Think wellness woo-woo is just for hippies and Gwyneth Paltrow? Think again. Turns out, those Eastern practices that your girlfriend has been raving about might just be the secret to the fountain of youth. In fact, while quick fixes and superficial treatments are all well and good, for real long-term radiation and vitality, it might be time to look East.
For centuries, practices like acupuncture, kundalini, meditation, yoga and reiki have been harnessed to cultivate inner wellbeing, and the results are more than just skin deep. So, get ready to ditch the Brotox and unlock your inner-glow, without the need for needles – okay, maybe just a few! – by exploring some of these ancient and alternative practices.
Acupuncture
Stress is a universal saboteur. It wreaks havoc on your sleep, messes with your hormones, and leaves you looking (and feeling) drained. Enter acupuncture. This ancient practice involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body to stimulate energy flow and support the body’s own healing process. And while acupuncture has been proven to work on a variety of bodily woes, it’s also highly effective in addressing issues of ageing and other skin concerns.
“Facial acupuncture uses tiny needles on the face to improve skin tone, reduce fine lines, and support a healthy, glowing complexion,” explains Dr Lina Jung, an acupuncturist at Bondi Holistic Hub. Your face is an extension of your body so it makes sense to treat the body and face together to improve and restore health and vitality so to help you look healthy and younger.”
Focusing on improving looks from the inside out, facial acupuncture can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, brighten dull skin, improve circulation, help clear conditions like acne or puffiness, and may also support a natural lifting effect by enhancing muscle tone and skin elasticity and stimulate collagen production.”
“By reducing stress hormones like cortisol, acupuncture can help combat acne, improve skin elasticity, and even slow down the ageing process,” explains Jung, who has been practising cosmetic acupuncture for a decade. “Think of it as a natural facelift from the inside out!”
Given that facial acupuncture focuses on supporting the skin and body from within and addressing the root causes, it can also be much longer-lasting than other grooming treatments, says Jung. “Results may be more gradual, but with regular sessions, many clients find the effects to be longer-lasting and more natural. I typically recommend 12 session, once or twice a week for the best results. After that, maintenance sessions every 4 to 8 weeks to help sustain them.”
Meditation
It’s nothing new that meditation is good for you. In today’s hyper-connected world, a regular meditation practice can be a game-changer, helping you stress less and sleep better. But did you know that the power of meditation can also extend to improving your looks?
Meditation, specifically Vedic mediation – also known as Transcendental Meditation or ‘TM’ (a form of meditation that involves silently thinking a personalised mantra) – has actually been shown to have mitigated age-related decline.
“This type of meditation has been proven to reverse ageing,” says founder of the Bondi Meditation Centre, Matt Ringrose. “It literally makes you younger!”
“Studies show that long-term meditators are an average of 12 years younger biologically than their peers. The reason for this is simple: deep rest. Vedic Meditation allows the body to rest, and heal, at a much deeper level than sleep. So, instead of being on high alert and pumping itself full of cortisol, the body is able to prioritise healing.”
Turns out, that with regular, super-deep rest everything improves: stress levels, mood, sleep, appearance (brighter skin, eye bags reduce), sex drive, respiratory function, immune system and more. And for men who want to get in on the meditation act, Ringrose – who has been teaching meditation from his centre in Bondi – offers regular courses to help them.
“We teach people to be able to meditate deeply, easily and, above all, self-sufficiently,” he says. “By the end of the four session course they won’t need a teacher, or an app or anything else to meditate.”
While anyone can benefit from meditation, Ringrose says that men are often in need of its calm-inducing properties more than women.
“As men, we’re generally taught not to express our emotions,” he explains. “We pride ourselves on not making a fuss and keeping going. What’s really happening is we’re storing up these unprocessed emotions inside ourselves, and over time they clog us up and make it harder to be fully happy and healthy. Vedic Meditation allows us to release that stress from the system in a way that is totally painless.”
With inner-peace translating to a more relaxed and radiant you – one with fewer wrinkles and a brighter complexion – it sounds like Vedic meditate might just be the ultimate ‘two for one’ deal.
Functional medicine
The buzz around gut health might seem like a recent phenomenon, a product of modern wellness trends and scientific breakthroughs. Yet the profound connection between digestive well-being and overall vitality is far from new. Ancient healing systems across the globe, from traditional Chinese medicine to Ayurveda, have emphasised the centrality of the gut for centuries.
