17 Oct What the Heck is Face Yoga? And Why You Should Add it to Your Daily Practice

Most, if not all, of us understand that regular exercise is a great way to maintain health and vitality. An added advantage to weekly spinning or Pilates classes is looking great in your favourite pair of jeans or rocking your swimsuit on the beach.

Anyone who says they don’t care about how they look would be lying. So when we read that stimulating massages or facial exercises are as effective for obtaining a youthful looking face as a botox injection, the idea becomes extremely appealing.

Face Yoga is a wellness fad that we can’t get enough of. The poses are so simple and don’t require you to unroll your yoga mat, but the benefits contend with finding the fountain of youth itself. Not only are you facilitating increased blood flow and circulation to your face, you are increasing the collagen in your skin which will give you a healthy complexion and beautiful glow.

If you’re interested in getting started, we’ve given you step-by-step instructions for a few poses and exercises. REMEMBER: it is recommended that you wash and moisturise your face after face yoga and not before.

THE GIRAFFE: Targets loose skin on the neck

1. Looking straight out in front of you, place your finger tips at the bottom of the neck and lightly stroke the skin downwards as you tilt your head back.
2. Bring the head back down until your chin meets your chest. Repeat twice more.
3. Push the lower lip out as far as possible, then pull the corners of the mouth down. Place your fingertips back on your collarbone with the chin pointed towards the ceiling. Hold for four deep breaths.

THE PUPPET FACE: Lift sagging lines around the nose (nasolabial folds)

1. Smile with your teeth showing, then gently press you fingertips into the line between your nose and lips.
2. Lift the skin up and press your fingertips into your face into the muscles for
   slight resistance.
3. Hold for 20 seconds

FISH FACE: Get rid of fat cheeks

1. Smile. Then, to create a fish face, suck the inside of your cheeks into the gap between the sides of your teeth.
2. Repeat five times.
   

THE V: Fights droopy eyelids, crow’s feet and puffy eyebags.

1. Press your middle fingers together in between your eyebrows, then with the index fingers, apply pressure to the outer corners of the eyebrows.
2. Looking up, raise your lower eyelids upwards to make a strong squint, and then relax.
3. Repeat six times then squeeze your eyes shut tightly for 10 seconds.

THE FLIRTY EYES: Works on droopy eyebrows and eye hollows

1. Place an index finger under each eye, pointing towards your nose.
2. Pull upper lip down over your teeth, keeping mouth open.
3. Flutter the upper eyelids while gazing at the ceiling
4. Hold for 30 seconds.

SURPRISE ME:Smooth out the forehead

1. Widen your eyes as much as you can without engaging your forehead, and hold until your eyes start to water.

SMOOTH THE BROW: Works on forehead lines

1. Spread both hands across your forehead facing them in, then gently sweep the fingers outwards across the forehead, applying light pressure to tighten your skin.
2. Repeat 10 times.

THE SMILE SMOOTHER: Targets cheek lines and sagging skin

1. Make an ‘O’ shape with you mouth.
2. Smile widely while keeping the teeth hidden behind your lips and repeat six times.
3. Once you’ve done six movements, hold your open, toothless smile and place one index finger on your chin. Move your jaw up and down as you gently tilt your head back.
4. Relax and repeat twice.

BABY BIRD: Fight chin and neck sagging

1. Press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth and angle your chin towards the ceiling.
2. Smile and swallow for 30 seconds

THE BUDDHA FACE: Returns your worked face to a state of neutral

1. Close your eyes, visualize a light coming from the point between your eyebrows, and make a very slight smile.
2. Chant “om” for up to 2 minutes.

If you dedicate 15 minutes every morning, or just before bed, to do these facial exercises you’ll notice a difference after two weeks. After four months, your skin will be considerably tighter with less age lines.

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