The health benefits, both physical and mental, of practising yoga, are manifold. But can the same apply when practising yoga with your face? Face yoga has been attributed to yield face-lifting, tightening, and sculpting benefits without salon or dermatologists’ interventions. It involves working the facial muscles for improving blood circulation for a healthy glow.

What is face yoga?

Face yoga is kind of what it sounds like: Moving, stretching, and relaxing your facial muscles in an attempt to keep them more toned. It could be to keep your face looking more youthful (if that’s a goal) or that it just feels nice and is relaxing. There’s no standard way to practice face yoga, but there are some more popular methods and moves hitting the spa scene.

The benefits of face yoga

A more radiant complexion

Face yoga exercises stimulate microcirculation and bring more oxygen to cells. This makes the complexion look more balanced, even and radiant. The breathing exercises help you to better manage your emotions, so your face looks calm and serene, and your eyes and features look softer.

Softened wrinkles and plumped skin

With age, natural collagen levels decrease. As a result, the skin starts to sag and lose tone, and wrinkles become more pronounced. The advantage of face yoga exercises is that they don’t just stimulate muscles; they also stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. By practising face yoga regularly, you’ll tone up your skin, visibly reduce the depth of wrinkles, and make your face look smoother and less tired.

Gravity-fighting facial exercises

There are around fifty muscles in the face, but they don’t get a workout every day! This means that they may lose tone prematurely – and there is a direct correlation between this loss of tone and skin ageing. You can help your face to defy gravity by practising the following exercises every day for five minutes.

Smooth forehead lines

To soften and smooth forehead lines, begin by placing your palms on the top of your forehead. Breathe in deeply and push the skin of your forehead upward. Continue to hold the skin in this position as you breathe out and look down as far as possible. Repeat ten times.