Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Face Yoga?How Does Face Yoga Work?The Benefits of Face Yoga for Self-CareHow Do I Start Face Yoga?What Is the Best Face Yoga Method?How Quickly Does Face Yoga Work?Precautions and Considerations
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Face Yoga?
How Does Face Yoga Work?
The Benefits of Face Yoga for Self-Care
How Do I Start Face Yoga?
What Is the Best Face Yoga Method?
How Quickly Does Face Yoga Work?
Precautions and Considerations
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You’re scrolling through your TikTok feed and see a creator making the weirdest facial expressions— lifting their cheekbones to mimic a Joker-like smile or making kissy faces at the ceiling. You’re probably thinking, “What kind of weird trend is everyone doing now?” The answer? An ancient practice called face yoga.
Face yoga is exactly what it sounds like: yoga for the face. “Face yoga refers to facial exercises intended to improve the appearance of facial skin through muscle toning, improved blood flow and lymphatic circulation, and relaxation,” saysDr. Brendan Camp, a New York-based board-certified dermatologist at Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery centers.
Face yoga refers to facial exercises intended to improve the appearance of facial skin through muscle toning, improved blood flow and lymphatic circulation, and relaxation.—DR. BRENDAN CAMP
Face yoga refers to facial exercises intended to improve the appearance of facial skin through muscle toning, improved blood flow and lymphatic circulation, and relaxation.
—DR. BRENDAN CAMP
Though the practice is mainly used as a non-invasive, natural alternative to cosmetic procedures like injections, face yoga also hosts a range of mental health benefits like stress relief and mindfulness. This article explores the psychological and physical benefits of face yoga and how one can start incorporating face yoga into theirself-careroutines.
Olga Kozicka / Stocksy
Typically used for anti-aging, face yoga is the act of “working out facial muscles [to] help slow or even reverse the aging process,” explains NYC-based board-certified dermatologistMichael Tassavor. “We’ve long known that the aging process affects not only the skin but also the fat and muscle layers of the face.” Exercising your face, that is, gently stretching and massaging your facial muscles, strengthens the skin and adds volume.
Annelise Hagen, the creator of the first face yoga course, started doing face yoga nearly 20 years ago after accidentally discovering the practice while training as a yoga teacher. Though she mostly uses face yoga for self-care and relaxation, she does credit it for her youthful appearance saying, “It’s not a substitution for, say, Botox, [but] it does tone and lift your face and makes you look more rejuvenated.”
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Camp cites one 2018 study as evidence, stating that the report found there was “mid-face and lower face fullness” after 20 weeks of daily 30-minute exercises.Even moving your face every day for just eight weeks shows the slightest bit of improvement, Dr. Tassavor says.
However, there is insufficient definite research to conclude that face yoga can fully reverse wrinkles and fine lines—or at least not as much as Botox. So, you won’t get a natural facelift as some yoga practitioners claim, but you will see some muscle hypertrophy (an increase in muscle mass) in the face and a slightly slimmer appearance.
Furthermore, Dr. Tassavor adds that slim research speaks to the mental health benefits of face yoga. However, there are some studies that report slight improvements in mental health attitudes after routine exercises.
The research may not have caught up to the mental health benefits of face yoga, but for yogis like Hagen, face yoga acts as a form of self-care. She says it’s like ugly crying, where you make the weirdest facial expressions but feel so much lighter afterward. She describesyogaas “a medicine” that made her happy and helped her function.
It also helped regulate her nervous system when she was in afight-or-flight state.
“Yoga is one of the main ways [to] help you switch your nervous system from sympathetic—fight or flight—to parasympathetic,” she says. “And parasympathetic is therelaxation response.” Those struggling with anxiety can use face yoga to regulate their nervous system and soothe their anxiousness. Practicing facial exercises can bring your body into “a more slow, calm state of relaxation,” she says, which can help “stop that loop of anxiety and stress.”
Yoga is one of the main ways [to] help you switch your nervous system from sympathetic—fight or flight—to parasympathetic. And parasympathetic is the relaxation response.—ANNELISE HAGEN, CREATOR OF FACE YOGA COURSE
Yoga is one of the main ways [to] help you switch your nervous system from sympathetic—fight or flight—to parasympathetic. And parasympathetic is the relaxation response.
