Have you found any time for yourself this week? Be honest. Let me guess — it was on the cards, but something else came up. It happens to all of us. In the whirlwind of everyday life, we tend to forget about ourselves and, what’s more, our skin. But taking a little time can make all the difference. And it all starts with face yoga.

Why do I need face yoga exercises?

The stresses of everyday life aren’t kind to our skin — between anxiety, worry, and other environmental factors, our skin can be left looking pretty dull. Although there are many potential solutions out there, such as creams, pharmaceuticals, and beauty procedures, one of the simplest, cost-effective, and perhaps most enjoyable solutions are face-lifting yoga exercises. You can enjoy this article about top 10 face yoga exercises to look younger. Luckily, they don’t require much — just your usual creams, a mirror, your hands, and a couple of minutes morning and night. Once you get started with these face yoga practices to get a glowing face, you won’t want to go back. Note: You can also add face massage tools, such as Gua Sha, into the mix to get an extra effect. Before we dive into the details of the exercises, let’s take a look at how and why they work.

How do facial yoga exercises work?

Stemming from ancient Ayurvedic Indian medicine, facial yoga incorporates the best practices for effective work with facial muscles. It blends various massage and exercise techniques that move, stretch, and relax separate facial muscle groups. Even after a single procedure, facial yoga enhances blood circulation and stimulates lymphatic flow. When practiced regularly, it activates collagen and protein production in the body. All these positively impact facial skin tone, resulting in a brighter and more luminous complexion. Not only that, facial yoga exercises are often used for face lifting. By engaging certain facial muscles, you’ll be able to tone and strengthen the muscle groups that rarely get activated in daily life. This way, the specialized exercises help strengthen the weak facial parts, creating a firmer and more lifted appearance.

Face yoga benefits unwrapped

While a wide range of cosmetic treatments and practices promise instant improvements, the effects are often temporary and expensive. Face yoga is entirely different. It doesn’t involve any surgical interventions or time for rehabilitation, and once you adopt it into your daily routine, it creates a long-lasting effect. If you’re still uncertain why to spare so much of your precious time for face yoga exercises, here are some face yoga benefits you could enjoy:

• The skin becomes more radiant and looks fresh
• Face and eyes swell up less due to activating lymph circulation
• Reduced pigmentation: fewer dark circles or less grayish appearance
• Improved facial lines and tighter skin: enhanced jawline and double chin reduction

9 of the best face yoga exercises for face glow

Face yoga embraces a wide range of techniques aimed at different facial parts. We’ve picked up and blended our favourite poses into a simple and effective practice to help your skin glow.

Palming Pose

Start with a Palming pose to remove any muscle tension from your face and tune up for the practice. The pose will also stimulate the lymphatic liquid flow, making your skin more radiant. For this pose, vigorously rub your palms together for about 30 seconds then gently rest both warm hands on your face, covering your eyes. Feel the warmth melt all tension away. Relax in this pose for several seconds and repeat the practice three times.

Kiss and Smile Pose

As you’ve warmed up your face, it’s time to work with specific muscle groups. The Kiss and Smile pose can help improve your jawline, and it’s a great face yoga exercise for fuller, firmer cheeks. All you need to do is make the “o” shape with your lips and push them forward as if you’re trying to make a kiss. Then, smile as broadly as you can. This will engage your lips, cheeks, and chin in active work. Work slowly and softly as you repeat the pose about 15 times.

Cheek Puffing Pose

Now, let’s engage your cheek and mouth area a little bit more with the Cheek Puff exercise. This pose will help strengthen and lift your cheeks as well as add some natural blush. To perform this pose, inhale some air through your mouth and puff your cheeks. Add resistance by resting your hands over the cheeks and keep the pose for several seconds. Repeat this action up to 5 times. Another option for this exercise is inhaling a little bit less air and moving the air from cheek to cheek about 10 times, then releasing it.

