"Defining beauty looks beyond the face.
It's the way we feel on the inside.
That accepting, confident, feeling.
It's what we exude outwards...
How we treat others, is the reflection of our self-esteem...
Of how we truly feel about ourselves.
For me, true beauty is determined by the aura of a person."
So, Why Facial Yoga?
Face yoga focuses on the wellbeing of the inner self.
Of course, external beauty does not bring happiness, however, when we look good, we feel good. Looking good can improve our self-esteem, and make us feel better about ourselves.
Still, face yoga offers benefits far deeper than physical appearance.
Face yoga can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime; No equipment, no cosmetics, no devices, just your conscious breathing, and proper posture.
Face Yoga Is Effective
There is so much pressure on women especially, to look good, and the rise in social media gives fake perceptions of reality. Yes, we cannot defy aging and gravity, so we should not fall prey to the promises written on jars, tubes, and bottles by cosmetics companies...and worst behind the knives or needles of surgeons, when there are natural remedies such as face yoga that has proven benefits.
My minimalist approach to health and wellbeing encompasses a lot of resistance training for toning, instead of relying on additional devices. The face is an area that is easily neglected, and face yoga could be far more beneficial than investing in expensive trips to a cosmetologist, or a beautician.
What's the purpose of doing facial yoga?
In a nutshell, face yoga is for strengthening and toning the muscles of the face.
The face has many muscles that play vital roles.
These muscles are located around the areas that face yoga, particularly targets;
- Around the mouth area,
- Around the nose area,
- Around the eyes,
- and around the ears.
As we age, the muscles around these areas weaken which causes droopiness and sagging, weakness, and reduces our ability to move all parts of our face.
The face is no different from the rest of our bodies. There are many vital muscles in the face, that have specific purposes; and if not used, over time we could lose our ability to carry out simple and essential functions.
The muscles in our face help us to carry out basic functions like speaking, chewing, and also facial expressions.
Facial Yoga is particularly beneficial to me because it brings consciousness to the natural movements of my facial muscles. For example the use of my eyes. The muscles are weak, which affects not only my vision but it also causes some droopiness. I've observed the way I use my eyes to look at things around me. My natural tendency bad habit is to apply movement to my head, instead of circulating my eyes to their full capacity.
Other Benefits I gain from Face Yoga
I have the confidence to make my bedtime face, my all-day face, as seen in this photo.
- The facial exercises help to increase the flow of oxygen to my face.
- The increased flow of oxygen helps to give a natural glow.
- It helps to relax my mind and ease tension.
- It makes me laugh because I know just how ridiculous I look.
- The laughter it gives me is a natural endorphin, a pain reliever, which makes me feel good.
- Doing Face Yoga helps me to naturally practise deep breathing from my diaphragm.
- Better control of the muscles I use when speaking and moving my face.
Face Yoga is non-invasive, gentle, and makes you more self-aware of your breathing and posture. Good alignment can cause less stress on problematic areas such as the neck, jaw, shoulders, and all this, in turn, helps your spine.
This is the first of a series of my minimalistic practices for fitness and wellbeing; I hope that you've found this information interesting, and if you're intrigued, keep an eye out for part 2.
Pat 2 will go into detail about the skin and facial muscles, problematic areas, and face yoga routines.
Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave comments or asks questions below:)