If you’re looking for a way to get healthy-looking, glowy skin without needles or without using a bunch of scrubs and creams, face yoga might just be your ticket.
If you’re looking for a way to get healthy-looking, glowy skin without needles or without using a bunch of scrubs and creams, face yoga might just be your ticket. It’s not a one-and-done procedure, but the rewards make it worth taking a few minutes each day to work through some facial yoga exercises and give your face the gift of a relaxed, post-vacation look, every day. Facial yoga has been around for a while and is becoming increasingly popular because it works and delivers natural results. When you work out the muscles of your arms, legs, and abs, you’re getting stronger, more toned, and increasing circulation and health. Face yoga offers all of those same benefits to your face.
Who Should Try Face Yoga?
Pretty much anyone can find benefits from practicing face yoga. You might find the effects subtle at first, but facial yoga exercises can give you a bit of a natural facelift over time. Some people have sinus problems or allergies that cause them to develop painful areas under the eyebrows and on the sides of the nose. Facial exercises can relieve that pain.
You can also try these exercises if you have visually unsymmetrical features. True facial symmetry is rare, but some people notice theirs more than others and want to even out a jawline or lift a hooded eyelid, for example. If you wake up with morning puffiness and facial bloating, facial yoga exercises can release fluids and give your face a slimmer appearance. The maneuvers have also been used to help people with a facial paralysis condition called Bell’s Palsy.
Enhance Your Looks
Yoga for the face gives a natural facelift because the movements firm and lift the muscles that underlie your skin. According to a Northwestern University study, participants looked about three years younger after performing facial yoga for 20 weeks. While it’s not an overnight transformation, you can reduce fine lines, improve the look of your features, and keep facial fat pads from slipping down as your face ages.
With consistent practice, you might start to see your mouth corners lifted, your eyes larger and more open, and more firmness in your jaw. You have 42 muscles in your face, which can get stuck in a permanent scowl over time if you’re constantly running on empty, losing sleep, and putting in long days at the office. Practicing facial yoga can reduce built-up tension in your facial muscles and soften your features. The movements feel especially good in the morning when you’ve woken up with frown lines and a jowly appearance or side wrinkles from squishing your face while side sleeping.
Boost Your Health
Facial yoga acts as a kind of massage for your face and neck, similar to acupressure. The movements can help drain lymph fluid out of puffy under-eye areas and cheeks while relieving headaches and sinus pressure. The exercises also tone facial muscles, helping you retain a youthful face shape over time. Another benefit you’ll enjoy is the boost to your skin’s circulation. This process creates a more even skin tone, healthier color, and a glowing look. Some people have experienced a decrease in teeth-grinding after regular face yoga practice because specific movements relax and loosen the jaw muscles. Other exercises target the neck muscles, which can help drop tight, hunched shoulders and relax you into better posture. The resulting facial relaxation can also benefit you by helping you let go of stress and enjoy better sleep.
How Do Face Yoga Exercises Work?
Facial yoga movements work out the facial muscles and enlarge them. This helps your face maintain its volume and offsets the effects of skin loosening and fat thinning that happen through the aging process. Face yoga exercises usually target specific areas or features of the face. For example, you can lift your cheeks in just a few steps. First, open your mouth in an O shape and cover your top teeth with your top lip. Next, smile and feel your cheek muscles lift. Then, place your fingers at the top of your cheeks, relax the cheek muscles, then raise them again by smiling. Repeat this process several times.
The exercises are most effective when done daily for the first several weeks. Then you can reduce to every other day to keep your facial muscles toned and continue to reap the benefits. One last benefit you’ll get is an awareness of your facial expressions throughout the day. You will start to notice when you tighten up your forehead, raise your shoulders, or frown while reading.
In Conclusion
Working facial yoga into your personal care routine can help you look and feel better, with improved confidence in your appearance. Studies have shown the benefits of face yoga, and this no-cost, non-toxic method can help you achieve a more relaxed, youthful, and vibrant look with healthier skin.