Yoga provides relaxation for the entire body. While most have heard of traditional yoga, face yoga is an emerging trend that is gaining popularity. Face yoga can help reduce the look of aging and relieve tension in the facial muscles that cause tension headaches.
So, What is Face Yoga?
Face Yoga is all the facial exercises that tone and stretch facial muscles. Those affected by Bell’s Palsy or strokes have used the practice for some time to treat their conditions. Since muscle loss is partly what causes sagging in the face, doing face yoga can help to prevent this from happening.
Face yoga can help to smooth wrinkles and lines, lift, and tone the skin around the eyes and on the cheeks, tighten the skin around the neck and jaw, and alleviate strain and pain from overworked muscles. Face yoga is great for those looking for a holistic approach to improving the skin using natural techniques.
How Facial Yoga Works
Some liken it to strength training for face and neck muscles. Repeating the same exercise targeting different areas can help to improve the muscles in that area. When you stimulate facial muscles, they tone and tighten. Blood circulation is improved, which clears the skin. It can also smooth the face in areas that are tensed throughout your day, think about the frown lines between your eyes.
While there are face yoga instructors are out there, they are hard to locate. They are usually priced between $50 and $200. But you can perform the exercises on your own and anywhere you are. You can find tutorials online and we have compiled some of the most effective face yoga exercises here. Make sure you wash your face and hands before starting. You do not need to use creams or oils, but you can if you would like.
Face Yoga Exercises
There is not a particular order that you must perform these exercises. Simply try them out and monitor your results. Most of the exercises practiced focus on the cheeks, the eye area, jawline, neck, and forehead. The most popular are the cheek and eyebrow lifter, happy cheeks sculpting, jaw and neck scooping, temple developer, and the upper eyelid firmer.
When performing these exercises, try to keep your face relaxed. If you squint or scrunch your face you may be working against the progress you are aiming for. You want to lift and expand your facial muscles.
Start by warming up by blowing raspberries with your cheeks and lips. This helps you to relax the facial muscles before you begin. They mustn't be tense as they become shorter and harder. By blowing the raspberries, you force your muscles to relax.
The Eye-Opener
Make a binocular shape around your brows, cheeks, and across your face. Lift your brows, letting your forehead remained relaxed. Squint and then lift them once again. Perform this exercise 50 times.
Forehead Lifter
Clasp your fingers together over your forehead and lightly press while lifting your forehead. Hold for a minute and repeat this 50 times.
You can also put your palms on your temples and push up and back to lift the face. Hold this pose for five seconds and release.
The Forehead Smoother
Make two fists and with your fingers facing you put the knuckles of your middle fingers in the middle of your forehead. Apply pressure, sliding fists to each side of your forehead to your temples. Repeat this six times.
Cheek Lifter
Hold your mouth open wide and make sure your lips are covering your teeth and lift the cheeks muscles. Hold this pose for 10 seconds and release. Repeat this 50 times.
The Double V
Make the peace sign with each hand. Place your middle fingers on the inside edge of your brows and place your pointer fingers on the outside edge of your brows. Apply pressure, look to the sky, and squint. Do this eight times.
Neck and Jaw Stretch
Tilt your chin up slightly and at a 45-degree angle. Turn it over one shoulder, hold for three seconds. Then take your face back to the center and repeat this move over the other shoulder. Do 20 reps of this on each side. Those without any neck problems can extend their head back and hold it, repeating this move for a minute.
Lips Pucker
Pucker up, buttercup. Then let them loose and repeat this for a few minutes.
The Smiler
Smile with your mouth only, do not wrinkle your eyes. Hold the smile for 50 seconds and release.
Face Massage
Use a gentle cleanser to clean your face, massage the entire face. Using your fingertips press gently into your muscles. Massage for about 30 minutes. After your facial massage, lay back with a warm towel on your face.
Summing it All Up
While research is still ongoing, there are some indications that face yoga can provide benefits to the muscles and skin in the face. A Northwestern Medicine study found that adult women who performed these exercises for half an hour a day for five months experienced an improvement in their facial muscles and skin. The areas most enhanced included the upper and lower cheeks.
Results vary and begin to show at about week six. It is recommended that you practice face yoga six days a week for 30 minutes a day. Make sure you do not wrinkle your face as you perform the exercises. And do not yank your neck as this could cause issues in that area. While there are some benefits to the practice, remember to keep caring for your skin in other ways. Use sun protection, eat healthy foods, get your sleep, and drink water.
If you have sagging skin, facial wrinkles and lines, eye strain, and headaches this no-cost solution could help. Give face yoga a try today and see if you see improvement in your appearance and relief of tension in your facial muscles.