“They understood that digestion was the cornerstone of health, impacting everything from mood and immunity to skin clarity and energy levels, even without the modern vocabulary of microbiome or probiotics,” comments IFM Certified Practitioner at Evergreen Doctors, Dr Chris Chappel. “Only now are we in the western medical model rediscovering the importance of gut health, as more studies are done analysing the differences in people’s guts based on their diseases. Yet even though it’s proven the microbiota (the living bugs) in the gut are more metabolically active than a liver, most doctors are still not trained in it.
“Functional medicine uses advanced tests to provide deeper insights, so we know what else can be done, to restore and optimise health in all areas. By measuring the complex ecosystem of bugs in the gut, we can then generate a personalised plan to adjust, weed and balance various aspects as needed. This leads to better digestion, less food sensitivities, and better health.”
Aiming to bridge the gap between traditional medicine with the latest nutritional, metabolic, genetic and functional medicine approaches Chappel guides patients through evidence-based, holistic health solutions.
“For some people their personal protocol involves dietary changes or targeted probiotics or even a compounded targeted antibiotic,” he explains. “But the goal for everyone is to restore balance, build resilience and reset the gut so it’s able to handle the modern toxic world. After the 3 month gut rest, most people can tolerate most foods in moderation, and don’t need probiotics or fermented foods, to maintain a healthy gut in the long term. I’ve had patients put up with gut issues for years, and totally resolve them in just three months.”
Emphasising the age-old adage of ‘you are what you eat’ Chappel says that bad gut health can lead to a variety of immune problems, including insulin resistance, psoriasis, eczema, obesity, worsening sleep, worsening cognition, and even ageing itself.
“Someone with a bad gut looks unhealthy,” he says. “Their skin reflects what’s inside and what they can’t properly detox. Their mind is clouded and their waist is more flabby than it could be. Someone with great gut health usually has better mental health, deeper sleep, and better metabolism and ultimately looks better.”
Less flab AND less wrinkles. It seems like a functional medicine assessment is just what the doctor ordered.
Yoga
Rooted in Indian philosophy and practiced for more than 5,000 years, yoga offers a holistic pathway to not just inner peace, but also outward radiance. Beyond its well-known benefits for flexibility and strength, regular yoga practice significantly impacts our physical appearance.
“On the physical dimension the postures strengthen and tone our muscles, stabilise our joints and increase our functional range of motion,” explains Michael Kubitzky, senior yoga teacher and facilitator at Krishna Village Eco Yoga Retreat. “The postures also provide a thorough rinse and cleanse to harmonise the functions of all the internal organs, tone the nervous system and balance the hormonal or endocrine systems. All this means that we can remain pain free and vital, as well as lucid, well into old age.”
Through its emphasis on mindful movement, deep breathing (pranayama), and stress reduction, yoga enhances blood circulation, delivering vital nutrients and oxygen to the skin while aiding detoxification. This internal cleansing and improved blood flow contribute to a natural, healthy ‘yoga glow,’ reducing dullness and potentially minimising the appearance of acne and wrinkles. Furthermore, cultivating proper posture through various asanas can lead to a more confident and elongated silhouette, while toned muscles from holding poses contribute to a sculpted physique.
“A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that looking good is merely external” says Kubitzky, who has practiced yoga for more than four decades and leads weekly retreats at Krishna Village Eco Yoga Retreat — a sprawling hinterland property in northern NSW, which invites guests to explore a holistic, spiritually-based program that includes multiple yoga classes daily.
“If your liver, spleen, pancreas, digestive system, nervous system, endocrine system, immune system are struggling, that’s going to have a significant impact on your appearance — specially as the decades roll on by. “
In addition, with a regular yoga routine, Kubitzky says that you’ll lose your affinity for a lot of negative or harmful lifestyle choices that also damage your overall well-being, and that ripple through to your appearance.
“As health improves and as you connect more intimately with how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally, all sorts of cravings diminish, or even disappear altogether,” he says. “Your sleep patterns will become deep and regular, you’ll frown a lot less — great wrinkle reduction! — and overall you’ll become happier and that happiness will radiate outwards.”
Reiki
Feeling down and depleted, with stress visibly taking its toll? Reiki might be your answer. This gentle, hands-on healing technique works by channeling universal life force energy to promote profound balance and harmony within your body’s systems. It’s a powerful yet subtle approach that helps reduce inflammation, accelerate natural healing, and significantly improve sleep quality – all crucial factors for looking and feeling your absolute best. Consider it an essential reset button for your mind and body, leaving you refreshed, revitalised, and visibly renewed.
