Whenever we want to take years off our face or desire toned and structured facial muscles, we often wonder which method is best- plastic surgery or botox? It never occurs to us that we can make significant changes in our own face by working out on our facial muscles through face yoga exercises.
Over time, our muscles lengthen as gravity pulls everything downward, causing the sagging and wrinkles we observe in our face; eyes start to droop, jowls start to form, forehead and cheeks sag. Exercising shortens muscles and thus, gives us a tighter, firmer face as we tone the muscles underneath. Face yoga can be better than cosmetic procedures as it actually improves your appearance over time and is cost-effective.
Most cosmetic procedures give people a very blank, unnatural look.
A conventional facelift stretches the skin over the same old muscles, and gravity starts to work immediately to undo the lift.
What is face yoga?
Face yoga includes facial exercises which use movements and expressions and teaches us how to exercise our facial muscles to create a firmer, sculpted face.
Benefits of face yoga:
- Improves complexion as a result of better circulation
- Higher and more defined cheeks
- Gives defined lips
- More symmetrical face
- Reduces forehead lines
- Reduces lines alongside your mouth
- More defined jawline
- Reduces Crow’s feet
- Reduces lines on your entire face
- Firmer, more youthful-looking face
- Reduces puffiness on your face
IMPORTANT THINGS to keep in mind before starting facial exercises:
- Make a mind-muscle connection and practice in front of the mirror to ensure that you are using the right muscles.
- Be consistent if you really want to see the results.
- Use facial oil or moisturise your face properly before exercising.
- You can modify any exercise if it is making you uncomfortable. Do not forget to relax your face from time to time.
Now that you know the basics, let us start with our face yoga routine:
Warmup-
Stand and Breathe
Stand with your feet slightly apart. Inhale, lift your rib cage, draw in your abdominal muscles, relax your shoulders. Hold for a count of 10. Exhale- let out all the air and then, exhale even more deeply, push all the air out of your diaphragm for the count of 10.
Do this exercise three times.
Stretch your spine
Stand with your feet slightly apart, knees slightly bent. Relax your shoulders, neck and arms. Now bend over at the waist and let your arms touch the ground while you stay completely relaxed. Even if your hands are unable to touch the ground, it is alright. Just relax and let gravity stretch your spine. As you come up, straighten your legs and come up onto your feet, breathe in and stretch your arms towards the ceiling as high as you can.
Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, really stretching. Exhale forcefully with a shhhhh sound of breath, then release your arms and let them touch the floor again as you bend over from your waist again.
Face Yoga exercises for the firm neck
Head roll
In a seated position, close your eyes and allow your head to come forward and rest your chin against your chest. Hold for a count of ten.
Very slowly, roll your head to the extreme left and hold for a count of ten.
Then, roll it to the extreme back and hold for a count of ten again.
Do the same while placing your head in the extreme right position.
Get back to the initial position.
Repeat the movements, but this time clockwise, starting with the extreme right position. Repeat twice.
The chin-up
In a comfortable seated position, relax your jaw- so your mouth is open. Protrude your jaw and raise it very slowly until the bottom teeth are over the upper front teeth.
As in head roll, turn your head to the right and look up. Hold for a count of ten. Slowly tilt your head all the way back while still protruding your jaw for the count of ten. Then, turn your head to the left; look up, and hold for the count of ten while keeping your jaw protruded. Slowly return your head to the starting position, then relax and slowly lower your jaw. Do the same thing again in a counterclockwise direction. Do not perform this exercise if you have any jaw problem.
Repeat the entire sequence twice.
Bend and Stretch
You may do this exercise standing or kneeling. It naturally firms the neck and lifts the forehead and eyebrows.
Start by kneeling on the floor or standing erect. Bend your head forward so that it rests on your chest. Hold for the count of 10.
Slowly lift your head upright and then backwards until you are looking at the wall at the back of you.
Now, arch your spine backward as far as you comfortably can as if you are trying to see the floor in the back of you. Keep your hips and thighs forward as much as possible. Put your hands on the lower back or back of your thighs for support. Keep your neck stretched and your eyes open.
Hold for a count of ten. Return to your original position and take a deep breath.
Repeat twice more.
Face yoga exercises for slim cheeks
Cheek slimming exercise
Relax your shoulders.
Pucker your mouth and blow air ten times.
Come out of the pose and relax your face.
Repeat two more sets.
Fishy face
The fishy face is one best face yoga exercise for chubby cheeks if you want to slim down your face naturally. Pucker your mouth while sucking in your cheeks and make a kissing motion with your lips ten times.
Come out of the pose.
Close your lips tight and fill your mouth with air.
