Face Yoga Class: Week 2 Reflections

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Join us next Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 6pm PST for week 3 of class, during which we will focus on the CHEEKS!

Introduction

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

During Week 2 of our 6 part face yoga series, we focused on the neck. Naturally, as you age, the neck will sag and loosen, causing neck wrinkles, multiple chins, and sagging jowels. Gravity acts on the skin, and the muscles start to fall, which causes extra fat due to the loss of toned muscles. Facial yoga can naturally tone and tighten the muscles beneath the skin’s surface to regain a toned and smooth appearance.

So, how do we prevent the dreaded “turkey neck?”

1. Posture

Due to our modern sedentary lifestyles in front of digital screens, many people develop neck wrinkles and neck lines even in their 20’s. The good news is, we can prevent these lines from forming and reverse their appearance if they have already formed. In fact, the neck area is one of the easiest areas to tone and see results fast.

Many subconscious habits could contribute to the development of neck wrinkles. Spending hours looking down at your phone is one common bad posture habit. Slouching the shoulders also leads to a bad position of the head and neck, which creates neck lines.

To prevent neck wrinkles, we must cultivate awareness around how we hold our head, our neck, and our shoulders throughout the day, which will give us insightinto how we may be contributing to a double chin, neck wrinkles, and saggy jowls.

How do you sit at your desk?
Are you creating a double chin while you work?
Are you creating neck creases by leaning your head to one side as you talk on the phone?

These small habits go unnoticed in your day-to-day life, but over time they encourage neck wrinkles.

2. Sleep Position

We spend a lot of time sleeping, and if you’re sleeping in a position that doesn’t support your face, you may be spending a lot of time inadvertently aging your skin.

When you sleep on your side, one side of your face is squished into the pillow–you might even wake up with lines and creases. With time, this will leave you with lasting wrinkles and deep nasolabial folds, or even an asymmetrical face.

How To Correct Side Sleeping

When sleeping on the side with a regular pillow, get an additional body pillow. Position the pillow vertically, one side between your legs and the other side you can hug so that your face isn’t completely squished on the side. You’ll notice how much fresher you wake up when you give your face this space to breathe!

Ideal Sleeping Position For Your Face

The best sleep position for your face is sleeping on your back.When sleeping on your back, your face doesn’t get squished, preventing lines and wrinkles on the side of your face. However, sleeping on your back can cause neck creases and a double chin if your pillow is too high.Yet even back sleepers may create a double chin if their head position makes their chin tilt forward. If you stay in this position for a duration of time, your neck will eventually create creases in that area.

Invest in a comfortable pillow for better sleep and a more youthful neck!

Class 2 Recap

Warm Up |SHOO PA POSE

Inhale deeply through the nose and make a forceful “shhh” sound while exhaling, scrunching the face together as tightly as you can.
Once you’ve fully let all the air out, spread your face as wide as you can in one explosive movement, making a “pah!” sound and opening your eyes wide in an expression of surprise.
For this pose, you will breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Practice this pose 3-5 times.
Close your eyes and feel your muscles settle

Pose 1 | HE HE HEE POSE

Inhale deeply from the nose, then exhale swiftly from the mouth breathing air out making a “HE HE HEE” sound, while showing your lower teeth. Make sure your neck muscles are moving.
Make two short “he” sounds and one long “hee sound” as you exhale.
Immediately relax your face after each exhale.
Make sure your neck muscles are moving.
When you’re finished, close your eyes and feel your muscles settle.
This prevents and improves the double chin and neck wrinkles.

Pose 2 | KISS ME POSE

Pucker your lips by bringing in the corners of your mouth to the center, making a small hole with your mouth.
Breath in and out through your nose
On your last breath, close your eyes and gently lift up your chin as if you were kissing someone taller than you.
Keep the pose for 10 seconds.
When you finish, you may swish around air from cheek to cheek to relax and stretch the muscles you just used.
This pose trains the muscles around the mouth to help prevent sagging cheeks.

Cool Down Pose |SCREAM POSE

The key with this pose is to not put too much tension in your mouth while making a slender 0 shape with your mouth.
Use a mirror or a phone in selfie mode and raise the mirror or phone slowly over your head, following your reflection with your gaze.
Hold your face still and your mouth in a slender 0 shape, and raise your gaze while following the mirror with your eyes.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
The muscles around the eyes are strengthened by the opposing force of your mouth going down in the slender 0 position and your eyes going up as you raise your gaze to follow your mirror or selfie.
This is effective in preventing sagging of the upper and lower eyelids and cooling down the muscles that were used.

Lymphatic drainage

Moisturize your face with the Shikohin Enlightening Night Serum or any facial moisturizer.
Use Shikohin’s ceramic Gua Sha or your index and middle fingers to trace your jawline from the chin to behind the ear. Continue down the neck toward your collarbone.
Repeat 5-8 times starting from the chin and moving toward the right ear and down your neck toward the collarbone, then repeat starting from the chin and moving toward the left ear and down your neck.
Take your two fingers or gua sha and trace your collarbone from your sternum (center of your chest) to your right armpit. Do this 5-8 times, then repeat on the left side.

Practice these poses everyday for 2-3 minutes each, and you will see noticeable changes in your facial structure and posture!

See you next week!