Swan Neck Pose

A shiny and youthful look is primarily associated with toned neck muscles and smooth neck skin. One of the facial exercises that will help you to tighten your neck skin is the Swan Neck pose. For this pose, turn your head gently to the right then tip the nose up and back. Allow your gaze to look in the same direction while keeping eyebrows and forehead relaxed. Poof your lips forward in a pucker then gently pull them further to the right, feeling the stretch in the left side of your neck. Hold the full pose for 5 seconds and gently return to center. Repeat the same sequence of the opposite side. Perform two additional sets on each side.

The “V” Eye Pose

A common sign of a weary face is dark circles under the eyes. The “V” eye pose helps strengthen eyelid muscles and add more oxygen to the areas around the eyes. Make a “V” sign with your index and middle fingers and place them on the corners of your eyes. Don’t press hard, your light touch is adding enough resistance. In this pose, blink quickly about 15 times to relax the eyelid muscles. Then, moving only your eyes, looking from right to left and left to right about 10 times. Finally, close your eyes and rest in this pose for a count of 15. Repeat this sequence 5 times.

Easy Crow Pose

Skin in the corners of the eyes is the most vulnerable to aging processes as it’s sensitive and is actively involved in mimicry. That’s why it’s essential to include anti-wrinkle exercises in your face yoga practice. One of them is the Easy Crow pose, which is aimed at reducing and preventing early crows from moving their feet around the corners of their eyes. Put your index and middle fingers together and place them on the outer corners of your eyes. Now, slightly stretch the skin toward your temples and release. Repeat about 20-30 times. Focus the eyes forward. Place the index and middle fingers together on the outer corners of each eye. Spread them open slightly while simultaneously stretching the skin toward the temples then release. Repeat 10-20 times.

Forehead Pressure Pose

Another area that is inclined to the appearance of early wrinkles is the forehead. This happens due to lots of tension and stress that makes us frown. Therefore, it’s crucial to release the tension accumulated in this area. Place both hands softly on your forehead, fingers pointing inwards toward each other. Now, swipe the fingers to your temples, pressing firmly on your forehead. Repeat this exercise about seven times.

Eyebrow Lifting Pose

Another great exercise for toning forehead muscles is lifting eyebrows with resistance. This will help release tension and slow down the appearance of wrinkles. Place your index fingers right above your eyebrows. Now, try to lift the eyebrows up while pressing into the muscle with your fingers creating resistance, and hold the pose for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise about 7 times.

Breathing Exercises

The last but not least part of facial yoga practice is breathing. It connects your mind, your body, and your soul, allowing complete relaxation mentally and physically. Breathing is essential to fill your blood and brain with oxygen. Deep inhalations eliminate carbon dioxide from your bloodstream, removing toxins from your body. For effective breathing, take a deep breath slowly for 4 counts, engaging your abdomen. Hold the breath for 4 counts, slowly exhale for 4 counts, and hold for 4 counts before taking another breath. Repeat the breathing practice 5 times. Now, perform the alternate nostril breathing. Place the index and thumb finger of your right hand on your nostrils. Take a deep breath and exhale completely. Use your right thumb to close your right nostril and inhale slowly and deeply through the left one. Open the right nostril and exhale through it. Change the sides by closing the left nostril with your index finger. Repeat the exercises about 10 times.

The million-dollar question: how quickly does face yoga work?

Most people report noticing a natural blush, brighter skin, and improved mood after their first few sessions. Similar to regular physical exercise, facial yoga boasts lasting effects over time as long as it’s practiced consistently. You’ll be able to see the first sculpted results after about 3 months of regular practice. However, a glowing skin effect isn’t restricted to only facial exercises; you should also pay much attention to your diet and levels of stress as these factors greatly impact your efforts. One of the main advantages of choosing face yoga exercises for tighter skin is that you can do them anywhere and anytime. However, if you are flexible, it’s worth devoting your early mornings to practice as your mind and body are the most calm and free of stress at that time.

Should I try face yoga?

Many people aspire to a radiant and fresh appearance. Facial yoga is an effective solution that can help you achieve this look. The only condition is that you include it in your daily routine and perform it regularly. Adding facial yoga to your routine is not only about caring about your skin, it also means improved physical well-being, preserving your youth, filling your day with positive emotions, and reaching true peace of mind. It truly is a little piece of ‘me-time’, and that’s why it’s so important to include it in your daily routine.