The practice of "face yoga" has been taking the internet by storm, particularly on apps like Instagram and YouTube. Face yoga is really nothing new and, is rather a rebranding of the ancient practice of relieving tension with massages. So, personally, I would rather call this facial massage and have been engaging in the practice for a few years now to great effect.
Unlike most trends that you see in the realm of beauty, facial massage actually has many benefits for aesthetics as well as well being. We use our faces and necks constantly to communicate our feelings and express what we need to say. Over time the repeated motions can express themselves in wrinkles but (even more importantly) stress stores up in the muscles of our faces and necks and can cause chronic issues over time.
Giving the face a rejuvenating massage now and then (or, ideally, every morning and night) does wonders to lower stressful emotions and with time can soften expression lines and wrinkles.
Now, this is no "master class" on facial massage. Instead I just want to share a few massage movements that have really helped me in the past year since I began taking my skin care routine seriously. But, even before I was chased around the internet by videos about face yoga, I intuitively felt the need to massage my face at night after stressful days.
Since I turned 30 I have begun experimenting with different aspects where health and beauty collide and wish to share three exercises that have helped me greatly to plump up my skin, increase blood flow to my face, relax my muscles, and help me let go of the everyday stress of human living.
Before we move on to the exercises it is important to grab a favorite moisturizer that is appropriate for the face. Occasionally I use a cream formulated for the face, or a rejuvenating serum, but, more often than not I use the skin salve that made of calendula infused coconut oil and beeswax, you can find the recipe for that salve in this video. The important thing is to pick an oil, cream, or serum that is gently on the skin and will give your hands a nice glide as you go through the massage.
~ Three Helpful Face Massage Techniques ~
After applying ample amounts of salve, oil, serum, or face cream the massage can begin. Personally I always like to start with my eyes which ten to be puffy and tired first thing in the morning or in the evening too.
I simply gently massage under the eyes. I want to emphasize the word gently here. The skin around the eyes is extremely sensitive, for this reason I would rather use a simple coconut oil salve on this area and tend to stay away from scented face lotions. The exercise consists of making starting with each hand under each eye at the center of the face and slowly, softly massaging the hands around the contours of the eyes.
Other variations on the massage can include using your fingers to tap the areas all around the eyes which promotes blood circulation. You can also make circular movements with your fingers as you massage from the center of the face up and outward towards the temples. I do this massage morning and night, always with ample salve (or face serum) to support and refresh my under eye area.
Then comes the forehead. A lot of people hold tension in the forehead and this is also a place where signs of aging are visible with the apparition of horizontal lines.
I have found that very animated people tend to scrunch up their forehead when in heated conversation or when recounting a particularly dramatic story. This is totally fine but, if you are scrunching up your forehead very often there could be some tension stored there. This massage helps to relieve that tension and, with time, soften the vertical lines that can form there.
Start with both hands in the middle of your forehead then slowly press down with four fingers and drag the hands towards the temples. I like to do this massage five to ten times. And unlike the previous massage you don't need an extremely light touch. If you feel inspired massaging the scull (though, not with oily hands) can be a great addition to this relaxing forehead routine.
There are so, so many more exercises I could include here but, I don't want to overwhelm you. If you are new to facial massage/face yoga I think the best course of action is to start with a simple routine that you can keep up with and slowly build upon that. So, I have decided to split this post up in to parts and will end this one with probably the weirdest looking exercise of them all.
This one is to counteract "smile lines" aka nasal-labial folds that form at the corners of the mouth in people who smile a lot. I may not be a very animated speaker but, I do smile frequently and have found that this exercise softens those lines and also helps alleviate jaw tension.
Start by putting you right hand on you right cheek and puffing out your left cheek only. Then, while maintaining the puffed out cheek use your left hand to tap up all around. Tapping encourages blood flow which is why my face is looking so blotchy and red why this photo.
I tap about thirty times on one cheek then move on the the right side and repeat the process thirty more times. I like to tap all around from the course of the smile lines to the jaw and find that this exercise really helps my jaw to feel more relaxed. If anyone has tips to keep me from clenching my jaw while I sleep let me know in the comments!
Normally I would also do a couple of massages on my neck but, I have decided to leave those exercises for a future post. Then, I wipe off any excess oil and move on with my day feeling very relaxed and with new energy flowing through my face. If you are new to facial massage/face yoga I hope this has been a helpful introduction and, if you are a seasoned pro I would love to hear about your routine in the comments.