Why Are You Never Too Young to Practice Face Yoga?
Research suggests that practicing face yoga more often is great for the facial muscles. In addition, it could help you look young. Such exercises have no age limit. Both the young and old can learn how to do them.
Also, you don't need special training like you would for karate or taekwondo. You can do this yoga anywhere at any time, even on an office chair.
It involves actions as simple as often smiling and sucking in your cheeks. Is this hard? Simpler than doing the natural yoga body stretches. Including this in your daily routine and making it consistent will be helpful to you in the long run.
What Is Face Yoga?
Forget the poses you see on YouTube videos done by yoga enthusiasts. Face yoga will not involve all that. But, if you are already in a yoga class, you could be knowing what this is.
Face yoga is a simple facial exercise. It involves moving your facial muscles in different positions. This type of yoga can help with toning, lifting, and making your face look younger.
It helps counter drooping and sagging. Engaging in facial yoga is like a self-care session. What's more, it boosts blood circulation in the face, thus creating a healthier glow. In addition, it helps in reducing tension and stress in your face.
Many people like holding tension, and you can see it in their faces. It could be through prolonged screen time or facial expressions. Trying facial yoga and practicing will soften the look and counter the patterns caused by tension.
Are You Too Young to Practice Face Yoga?
There are no restrictions on who should practice face yoga. Both men and women can do it, regardless of their age. Don't wait to spot the earlier aging signs on your face before thinking about facial yoga.
You can start this as early as possible to delay wrinkles and deep-set lines. It is an excellent way to counter aging signs or the impacts of tension on your skin. Beginning this earlier will keep you looking younger for a long time.
How Does Face Yoga Work?
By now, you know the importance of starting face yoga as early as today and making it a habit. But, how does it work?
1. Face Exercises
Face yoga includes basic facial exercises. These help in toning and firming your face. Just like the body needs regular activities, so does the face.
The neck and face have 57 muscles that need movement as often as possible. They are smaller muscles and need to be strong. With time, they get lifted and become firmer.
As this happens to the muscles, the skin attached to them becomes tighter and firmer than before. As a result, it reduces wrinkles and lines.
2. Face Massage
Before anything else, you need to use the correct massaging skills and techniques. Doing this increases lymphatic and blood circulation. In addition, it will help in nourishing and detoxing on cellular levels.
Also, it reduces the chances of having a poor skin tone, dark circles, and puffiness. Besides, if these issues are already there, face yoga helps reduce and eliminate them with time.
Facial yoga massage has unique techniques that increase the elastin and collagen fibers in the skin. These are agents that naturally plump and strengthen your skin, giving you a healthier and firmer complexion.
3. Acupressure
It is an old technique carried to the present day, and it still works like wonders as before. For this, you need to press on specific areas on your face.
It increases the flow of prana or subtle energy in your face. In the end, it reduces tension while increasing blood circulation. It gives your face a healthier glow.
One of the most vital things to highlight here is that you shouldn't exert pressure on all parts of your face.
Areas like your eyes, nose, and temples are pretty sensitive. Thus, exerting excess pressure on these spots might lead to severe health problems.
So, if you are trying this at home, make sure you research the best way to use acupressure.
4. Relaxation
Grimacing, squinting, and stress are the primary causes of wrinkles and deep-set lines. Relaxing helps in countering tension when you are in such situations.
Practicing this more often turns into a habit. You will take in less pressure and avoid as much facial tension as possible.
Also, you have to do this correctly so that you can have an open and youthful appearance. Add this to your daily routine, and the results are excellent.
5. Wellbeing
Most people believe that you are what you feed yourself on. And, this is true even on facial yoga and appearance. But, the happenings inside your body will always reflect on the skin.
Taking care of your overall body and wellbeing is crucial too. It can be the reason for more happy days. If you are more comfortable and remain happier, looking and feeling better becomes automatic.
If your overall health is top-notch, you will feel more energized, calmer, and look healthier and more youthful.
What Face Yoga Exercises Can You Try at Home?
You don't have to have a yoga instructor to help you do this. Okay, it can be part of your yoga session with the instructor. But, it is something one can do without help unless otherwise.
Here are a few face yoga exercises you can try at home.
1. The Cheek Lifter
You'll need to form the letter "O" by opening your mouth. The upper lip should be over the teeth. To lift the cheek muscles, ensure you are smiling in the same position.
Put the index finger gently on top of the cheek muscles but right under the eyes. Release your cheek muscles. It should lower them. Start smiling again and push your muscles upwards towards the eyes.
Lower and lift your cheeks ten times and on the tenth time, hold the muscles up. You should do this as high as possible and remain in the position for 20 seconds. Repeat the procedure thrice.
2. Happy Cheeks Sculpting
Start with a smile, without showing your teeth, then roll your lips. Do this as if you are fully exposing your lips to the person next to you. Next, smile from the mouth corners until you can feel a burn in this area.
Use the index finger to press on the mouth corners while sliding fingers up to the cheekbones and pressing into your muscles. Next, lift your muscles to your cheekbones and towards your eye corners.
When getting at the top of the cheekbones, hold for some time until you feel muscles tightening in the cheeks. Continue smiling with your mouth corners as you are doing this. Repeat the procedure thrice.
3. The Eyebrow Lifter
Under an eyebrow, use three fingertips to press while forcing the eyes to open. Smile while lowering the bows against the fingers. Hold for a while and close your eyes.
Roll your eyeballs towards the top section of your head. After that, hold for a while as you smile. Then, release the position and relax. You can repeat it thrice.
4. Jaw and Neck Firmer
Open your mouth wide enough and produce an "aah" sound. While at it, fold the lower lip.
You can do the same to the corners of the lips as you direct them into the mouth. But, again, try to hold tight enough while extending the lower jaw forward.
Use the lower jaw and scoop up gently while closing your mouth. Do this while pulling up your chin an inch every time you are scooping as you tilt your head slightly backward. Try opening and closing the lower jaw ten times.
While on your tenth scoop, try to ensure your chin is pointing up the ceiling. Remain in this position for 25 seconds. While doing so, try to think that the sides of the face are lifting.
5. Temple Developer
Press the fingertips into the templates while closing your jaw as you clench your teeth. Do all these when tilting up your chin. Then, while clenching your teeth tightly, focus on your temple region.
Try to move the ears backward. Be in this position for ten seconds or more. Then, while clenching the back teeth down, hold for ten or more seconds. You should feel a flex in the temple muscles with every clench.
Take some minutes to relax, then repeat the process thrice.
Final Thoughts!
Face yoga is an exercise that can make you feel and look better every day. Yes, this can be your daily activity. This practice is trending, and though having been a thing in the past, its benefits never grow old.
It will offer skin-lifting effects, and you don't need to incur the costs of cosmetics, expensive skincare treatments, and even surgeries.
So why don't you try face yoga today? If you are ready to change your overall health and appearance, go for it.