What’s the secret to the yogi’s radiant skin?

Written by Ganga Devi

Today I am going to share with you an amazing, little known exercize which you can do after your home yoga practice. How to maintain healthy and glowing skin has always been a hot topic and has become even more so in today’s world where our skin is increasingly exposed to free radicals due to heavy pollution, processed foods and sedentary lifestyles. Among the many practices of yoga, the one presented here is taught on our yoga teacher training courses and yoga retreats. Today I discuss the benefits and science of this tool but watch out for our future newsletters, where I will provide you with a complete step-by-step description on how to practice this massage.

Busting the ‘Sweat = Detox’ Myth

Have you noticed that people who regularly practice yoga and meditation often have a radiance about them which is quite unique and compelling? Glowing skin is not a matter of age. In fact many yogi/niis seem to be ageless to begin with.

Even though there is a variety of reasons for this, there is one particular practice which is very simple to perform yet extremely effective in maintaining and enhancing youthful, smooth and radiant skin.

There is a little known exercize to be performed after the practice of asanas and it’s called self massage. This unique type of massage has been introduced by the yoga master Shrii P.R. Sarkar (AKA ShriiShriiAnandamurti), who has formulated the Rajadhiraja system of yoga, based on the teachings of Shiva’s Tantra and the tenets of classical yoga or Patanjali’sAshtanga yoga. Shrii P.R. Sarkar has however added to his Rajadhiraja System several powerful practices, which had previously not been known by yogis. One of them is self-massage.

 

What are the benefits of self-massage?

At a glance here are the 5 major benefits:
• increases the lustre and suppleness of the skin
• relaxes and revitalizes the nerves
• relaxes the muscles to a very low basal tension (very good preparation for Shavasana)
• increases the blood and lymph circulation
• harmonizes the vital energy (prana) of the body
• keeps the joints healthy and lubricated

Benefits to the Nervous System
Self-massage stimulates the nerve endings at the skin surface, which in turn improves the functioning of the entire nervous system. The nervous system controls your cognitive functions, movement and how your body responds to environmental stimuli.

Benefits to the pranic system and nadiis Nadiis are sometimes translated as nerve channels, but they are not the nerves. Instead they are subtle energy channels, transporting the vital and mental energy, also known as prana, throughout the body. The nerves are the physical counterparts of the nadiis, hence the nadiis run alongside the nerves but they are not physical structures. Just as positive and negative forces of electricity flow through complex circuits, in the same way prana flows through every part of our body via the nadiis. There are said to be 72,000 nadiis in our subtle system.

What are chakras? Chakras are part of the subtle body, not the physical body, and as such they are the crossing points of these subtle (non-physical) energy channels, called nadiis. They are located at the physical counterparts of the major plexi of arteries, veins and nerves and each chakra is related to a specific endocrine gland(s). Because in self-massage we stimulate the nerves, and hence their subtle counterparts, the nadiis, prana is awakened and moves more vigorously through the body. The result is an increase in vitality and energy levels.

Hyaluronic acid – Miraculous Perennial Youth

Self-massage helps the ligaments and tendons of the joints recover from the impact of asana practice and helps them release hyaluronic acid, keeping them well lubricated.

It’s very interesting that HA (hyaluronic acid) was discovered already in 1934 by Karl Meyer, but it only became famous in the year 2000, when an American reporter, Connie Chung, visited the Japanese village Yuzuri Hara to find out why both men and women in their 80’s and 90’s had smooth wrinkle free skin, flexible joints, full heads of hair and activity levels that defied their age.

It was eventually found to be related to oestrogen-like molecules in their diet from soya and tofu, which caused the cells to produce more hyaluronic acid. It proved to ward off the aging process by helping the cells of the body thrive and retain moisture, keeping joints lubricated, protecting the retina in eyes and keeping skin smooth and elastic.

HA works as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger, maintains skin hydration and elasticity, produces collagen in the skin, cushions joints and nerve tissues and also has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity.

