Face Yoga For Maintaining Youthful Looks Without Going Under The Knife

Exercises for your face may just be the answer to maintaining your youthful looks without going under the knife. Arissa Ha explores this low-cost option that has been flying under the radar thus far

- Arissa Ha

If you want strong abs, you’d be doing planks and crunches. Defined guns? Bicep curls and pull-ups. So it makes perfect sense to give your facial muscles a workout if you want a toned, lifted and generally younger-looking visage. But don’t just take our word for it—celebrities who swear by facial exercises, aka face yoga, include the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, who once shared in a 2014 interview that she practises Nichola Joss’s facial yoga exercises. She had said then that “it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are way more sculpted.”

FACE YOGA ROYALTY

Among the most recognisable faces in the field are Gary Sikorski, creator of Happy Face Yoga, one of the longest-established facial exercise programmes, and Fumiko Takatsu, who developed the Face Yoga Method as a means of correcting the facial asymmetry caused by a near-fatal car accident she suffered at 35. The latter method, in particular, has found widespread popularity— perhaps because its effects are so apparent on the youthful 50-something creator herself, who has since written bestselling books on face yoga, and made numerous TV and radio appearances to share more about her craft. She and her team also organise face yoga events and workshops, and offer online courses for both learners and aspiring teachers of the method.