By Radhika Agrawal
19-Jun-2023
Yoga comes in many shapes and forms. This International Yoga Day, we spoke to Yoga practitioners from diverse backgrounds to find out more about the various Yoga disciplines around the world. Face Yoga quite literally means Yoga for your facial muscles. A few studies have shown that it helps fight signs of ageing and promotes a healthy facial glow. We sat down with beauty entrepreneur Vibhuti Arora, Founder of FaceYoga School, to delve deeper into the nuances and benefits of Face Yoga.
What is Face Yoga? Can you tell us about its origins?
Vibhuti Arora: At FaceYoga School by House of Beauty India, Face Yoga is the science of exercising your face with the correct techniques. Did you know that our face has 40+ face muscles? If you count the muscles of the mouth and neck, there are 57+ facial muscles! When you massage, lift, tighten and exercise these muscles, they become plump, which stretches and tightens the skin on top, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The circulation of blood in turn increases and helps the 7 layers of your skin to be better nourished and more hydrated. Face Yoga is a great alternative to burning facial fat, defining your jawline, chiselling your cheeks, and freezing static muscles. It’s also an alternative to Botox, fillers, and surgery. Also, it is a fantastic anti-ageing technique for women and men to age gracefully. At the House of Beauty India, the Face Yoga technique is broken down into Face Stretches, Face Cardio, Face Yoga, Cool down, and Tool incorporation.
The origin of Face Yoga is very much Indian—the Rigveda has 8 exercises (asanas) mentioned in it. I too have developed over 100 Face Yoga asanas and massage techniques, including a signature 1 minute Vibhuti massage.
When did you start your journey with Face Yoga and what are some differences you have observed in yourself since then?
Vibhuti Arora: I started my journey with Face Yoga 12 years ago. I suffer from an autoimmune skin condition called lupus. While practising traditional Yoga, I stumbled upon 8 Face Yoga asanas, which I further developed. I have seen major changes in my facial skin and have observed the change in thousands of female clients in their anti-ageing journey. I have even helped people with hemi-facial spasms, facial paralysis, and TMJ issues. I have seen 80% improvement in my under eye issues, facelifting, and sculpting of my cheeks and neck lines, which are now almost gone.
What are some unique benefits of Face Yoga?
Vibhuti Arora: All of the exercises I teach at HOB have been designed to work on not only the 57+ facial muscles, but also on the 3 primary skin layers. Our faces comprise epidermis, the topmost layer of the skin (the cells); dermis, the middle layer where the connective tissue (elastin) is present; and the hypodermis, where the fatty tissue (collagen) and muscles are present. By exercising these layers, we can boost blood circulation, leading to lymphatic drainage (release of toxins), which in turn improves the ability of product absorption into your skin. In addition to these hand massages, HOB Face tools add precise result-oriented goals for each face.
Being a new and niche form of health and wellness, how popular and credible is Face Yoga considered in the current scenario? What are some ways awareness can be raised about the discipline?
Vibhuti Arora: FaceYoga is becoming extremely popular and loved, with people all over the world seeing quantifiable results. Jama Dermatology, the National Institutes of Health, and others have published multiple papers in this regard. Imparting the knowledge to more teachers globally through our certified teacher training course, digital promotion, Yoga day talks, and client testimonies are the best way to create awareness about Face Yoga.
What are some myths associated with Face Yoga?
Vibhuti Arora: Some FaceYoga myths are:
? It doesn’t work! Haha.
? It creates more lines.
? FaceYoga can never replace injectables or procedures. I believe that FaceYoga is far superior in its results.
? FaceYoga originated in Japan or the USA. In reality, it originated in India.
Can you suggest a few Face Yoga exercises that anyone can do from anywhere?
Vibhuti Arora: A few exercises to beat a double chin are Invert Tongue, Jowl Shaper, Air Kisses, Chin Lifts, and Jaw Destressor.
What is your wellness mantra?
Vibhuti Arora: My wellness mantra is to ‘Glow inside out.’ A pro tip is to wake up, wash your face with facewash, remove all the oil and toxins that your skin has released via night regeneration, and rebuild your face oil with FaceYoga.
