Face Yoga: Fitness for Your Face

Emotions

They define us. We cannot live without them and they are part of our day, every day. They leave their mark on our faces, just as life itself does. Whether your bad habit is staying up late, not drinking enough water or eating junk food, one thing is certain: your face deserves more. Face yoga was created to preserve youthful contours and firm facial muscles.

A smiling woman massaging the area around her eye

No cream can replace a daily dose of face yoga

What, why and how

What if there were another way?

Each of us deserves a youthful appearance and radiant skin. But stress is everywhere and it shows on our faces. Expensive cosmetics, beauty treatments and devices often follow, and sometimes even a plastic surgeon.

  • Do you want to rejuvenate naturally?
  • Do you want to keep your youthful look for a long time?
  • Are you willing to do something for it?

Three times yes. Try face yoga.

A young woman with her palms under her chin

Fitness for the face

What face yoga is

Face yoga is a system of facial exercises that aims to improve the quality of the skin and your overall appearance. It is non-invasive: no needles and no scalpel.

Its advocates say that regular exercise improves circulation in the skin and helps it absorb nutrients. Facial muscles, like any others, get firmer with training.

3 years

That is how much younger women aged 40 to 65 appeared after 20 weeks of facial exercise, as rated by dermatologists in a small Northwestern University study from 2018 that 16 women completed. They exercised for 30 minutes a day, later every other day.

Good to know

Three questions before you start

How long does it take to see the effects of face yoga?

The first thing you will notice with regular practice is the feeling of firmer skin. Partly because of the oil, partly because of the massage that comes with the exercise and partly because of the exercise itself. Depending on the type and condition of your skin, this feeling appears within two weeks of daily practice. Later comes a visible change in the contours of the face and more radiant skin.

How much time should you devote to face yoga?

How much you practise is entirely up to you. If you choose the basic system of a morning and an evening session, neither will take more than 10 minutes. Later you can add exercises that target your problem areas.

How do you prepare your skin for practice?

Start with thoroughly cleansed skin. Wash your hands too, as you will be touching your face a lot. Put a suitable amount of oil in your palms, warm it by rubbing and spread it all over your face. Choose the oil to suit your skin type; apricot or jojoba oil, for example, works well. You can also add a few drops of vitamin E.

Exercise guide

Fifteen minutes a day

Four parts that add up to a quarter of an hour. Start with clean, oiled skin and washed hands. You can time each part.

  1. 3 min

    Neck and nape

    Neck massage. Tilt your head back slightly and place your fingers at the top of your neck. With gentle pressure, glide them down to your collarbones, press there for a few seconds and release. Continue for 30 seconds.

    Jaw unlocker. Make a fist with your left hand and place it on the outside of your jaw, thumb facing down. Turn your head towards the fist until you feel a stretch and press your jaw into your hand for a few seconds. Release and repeat on the other side.

  2. 3 min

    Around the eyes

    Tension relief. Press your fingers into the inner corners of your eyes and hold for 30 seconds. Then circle gently in one direction for 30 seconds and repeat in the other.

    Eye circles. Place your ring fingers at the inner ends of your eyebrows and tap gently outwards. Press into your temples for a few seconds, then keep tapping above your cheekbones back to the inner corners. Continue for 30 seconds.

  3. 3 min

    Forehead and whole face

    Brow smoother. Place your fingertips at the centre of your forehead, facing each other. Press gently and move them towards your temples, then release. Continue for 30 seconds.

    Face tapping. Starting at your forehead, tap rhythmically with your fingertips down your face to your jaw, then along the front of your neck and across your shoulders. To finish, rub your palms together to warm them, cup them over your face and take several deep breaths.

  4. 6 min

    Cheeks and contours

    The cheek lifter. Open your mouth into an O and position your upper lip over your teeth. Smile to lift your cheek muscles and put your fingers lightly on the top part of your cheeks. Release the muscles to lower them, then lift again. Repeat.

    Happy cheeks sculpting. Smile without showing your teeth and purse your lips. Smile to force your cheek muscles up, place your fingers on the corners of your mouth and slide them up to the top of your cheeks. Hold for 20 seconds.

Only go as far as feels comfortable, never into pain. Research on the effects of face yoga is still limited; the two cheek exercises are among those used in the Northwestern University study.

Your face deserves more.