The Complete Yoga Community

Face the facts
While most of us would agree with the ‘grow old gracefully’ dictum, if we were really honest with ourselves and accepted the sheer vanity of it all, we would probably admit that when it comes to our looks, we are not nearly as preoccupied with growing old gracefully as we are with trying to fight the aging process. Then again, while the elixir of eternal youth eludes us, we can still manage to slow down our rate of physical decline over the years.

Yoga – your way to youthfulness
Our emotions, including anger, pain and stress, affect how our body functions on all levels, never mind their generous contributions towards wrinkles and sagging skin. Yoga works by relaxing the organs and muscles that carry the weight of these emotions and banishes negative thoughts from our minds before they impact our physical wellbeing.

On a purely biological level, practicing specific yoga facial exercises on a daily basis helps to increase circulation in the facial region so that vital nutrients are carried to your skin cells and toxic wastes are carried away before they can damage the cells.  Facial exercises also help to develop good protein and muscle in the deeper layers of the skin cells, which is where the collagen fibres give the skin its firmness and elasticity – both key factors in maintaining a youthful appearance.

3 Top tips before you start
1. Warm-up exercises To get your circulation going and prepare your face for the exercises that follow, open and close your mouth a few times and smile to each side, while keeping your eyes and forehead relaxed.
2. Do the exercises slowly By controlling your facial movements during each posture, you are working all the muscle fibres, strengthening and toning them. This is equally important when you release the positions. The slower you can do the exercises, the more effective they will be.
3. Don’t forget to breathe Muscles need oxygen to function properly. Breathing also helps to expel wastes and toxins from your body. Inhale before you tense the muscle, exhale slowly as you tense the muscle into position. Breathe slowly and rhythmically as you count for the hold, take a deep breath before you release the position and release while exhaling slowly.

Lion Face
While this classic yoga position (Simhasana) is done sitting on your heels, hands with fingers outstretched on your knees (like the paws of a lion), you can do this just as well sitting up straight in a chair. To start, breathe slowly and hold your breath for as long as you can, then stick your tongue out, open your eyes as wide as you can and maintain this posture for a count of 20 or longer. In order to get the maximum benefit, your tongue should be as close to your chin as possible.

This pose not only increases blood circulation to the face and releases tense muscles around the mouth, but it also exercises your eyes. To exercise your eyes even more, do this exercise first looking up at your eyebrows, and repeat, looking down at the tip of your nose. It may take a good deal of practice, but the results are well worthwhile.

Fish Face

The Pucker: Either standing or sitting erect, tilt your head back as far as possible, so that the back of your head is almost between your shoulder blades and your face is parallel to the ceiling. Take a deep breath and hold it. Pucker up like a fish, suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. Keep breathing through your nose for a count of 10. Now try to smile, that is, stretch your lips. It might feel uncomfortable until you get the hang of it; breathe in and out as slowly as you can.

The Pout: In the same starting position, take a deep breath in and as you exhale, start curling your lower lip over your upper lip, trying to reach your nose with your upper lip. Hold this position for a count of 10 while continuing to breathe through your nose. Take another deep breath and bring your lower lip down to a pout, again holding it there for a count of 10.  Relax your lower lip to a count of 5 and bring your head up slowly.

If performed correctly you should feel the stretch down your throat, under your chin and in the chin itself. These exercises can be done even more effectively if you lie down flat on your bed, with your head hanging down off the edge. You can also do these exercises during your regular yoga practice while remaining in ‘The Bridge’ posture (Urdhva Dhanurasana).

‘QE’
Sitting up straight while keeping your face as relaxed as possible, say ‘Q’ and hold your mouth in an exaggerated pucker for a count of 5. Release slowly and grit your teeth hard, while saying an exaggerated ‘eee’, until your lips are stretched as wide as possible, and hold for a count of 5, before slowly releasing and bringing your mouth back to a relaxed position. This is an excellent exercise for the lips, lower cheeks and laugh lines.

Neck Rolls
Sitting erect, lengthen your neck and drop your shoulders, then drop your head forward so that your chin is on your chest. Feel the stretch at the back of your neck. Slowly rotate your head so that you are looking over your right shoulder. Gently drop your head back, open your mouth wide and feel the stretch under your chin and down your throat, then slowly rotate your head to the left shoulder.

Scrunches
Sitting erect, breathe in, close your eyes tight and purse the lips together as tightly as possible. Bunch up your fists and make a face as if you were scrunching your face to stop from crying. Release the pose when you need to take a breath. This relaxes the whole face and relieves any residual tension in the body. Once you’ve repeated five times, relax the face and allow the cheeks, forehead and whole face to soften.

Does facial yoga really work?
With regular practice most people will begin to see results within the first month or so. If your face muscles are really sagging and out of tone, you will probably see the difference within a few weeks. Doing these exercises won’t make you look as if you’ve had a face lift, but they will transform your face so you won’t look as though you need one.
Nip Tuck vs. No to Surgery
When it comes to cosmetic surgery, here’s what the yogi’s have to say…
Wendy (Nandiva) Wood: Plastic surgery is a personal choice. We grow to realise that there is no wrong or right at the end of the day, and who’s to judge anyway. If having plastic surgery makes one feel better about oneself, then go for it, but never feel guilty for having done it. There are no rules or laws in Yoga. Let our Yoga release us and set us free from other people’s opinions and judgements and move into our own inner harmony and beauty. We are here to create beauty, which is harmony – mentally, physically and spiritually.

Wendy is an initiate of Kavi Yogiraj Mani Finger and has been practicing yoga for over twenty years. She has continued the tradition of ISHTA teachings by creating the ISHTA Yoga Studio in Athol, Johannesburg.

Ashleigh Caradas: I am very much pro-choice, and if plastic surgery is going to bring you joy – then do it. However, the underlying dissatisfaction and low self-esteem that may accompany the choice to undergo plastic surgery should be looked at first, as I believe the problem is often not as “bad” as the person perceives it to be. There are also amazing non-surgical options out there, which include dietary modifications, supplements, creams, peels and oxygen treatments. And of course, a regular yoga practice modified to help mould the body part in question can also work wonders.

Ashleigh Caradas is a registered dietician in private practice. She has recently completed her yoga teacher training in India and practices Ashtanga Vinyasa. Ashleigh is also offering children’s yoga classes in Norwood Johannesburg.

By Hayley Alexander