Ditch the mat: why face yoga is the trend you need for glowing skin

It’s a go-to for strong and toned limbs, but did you know that yoga inspired practices can help you achieve firmer, smooth and glowing skin on your face too?

When it comes to creating an effective skin health routine, simple is best. So, if we can help to support our ingestible beauty routine with just our hands and a few easy to learn moves, we’re all in.

Here’s everything you need to know about face yoga including its potential benefits and the techniques to incorporate into your daily regime.

What is face yoga?

Face yoga is a natural and non-invasive approach to anti-ageing that combines a series of facial exercises with massage techniques such as acupressure. You can consider it a trending name for techniques and rituals that have been used to care for the complexion for centuries.

Face yoga exercises help to stimulate the skin, muscles and lymphatic system in the face, neck and shoulders in order to combat signs of ageing and improve the appearance of the skin. It’s choregraphed to target the structural appearance of the face using manual techniques that relax overactive or tense muscles, tone weaker muscles to provide lift, encourage lymphatic drainage and improve circulation for healthier looking skin.

Like supplements that help to prevent premature signs of ageing, facial exercises also act as a preventative measure by maintaining the support mechanisms that give structure to the appearance of the skin.

The benefits of face yoga

Face yoga is an easy practice to incorporate into your daily anti-ageing routine. It can take as little as five minutes while you apply your skincare and doesn’t require any expensive tools or elaborate steps.

While the scientific evidence is still pending on the proven benefits of face yoga, many skin experts including dermatologists, advocate for facial massage as a way of counteracting the muscle mass loss that happens with age.

Face yoga exercises are thought to help to reverse and prevent signs of ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin on the face. The gentle manual stimulation of facial muscles works to provide lift to areas that have begun to sag or soften with age, or relaxation to areas of tension that lead to wrinkles.

In addition to treating facial muscles, facial exercises can also help to increase circulation in the skin to impart a healthy glow as well as stimulating collagen and elastin production for firmer, smoother skin.

Many people practice face yoga for jowls, frown lines, sculpting cheek bones and even to relieve pain caused by muscle tension in areas like the jawline. In a snapshot, facial exercises can help to:

• Increase circulation
• Strengthen and tone facial muscles
• Smooth fine lines and wrinkles
• Reduce puffiness
• Improve under eye circles
• Lift and tighten skin
• Relieve muscle tension and pain

Aside from the visible benefits of face yoga exercises, the practice can help to relieve stress leading to better rest, recovery and general wellbeing. Getting consistent, quality sleep is crucial in aiding the skins regenerative process and general relaxation of facial muscles may help to prevent concerns such as headaches.

Types of face yoga

Similar to yoga that’s practiced to strengthen and elongate muscles of the body, there are a variety of facial yoga exercises and practices that target different areas of the face for different outcomes.

The most common types of face yoga use gentle hand motions with the fingers, knuckles or fists applying pressure throughout a movement, typically beginning in the centre of the face and working outward and upward. Face yoga may also incorporate pause moments on pressure points such as the temples to increase the relaxing benefits of facial exercises.

5 facial exercises

Creating your own face yoga regime comes down to your unique concerns, skin goals and the time you’re able to commit to your routine. Below are five simple facial exercises that can be performed alone or in combination with each other for a total face workout. It’s best to complete your facial exercises while applying your skincare using your serums or moisturiser to give you extra slip and avoid pulling on your skin.

1. Forehead smoother

The facial exercise helps to relieve tension in the large muscle across your forehead to reduce forehead wrinkles.

• Make fists with both and place them against the centre of your forehead with knuckles touching.
• Inhale, and gently press your knuckles into your forehead.
• Exhale, and slowly move your knuckles outward toward your temples.
• Repeat for 30 seconds.

2. Eye circles

This face yoga exercise helps to reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark circles around the eye area.

• Place your ring fingers at the inside of your eyebrows.
• Gently tap along your brow line to the outside of your brows before holding on the temples for an inhale.
• Continue by tapping your fingers along the cheek bones toward the inner corner of your eyes.
• Repeat three times.

3.  Cheek lifter

Sculpt and lift your cheekbones with this simple facial yoga exercise.

• Bring your hands to a prayer position above your nose with your fingers lightly touching just above the nose.
• Gently press your fingertips down your nose, then trace your fingertips along the bottom of your cheekbones and up toward your temples.
• Repeat for 30 seconds.

4. Jawline sculpting

This facial yoga exercise is great for sculpting under the chin and relieving tension in the jawline.

• Lightly pinch your chin with your thumb and index finger.
• Gently draw your fingers upwards along the jawline tracing the bone with your thumb until you reach the bottom of your ears.
• Repeat for 30 seconds on each side.

5. Neck massage

Relieve tension and help to prevent sagging skin on your neck with this quick face yoga exercise.

• Tilt your head back slightly and place fingers at the top of your neck.
• Apply gentle pressure as you glide your fingers down your collarbone.
• Press into your collarbone for a few seconds before releasing your fingers.
• Repeat three times.

Like most things when it comes to skin health, consistency is the secret to achieving visible results with facial exercises. For face yoga to be effective, try to practice it daily as part of your skincare routine followed by your anti-ageing supplements.