Yoga for Eczema Relief: A Cottonique Guide

Did you know that some yoga poses can alleviate symptoms of eczema? This International Yoga Day, we explore restorative poses that calm the nervous system, improve circulation, and support skin healing, as well as some wardrobe tips to help you achieve that balance inside and out.

On June 21, 2014, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, declared the first to raise awareness of the numerous benefits of practicing yoga. Every year since, the event has adopted a theme reflecting the evolving needs and priorities of yoga practitioners worldwide.

The theme for International Yoga Day 2025 is “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” which reminds people that caring for the body and the planet go hand in hand. So, how does this year’s theme relate to people dealing with skin conditions, particularly eczema?

The Link Between Stress and Skin in Eczema Sufferers

Eczema isn’t just skin-deep. Stress can be key in triggering eczema flare-ups, intensifying itching, inflammation, and discomfort. Digging deeper into the so-called “mind-skin connection,” we learn that stress hormones like cortisol can wreak havoc on the skin barrier, worsening symptoms of certain skin conditions, including eczema.

It takes more than topical medicines and moisturizers to treat eczema. Linking eczema relief to the 2025 theme of International Yoga Day, we arrive at holistic well-being, emphasizing the link between mental and skin health. That means if you’re suffering from eczema, calming your mind through yoga can soothe your skin, too.

By restoring internal balance, the external symptoms follow suit. Thus, yoga can be a deeply restorative practice for people with eczema, soothing the skin, calming the mind, and promoting harmony from within. Moreover, yoga can make you more conscious of your surroundings. This is where the link between caring for your body and the planet comes in: mindfulness from within.

Here at Cottonique, we believe that caring for the skin/body and being earth-conscious go hand in hand. So, here’s a simple guide showing how simple yoga poses support eczema relief while making you more committed to the planet.

How Yoga Supports Skin Health

There are several ways in which yoga benefits skin prone to eczema flare-ups:

• • Proper breathwork and mindfulness lower cortisol, reducing stress
  • Improved circulation delivers nutrients and oxygen to the skin
  • Supports lymphatic drainage by flushing out toxins, thereby controlling flare-ups
  • Balances the immune system by regulating hyperactive inflammatory responses that trigger flare-ups
  • Promotes better sleep, which is critical for skin repair and barrier function
  • Enhances skin hydration and repair through improved gut and hormonal health

Yoga Poses to Support Eczema Relief

You may find these gentle asanas and breathing practices helpful if you suffer from eczema. Before you start, here are some tips: practice with awareness, hold each pose for 5-10 breaths, and practice in your softest organic cotton clothing.

1. Balasana or Child’s Pose

This pose has been known to improve flexibility, breathing, and strength, while toning your muscles and enhancing your mental well-being. Calming the mind and body reduces your heart rate, thus helping break the itch-stress cycle.

Breath/Mindfulness Cue: Take deep breaths into your lower back. Visualize heat and inflammation melting out of your body each time you breathe.

2. Viparita Karani or Legs-Up-the-Wall

This pose improves lymphatic drainage and circulation, reduces swelling and inflammation, promotes skin detoxification, and helps you de-stress.

Breath/Mindfulness Cue: Leave everything to gravity and let it do all the work. Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. Then, imagine toxins draining out of your body with each exhale.

3. Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose

This pose stimulates digestion and metabolism, aiding detoxification and indirectly improving skin clarity and barrier function.

Breath/Mindfulness Cue: Breathe into your chest and collarbones. With each inhale, feel your chest expand as your lungs fill with air. This helps support oxygen flow, reduces stress and tension, promotes circulation, and aids in respiratory efficiency.

4. Anulom Vilom or Alternate Nostril Breathing

This pose balances the nervous system, improves oxygenation, helps with heart function, and helps manage mental health concerns like anxiety, which has been linked to eczema flare-ups.

Breath/Mindfulness Cue: Start with your right nostril, close it, and inhale through your left. Alternately switch sides, repeating with intention. With every cycle, imagine yourself getting a mental reset.

5. Shavasana or Corpse Pose

This is often called a deep rest post, intent on fostering mind-body healing. It allows the body to repair and reset. This is critical for managing chronic skin conditions like eczema.

Breath/Mindfulness Cue: Release all the tension you feel. Take a mental note of how your breath rises and falls like the sea waves. Convince yourself that your body is healing, one breath at a time.

What to Wear When Practicing Yoga with Eczema

Remember that your eczema-prone skin will react negatively to tight clothing made from synthetic materials and treated with chemicals. So, if you’re practicing yoga to help manage your flare-ups, you should choose:

• • Loose, breathable pieces made from hypoallergenic 100% organic cotton
  • Latex-free and dye-free pieces to prevent irritation
  • Natural fibers that wick moisture away from the body to allow your skin to breathe

This is where Cottonique steps in. Aside from our Yoga Collection, we have many hypoallergenic items that offer choices for individuals who want to practice yoga comfortably, without triggering eczema flare-ups from elastics, tags, textile chemicals, or harsh materials. Here are some suggested pieces:

1. Women’s Cropped Leggings

These leggings allow you to move freely without irritation. They have smooth, flat seams to prevent chafing and feature irritation-free hypoallergenic elastic waistband wrapped in 100% organic cotton.  

2. Women’s Comfy Curve Racerback Crop Top Bra

This bra is designed to offer comfort without restrictions to those with sensitive skin. It’s wire-free, yet hugs softly with its hypoallergenic elastic band wrapped in 100% organic cotton, ideal for mindful movement.

3. Women’s Racerback Tank Top

This tank top is designed to deliver ease of movement and irritation-free support. It’s lightweight and breathable and enhances shoulder flexibility. It’s a pure, allergy-free essential for stretching, sweating, and staying cool.

One Earth, One Health: A Holistic Practice

Yoga isn’t just good for you as far as managing your eczema flare-ups go. It’s also good for the planet, as this year’s International Yoga Day theme implies. Through yoga, you’re reminded to be more mindful of your surroundings and encouraged to live consciously while practicing low-impact routines.

The goal of yoga is like Cottonique’s mission: promoting the values of balance and sustainability by avoiding toxic finishes and synthetic blends in our products.

By practicing yoga and choosing earth-friendly, hypoallergenic organic cotton clothing, you support two sides of the same breath: your skin and the environment.

You need to use a multi-faceted approach if you want to relieve eczema. Try practicing yoga, and alongside it, develop a good skincare routine and wear clean clothing. Doing all these, you’ll see how powerful yoga can be when managing your flare-ups. So, this International Yoga Day, go for healing that respects your skin and the planet.