“I get that it sounds very ‘woo-woo’,” admits Rachel Joyce, a dedicated Reiki practitioner and founder of The Wellness Studio Bondi. “But think of Reiki as the electrical current and your body as the circuit board.” She explains that while energy should flow smoothly through your system, stress, emotion, and burnout can act like dust or frayed wires, disrupting that vital flow. “Reiki works on a cellular and energetic level to shift the body out of fight-or-flight (your sympathetic nervous system) and into rest-and-repair mode (your parasympathetic nervous system). This means the body is relaxed deep enough to accelerate healing.”
The Wellness Studio Bondi offers a blend of healing modalities including Reiki, Spinal Flow, Pilates, yoga, breathwork, meditation and more, all of which are designed to support the nervous system – a system that can shape us physically.
“The physical transformation can be remarkable,” “says Joyce. “When your nervous system is regulated your skin is clearer, your eyes are brighter, and you carry yourself differently – calmer, more grounded, and more confident.”
For men, who often carry a quiet kind of stress and feel physically tight or disconnected, Reiki offers a unique “safe space” according to Joyce, who blends touch, mobility work, and somatic movement to help ground them.
“Men often arrive feeling physically tight or disconnected from the emotional body,” she says. “So I blend touch, mobility work and somatic movement with Reiki to gently bring awareness back into the body. A short stretch or breath-led mobility sequence before a session which unlike other reiki involves a guided body scan and shoulder head massage, helps ground them and quiet the mind, so the energy work can go deeper.”
While typically people will start Reiki sessions weekly, it’s very much a case-by-case. “It’s until they nervous system regulating and then it becomes more like an energetic check in, as and when you feel like,” explains Joyce. “I have clients who have made it a regular weekly ritual to reset from the week. They leave feeling lighter, more grounded, and reconnected to themselves and their families and friends. That inner shift shows in how they act ands how they look.”
Light therapy
Humans have long understood the profound influence of light on well-being. Indeed, the origins of light therapy, or ‘heliotherapy’, stretch back to ancient civilizations who recognized the sun’s therapeutic properties. Temples were built with light rooms, and practices involved exposing patients to natural sunlight, sometimes through colored filters, to treat ailments ranging from skin conditions to mood disorders. This ancient wisdom, rooted in observing nature’s rhythms, laid the groundwork for modern phototherapy – including the increasingly popular Red Light Therapy.
“Red Light Therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular processes and support skin, muscle, and tissue health,” explains explains founder of red light wellness space Healing on Spring, Ben Sexton. “It works by delivering light energy deep into your cells – particularly the mitochondria (the energy powerhouses) – which increases the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule your body uses for energy.” At sensory-led spaces like Healing on Spring, huge LED panels bathe the skin in these beneficial wavelengths during a schedule of daily classes that span modalities including yoga, sound bathing, meditation and more.
This cutting-edge yet ancestrally-inspired therapy offers a powerful dual benefit: enhancing your appearance while calming your entire system. By accelerating cellular repair and boosting collagen and elastin production, regular sessions can visibly smooth fine lines, reduce acne or irritation, and significantly improve overall skin tone and texture. Beyond the skin, red light also enhances circulation, speeds up muscle recovery after workouts, improves sleep quality, elevates your mood and cognitive clarity, reduces stress, and even alleviates joint pain or stiffness. “By calming systemic stress at a cellular level, this therapy helps to reduce redness, boost collagen and elastin production, and significantly improve skin texture,” Sexton adds. “Picture it as a rejuvenating light bath for your cells, leaving you with a radiant complexion – and a calmer disposition!”
Kundalini
Ever heard of igniting your ‘inner fire’? Kundalini is all about that. This dynamic practice blends ancient breathwork, powerful movement, and meditation to awaken your energy centres and supercharge circulation.
The result? A surge in vitality, smoother digestion (bye-bye, bloat!), and a radiant, healthy glow that no serum can replicate.
“Kundalini is the life force energy that lives at the base of your spine – a kind of dormant potential we all carry,” explains Aoife Murphy, Kundalini facilitator and founder of Croí Connection. “When activated, this energy moves through the body, clearing emotional blocks, releasing stored tension, and helping you feel more connected, alive, and grounded in yourself.”
When your nervous system is constantly in survival mode,’ it shows up everywhere – from your skin’s clarity to your sleep quality and even your facial expressions. Kundalini helps regulate this, allowing the body to soften, sleep deeper, reduce inflammation, and detox more efficiently.
“People often tell me they look more radiant, but really, it’s just their natural energy shining through again,” Murphy explains. “For men, who often push through stress and emotions, Kundalini is especially useful as it can lead to a quieter mind, improved sleep, sharpened focus, and a reconnection with a more authentic, radiant self. It’s a powerful tool for unlocking the ‘glow’ that truly comes from within.”
