Yoga for a Healthy Glow

Shahnaz Husain

Have you ever thought about giving your face a workout, just like you do for your body?
While the human face is a thing of beauty, maintaining taut, smooth skin often becomes a challenge as we age. Facial exercises — which you can easily perform at home — can lift and tone the face, reduce signs of ageing, prevent sagging and wrinkles, and improve overall appearance.

Face yoga relaxes, tones, and gives a natural boost to the skin while simultaneously resetting your facial muscles.

Also known as “face yoga,” these exercises are the latest wellness trend sweeping across social media. They involve repetitive movements and massages that target different facial muscles. When these muscles are activated regularly, they feel toned and may offer the sensation of a natural facelift. The concept is to stretch the 57 muscles of the face and neck to tone, firm, and improve circulation — ultimately leading to a youthful glow.

Try These Face Yoga Exercises

1. Puff Your Cheeks
Also known as the “chipmunk cheek squeeze,” this exercise helps slim and firm the face.

• Inhale through your mouth, puffing up your cheeks with air.
• Move the air from cheek to cheek, then release.
• Tilt your head back, push your chin forward, suck in your cheeks, and hold for 8–10 seconds.
• Open your mouth wide, cover your teeth with your lips, and lift your cheeks. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Repeat 50 times.

This boosts blood circulation to your cheeks, promoting a healthy glow and firmer appearance.

2. Smiler

• Pout and then smile quickly in succession.
• Keep the smile wide, hold for 15 seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times.
• Bring your lips together, push them out as if to kiss, and then smile broadly. Do this 10–15 times per session.

This enhances blood circulation and strengthens the jawline.

3. Make a Fish Face
This pose tones the jawline and stretches the neck region.

• Fill your mouth with air, puffing up the cheeks.
• Move the air quickly from one side to the other for a couple of minutes.
• Alternatively, draw your cheeks inward and smile in a ‘fish face’ for 15 seconds. Repeat for 5 minutes.

This reduces hollowness, adds fullness to the cheeks, and gives the skin a glowing look.

Targeted Face Yoga

Forehead:
Frown deeply, pulling the eyebrows together. Then raise them high, opening your eyes wide. Relax and repeat five times.
For an anti-ageing massage:

• Place both hands on the forehead, fingers spread between eyebrows and hairline.
• Sweep fingers outward, applying gentle pressure.
• Repeat 10 times.

Eyes:
Ideal for those spending long hours in front of screens.

• Move your eyes up and down 10 times, then side to side.
• Roll your eyes clockwise and anticlockwise 10 times each.
• Widen your eyes into a ‘surprised’ look and hold as long as possible.
• Look up, raise eyebrows, and slowly close eyelids while still looking up.
  These exercises firm drooping eyelids and reduce puffiness.

Neck:

• Tilt your head back, look at the ceiling, and perform chewing movements with your mouth closed. Repeat 15–20 times.
• Pucker your lips as if trying to kiss the ceiling. Do this 10 times.
• Move the lower lip over the upper lip and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
• Open your mouth wide, drop the lower jaw, and push it forward. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

Facial yoga is a natural, non-invasive option that involves various massages and exercises to target the face, neck, and shoulders. As blood circulation increases, skin tightens and begins to glow.

I advise practising facial yoga consistently for 20–30 minutes, seven times a week. Visible changes may begin appearing within four to six weeks.