What is face yoga?
Simply put, it's about intentionally isolating and exercising the muscles in your face. Our face has 57 muscles that we use every day without realizing it. The key is intention, creating a yoga flow where you target specific muscles, making them stronger when you work them individually. The big question: does it work? If practiced consistently, the benefits are visible: it helps sculpt cheekbones and jawline, opens and stretches the eye area, acts against sagging and improves skin quality. What some skeptics say is that wrinkles are the result of decreased collagen and elastin, both of which are proteins that cannot be recovered as the years go by. But from an optimistic perspective, doing facial exercises strengthens the muscles below the dermal layers, and that could certainly mitigate wrinkles. It basically increases blood circulation to the area, thus creating a more vibrant and healthy-looking complexion.
At the end of the day, there is nothing to lose by trying it and also, knowing that mind and body are intimately connected, the benefits of facial yoga can only be positive!
Tips and exercises to get you started
The expert Takatsu recommends practicing it twice a day: when you get up to activate the muscles and before going to sleep to release accumulated tension. Four or five exercises per session is more than enough (repeat 2-3 times, 30 seconds total). Of course, as with the body, it is also necessary to do a brief warm-up beforehand. Takatsu remembers that it may seem difficult at first. It can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and even stressful while doing it. His advice for those new to facial yoga: work on the larger muscles of the face first as they are easier to “manage”.
