Think your yoga practice stops at your neck? Think again. While you’ve been perfecting your downward dog, an entirely different kind of yoga has been gaining serious traction in the beauty world—and it doesn’t require a mat, just your face.
Facial yoga promises to tone, tighten and sculpt your facial muscles through a series of expressions and movements that might make you look slightly ridiculous in the process. But before you dismiss it as just another beauty fad, you might want to hear about the surprising science that suggests it actually works.
Let’s explore how making funny faces for a few minutes each day could potentially save you thousands in skincare products and procedures—and lift both your face and spirits in the process.
The forgotten muscles of your face
Your face contains over 40 muscles that, unlike the rest of your body, are directly attached to your skin. These muscles rarely get the dedicated workout they deserve, yet they’re constantly at work expressing your emotions, helping you eat, and either fighting or surrendering to gravity.
Most of us exercise our bodies to stay fit, but completely neglect these crucial facial muscles. The result? As we age, they weaken and lose tone just like any underused muscle would.
The expression connection
Think about how often you repeat certain facial expressions—squinting at screens, furrowing your brow in concentration, or pursing your lips while thinking. These repetitive movements, combined with decreasing muscle tone, eventually create what we call “expression lines.”
Facial yoga works by both strengthening the muscles that have weakened and relaxing those that have become overly tight from habitual expressions. This balanced approach helps create more harmony in facial muscle tone.
The surprising science behind the silly faces
If making exaggerated smiles and cheek puffs sounds too simplistic to actually work, the research might surprise you. In a notable study published in JAMA Dermatology, researchers found that women who performed a 30-minute daily facial exercise program for 20 weeks appeared an average of three years younger at the end of the study.
The improvements weren’t just subjective—measurements showed increased cheek fullness, a key marker of youthful appearance. The study participants themselves noticed significant improvement in 18 of 20 facial features assessed.
Beyond the surface changes
What makes facial yoga particularly interesting is that it doesn’t just address surface concerns. Unlike topical products that work on skin texture, facial exercises target the underlying structure that supports your skin.
This structural approach addresses one of the main causes of aging that skincare products can’t touch—the loss of fat pads that give the face youthful plumpness and the weakening of muscles that keep those fat pads in their youthful positions.
How facial muscles actually shape your appearance
The relationship between your facial muscles and how you look goes deeper than you might think. Your face has multiple layers—skin, fat, and muscle—all working together to create your unique appearance.
As we age, the fat pads that give our face youthful plumpness begin to thin and shift downward, while muscles lose tone and elasticity. This combination creates the hallmarks of an aging face—sagging, hollowing, and loss of definition.
The facial architecture
Facial yoga approaches this issue by targeting specific muscle groups to create a lifting effect from within. By strengthening these muscles, you essentially create a more supportive scaffolding for your skin and fat pads.
For example, strengthening the zygomaticus muscles that run from your cheekbones to your mouth corners can help lift and define the mid-face area, while working the frontalis muscle in your forehead helps smooth and lift the brow area.
Beyond wrinkles
The benefits of facial yoga extend well beyond wrinkle reduction. Regular practitioners report improved skin circulation, which brings more oxygen and nutrients to skin cells while helping remove waste products more efficiently.
This increased blood flow creates that coveted “yoga glow” that makes skin appear more radiant and healthy. Many people notice this immediate benefit even before the long-term structural improvements become visible.
The tension connection
Many of us carry significant tension in our faces without realizing it. Clenched jaws, furrowed brows, and tightened mouth corners can become habitual, leading to both visible signs of stress and actual discomfort.
Facial yoga incorporates relaxation techniques alongside strengthening moves, helping release chronic tension patterns that contribute to headaches, TMJ pain, and premature aging. This tension release alone can create a more relaxed, youthful appearance.
Getting started with facial fitness
Like any exercise program, consistency is key with facial yoga. Most practitioners recommend a daily practice of about 10-20 minutes, though even a few minutes several times a week can begin to yield benefits.
