So much modern skin care comes from a bottle or jar, and advertisements make health and #beauty look complicated, leading us to believe that we need a chemicals and secret formulas to remain attractive and young.

But there’s a lot more to skin and nail care than anti-wrinkle creams and miracle serums — it’s important to consider not only what we put in and on our bodies, but also how our thoughts and emotions affect the way we look.

Sure, we all like simple solutions to fix problems, quite often ignoring the cause. For example, stress isn’t just a mental state. It takes a toll on our appearance, with our skin becoming dry and pale, and the tension in our muscles can make our faces appear lined and wrinkled. To compound this, we often neglect ourselves when we feel stressed and rundown, leading to a less-than-ideal diet. We indulge in sugar, caffeine and alcohol, all of which can affect skin cell hydration and make our skin look dull and dry.

Together with a good diet and exercise, regular #meditation is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety, and give ourselves time to breathe and gain perspective. Try introducing meditation to your beauty #regimen with this simple daily practice that easily fits into your schedule.

As with all natural beauty, I always encourage people to be realistic when it comes to results. Nothing pure and natural is a quick fix — there are no miracle creams or meditations with dramatic results. Rather, that improvements will be seen over time as your wellbeing improves.

Before you start …

Make sure you’re wearing comfortable clothing. Anything tight and restrictive may draw attention from the moment.Choose a comfortable seat. I recommend sitting upright in a comfortable chair with your back supported. When I’m feeling under the weather, I sometimes choose to lie flat on my back.I often like to perform alternate nostril breathing a few minutes before starting my meditation.A Simple Meditation For Natural Beauty

Close your eyes and mouth, breathing normally or taking a few deep breaths through your nose. Bring your awareness to your breath and focus on inhaling and exhaling. Try to take you mind away from your thoughts and focus on your breathing. In and out.As thoughts pop into your head, acknowledge them, then brush them aside. This will continue to happen, but it’s important that you quickly shift your focus back to the meditation. This gets easier the more you practice.Aim to practice this mediation every day for 10-15 minutes. It may be useful to meditate more often during times of stress.The benefits of regular simple mediation …

Lowers blood pressureDecreased anxiety and stress levelsIncreased happiness and energy levelsImproved immune systemBetter sleep

… and these in turn will have numerous beauty benefits!

Photo Credit: Stocksy

21 Signs You Need To Start Meditating If you’ve been feeling out of sorts and nothing seems to be going your way, your mind and body could be trying to tell you that meditation is needed in your life. Meditation holds many physical,  Read

Annie Yates is a natural beauty and holistic therapist. She believes in nourishing the body inside and out with the very best ingredients you can find. Along with performing pure treatments she also writes the health and beauty blog Wild Heart Native Soul, where she shares tips and recipes helping you to maintain a happy and healthy body and mind.

Annie was previously an illustrator, stylist and designer and enjoyed 10 years working in the fashion and media industries. In 2009 Annie left her media career to have children and this change of lifestyle had a profound effect on her as she became even more conscious of the products and ingredients she was putting on and in her body. After re-training as a therapist, she started her health and wellbeing blog Wild Heart Native Soul to promote her passion for the wonderful ingredients found in nature.

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