw the breath in.
Hold your breath for a slow count of four. This allows the oxygen in the air you have just inhaled to be absorbed into the blood stream, and the carbon dioxide to be released into your lungs, so you can breathe it out fully. The oxygen will boost your blood oxygen levels, sending it to the brain (which loves an oxygen boost) and all around your body - including your skin.
Exhale slowly through your mouth, to a count of eight. This ensures you empty your lungs, ready for the next inhale. It’s important to breathe out for twice as long as you breathe in, to really control the breath.
Do this for two minutes every day, or more often if you like. It’s a brilliant tool for calming anxiety. I do it before I stand up to give a talk, or before I start my new radio show on Cheshire Mix 56. It helps centre me, boost my brain oxygen, and release tension in my chest and shoulders. I don’t lie down first, of course, that might look odd at a lunch event, or on the studio floor! You can do it at bedtime, on the train to work, in the bath, whenever you have a few moments to yourself, and once you’re practised, you can do it in before presentations, when your mum says something that winds you up, when your partner leaves the plates ON TOP of the dishwasher, again, in meetings when your boss says something really annoying… any time you need a moment of calm and to centre yourself.
Belly breathing has so many benefits I think it should be taught in schools, as a life skill! Anxiety, mindfulness, brain boost - and skin boost too. And for only two minutes a day, it should definitely be on your must do list.
Love, Penny x