What Is Facial Yoga?
Facial yoga is not the same as the typical yoga postures like the stretcher pose or downward – facing dog that you may be familiar with from your regular yoga practice. It is a unique form of facial exercise. In facial yoga, the facial muscles are moved into specific positions, much like how yoga asanas work for the body. By performing these exercises, your face can look tighter and more youthful, as it helps lift sagging areas and gives you a rejuvenated appearance.
The main aim of facial yoga is to enhance blood circulation in the face. It also aims to make you look radiant and reduce the stress and tension that often accumulate in our facial muscles. We tend to keep our faces tense both in our expressions and in our overall body state, so focusing on relaxing these muscles is crucial to getting rid of facial tension.
Benefits of Facial Yoga
Tension release is one of the key benefits. By releasing facial tension, it can minimize the appearance of wrinkles. It also strengthens and tones the facial muscles. Over time, this can lead to widened eyes, lifted cheeks, and a tightened chin. Additionally, it increases blood circulation to the skin, resulting in a glowing complexion. It can also smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and counteract the effects of gravity on the face. Dermatologists explain that the goal of facial yoga is to boost the blood and oxygen supply to the skin, which in turn improves the longevity of skin cells.
5 Recommended Facial Yoga Exercises for At – home Practice
Skin specialists recommend the following five exercises. It is advisable to start with 5 – 10 minutes of practice per day and gradually increase to 15 – 20 minutes per day as part of your self – skin care routine.
-
Cheek lift
Open your mouth to form an o – shape. Place your upper lip above your teeth and smile to lift the cheek muscles. Gently place your index finger above the cheek muscles, directly below your eyes. Relax the cheek muscles to lower them, then smile again and push the muscles towards the eyes. Repeat the lowering and lifting of the cheeks 10 times. For the 10th time, lift the muscles as high as possible and hold for 20 seconds. Do this three times.
-
Smiling face
Smile without showing your teeth and curl your lips up as much as you can. Try to smile at the corners of your mouth and you’ll feel a slight stretch there. Press your index finger into the corner of your mouth and slide your finger upwards to your cheekbone while pressing into the muscle. Lift the muscle upwards to the cheekbone, towards the corner of the eye. When you reach the top of the cheekbone, hold for 20 seconds and feel the cheek muscles tighten. Keep a smile at the corners of your mouth and repeat three times.
-
Brow lift
Press three fingertips under your eyebrows and force your eyes open. Smile as you press your eyebrows into your fingers and hold. Then close your eyes and roll your eyebrows towards the top of your head. Hold for 20 seconds while keeping a smile. Release and repeat three times.
-
Chin and neck lift
Open your mouth and make an “Ahh” sound. Fold your lower lip and the corners of your lips into your mouth and tighten your jaw as you stretch it forward. Using your lower jaw, slowly lift it upwards as you close your mouth, pulling your chin upwards about 1 inch each time and tilting your head back. Open and close your jaw 10 times. On the 10th time, your chin should be pointing towards the ceiling. Hold this position for 20 seconds and repeat three times.
-
Solar plexus massage
With your mouth closed, press your fingertips into your temples while clenching your teeth and lifting your chin upwards. Clench your teeth and focus on the temple area, trying to move your ears back. Hold for 10 seconds, then clench your back teeth and hold for 10 seconds. Your temple muscles should flex with each press. Relax and repeat three times.
