Every time I look in the mirror lately, I swear there’s a new line that wasn’t there the day before. A little crease near the eyes, a softer bit under the jaw, something pulling slightly south. And I’ve made peace with most of it, but I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t want to give nature a helping hand.
There’s only so much a cream can do, and I’m not one for needles. Botox, fillers, any of that, it just isn’t me. So when my friend Becky, who teaches yoga and has been doing her best to make me flexible again, suggested we add a few face yoga moves at the end of last week’s class, I was all ears.
The face is muscle like anywhere else, and if you can tone your glutes, you can tone your jawline.
9 Face Yoga Moves To Make You Look Younger
A small but well-cited study from Northwestern University followed women practicing daily face yoga for 20 weeks and found that their cheeks appeared fuller and their faces appeared younger by the end.Â
Becky walked me through these 9 moves. You don’t need anything special, just a willingness to look a bit daft for ten minutes a day. Use gentle pressure when the move asks for it, don’t tug, and try to do them most days. Consistency is the whole game with face yoga, and a little every day will get you further than a long session once a week.
The cheek lifter
Open your mouth into an O shape and pull your upper lip down over your teeth so they’re covered. Then smile to lift your cheek muscles, place your index fingers gently on your cheekbones, and release the muscles to push your cheeks back down. Lift them back up by smiling again. Repeat ten times.
Becky told me to imagine I’m trying to lift my cheeks up to my eyebrows, which sounds silly, but it’s the cue that makes it work.
The happy cheeks sculpting
Smile without showing your teeth, press your lips together, then pucker your lips to one side and hold for a count of ten. Switch to the other side and hold for ten again. Do five reps on each side.
This one works the smile lines that frame the mouth, the ones that deepen first.
The forehead smoother
Who doesn’t want a smoother forehead? Make fists with both hands and place them in the center of your forehead, knuckles pointing towards each other. Press gently and slide your fists outward across your forehead to your temples, smoothing the skin as you go. Do this slowly, ten times.
Gentle is the word. You’re not trying to iron your face; you’re encouraging the muscles to release.
The brow lifter
Place three fingertips of each hand under your eyebrows to force your eyes open. Try to frown while pushing up against your fingers, which gives the muscles something to work against. Hold for six seconds, then release. Repeat ten times.
After a week of doing it, my eyelids felt a bit lighter, like the heaviness I’d been blaming on tiredness wasn’t just tiredness. Becky says it’s all about that resistance work.
The eye opener
Place your middle fingers at the inner corners of your eyebrows and your index fingers on the outer corners. Look up and gently lift the brow muscles up while squinting your lower eyelids. You should feel a slight tremble. Hold for a few seconds, relax, and repeat six times.
It’s meant to wake up the muscles around the eyes and reduce the puffy, tired look that creeps in with age and not enough sleep.
The neck firmer
Tilt your head back so you’re looking at the ceiling. Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, then bring your lower lip up over your top lip as far as you can. Hold for ten seconds, then release. Repeat ten times.
Nobody wants a turkey neck, and, as it’s part of your body you can see, you want it to look as good as it possibly can, unless it’s winter and you’re wearing a scarf. I’d never thought about it as a muscle that needed work, but Becky pointed out that we strengthen everything from our calves to our cores and ignore the bit that’s on show every single day.
The jawline sculptor
Suck your cheeks in to make a fish face, then try to smile while keeping the suction. Hold for five seconds, release, and repeat ten times. You’ll feel the burn along your jaw within about three reps.
This one’s my favorite because the results show up fastest. After about two weeks of doing it regularly, the line from my ear to my chin felt a bit more defined.
The lion’s pose
Take a deep breath in through your nose, then exhale forcefully through your mouth while sticking your tongue out as far as it’ll go, opening your eyes wide, and looking up. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat three or four times.
Becky and I did this together and ended up in absolute hysterics. There is no dignified way to do a lion’s pose. But it releases tension across the whole face, works the muscles around the mouth and eyes at once, and apparently it’s also good for the throat. Bonus.
The lip plumper
Pucker your lips into a tight kiss shape and hold for five seconds. Then smile as wide as you can while keeping your teeth together, and hold for another five seconds. Alternate between the two for ten reps.
This is the one I do at the end because it feels the most relaxing. The little lines that form around the lips, the ones that show up when you press them together, are surprisingly responsive to a bit of regular movement.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not medical or cosmetic advice. Face yoga results vary from person to person, and consistency over weeks and months is what produces visible change. If you have any skin conditions, recent cosmetic procedures, or facial injuries, check with a dermatologist or your healthcare provider before starting a new facial exercise routine.