Face yoga is a natural holistic approach to looking and feeling the best version of yourself with an added sense of relaxation and wellbeing. It’s a combination of face exercises, face massage, face acupressure and face relaxation. It also focuses on wellbeing techniques to feel healthier and happier.

When we feel good on the inside it shows on the outside!

The Happy Face techniques are a combination of the traditional and modern. Many of the techniques have been used for thousands of years in India, China and Japan, practices that have been passed down over generations and have been proven to be helpful to aesthetics and health.

The techniques are also based on modern research which look at the science of the face, how it is composed and how it should be treated.

By using your own hands to practice tried and tested simple techniques to help your face look and feel amazing as well as feeling calmer and more relaxed.

There are 5 key elements to Face Yoga.

1. Face exercise - Just like we exercise our bodies to stay toned and firm the same principle applies to the 57 muscles in the face and neck. As the muscles become stronger through exercise they are lifted and firmed and skin attached to the muscles is also tightened and tautened, therefore reducing lines and wrinkles.
   
   

2. Face massage - by regularly gently massaging the face you will increase circulation bringing fresh oxygenated blood to the skin to rejuvenate dull skin, it helps with lymphatic drainage, removing toxins from the skin, this will improve skin tone, puffiness in the face and eyes allowing the skin to look healthier. Massage also helps to increase collagen and elastin, the natural plumping agents in the skin resulting in a firmer healthier complexion.
   
   

3. Acupressure - This is an age-old technique that works by pressing certain points on the face to help increase circulation, reduce tension to give the skin a healthy glow. Massaging these points can also help relieve headaches, help relieve sinus congestion, help with insomnia and anxiety among other benefits.
   
   

4. Relaxation - By relaxing certain muscles in the face you can reduce tension held in the face, this can help reduce and prevent deep set lines caused by stress, squinting or grimacing. When your face is relaxed you will have an open, relaxed softer appearance.
   
   

5. Well-being - taking care of your overall wellbeing plays an important role in achieving a glowing complexion as well as improving health and happiness. Our diet, lifestyle choices, sleep and stress levels can all affect the health of our skin. When practising face yoga and taking time to relax and do something for you, knowing you will look and feel better as a result you may notice you feel calmer, relaxed and more energised as well as looking rejuvenated and healthier. What happens on the inside radiates on the outside.
   

Face yoga can be enjoyed by everyone, unless you have medical issues or skin conditions that might cause contraindications, in which case please ask your doctor before starting.

Face yoga can be used as a preventative measure from 18 years and above to help train your face to be more relaxed and recognize where tension is held and how to relieve it.

Starting face yoga at any age is great.

It’s never too late to strengthen a muscle, improve skin tone, boost circulation, reduce stress and tension in the face, to improve lymphatic drainage or benefitting from relaxing the mind and integrating wellbeing techniques into your life.

Face yoga works the 3 layers of the skin.

The lower layer ( the muscles and fatty tissue). The middle layer (the connective tissue) and the upper layer (the cells). By working all 3 layers correctly it will increase blood circulation bringing fresh oxygenated blood and nourishment to the skin, resulting in clearer healthy complexion with a beautiful glow.

Face yoga helps to stimulate the collagen and elastin production in the middle layer of skin helping to keep the skin supple and tighter looking.

Results will vary from person to person. You will likely feel a difference straight away. Your muscles will feel like they’ve had a good workout, your face will feel more relaxed and your skin may feel like it's glowing from improved circulation.

Everyone has different lifestyles, skin types, ages and faces so the time it takes will vary.

You should start to see some improvement in our face and neck after 2 weeks.

After 2-4 months you should notice less fine lines, less tension and look healthier and more energised.

After 6-9 months of regular daily practice you will see smoother, firmer rejuvenated skin and feel more relaxed.

The way to get results from Face Yoga is by doing it EVERY DAY. Consistency is the biggest role in seeing a smoother firmer and healthier face.

It doesn’t matter when you do your face yoga classes or practice at home, it can be done at any time of the day. It can be helpful to do your face yoga at the same time each day to form a habit or routine. Daily practice is key to get the best results.

If you have had surgery of any kind on the face, neck or head you will need to check with your doctor before starting face yoga.

Generally the techniques are safe if you’ve had cosmetic surgery but there will be a time period after surgery where you will need to allow your surgery to heal before starting, again please consult your surgeon before starting.

If you have had a facelift, face yoga may reduce the need or frequency for further operations and help maintain your results.

If you have had botox or fillers you will need to check with your doctor or practitioner how long to wait before exercising or massaging the face as the timeline will depend on how much you’ve had injected and where.

Once you have been given clearance to proceed you may find restrictions in movement while doing some of the techniques.

Face yoga is a very safe and effective way of promoting healthy skin.

As long as you are working the muscles of the face in a slow controlled way, checking in a mirror to ensure no lines or wrinkles have been created during the exercises.

During massage it is important not to drag or pull the skin.

By following these gentle exercises and techniques using a light ,feather-like touch, your skin will only benefit from face yoga.

It is best to do the exercises once a day for 6 days of the week but if you go a while without practising face yoga, don’t worry.

You may notice a slight difference in your face when you don’t do face yoga but your face won’t suddenly droop or drop.

The face muscles have a muscle memory, so when you start again you can quickly pick up where you left off.

It is important to have clean hands before doing face yoga as you will be using your hands on your face.

If you have any health complaints or skin problems or have any particular needs please let me know as I may be able to modify certain techniques.

Please consult your doctor before participating for any health or skin complaints.

Always ensure you listen to your body and work to your own comfortable limit.