Lifestyle & Wellness
Yoga is well known for its benefits to the mind and body — and for helping you look younger. If you already practice yoga to stay fit, try adding face yoga to your routine to target fine lines and wrinkles.
What is face yoga?
Face yoga uses simple facial exercises to relax tight muscles and strengthen weaker ones. These repeated movements can lift and firm the skin, giving a non-surgical facelift effect. Ready to try it? Here’s how to add face yoga to your skincare routine.
How face yoga helps
Face yoga balances overworked and underused muscles. That reduces lines from repeated expressions (like crow’s feet and smile lines) and firms areas that sag as muscle tone declines. Strengthening the support under the skin also helps prevent future sagging.
These exercises boost circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the skin while helping remove toxins and relieve tension. Together, this supports skin renewal and encourages production of collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm and elastic.
How often to practice
Face yoga teacher Danielle Collins suggests doing 20 minutes a day, six days a week. She says: “You’ll generally start to see longer-term improvement in your face and neck after two weeks. After two to four months, you’ll notice fewer fine lines and less tension, and people will say you look healthier and more energized. Within six to nine months, many report looking and feeling years younger and more relaxed.”
Face yoga exercises
Wrinkles tend to show up around the eyes, mouth, forehead and neck. Try these exercises from Danielle Collins and Fumiko Takatsu to target each area.
Eyes: Crow’s feet and drooping lids
– Gently press your fingers at the inner and outer corners of your eyebrows.
– Look up at the ceiling and lift your lower eyelids to squint, then relax.
– Repeat 6 times.
– Finish by squeezing your eyes tightly shut for 10 seconds.
Jaw: Smile lines and sagging
– Place your palms on your temples and push up and back to lift the sides of your face.
– Open your mouth into an “O” shape and hold for 5 seconds.
– Repeat twice.
Forehead: Horizontal lines
– Put both hands on your forehead, palms facing inward.
– Spread your fingers between your eyebrows and hairline.
– Gently sweep your fingers up and back with light pressure.
– Relax and repeat 10 times.
Neck: Loose, sagging skin
– Look straight ahead and cross your hands at the base of your neck.
– Tilt your head back and use your fingertips to gently stroke the skin downward.
– Return your head to your chest.
– Repeat twice.
Boost face yoga with skincare
Using firming skincare can enhance your face yoga results. As we age, the fat pads between muscle and skin shrink and loosen, causing loss of shape and sagging. Active ingredients like paracress extract, found in the Snow Mushroom & Reishi Masque, can help the skin regain tone and firmness. The combined approach can leave your complexion firmer and healthier-looking.
Is face yoga already part of your routine? Tell us about your experience in the comments and join the conversation on social media.