You may have a dedicated yoga routine for your body, but what about your face? Whether its dark circles or fine lines, face yoga promises to address it all. “Facial exercises when done regularly help with facial muscles and circulation. They cannot replace good skincare habits, but there are several studies that endorse facial yoga as an effective anti-ageing treatment,” says Dr. Madhuri Agarwal, Medical Director & CEO, Yavana Aesthetics Clinic. “When the muscles are nudged in the right direction, it can prevent sagging, increase blood flow to the face and also improve absorption of any products,” adds Vibhuti Arora, face yoga expert and founder, House of Beauty India. Here are Arora’s top three facial yoga poses that can be effortlessly added into your skincare routine.
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Concern: Dark circles
Exercise: The eye ‘V’
Make a ‘V’ with your index and middle fingers and place it on the corners of your eyes. Now, move your eyeballs from right to left and left to right 20 times. Close your eyes and rest them for a count of 10. Repeat this 20 times. “You may feel a little pain inside your eye, but this is the process of building muscle strength. As the exercise works on your eye muscles, the gentle pressure creates stimulation, that helps reduce dark circles. You could follow up with a massage with either ice globes or chilled spoons,” advises Arora.
Concern: Saggy cheeks
Exercise: Smiling fish face
Arora explains that this exercise is a variation of the original fish face exercise. “It is beneficial for face lifting and also erasing crow’s feet.” For this exercise, hold a fish face for 30 seconds which is suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. The second step is to try and smile while holding the fish face. Arora warns that while doing this, there should be no lines created in the crow’s feet region.
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Concern: Double chin
Exercise: The poser
Start by sitting or standing tall, spine straight, neck straight. Next, take your hands and make a namaste over your head. Now, look to the left or right, take your tongue out and try to touch it to the tip of your nose. Hold it for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise on the other side. Do three reps on each side. “Apart from the facial features, this also helps in balancing the overall shoulder alignment,” adds Arora.
Also Read:
3 facial yoga routines that will help tone and sculpt your face
4 ways to tone your skin with face yoga
Why facial massage is the skincare habit I’m committing to in 2021