As a 51 year old menopausal woman who has had her fair share of life’s challenges & sun exposure & now spends more time in front of a camera than ever before I was becoming aware of changes in the way my face was looking.
Whilst I celebrate my laughter lines as they reflect the rich tapestry of my life which has been full of fun, joy & laughter (despite the inevitable challenges!), there were certain changes in my face that I was less effused about!
As a yoga teacher & mum I was keen to embrace a holistic approach to reversing the ageing process. Invasive techniques & injecting stuff into my face just wasn’t for me. I’d heard a lot about Face Yoga & even bought a book a few years ago which had been discarded on a shelf as life took over.
So I invested in a short 21 day course & practiced everyday for 20 minutes & started to see results: my jaw became more defined; the nasolabial & marionette lines around my mouth were less pronounced; I started to feel more confident in how I was looking & this impacted how I was feeling. Then people started noticing & commenting which was a huge boost! I was hooked!
I invested in another course, did my teacher training & looked out the book – suddenly the exercises that had felt alien & difficult were easy & accessible. I started to craft my own approach & launched the monthly Face Yoga workshops so I could share what I was learning with you.
Last month I blogged about the benefits of Face Yoga which go way beyond looking better but include feeling better, more confident, more in control during the chaos of the menopause – check it out for yourself!
As The October Face Yoga Workshop is back this Saturday & I thought I’d address some basic do’s & don’ts so you can join us feeling fully informed…
Do…
Take a drink & moisturise before you practice – this keeps the skin hydrated & avoids over-stretching the skin!
Practice everyday – regular & often is much more beneficial than one long practice once in a blue moon! It doesn’t take long a few short minutes every morning of facial exercises & a few minutes every evening as you apply your skincare works wonders & gets results!
Be conscious & present in your practice – the intention behind your practice will really impact the results, paying attention, taking your time & being engaged with what you are doing rather than just going through the motions will definitely give you better results!
Use a mirror – this will help you become really comfortable with the poses so that you know you’re doing the exercises right & avoiding unwanted wrinkles!
Be consciously aware & practice conscious relaxation – not just between the exercises & during the practice but throughout the day. Many of our static wrinkles started out as dynamic wrinkles caused by the unconscious movements we make with our face every day like frowning when we’re concentrating & over time became more permanent. Becoming consciously aware & relaxing the face works wonders!
Practice on both sides of your face – just like we ensure we always practice a yoga pose on both sides of the body, it’s important to practice on both sides of the face!
Find the acupressure points & dormant muscles which can at first feel a bit unusual & tricky but very quickly you’ll pick it up – the great thing about Face Yoga is that there aren’t hundreds of different techniques to learn!
Visualise – because it’s not always possible to isolate & move muscles that you may not have moved consciously before, visualizing moving the muscle will give results. This is because mental rehearsal is almost as good as physical rehearsal. One group of people plucked a string for an hour every day for 4 weeks, whilst a second group mentally rehearsed doing so. The first group saw a 30% increase in their muscle strength but what is really interesting is the 2nd group saw an increase of 22%. Thinking about what you’re doing is almost as effective as doing it!
Have fun – lots of the exercises involve pulling funny faces so bringing your sense of humour with you helps & besides having fun is hugely important in supporting your intention!
Don’t…
Practice the same poses over & over – mix it up. In yoga we say the pose you like the least has the most to teach you, it’s kinda the same in Face Yoga. Life is all about balance & variety is after all the spice of life!
Hold your breath – we can be inclined to hold our breath especially if we’re concentrating but it’s important to breathe as this ensures the nutrients are getting to the skin. Conscious breathing not only promotes relaxation but also increases oxygen absorption by 20%!
Drag the skin – use a feather-like touch! During the massage you can get quite deep into the muscle to help to relax it but be mindful of pulling the skin. This is a good tip to apply too when you are applying your skin-care. Did you know gently applying a fine layer of serum or moisturize & then tapping the skin to encourage the blood to flow to the surface aids the absorption of the product?
Don’t continue if you feel pain or discomfort – stop & ask me, that’s what I’m here for!
Face Yoga is now a daily part of my self-care routine & it has really helped me to boost my confidence not just in front of the camera but in my daily life too – I’m way more inclined to venture out au naturelle these days!