Face Yoga for healthy glow

Shahnaz Husain *

Have you ever thought about giving your face a workout, just like you do for your body ? While the human face is a thing of beauty, maintaining taut, smooth skin often becomes a source of stress as we age. Face exercises—which you can easily perform from the comfort of your home — can lift and tone the face, reduce signs of ageing, prevent sagging and wrinkles, and generally improve facial appearance.

It relaxes, tones and gives a natural boost to the skin, while simultaneously resetting your facial muscles.

Face exercises, also known as "face yoga," are the latest wellness trend to take social media by storm. The face-sculpting workouts involve repetitive movements and massages targeting different muscles of the face.

When your facial muscles are put to use with face yoga, they feel toned and give the sensation of a natural facelift, if practised regularly. The idea is to stretch the 57 face and neck muscles to tone, firm and boost circulation, for a youthful appearance.

Puff Your Cheeks ----The chipmunk cheek squeeze is a facial exercise that can help slim the face. To do this exercise, inhale through the mouth to make them larger and rounder by filling them with air and distend the breath from cheek to cheek, then release.

Tilt your head back, push your chin forward, suck in your cheeks, and hold for 8–10 second. Open your mouth wide, keep your teeth covering your lips and lift your cheeks. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to normal. Aim to repeat 50 times.

How does it work ?

This simple practice will increase blood circulation to your cheeks, promoting a healthy glow. It will strengthen the cheek muscles. This facial exercise relaxes the muscles around the lips and cheeks and also brightens up the face.

These quick and easy movements will strengthen the cheek muscles and prevent them from looking hollow. Do this face exercise regularly for lifted and plump cheeks.

Smiler ------ Pout and then smile as fast as you can. This exercise can enhance blood circulation and strengthen jaw muscles. Keep up the smile wide, hold it for about 15 seconds and then release it. Continue this process about 10 times at once. Bring the lips together and push them outward as if you are about to kiss and then smile broadly. Practice this regularly 10-15 times in one sitting.

Facial yoga can be extremely beneficial for those who want glowing, youthful skin. Face yoga is a natural, alternative option that uses a variety of massage and exercises to target your face, neck, and shoulders. This beauty trend has grown in popularity in the past few years with various face yoga methods making an appearance on our social media feeds.

Face yoga relaxes, tones and gives a natural boost to the skin, while simultaneously resetting your facial muscle. When you regularly do facial exercises, the blood circulation increases to that area and that tightens your skin and brings a glow to your face.

When your facial muscles are put to use with face yoga, it stretches the 57 face and neck muscles to tone, firm and boost circulation, for a youthful appearance.

Make A Fish Face----This pose stretches the neck region and helps tone the jawline and chin. Fish Face exercise is the easiest and the best way to ensure a firmer looking skin. Fill your mouth up with as much air as possible. Puff up your cheeks to accommodate more air.

Now, shift the air from one side to the other with as much speed as possible. Practise this for a couple of minutes every day to achieve glowing skin and fuller cheeks.

Alternatively softly close your lips and then draw your cheeks inwards as much as possible, making a 'fish face' look. Try smiling while holding this posture for about 15 seconds and then withdraw. Repeat this exercise for about next five minutes

For wrinkle-free facial skin, try this yoga “asana” along with Pranayama. Stand straight and place feet and legs wide apart. Cover face with palms and breathe deeply and quickly for 10 counts. Then while continuing breathing, rub the face with the fingers, starting from the chin and going to the forehead. Include the area around the eyes. This helps to make the skin smooth, firm and radiant.

Forehead------Did you know that frowning is an exercise for the forehead? Frown as much as possible, pulling the eyebrows towards one another. Then lift the eyebrows as far as possible. While doing this, open your eyes as much as you can. Relax them and repeat 5 times.

Anti-ageing Facial Yoga For Forehead------Place both hands on the forehead facing inwards and spread all of the fingers out between the eyebrows and hairline. Now Gently sweep the fingers outwards across the forehead, applying light pressure to tighten the skin. Relax and repeat 10 times.

Eyes------This not only benefits the skin around the eyes, but the eyes itself. They have much relevance nowadays, for people who are glued to computer and television screens for long periods. Keeping your head still, move only the eyes up and down ten times. Then move them from one side to the other ten times. Then, roll the eyes, first clockwise and then anticlockwise, for a total of ten times.

Widen your eyes as big as you can for your best surprised face. Hold this expression as long as you can—even until your eyes start to water ! After, relax your face and repeat. Look upwards and raise your eyebrows at the same time. Then gently close your eyelids, while still looking up. Since our eyelids have the tendency to droop with age, this stretching exercise can help keep them firm.

Neck-----Sitting straight, tilt the head back and look at the ceiling. Keeping the mouth closed, do a chewing movement, while still looking up. Repeat the chewing movement 15 to 20 times. Then pucker lips and stretch the lips forward, as if you are trying to kiss the ceiling. Do this 10 times. Relax and repeat 5 to 6 times.

Still sitting upright and tilting the head back, with mouth closed, move the lower lip over the upper lip as far as possible. Hold it for a count of 5. Relax and repeat 5 times.

Sit upright and open the mouth wide open, drop the lower jaw and push it forward, holding it for a count of 10. Come back to the starting position and repeat it 5 times.

I will advise you to do facial yoga consistently for 20-30 minutes, seven times a week, changes may start to be noticeable in four to six weeks.