7 Face Yoga Exercises – Gurl Gone Green
Can face yoga be another tool in your anti-aging arsenal? Face yoga has gained attention for its potential to naturally support facial muscle tone and promote a more youthful-looking appearance.
I’ve been curious about face yoga for some time and recently decided to put several exercises to the test. What I learned is that face yoga isn’t one-size-fits-all—different exercises target different concerns and outcomes.
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7 Face Yoga Exercises
In today’s post, I’m sharing my personal review of face yoga exercises, along with before-and-after photos, so you can see the results for yourself.
First, let’s break down what face yoga is, how it works, and the potential benefits.
What is face yoga?
Face yoga uses facial exercises, lymphatic massage techniques, and gentle stretching to engage the facial muscles, neck, and jaw. It’s a non-invasive and inexpensive way to improve facial muscle tone and circulation and can be a good way to melt the tension of the day away before bed.
How does face yoga work?
If you’re wanting a mini glow-up, set aside a few minutes a day for face yoga. It’s an easy habit to adopt, because it feels good and it’s relaxing and there’s usually some evidence that it’s working!
Supports muscle activation
Certain facial muscles are used repeatedly due to habitual expressions, while others remain underused. Face yoga helps counterbalance this by activating underused muscles, which may reduce facial asymmetry and improve neuromuscular coordination.
Supports relaxation of chronically tight muscles
The gentle stretches and relaxation techniques of face yoga can release tension which not only softens expression lines but can lead to less discomfort in the neck and jaw.
Supports lymphatic flow
Face yoga shines when it comes to de-puffing the face, because it improves circulation and stimulates lymphatic drainage. When there’s increased blood flow, there’s better delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the skin.
Supports proper alignment of head, neck, and jaw
Who knew that slumped shoulders and a forward head position could drag the face down, but that’s what happens over time. Face yoga supports proper alignment of the cervical spine, jaw, and tongue.
Supports proper breathing and nervous system regulation
Slowing down and taking deep, intentional breaths during face yoga can also relax the nervous system and be a systemic blessing to the body.
Related Content: Benefits To Ice Rolling Your Face
What Are The Best Face Yoga Exercises
Aim to do each exercise at least once a day. Try it for a month and see if you can’t notice a difference!
1. Jaw Release
This exercise helps to release tension in the jaw which can contribute to facial tension and a sense of heaviness in the face.
Place fingertips on the jaw muscles and open and close the mouth while applying gentle pressure. Add slow circular massage.
2. Sculpted Neck
This exercise is great at addressing the dreaded double chin that can appear especially if you’re spending a significant amount of time looking down at a computer or phone.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and tip your chin toward the ceiling until you feel a stretch in the neck and chin. Alternate between duck lips and sticking out your tongue, holding each for five seconds. Repeat three times, keeping the chin lifted and neck taut throughout.
3. Smooth Smile Lines
This exercise supports smoother looking skin and less defined smile lines by releasing muscle tension from inside the mouth.
Starting beside the nose, place your tongue inside your mouth and trace small circles along the smile lines. Do five circles clockwise and five counterclockwise on each side to help smooth the area.
4. Crow’s Feet Corrector
This exercise creates a nice facial stretch that can be a great ally in keeping wrinkles away or at least making it harder for new ones to form.
Relax your shoulders and lower your chin toward your chest. Form an oval with your mouth, then look upward using only your eyes. Hold for three seconds, then tuck your upper lip inside the mouth to make an ‘ahh’ shape.
5. Eyebrow Lift
This eyebrow lifting exercise can address those pesky brow lines by improving muscle tone and releasing tension from the forehead.
Place your index fingers about half an inch above your eyebrows. Attempt to raise your brows as you gently press them downward with your fingers.
6. Full Cheeks
This exercise can strengthen the cheek muscles and contribute to plumper looking cheeks.
Take a deep breath through the mouth and then shift your breath from cheek to cheek, release.
7. Cheek Lifter
This exercise helps support the muscles that lift the cheeks, countering age-related downward pull and loss of tone.
Form an ‘O’ with your mouth and tuck your upper lip over your teeth. Place one index finger on the top of each cheek. Lift the corners of your mouth into a smile, allowing your fingers to rise. Then relax back into the ‘O’ shape, letting your fingers lower.
My Face Yoga Review
I did face yoga every night for a month straight. I really wanted to see what results I could achieve and share with you. Often we hear of these special modalities we can use for lifting and sculpting but I am like anyone else- I wonder if they actually work! Well, I was pleasantly surprised with my results. I took a before photo and each week I took a new photo to see the results.
Overall I noticed a more lifted appearance. My eyebrows looked more lifted, and my eyes more open. My face was less puffy and looked more sculpted. My fine lines around my mouth were less visible and I had more color in my skin. I believe the movement of the lymph really helped with the blood flow.
It is a commitment to do each night, however, I found myself looking forward to it most nights because it was a nice way to unwind and calm myself for the night. It felt very much like yoga for the body, your mind enters more of a zen, calm state and that felt great before bed. I want to continue to do it and see what kind of results I can get in 3 months or even 6 months.
It’s like anything, the more consistent you do it, the greater results you will have. I’ll keep you posted on my results, but I hope this is enough for you to see that it does actually work!
Before and After Face Yoga Photos
My Tips For Actually Getting Results With Face Yoga
- Be consistent- I can’t stress this enough! Even if you can only commit to a few movements or even minutes at night, be consistent doing them. Consistency is what’s going to get you the results.
- Find some movements or an instructor you love. This will help keep you consistent because you’ll want to keep coming back for more.
- Find a time when you’ll actually do face yoga. Maybe it’s at night, maybe it’s not. It might be first thing in the morning, whenever you can be consistent is best.
- Take before and after pics, this will really help you see the results and keep you consistent.
- Give it time. Face yoga isn’t a quick fix and like anything good things take time.
Face Yoga Resources
I really like Danielle Collins’ Face Yoga videos. You can find her on YouTube here. She has a book on face yoga and is a face yoga expert. She also has courses you can buy too. I did get her 7- Day Natural Facelift with Face Yoga Course and did that throughout my 30 days of face yoga.
I also did another video from YouTube by Mady Morrison on her face yoga routine. I liked it because it gave sound prompts that helped me to know when to switch movements. You don’t have to buy a course, there are a lot of free videos on YouTube if you type in face yoga.
Have you tried face yoga? Share your thoughts below!
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