The Science Behind Face Yoga Exercises

Who hasn’t heard of face yoga exercises? Maybe it was all that time we had on our hands back in lockdown that kicked off this new trend, or perhaps we’re all just super-keen to keep the signs of ageing at bay for as long as possible.

What is Face Yoga?

We know what yoga can do for our bodies, but did you know it can also have a similar effect on your face? Face yoga is the practice of specific massages and exercises that work to invigorate facial muscles, your lymphatic system and skin. Its aim is to relax the face and help improve any tension or stress you may be storing in your facial muscles.

By using yogic exercises to work through this stress and tension, the hope is that you will be almost able to retrain your facial muscles to stop making these expressions that are associated with the negative feelings of stress, anxiety, worry and anger.

Does Face Yoga Really Help?

One of the main benefits of face yoga is that it can be used to help with the signs of ageing skin. It is also beneficial in helping with -

• De-stressing

• Boosting your complexion

• Giving your eyes a wake-up

• Plumping the skin

Research from the National Institutes of Health has found that face yoga can help improve your facial appearance.

If you’re keen to give facial yoga a try, you can use face yoga for jowls, face yoga for crow’s feet, and face yoga for double chin amongst others. There are loads of face yoga exercises you can incorporate into your day, but if you’d like to get into a regular routine, take a look at the Face Yoga Expert YouTube channel. We’ve picked out a few of her favourites below...

Top Face Yoga Techniques to Try

Weave face yoga into your morning routine and you’ll be kicking your day off in a positive way so you can really aim to achieve those face yoga results. Our top five facial yoga exercises are -

1. The forehead sweep – use a facial serum so the skin is moisturised, then using closed fists, sweep your hands across your forehead starting from the middle and working outwards. This works to relieve any tension, wake up the skin, and hopefully ensure this area stays relaxed for the rest of the day. Repeat this process in a vertical movement from between your eyebrows to your hairline, simply using the proximal phalanx part of your index finger (between knuckle and first joint on finger). Do this for around a minute.

2. Non Surgical Lower Face Lift with Face Yoga – if you’d rather steer clear of the scalpel but you’re still keen to keep a youthful glow, this set of exercises by the Face Yoga Expert could help.

3. The Lion Pose – this super simple and quick face yoga technique is great for revitalising your face, waking you up, and giving you a burst of energy. You can even do it in the shower.

4. A quick face yoga for smile lines exercise is ‘The V’ - check out this short YouTube tutorial by Danielle Collins – the world’s leading face yoga expert. She details three easy exercises to do to help reduce crow’s feet and smile lines.

5. If frown lines are your nemesis, a quick face yoga exercise to try is ‘Smooth Brows’. Simply use both of your index fingers and place each one at the end of your eyebrows, then gently pull them away from each other. According to the Yogi Times this will help to improve the tone of your skin and work to prevent frown lines from forming.

What if Face Yoga Doesn’t Work?

With perseverance you should see the benefits of facial yoga. However, if you’re just not getting the same results as you’ve seen in all the face yoga before and after pics, perhaps you could consider an alternative.

At Este, our skin experts have delivered amazing results with non-surgical facelifts and surgery. Options such as dermal fillers can dramatically improve the signs of ageing, while chemical peels can help with uneven skin tone and lines and wrinkles too.

If you’re still asking the question, ‘does face yoga work?’, why not set yourself a timeframe to give it a go. Give yourself three months, practice facial yoga regularly, take before and after photos and see whether you get the results you want.

If you don’t, get in touch with us at Este and we’ll see how we can help improve your skin quickly and effortlessly.