Toned muscles. Taut skin...Sounds good, right? But I'm not talking about the results of a gym workout. This is facial yoga.
A little while ago I became intrigued by the practice of contorting the face repetitively (and often hilariously) in the pursuit of toned facial muscles. A quick scan of the internet reveals a plethora of sites for facial yoga, claiming that the practice can lift sagging skin and erase wrinkles. You can even connect with a Yoga Facial Toning Certified Instructor to assist your yoga practice.
Despite the hype, I figured that the principles behind facial yoga were sound. I already go to the gym, so why not invest a little time on my facial muscles as well? I decided to give it a go.
There are plenty of youtube videos targeting specific concerns with facial yoga. I settled on cheek and undereye exercises with Happy Face Yoga.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoNeuAloVlU
I've been dutifully raising my cheeks and blinking my eyes to Gary's intructions every morning for the past few weeks. My cheeks definitely feel a slight strain after the exercises - but I'm not yet convinced that I can see any difference. However, I'm sure that at 8am in the morning an extra three minutes of relaxation can't hurt. Time will tell whether the results are as impressive as claimed, but in the meantime I think that I might just continue making funny faces for now - if only for a laugh.
Hi! Thanks for trying my exercises. Yes, they really work great, but I do suggest trying a few more to see better results. The facial muscles are like a patchwork quilt, so you really need to exercise a few areas! It's sort of like going to the gym. If you go and do just one exercise, your results will be minimal. But good luck and thanks! Gary
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary! It's been a little while since I wrote that post and I've been keeping up with the exercises. I do them in the morning, and I think that they help to de-puff my eyes. I'm thinking of adding some lower-face exercises to the regime now as well. Mel
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