Just like sunblock is the best and most cost-effective anti-aging cream out there on the market, specific yoga exercises for the face are the cheapest and most valuable anti-wrinkling agents available to you.
We move the muscles in our body on a regular basis, except those in the face. When we move our body, we tone, we strengthen, we increase the flow of oxygenated blood to the muscles in our arms, our legs, our torso, around the shoulders, into the feet and hands, to enhance performance and overall wellbeing. So why do we stop at the neck?
It's like getting a head massage at the hairdresser. Who doesn't enjoy that? Scalp massages help to create a good environment for hair growth, by promoting circulation to the hair follicles. Blood flow to the hair cells means healthier hair growing out of your scalp.
Again, why do we continue to the ignore the face? Not any more.
Here are my top three face yoga techniques to strengthen the eye muscles, boost circulation to the face, and reduce lines in the forehead for that radiant-looking skin.
When we gesture with facial expressions, we tend to wrinkle up the forehead. C'mon we all do it! We don't use the full range of our eyes, but rather turn our head if we want to look at something not directly in front of us. Let's fix that. Place a palm on your forehead to encourage this part of your face to relax, then begin to look up and look down without moving your head, while at the same time expressing less with the forehead. Then move the eyes side to side to really wake up the eye area, reminding us that perhaps we don't use the eyes to their full potential. Now make your eyes as wide as possible, without input from your forehead. An excellent method to strengthen the orbicularis oculi, which is a muscle in the face that closes the eyelids. This technique is also fantastic to create energy in the face, get rid of dark areas under the eyes and reduce puffiness.
Now let's tone the lower face muscles. Make an 'o' shape with your mouth, and then wrap your mouth around your teeth and make a smile shape turning up the corners slightly. Repeat.
Finally, the tapping technique is a must. Begin lightly tapping your fingers all over your forehead. This helps to boost circulation while relaxing tension in the muscles. Now come down and continue tapping under the eyes, then over the cheeks, under the nose and down to the chin and neck. Make sure you have clean hands and a clean face.
Just five minutes per day doing the above yoga techniques is all you need to feel the glow inside and out. Practise these exercises at your next Activ Life yoga class with me!
Louise FitzRoy is the Principal of Activ Life, a leading health and wellness company based in the Cayman Islands. If you enjoyed this article you may also like: Anti-aging yoga secrets and Can yoga tone my body?