Although nothing represents us anymore, we often forget our face or leave it up to cosmetics. These facial yoga exercises keep the face healthy and young.
From the neck up, the human body has 190 muscles and 43 are concentrated in the face . They are essential muscles for chewing, speaking and creating expressions with which we communicate. They also condition the image we offer or the one we have of ourselves. But we don’t work them consciously , like we do other muscles in the body to keep them in shape. The different methods of facial yoga have been developed as a combination of facial exercises, massage, acupressure and relaxation techniques aimed at improving the functionality of the facial tissues.
What are facial yoga exercises and what are they for?
A facial yoga session can be done for 15 or 30 minutes a day in which muscles are activated, contracted or stretched, pressure is applied to certain points or grimaces are practiced.
Facial yoga increases blood circulation, which brightens the complexion , makes the skin more elastic , and tones the muscles of the face. When these relax, the lines of expression become finer and softer . The eyes appear larger and more relaxed, and the mouth takes on relief and freshness. But above all, facial yoga brings awareness to the face , helps to keep it more present at all times, and can transform the way we relate to others and how we perceive ourselves.
As we get older, the muscles of the face tend to shrink and the skin loses elasticity. That is why the face appears more and more flaccid and droopy and the bags under the eyes and the double chin are pronounced. It is a natural process that cannot be totally avoided, but facial yoga slows it down . Diet is also important, since between the skin and the muscle there is a layer of fat that gives the face part of its shape.
Facial yoga strengthens the muscles of the face and increases the smoothness of the skin. Bags under the eyes can be removed, cheekbones lifted and cheeks toned, double chin diminished and much more. These claims seem like hype, but science has something to say about it:
- A study from Northwestern University (United States), published in the journal JAMA Dermatology, carried out with middle-aged women, has found that facial exercises help to appear younger . The participants did facial exercises for 30 minutes each day for eight weeks, and then practiced at home three to four times a week for the next three months. The study concluded that women who maintained the regimen for 20 weeks had toned cheeks and looked younger. Dermatologists who evaluated the before-and-after photos estimated that the average participant was almost three years out of the picture .
5 facial exercises to rejuvenate
There are dozens of facial yoga exercises. Some consist of making certain faces with the lips or tongue, but most are made with the hands , which exert pressure on muscles or certain points . For example:
- One exercise consists of touching or sliding the palm of the hand over the forehead and its objective is to prevent or reduce the lines that cross it.
- In another, the tips of the index fingers are moved with light pressure from the outer ends of the eyebrows to the inner corners, next to the tear ducts. This exercise serves to reduce and prevent dark circles .
Danielle Collins has made facial yoga popular with her books and courses. The author of Facial Yoga (Editorial Urano) explains that her method is the result of research on techniques used for thousands of years in India, China and Japan. According to Collins, the exercises that have been passed down from generation to generation can be completed with the contributions of current science to maintain a healthy and young face.
Collins has created exercises that stimulate different tissues of the face and prevent the appearance of wrinkles and sagging:
1. Facial symmetry
Purse your lips and pull them in until you can’t see them in the mirror. Lift the corners of your lips as if you are smiling and with the edges of your index fingers smooth the skin past the corners toward your cheeks . Hold the stretch for one minute.
2. Tone the cheeks
She covers her teeth with her lips and smiles with her mouth slightly open. Smooth with the edges of the index fingers the skin of the cheeks . Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Rest for a few seconds and repeat the gesture for another 30 seconds.
3. Illuminate the face
Use the tips of all your fingers to pat your face and neck for 20 seconds . It starts at the forehead and then moves to the cheeks, around the mouth and jaw. To finish, do the same on the neck for 20 more seconds.
4. Contour of the mouth
Press the corner of the tongue with the corner and move it along the inner edge of the lips, exerting force against them. When you have reached the commissure again, she makes the opposite route. Spin for 30 seconds and then relax the area.
5. Circulation in the lips
Apply a lip balm and use your thumb to describe quick circles over your lips . You can make strokes up on the upper lip and down on the bottom.
Face yoga and energy flow
Acupressure is part of facial yoga and makes an important contribution to the beneficial effects of facial yoga for health , not just for the appearance of the face. For example, pressure on points located on the sides of the nose can promote decongestion. If the pressure is exerted on the inner corners of the eyes, good sleep is favored.
The practice of acupressure has thousands of years of history and is part of traditional Chinese medicine and shiatsu , from Japan. The points are found in the network of channels through which vital energy circulates and when activated, it acts on organs and physiological systems. Scientific studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of acupressure on pain , muscle relaxation and improvement of blood circulation.
Is face yoga really yoga?
The authors who have developed “facial yoga” have drawn on ancient sources, but it cannot be said that it is part of traditional yoga . However, there are some practices that are similar to it, such as simha pranayama (lion’s breath) , where you roll your eyes and open your mouth wide, but the objective of this exercise is to act on the breath , not on it. face.
Traditional yoga contains asanas that can be beneficial for the face . Both Danielle Collins and Marie-Veronique Nadeau, author of The Yoga Facelift (Bitingduck Press), propose poses that complement and reinforce the effect of facial exercises : they include spinal stretches, forward and side bends, twists, back extensions, and inversions. that help maintain a healthy and youthful face and neck .
Keep in mind that the muscles of the face work together to make up at least 21 different facial expressions and develop in one way or another depending on whether we tend to frown, squint, smile sheepishly, or laugh outright.
Just as we have habitual ways of sitting, standing, or walking, we also tend to maintain patterns of expression . And sometimes the expression doesn’t correspond to what you really feel. You may see faces with expressions of bitterness, irritation or exhaustion that do not reflect what those people are feeling.
Often we are not fully aware that we are frowning, drawing the corners of our lips down, or pursing our lips. At any time you can stop, close your eyes and mentally review the state of each muscle and relax it . If you then open your eyes in front of a mirror, you will see how your expression has changed, it has become more natural and friendly. This way you can “fix” your face in the same way that you straighten up when you find yourself slouching.
