Face yoga may have you perplexed. Does it involve practicing crow pose with your face or balancing on your forehead? Luckily, no.
Face yoga is the practice of exercising and strengthening the facial, neck and jaw muscles to improve their appearance and to achieve smoothness and reduce fine lines. Anyone can enjoy face yoga – you don’t need a studio membership and it can be practiced anywhere – just grab a mirror instead of your mat and you’re set!
Face yoga has taken off on social media, garnering over 1.9 billion views on TikTok alone. “Its accessibility and affordability make it attractive to a wide audience,” explained Nazmeen Khaliq of Revive Room – a spa-like treatment center which offers face yoga classes.
Airbrushing apps make it hard to know whether face yoga works based solely on social media posts alone. A study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) demonstrated that 30 minutes of facial exercises over 20 weeks modestly improved volume in mid and lower face for middle-aged female participants who underwent the exercise regimen, according to dermatologists and skin specialists, who all endorse its safe and effective practice.
Who Can Practice Facial Yoga? Anyone interested in maintaining youthful skin, delaying signs of aging and natural ways to enhance it’s appearance may try facial yoga; from younger people who want to ward off signs of aging through to those looking for natural ways to improve it’s appearance can incorporate facial yoga into their wellness regimen. According to Khaliq however, face yoga may not be appropriate for everyone: those recovering from recent facial surgery, injuries to their face/neck area, skin conditions such as eczema or pregnancy should speak to healthcare provider before trying facial yoga; similarly fillers/injectables will require waiting until all areas have fully recovered before initiating/resuming facial yoga practices.
Before starting an exercise program, it may be beneficial to obtain some instruction from qualified instructors to ensure you’re doing them correctly. Without using the correct muscles, there could be risks of creating deeper lines instead of diminishing them.
Health Benefits of Face Yoga
How much, if any, does stretching and massaging of the face contribute to our overall health? A dedicated face yoga routine can alleviate tension headaches, reduce stress, decrease cardiovascular disease risk factors, improve sleep and gut health as well as improve gut and sleep health according to Brooke Jeffy M.D. of Scottsdale Arizona Dermatology Clinic. She noted how it could also have positive ramifications on mental wellbeing; when we feel calm and confident with ourselves in appearance there’s a snowball effect effect that makes relationships and interactions with others easier while stress reduction helps us focus on self-care and what makes us happy – she stated in her practice she said