—ANNELISE HAGEN, CREATOR OF FACE YOGA COURSE
Even if you don’t struggle with depression or othermental health conditions, face yoga can still be a form of self-care. Dr. Tassavor says the physical benefits of face yoga (i.e. a slimmer face) greatly improve one’s mood and overall self-confidence.
“We know that there is a certain mind-body connection when it comes to muscles of facial expression,” he says. “Botox, for example, is thought to improve mood through facial feedback. Internal feelings drive facial muscles, which drive facial expression. The reverse can also be true – certain expressions can drive internal feelings! Reducing tension in muscles we commonly tense in anger and anxiety can thus improve your mood.”
The best way to start is to just go for it, Dr. Tassavor says. He recommends Fumiko Takatsu’s Face Yoga Method on YouTube for beginners as it’s easy and simple enough to incorporate into your daily routine. Hagen says classic exercises like Lion’s Breath—opening your mouth and eyes really wide and exhaling your breath slowly, making a distinct “ah” sound—and Kissing the Ceiling—titling your head upright and puckering your clips to make a kiss—are good starting points for new yoga practitioners.
There aren’t any safety concerns when it comes to facial yoga, but bothDr. Campand Dr. Tassavor advise caution when stretching certain areas of the skin, specifically around the eye and forehead.
“The static lines that appear on our foreheads, between our eyebrows, and around our eyes develop as a result of repeated facial muscle contractions over time,” Dr. Camp explains. “When practicing face yoga, the emphasis should not be on repeated facial muscle contraction at the risk of making these types of static lines more pronounced.”
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Every yoga exercise targets a specific area in the face, so there’s no “best” method to choose from. It’s all about which area you’re looking to improve.
If you’re looking for a subtle facelift, try Smelling the Cheese. Press your fingers into your cheekbones with slight pressure and slowly move them upwards to your temple. Don’t stretch or pull, Hagen warns. “You have to put fingertip pressure on it because the face muscles can’t lift weights,” she says. “So, you give them resistance…and that smooths, blends, and lifts up the muscles of the cheeks.”
You can also try the following exercises:
Incorporating Face Yoga into Your Self-Care RoutineDr. Tassavor says you can easily add yoga to your skincare or wellness routine. “Try incorporating it into your morning care routines, daily commute, or time in the shower,” he recommends. “New habits are best built around new ones.” And try to stick to it every day!
Incorporating Face Yoga into Your Self-Care Routine
Dr. Tassavor says you can easily add yoga to your skincare or wellness routine. “Try incorporating it into your morning care routines, daily commute, or time in the shower,” he recommends. “New habits are best built around new ones.” And try to stick to it every day!
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’ll take a couple of weeks to see any anti-aging changes on your face. Progress is slow, Dr. Tassavor says, with results that can take at least eight weeks to notice.
Not only is practicing face yoga safe every day but it’s also encouraged. As with all exercise, consistency is the only way to see results. However, you should be cautious of where on the face you’re “working out,” Dr. Tassavor warns. “While muscle contraction can build volume, remember that it is this very motion that can also cause wrinkles in the first place!” he says. “My advice is to pay attention to areas [where] you may be developing wrinkles already and avoid any exercises that could potentially worsen them.”
And, as always, consult a dermatologist or relevant expert if you’re concerned about damaging your skin. Face yoga may strengthen your muscles and produce collagen, but sometimes the skin—just like the body—does what it wants.
2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alam M, Walter AJ, Geisler A, et al.Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging.JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(3):365-367.Okamoto R, Manabe T, Mizukami K.Effects of facial muscles exercise on mental health: a systematic review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(22):12216.
2 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alam M, Walter AJ, Geisler A, et al.Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging.JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(3):365-367.Okamoto R, Manabe T, Mizukami K.Effects of facial muscles exercise on mental health: a systematic review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(22):12216.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alam M, Walter AJ, Geisler A, et al.Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging.JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(3):365-367.Okamoto R, Manabe T, Mizukami K.Effects of facial muscles exercise on mental health: a systematic review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(22):12216.
Alam M, Walter AJ, Geisler A, et al.Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging.JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(3):365-367.
Okamoto R, Manabe T, Mizukami K.Effects of facial muscles exercise on mental health: a systematic review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(22):12216.
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