All of us have heard and believe that exercise can transform our bodies, but what if we tell you that exercise can change your skin too? Skincare demands much more than just the application of skincare products. While it is a simple process, for the essential nutrients that our skin requires, we should follow a deeper and holistic approach, which will make you beautiful not just from the outside but from the inside also. This includes eating fresh, workout, leading a balanced lifestyle. A mindful practice to follow the same is Facial yoga, which gives your skin a glowing look and makes your inner self beautiful too.
The idea of facial yoga is simple. Just like how we work out our thighs to make them firmer and lean, facial exercises work out the face muscles making them tone, firm, and boost their volume.
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What is Facial Yoga?
Facial exercises have offered benefits since time immemorial. The idea dates back to the ancient scriptures of Ayurveda- releasing energy pathways to naturally attain improved health and a sense of well-being while looking beautiful. What yoga does to our body, the same thing it does to our skin. It tones, relaxes and gives a natural glow to the skin while resetting the facial muscles at the same time. The goal is to stretch all the 57 face muscles to make them firm, tone, and improve blood circulation. Let us find more about facial yoga.
How Does Facial Yoga Work?
If you believe that using different skincare products will give your skin a glow, then you are mistaken. Sometimes, poor metabolism and hormonal changes can also cause damaged skin. So, it becomes necessary to follow some lifestyle habits to get glowing skin. It means having healthy food, doing regular exercise. These things can make you fit, both from inside and outside.
Benefits of Facial Yoga
Do you want to keep your skin healthy and glowing every time? If so, there is nothing better than facial yoga. Yoga includes different poses, breathing methods, and hand gestures so that you can use it to your benefit, as far as a natural glow is concerned.
- The skin gets a natural glow as yoga flushes out toxins from the body and purifies the internal system.
- Yoga for skin is so soothing that it relaxes both the body and mind and reduces stress too. All of us know that stress can make our skin appear dull and tired. Yoga rejuvenates and revitalizes the skin making it glowing and blemish-free.
- Many of you might not be knowing that allergies and impure blood can also cause boils, pimples and infections. Yoga comes as a relief in maintaining a proper blood circulation and flushes out toxins from the body.
- Not getting enough sleep? It too can damage your skin, therefore making it lose its natural glow. Practising yoga will help you get a glowing skin and also a good sleep.
- Yoga helps in tightening and firming the skin, giving a natural lift, therefore reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
10 Facial Yoga Exercises for Glowing Skin
- The Big “O”– Sit straight and widen your eyes along with stretching the lips and make “O” shape. Hold this position for as long as possible. Start off with 10 seconds and slowly increase the time to 30 seconds. This facial exercise is perfect for increasing blood circulation to offer your skin a healthy glow while keeping the wrinkles at bay.
- Kiss & Smile– Push your lips out as much as you can, if you are about to kiss somebody and then try to give a wide smile. Repeat this at least 15 times a day. This workout is beneficial for chin and cheeks simultaneously. When you use these muscles most often and in a certain way, it can enhance the downward drift to a beautiful jawline and flushed cheeks.
- Pout and Smile– This is one of the simplest facial yoga exercises one can do. Start pouting and then smile afterwards. Repeat the pout-and-smile exercise as many times as you can. You can keep this pose as long as you want. However, try to repeat this at least for 10 times, if you want to see effective results. This will not improve blood circulation, but will also stregthen the jaw muscles for having a perfect jawline.
- Chant “om” while smiling– Chanting “om” relaxes the muscles of our face and calms the mind. This exercise is one of the easiest of all facial yoga exercises. Close your eyes and try to smile slightly, whilst concentrating on the point between your eyebrows. This facial exercise pose will help offset the facial lines and gives the skin a natural glow.
- Fish face– Suck your cheeks inside, making a fish face. Hold this position for a few seconds, keeping the eyes wide open. If you find water in your eyes, it means you can hold on to this pose for that time period. Then, blink and get back to your normal pose.
- Suck your index finger using lips– Do you want to tone and tighten your facial muscles, especially around your lips? This facial exercise will help you attain that. For performing this exercise, you need to keep your pointer finger in your mouth and suck. When completed, you will feel as if your lip and cheek muscles are contracting. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then relax and take out the finger. Try repeating this exercise for 10 times.
- Stretch the eyelids– Look upside and raise your eyebrows at the same time. Then, close your eyelids gently, while looking up. As our eyelids start hanging with growing age, this stretching exercise can keep them firm.
- Massaging the lips– This exercise is focused on lips and the skin around the lips. To perform this exercise, suck your fingers for nearly 2 to 3 minutes and then take out your fingers. You need to repeat this exercise for at least 10 times. It will improve blood circulation and also makes the lip firm.
- Breathing exercises– Facial yoga exercise is incomplete without breathing exercises. Respiratory changes affect the body and skin and in fact, our moods too. For example, shallow breathing pales the skin complexion. In today’s age, stress disturbs the natural breathing pattern, which affects both our health and skin. To restore this balance, we should practize breathing exercises including alternate nostril breathing and abdominal breathing.
- Eyebrows exercise– To perform this exercise, you need to put your index fingers over your eyebrows. Pull the fingers in downward position while lifting your eyebrows slowly. Repeat this for 5 seconds at least 3 to 4 times a day, regularly.
When can you Expect Positive Results?
These facial yoga poses will make your skin glow and make your face appear plump. For effective results, experts recommend practicing these exercises every day. If you are worried about facial exercises causing wrinkles, this means you are not holding the exercise positions long enough which causes wrinkles. That is the reason why experts suggest focusing on relaxing your eyes too. It might take some time, but you will notice which muscle you are supposed to be focusing on.