Precious hormonal oils are secreted during yoga practice

However the reason this massage should be done after asanas in particular, is this: Asanas not only stimulate the endocrine glands, balancing the hormone secretion within the body, but they also stimulate the sebaceous glands, which lie just below the surface of the skin to secrete a higher than average amount of their natural hormonal oils. These special oils are considered to be a balm for the human body. In order to preserve these oils no bath should be taken for 30 min after the practice of asanas.

For the same reason, perspiration during the asanas is not recommended either, as it may dilute or waste away the sebaceous oils. The sebaceous oils are better than any skin cream, as they maintain the glow and lustre of the skin from within. While performing self-massage we rub these oils back into the skin.

Sweat glands are NOT sebaceous glands. Exocrine are DIFFERENT from endocrine glands

These terms can be a bit confusing, so I will be explaining them here. The sweat glands are not the same as sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands contain groups of specialized epithelial cells, are located at the root of hair follicles and secrete an oily mixture of fatty material and cellular debris called sebum which keeps hair and skin soft, pliable, and waterproof, while sweat glands are widespread exocrine glands in the dermis with sweat secreting epithelial cells.

Exocrine glands are glands secreting externally via a duct, while endocrine glands are ductless and secrete hormones directly into the blood stream. Sebaceous glands are an example of exocrine glands, while the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland are examples of endocrine glands.

On the image below you can clearly see the sweat gland and the sebaceous gland.

The Myth

Often there is this notion that ‘the more you sweat during yoga the more you detoxify’, however this is not entirely the case. Your skin is actually not an excretory organ. Yoga, if practiced correctly, is without a doubt very beneficial for many reasons. In fact, vigorous bodily activity helps the body in the elimination of toxins by increasing the circulation of the lymph and blood.

Lymph, carrying waste and bacteria, is filtered by the lymph nodes and at the end disposed of by the kidneys. (The toxins filtered out by the lymph nodes are re-deposited in the bloodstream and eliminated by the kidneys). So in exercise it’s the lymph which is responsible for the detox not the sweat The main purpose of sweating is not to purge the body of toxins, but to cool it down through evaporation. Sweat from eccrine sweat glands—those covering most of the body—is 99% water and contains only very small amounts of salts, urea, and carbohydrates, all of which are natural by-products of bodily processes.

So, the actual process of detoxification is happening via the urinary and intestinal systems and also via our lungs. However the most important role in ridding the body of waste is played by the lymphatic system. And it is this very system we are targeting when we perform self-massage after the practice of yoga. It is not sweating but the practice of asanas, as well as the specific breathing system for asanas (inhalation/exhalation and in certain postures breath retention), and self-massage which are responsible for the detox, NOT the sweating. In fact sweating during asanas is counterproductive.

What is lymph?

Lymph is a vital fluid, an important agent which purifies the blood.  This clear fluid fills the intercellular spaces in all the tissues of our body and acts as the “middle-man” for the blood and the tissues. It picks up dead cells and waste matter and then flows back in lymphatic vessels towards the heart. However before the lymph returns to the blood, the waste matter is filtered out in the lymph nodes where white cells ‘eat’ the wastes and carry them to the spleen. There they are broken down into small enough fragments for the kidneys to dispose of.

The human lymphatic system is also known as the body’s second circulatory system. It is made up of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymph (the interstitial fluid drained through the vessels), and lymphocytes (specialized immune cells). The tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus are all part of the lymphatic

Our lymph nodes are soft, small internal structures located in the armpits, groin, and neck, as well as in the middle of the chest, abdomen and hollow of the knee. The lymph nodes produce immune cells in order to fight infection and are at the same time filtering lymph fluid to remove any potentially harmful material. When bacteria or other immune threats are present in lymph, lymph nodes increase the production of white blood cells, which can cause the nodes to swell. Lymph also kills pathogens and cancer cells.

