The benefits of hot yoga are plentiful: From increased circulation throughout the body to cardiovascular intensity, heated yoga has made a name for itself as a preferred practice across the nation. I met with an acne specialist and owner of Spa Kingston in San Diego, Renee Maloney, who confirmed my suspicion that heated yoga was the culprit in my unwanted blast-from-the-past breakouts and skin issues. “Hot yoga can be absolutely amazing for the body and skin. It’s detoxifying, increases blood flow, encourages circulation and elimination, and creates a healthy flexible body without harm to the joints due to the heat,” says Maloney, however, “hot yoga causes the body to heat up, which then can increase already inflamed skin. This heat and excess elimination can cause areas of inflammation to go on overload and cause adverse or more intense inflamed acne.” Essentially: Heated yoga can cause increased inflammation in the body. Because acne is inflammation, this causes even more unwanted breakouts and unappealing marks. Add in the humidity, and the increased oil production that comes with it, and you’re in breakouts. So, what’s a yogi to do? After several months battling breakouts, she and I finally found the perfect natural skin-care routine to combat the unwelcome “friends” on my face. Whether you love hot yoga or sweaty workouts in general, here’s what worked for me—maybe it can help you, too. On days when I’m practicing, I wash my face in the morning, after yoga, and right before bed to ensure my pores are clear of sweat and dirt buildup. However, some might find this to be too much washing for their skin type (everyone is different!), so you may only be able to tolerate once or twice a day. However, never workout in your makeup—it will make the breakouts worse. The trick with icing your face is to make sure that the water you are using is clean (read: If you don’t normally drink your tap water without putting it through a filter, don’t use ice made from tap water either). After filling an ice-cube tray with filtered water, use a drop of tea tree oil from your favorite essential oil brand to help unclog the pores from oil buildup. While this step may be harder to fit into your routine when you’re on-the-go, it is a crucial way to fight inflammation and acne that can build up from the heat your body generates during a heated yoga practice. We don’t always have time to ice right after practice, but if you do, take the few minutes to add in this step. Your face will thank you after! For me, I stick to Face Reality’s Hydrabalance Gel and apply it every night after icing my face. If you’re looking for a new moisturizer, look for brands, like this one, that are noncomedogenic. After suffering from severe corporate burnout, Johanna turned to yoga and holistic healing to redirect her life, and found these powerful ancient practices to be the ultimate rejuvenation of spirit. With great devotion to her personal healing, her mission is to share these modalities and can be found teaching yoga, meditation, and breath work around the globe, as well as provoking conscious conversations on her podcast, The Alchemized Life. The Alchemized Life Podcast features top thought leaders in the wellness industry and lessons to inspire listeners to blossom into who they were always meant to become. Johanna has her bachelor’s in integrated marketing communications from National University.