The cheek lifter
One of the most effective facial yoga poses targets the middle of the face, where many people first notice signs of aging. To perform this move, smile while keeping your lips closed, then press your fingertips gently into the tops of your cheeks. Try to lift your cheeks against this resistance, holding for 30 seconds while breathing normally.
This exercise works the zygomaticus muscles and upper cheek muscles, helping to counteract the downward shift that creates nasolabial folds—those lines that run from your nose to the corners of your mouth.
The forehead smoother
For those concerned about forehead lines, place both hands on your forehead with fingers spread between your eyebrows and hairline. Gently draw the skin downward while trying to raise your eyebrows against this resistance. Hold for 30 seconds while taking deep breaths.
This creates gentle opposition that trains your frontalis muscle to work more efficiently, potentially reducing the depth of horizontal forehead lines over time.
The mindfulness bonus
Beyond the physical benefits, facial yoga offers a surprising mindfulness component that many practitioners come to value as much as the aesthetic improvements.
The practice requires focusing attention on sensations and movements in an area we rarely bring conscious awareness to. This mindful attention helps develop greater facial awareness that naturally leads to releasing unnecessary tension throughout the day.
The stress-skin connection
The mind-body benefits of facial yoga address another significant factor in premature aging—stress. Chronic stress triggers inflammation and hormone fluctuations that accelerate skin aging processes.
By incorporating deep breathing and relaxation into your facial exercises, you’re essentially getting a two-for-one benefit, addressing both the physical aspects of facial aging and one of its major internal causes.
Integrating facial yoga into your routine
Finding time for yet another self-care practice can feel overwhelming, but facial yoga can easily fit into existing routines without requiring significant additional time.
The skincare synergy
One simple approach is pairing facial exercises with your skincare routine. While waiting for your cleanser to work or your serum to absorb, you can perform a few targeted movements, maximizing time you’re already spending on your face.
This approach has the added benefit of ensuring your hands are clean when touching your face, an important consideration for maintaining clear skin.
The screen time solution
Another effortless integration opportunity comes during inevitable screen time. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, you can use those moments to perform subtle facial exercises that don’t require mirrors or hands, like tongue presses or cheek hollows.
Many facial yogis keep reminder notes on their computers or set alarms to prompt them to do quick facial fitness sessions during the workday, turning otherwise passive screen time into a beautifying opportunity.
Common mistakes to avoid
Like any exercise program, proper technique matters. Approaching facial yoga incorrectly can potentially reinforce unwanted lines or create tension rather than releasing it.
The excessive force issue
One common mistake is applying too much force or creating extreme expressions that actually entrench the very lines you’re trying to reduce. Facial yoga should involve gentle to moderate tension, never straining or aggressive pulling.
The movements should feel comfortable and controlled, focusing on precision rather than intensity. Think of it as training your facial muscles for better function, not exhausting them with maximum effort.
The forgotten relaxation phase
Another frequent oversight is neglecting the relaxation component of facial yoga. Each strengthening exercise should be followed by a conscious relaxation of the worked muscles, allowing them to reset to a more neutral position.
This balance of work and release is what creates harmonious muscle tone rather than building tension patterns that could accelerate aging.
The expert guidance factor
While facial yoga is generally accessible and safe, working with trained practitioners can help you target your specific concerns more effectively and ensure proper technique.
Many facial yoga instructors now offer online sessions, making expert guidance more accessible than ever before. Even a single session with a knowledgeable teacher can help you establish a personalized routine that addresses your unique facial structure and concerns.
The beauty of facial yoga lies not just in its potential effectiveness but in its empowering approach to aging. Rather than outsourcing your facial appearance entirely to products and procedures, it offers a way to actively participate in how your face ages. In a world of quick fixes and passive consumption, there’s something deeply satisfying about literally taking your appearance into your own hands—one funny face at a time.