Push the air forward toward your lips and hold for 5 seconds.
Come out of the pose and smile.
Repeat one more set.
Cheekbone Creator
Put your first two fingers of each hand just outside your nostrils. Without smiling, draw your cheeks up. Open your eyes wide. Hold for count ten and then release.
Move your fingers outward until they rest on the middle of your cheeks. Push up gently until you feel your cheekbones and then, open your eyes wide, without smiling, hold for a count of ten.
Move your fingers farther apart so that now they rest in the hollow between your cheekbone and your jaw. While holding your mouth slightly open, press in and up with your fingers towards your ears and then. Hold for a count of ten. Keep your jaws separated and refrain from clenching your teeth.
It is a great face yoga exercise for cheekbone and is thus, really helpful for those suffering from sinus.
Fill Your Cheeks up
Fill both of your cheeks with air and then shift that air in your mouth from the left cheek to the right until it starts hurting. Then release air while making O with your lips. Repeat the exercise three-four times to keep your cheeks firm.
Facial yoga exercises for tightening the jawline
Pinching the jaw
Start from the tips of the earlobes, lightly grasp the flesh on both sides of your jawline between your fingertips, using small pinching movements, working towards the chin. As you pinch lightly, tighten the muscles of the neck. Feel the resistance against your fingers.
When you get to the chin area, hold your thumbs right under the tip of your chin. Push the muscle present there down against your thumbs, feeling the muscle of your chin tighten as you are pushing. It is a beneficial facial exercise for the turkey wattle and jaw. Push ten times, then relax.
Starting from the chin, repeat the pinching movements back towards the earlobes.
jaw shaper-
Curl your fingers to make a half fist with each hand. Then, place your hands under your chin. Push the chin down against your fists.
Contract and relax the chin and neck muscles so that your chin is pushing down against your fists. Do this for a count of ten. Feel those neck muscles work. Then, relax. Contract and relax your muscles for a quick count of ten.
Now move your hands slightly apart. Contract and relax the neck muscles again for another count of ten.
Now move your hands slightly apart once more- the curled fingers are resting on the sides of your neck, under the jawline. Contract and release the muscle for a final count of ten.
Facial exercise for plump lips
Vibrate your lip
With your mouth lightly closed, vibrate your lips together for 10 seconds.
Repeat five sets.
Orbicularis oris muscle Exercise
- Puff out your upper lip. Then hold the air in for 15 seconds under your upper lip.
- Puff out your lower lip. Then hold the air in for another 15 seconds under your lower lip.
Repeat this exercise 5 times in both positions.
Facial yoga exercise for eyes
Exercise to lift upper eyebrows and upper eyelid
- Lift your eyebrows.
- Close your eyes.
- Open your eyes.
- Lower your eyebrows.
Concentrate on lifting the outer parts of your eyebrows in particular. Close your eyes firmly without screwing them up.
Repeat the whole sequence seven times.
Exercise for crows feet
With your head held erect at the top of your spine, move your eyes to look to the left, then centre, then right. Do not move your face or neck.
Dart your eyes from side to centre to side, then reverse the direction. Do not hold your gaze for any length of time. Repeat five times. Then close your eyes and look down toward your nose.
De wrinkle exercise
Widen your eyes as though you are surprised and be careful and do not wrinkle your eyebrow. Focus on any point horizontally for about five to ten seconds. Repeat five times.
Facial yoga exercise for forehead
Forehead wrinkle remover
Place the four fingertips of each hand along the hairline.
Apply firm pressure and push your hairline backwards.
Keep your chest open. Have your neck and shoulders relaxed and ensure that your forehead is not wrinkled.
While keeping the pressure, look down towards the floor with only your eyes and make sure that you are not frowning. Do not tilt your head down.
Feel the contraction.
Keep breathing.
Hold this pose for 10 seconds. Repeat four more sets.
Exercise to remove vertical lines on the forehead
In 10-12 even steps, one step to each count, move your eyebrows together to form your habitual scowl/vertical line and then, return the brows to their starting point. Our purpose here should be to move the designated muscle evenly and in its full range into our habitual scowl line.
FAQ
Q. Does face yoga really work?
A. Yes, research has shown that face yoga does help us to achieve a more youthful and sculpted face.
Q. Do face yoga exercises cause wrinkles on your face?
A. Yes, they can but, only when you are over-exercising your face, stretching your face too much, not moisturising your face before the exercise and targeting the wrong muscles.
Q. How long does it take to see results after doing face yoga exercises?
A. It depends from person to person but, you can start to see some changes by the end of 30 days and some significant changes by the end of 5 to 6 months if you are consistent.