Better Balance + Flow

Face yoga may have popped up on your radar while on the look out for a natural and low cost solution for youthful and healthy-looking skin. Just as we train our bodies to improve our physical performance and to tone up, according to face yoga fans we should also consider training the muscles in our face to help improve our appearance.

What Is Face Yoga?

To put it simply, face yoga involves massage, exercise and acupressure. It works on isolating various muscles in your face in order to tone and lift them. Our faces contain over 50 muscles, many of which are barely even used regularly. So, face yoga helps us to train and work specific muscles in the face in order to improve their tone and appearance.

Massage and exercises stimulate the muscles, skin and lymphatic system, helping to boost circulation and replenish cells. This is said to result in a brighter complexion, strengthens muscles in the neck, cheeks and around the eyes, and improves the overall appearance of your face. It also releases any muscle tension that you might have built up during the day.

It isn’t just a case of brightening and plumping your complexion though. By exercising specific muscles, it can also help to relax overactive muscles and strengthen weaker ones, helping to prevent deep expression lines and improving any skin sagging. 

What Are The Benefits?

First and foremost, unlike treatments such as botox or facelifts, it is natural, non-invasive and non-toxic. Face yoga is also inexpensive and therefore easily accessible. It can be part of a wider yoga practice or lesson, and there are also courses and coaches online who specialize in this practice, though the basics are easily accessible for free.

Face yoga aims to strengthen muscles, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and brighten the complexion, resulting in glowing skin. The benefits of which kind of speak for themself.

It also releases tension in the face, neck, and shoulders and can be incorporated into a wellness routine to help de-stress after busy and overwhelming days. It therefore helps to enhance mindfulness and overall wellbeing.

How Can I Get Started?

The best way to start is to incorporate it into your daily routine. Once you’ve washed your face and moisturised. Get yourself in front of a mirror and start with these simple face yoga exercises to target the bigger muscles. Face yoga comes with a warning; you’re going to feel very silly, so make sure you find somewhere you feel comfortable. S0 let’s get started:

1. The Big O warmup. Relax your face and drop your jaw as if you were yawning. Move your gaze up towards the ceiling, without moving your forehead and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Don’t forget to breathe!
2. For the eyes: Isolate the lower eyelids by curling your hand into a “C” shape and place your index fingers along the upper brow bones, positioning your thumb by the side of your nose. Press your fingers downwards and then sideways. Try to open your eyes as wide as possible and hold for 5 seconds. Again, don’t move your forehead.
3. For the forehead: Place your finger tips above the eyebrows and raise your eyebrows as high as possible while pushing down with your finger tips. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
4. For the mouth: Place your index fingers at the corner of the mouth and smile, showing the row of your top teeth. Make sure the corners of your mouth are at the same level, stick your tongue out and curl it up slightly, moving it slowly from one side to the other. Repeat around 10 times. Don’t forget to keep breathing!
5. To keep double chins at bay: Tip your chin to the ceiling until you feel a good stretch. Now alternate between duck lips and sticking your tongue out, holding each pose for 5 seconds. Repeat three times.
6. To finish: Deep cleansing breaths, breathing in and relaxing your shoulders as you breathe out, we want to hear that big lion’s breath! Repeat 5 times. Shake off any tension you’ve been holding on to and embrace the day (or evening) ahead!

You just need 5 – 10 minutes to get started. Aim to stack it into your morning routine so that you can pick up the habit relatively easily. You can try adding in a wind down routine at nighttime too to let go of any built up stress and tension from the day. I’d recommend keeping track of how you feel afterwards and if you notice any improvements over time.

Key takeaways

Look, it’s not a surgical procedure, so you’re not going to see any drastic changes overnight. You’ll have to be consistent and it will take time to see any difference, but you will gradually start to notice an improvement in your complexion and tone. Not only that but it will also help you to prepare for the day, feel good, and add to your overall well being.

At the end of the day, it’s non-invasive and it’s inexpensive, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try!