From Meghan Markle to Gwyneth Paltrow to Kim Kardashian, face yoga has been a favorite of many other celebrities. It is your natural way of getting a facelift and great news for many who are scared of injections! Our face skin is the most exposed part of the body and has to go through all the pollutants, sun damage, and chemicals every day. It truly reflects how the body feels. Often, stress shows on the face in form of tension lines, wrinkles, dull skin, etc. But with a proper Face Yoga routine, you can control the overall health and appearance of your face.

 

WHAT IS FACE YOGA?

Facial exercises like face yoga are gentle, daily face movements designed to strengthen the muscles in the face and promote circulation. According to various experts, working out these facial muscles could build their strength so that the skin on and around the eyes, lips, cheeks, and forehead maintains a smoother, more youthful appearance. Much like yoga for the body, face yoga consists of exercises and stretches that work the muscles in your face. It combines massage, acupressure, exercises, and relaxation to provide safe, anti-aging skin results.

But going into face yoga blindly can be more of a setback than a help. Doing the facial ‘massage’ and poking your skin here and there is going to cause the wrong kind of tension and can damage it by increasing wrinkling. That’s why adopting a routine practice of careful and intentional muscle stimulation is key. 

 

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU DO YOGA?

So when is one supposed to do the ‘face’ yoga? Should it be done along with my workout, or do I need to do it separately? How long am I supposed to be doing it? You might be having all these questions, and we are here to answer them right away! When? 5 times a week, maybe add on to your regular workout routine. How long? 5-10 minutes 5 times a week.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Similarly, the more consistent you are the better results you will receive. Some of the simpler exercises can be done anytime anywhere, like the pout and smile exercise that targets fine lines around the lip area and thinning of the lips as we age. This exercise can be done while watching a show out on your work desk.

 

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF FACE YOGA?

• Facial workouts reduce wrinkles
• Helps in filling in hollow cheeks and minimizes other signs of aging.
• Face yoga can relax overactive muscles while toning weaker muscles, which helps to prevent sagging and expression lines
• Reduces the appearance of dark under-eye circles
• These exercises focus on strengthening and building up underlying muscle in key areas such as cheeks, jawline, neck, eyelids, and eyebrows.

 

Always clean your hands and face. Use an oil, serum, or cleansing balm so your fingers can glide easily over your skin without it being too slippery. This prevents unnecessary dragging of skin. You can also use a Gua sha or jade roller, as it helps the oil or serum penetrate deeper and helps in absorption.

 

EASY FACE YOGA EXERCISES

1. Forehead Lift:

This face yoga exercise tightens your forehead and horizontal forehead lines.

• Just place your hands on the outer edges of your forehead and apply pressure to smooth out the skin.
• Now start to raise and lower your eyebrows. Don’t be afraid to apply firm pressure. You want to feel some resistance from the skin while you perform this exercise.

2. The Puffin

You want ALL the cheeks of the body to be firm and taut with extra lift.

• Fill your cheeks with air.
• Push the air from one side to the other five times to stimulate your cheek muscles.
• Let the air out, forming an “O” with your mouth.
• Repeat this facial movement three to four times.

3. Fish Face 

This face yoga exercise smooths the nasolabial fold lines (creases in your skin extending from both sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth) and lifts the eyes and cheeks.

• Place both palms on your cheeks.
• Push your hands up and down, lifting the sides of your face.
• Open your mouth and make an “O” shape. Drop your jaw to make your face as long as possible.
• Hold this pose for about 30 seconds. Repeat two more times.

4. Show Your Tongue

 This yoga exercise reduces puffy eyes and a swollen face.

• Just place your hands on your temples and apply pressure to smooth out the skin.
• Open your mouth as wide as possible and stick your tongue out as far as you can and hold this pose for about 60 seconds.

5. The Giraffe

This face yoga exercise helps reduce double-chin and saggy, loose skin on the neck.

• Looking straight ahead, place the fingertips at the bottom of your neck and lightly stroke the skin downwards with the head tilted back.
• Bring the head back down to the chest and repeat twice more.
• Finally, jut the lower lip out as far as possible to pull the corners of the mouth down and place fingertips on the collarbone with the chin pointed upwards.