The face responds to what the mind is thinking. And luckily, the opposite is also true. As a kid, when I was anxiously concentrating on something, my mom would ask me, “Why are you making that face?” I had no idea I was doing anything with my face because I was very much inside of my head and very outside of my body at that moment. My face was participating in my mind’s plans even though I didn’t know it. Thankfully I discovered Face Yoga and I know what my face is doing now.
As a yoga teacher, I’m not only scanning for positioning and alignment in the students’ bodies, I’m also watching their faces. It shows me if I need to make adjustments to my teaching because I can see on their faces if they look stressed or bored or confused. When I give the cue to “relax your face”, there’s always an energetic shift in the room. Relaxing the face helps to relax the nervous system.
HOW FACE YOGA WORKS
In Face Yoga, we use facial exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles of the face and neck. We also use our hands to create resistance as well as massage and manipulate the face. The exercises encourage the face to want to stay in the softer position. This is nice for aesthetic reasons on the outside and also because this relieves anxiety and resistance on the inside.
If we can get our faces to relax, our minds will get the message that we are okay and there isn’t a need to make some getaway plan or prepare for the worst. We use our faces to tell people how we feel about our interactions with them through smiles, raised eyebrows, flared nostrils and frowns. Use your own face to communicate to yourself. What facial expression feels peaceful and relaxed from the inside? Try to make that face as often as possible.
MORE FACE YOGA PRACTICES TO RELAX YOUR FACE
Along with Face Yoga, I use facial patches, while I’m sleeping or relaxing at home. My favorite ones are Toute Nuit. They are clear and you can wear them at least twice before throwing them away. I also love my Jade Roller that I keep in the freezer and start every morning with. I keep a Lavender Eye Pillow on my bedside table to place over my eyes at night or when I have a headache. It’s great to use in Yin Yoga and Savasana in yoga classes, too.
Here is a Face Yoga class to give a try. You don’t need to do all of them every day but find a few that feel the best to you and integrate them into your life. What’s nice is you can do them while walking, driving, scrolling social media or watching a show.