The New Craze: Facial Yoga

Everyone knows the importance of exercise in keeping our bodies fit and healthy. There are exercises for the muscles from the neck down, including those which focus on the upper, core, and lower body. We have body specific exercises for body sculpting, aerobic exercises to benefit our heart, yoga and more. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense to have exercises to tone and strengthen the 57 muscles of our face, neck and scalp.

This new craze called ‘facial yoga’ is packing sessions in health clubs and yoga studios across the United States. For around $250, participants, mainly female ranging in age from 30 to 70, learn how to control and strengthen the face muscles by employing resistance and isometric contractions using the thumbs and fingers. The exercises are based on a common sense approach: boost the circulation to your face, neck, scalp, eyebrows, and temple. This increases oxygen which is good for the cells.

Not only is facial yoga tightening tired faces, but it also helps increase mobility in people with partial facial paralysis and problems like crooked smiles. A Houston-based yoga instructor, Rose Hong Tran, worked with local physicians to develop a specialized yoga facial toning technique. Tran has certified other instructors throughout Texas and in Atlanta to use her technique.

As with any exercise program, the hardest part is keeping them up. Try to get into a routine, doing the exercises each morning, evening, or when watching television or taking a bath. You can even do them while you wait in line at the store or a drive through if you dare! Most participants reported seeing results within two weeks with as little as five minutes of daily face exercises.

Here are some basic facial exercises you can try at home. Dermatologists stress that good form is key in obtaining desired results.

Eyes and Crows Feet
Place three fingers around outside corner of eye. Pull gently toward temples. Close and open eyes, repeat 20 times.

Forehead
Place index fingers just above eyes and pull down while trying to raise your eyebrows, repeat 10 times.

Area between Eyebrows
Place fingers on bump of nose between eyes. Apply pressure with fingers and hold. Move eyebrows up and down, repeat 20 times.

Cheeks
Push your lips out and make a round shape, stretching forward, now smile as wide as possible. Hold for a second and resume the round shape, repeat 10 times.

Lips
Suck on your finger as hard as possible and then slowly remove it, repeat 10 times.

Neck and Chin
*Jut your lower lip out as far as possible, place your fingers on your collarbone and point your chin as high as possible, then pull the corners of your mouth down.
*Tighten your chin muscle as firm as you can by pushing your lower lip up and out as though pouting. Tighten as hard as you can so chin turns white and dimpled.

Before you go for Botox injections or schedule an appointment for plastic surgery, try turning back the clock with facial exercises. You can tighten the muscles in your face and regain a more youthful appearance—and you might have fun along the way!