The lymphatic system has no “pump” of its own to move lymph through the system, as the circulatory system has the heart. Instead the lymph is circulated by the breathing action, the movement of the muscles and body posture. It is a system of one-way valves where the flow of the lymph is aided by the squeezing of the lymph nodes from core to periphery, as done in the self massage designed by Shrii P.R. Sarkar.

The below image indicates the location of the  lymph nodes in the head and neck area.

For people who get too little exercise and eat too much processed food, the lymphatic system can easily get overtaxed – resulting in a body that is easily susceptible to infection and disease. The yoga postures or asanas increase the flow of the lymph through muscular contraction and breathing.

A healthy lymphatic flow is one of the body’s fundamental defence mechanisms against infection. The flow of the lymphatic system is primarily influenced by the action of muscles, by breathing, and by body posture. Asana improves lymphatic flow through muscular contraction and the effects of gravity.

Dr. Steven Landau, a family medicine doctor and Yoga Alliance Board member who has practiced Sarkar’s self-massage after asana for almost 30 years, says that “Not only movement, but also deep breathing during asana is a major stimulator of lymphatic flow.”

Self-massage enhances and facilitates the flow of lymph and hence the purification of the blood. In order to improve the functioning of the lymph nodes special care should be taken to massage the lymph nodes – in the neck, armpits, groin, abdomen and hollow of the knee.

Sweat and hormonal oils

Something interesting happens when we practice asanas: the sebaceous oily fluids, which are secreted by these glands even under normal circumstances, undergo a change in quality – an increase of hormonal substances, transforming the oils into a balm. This has to do with the effect the asanas have on the endocrine glands.

Sweat glands, on the other hand, are those glands which produce sweat, as you might expect. Sweat’s main function is to protect the skin from severe dryness. Sweat does not have the function of detoxifying the body but to rather cool it down. The detox and waste management is done by the lymphatic system.

When we are sweating the sweat dilutes and changes the quality of the oily fluids secreted by the sebaceous glands, which at the time of yoga practice are rich in hormones. Sweat at that time is destroying the hormonal substances inherent in the oils.

Self-massage is prescribed for your home practice and is a great way to connect with your body and spend some time in that loving interaction with your body. It has a calming and soothing effect on the mind and nervous system and is a very effective tranquilizer, perfect to perform before the final relaxation, Shavasana.

Self-massage is one of the many practices we teach on our yoga teacher training courses and future yoga teachers learn how to it can be incorporated in workshops and classes as a kriya, or cleansing technique.

Here is a more expanded list of the benefits:

• • Relieves soreness, tension, and stiffness
• • Increases flexibility and range of motion of joints
• • Improves the flow of nutrients to muscles and joints, accelerating recovery from fatigue
• • Releases joint strain (relaxing tight muscles and tendons)
• • Helps to normalize glandular functions
• • Stimulates blood flow to nourish the skin
• • Increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients (to cells and tissues), improving and relieving congestion throughout the body
• • Elimination of metabolic waste
• • Increases the circulation of lymph which cleanses the body of toxic debris and metabolic waste
• • Stimulates the immune system (strengthens resistance to disease)
• • Relieves restlessness and insomnia
• • Decreases chronic pain
• • It also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping promote relaxation and the reduction of stress.
• • Helps to reduce pain by the release of endorphins (endorphins are also known to elevate the mood).
• • Promotes positive body awareness and an improved body image through relaxation

Self-massage is prescribed for your home practice and is a great way to connect with your body lovingly. It has a calming and soothing effect on the mind and nervous system and is a very effective tranquilizer, perfect to perform before the final relaxation, Shavasana.

Self-massage is one of the many practices we teach on our yoga teacher training courses and future yoga teachers learn how to it can be incorporated in workshops and classes as a kriya, or cleansing technique.

Today’s article was an introduction to the practice, but watch out for our future newsletters, where I will provide you with a complete step-by-step description on how to perform this massage.

Written by Ganga Devi