Danielle Collins’ 5 facial yoga exercises to firm the face

The expert in facial yoga Danielle Collins has just published in Spain the book “Facial Yoga” (Ediciones Urano), which proposes practical exercises to achieve smoother and younger skin. Here we present 5 exercises to start improving our skin.

When Danielle Collins fell ill and developed chronic fatigue syndrome, she began to inquire about how natural medicine could help her. This is how he learned about yoga and its benefits.

Over time he trained in this discipline and began to teach. His concern led him to investigate the benefits of yoga for the skin. After years of research, she developed the Danielle Collins Facial Yoga Method, which combines facial exercises, acupressure, facial massage, facial relaxation, and good habits to achieve smooth skin and tone supporting muscles.

Danielle Collins has just published the book Facial Yoga: Firming facial exercises and inspiring tips to shine inside and out (Ediciones Urano), where she exposes the secrets of her method and proposes practical exercises with descriptions to do them step by step, as well as routines aimed at specific areas or the entire face and advice on nutrition and general well-being to achieve a smooth skin.

WHAT IS FACIAL YOGA AND WHAT IS IT FOR

Facial yoga is a method that, through acupressure and massage on the facial muscles, facilitates blood flow, natural exfoliation of the skin and lymphatic drainage of the area. If practiced daily, it reduces puffiness, inflammation and uneven skin tone.

Danielle Collins’ facial exercises are based on relaxing and releasing tension in the facial muscles to stimulate blood flow and teaching the mind to consciously relax those muscles. According to research by Collins, the combination of these exercises is effective in improving mental health and facial expression.

WHO IS GOOD FOR FACIAL YOGA?

Facial yoga is a natural option to reduce wrinkles and expression lines, although Danielle Collins assures that it is not a rejuvenating instrument, but rather a tool within our reach to feel healthier inside and out. “Make facial yoga a routine, a ritual and a way to express love for yourself. Make it an instrument for life,” explains Danielle Collins in her book Facial Yoga.

Thus, facial yoga is aimed at all those who consider taking care of their beauty, well-being and health in a natural way.

BENEFITS OF PRACTICING FACIAL YOGA

Danielle Collins facial yoga proposes to apply several techniques that exert different benefits on the skin and that, together, improve its appearance:

• Facial massage. It reduces stress on the face, increases blood flow to the skin and muscles and promotes lymphatic drainage.
• Facial acupressure. It consists of applying pressure to specific points on the face. It relieves the tension in the facial muscles and, according to oriental medicine, it favors the balance of the body and the mind, which is reflected in the face.
• Facial relaxation Any type of relaxation can help relax the face, reducing the formation of fine lines.
• Improved personal well-being. According to Collins, personal care and love for yourself is essential to have a smooth skin. “If we feel good on the inside, we look good on the outside,” he explains in his book Facial Yoga (Ediciones Urano).

5 EXERCISES TO START PRACTICING FACIAL YOGA

Danielle Collins has selected 5 facial yoga exercises (explained step by step) to start getting in touch with the discipline of facial yoga. Practiced daily, they help keep the skin in different areas of the face smooth. 

1. The cheekbone hook

This exercise is excellent for relieving tension in the cheek muscles. In addition, it helps your cheeks appear brighter and more invigorated.

How to do it:

1. Make hooks with the indexes. Place each knuckle under one cheekbone, right next to the nose.
2. Press inward under the cheekbones and gently slide the knuckle up and out, following the contour of the cheekbone.
3. When you reach the top of each cheekbone, repeat one more time, only with upward movements. Continue for a minute.

Special Tip from Danielle Collins: Use a plant-based oil to help your fingers glide on more smoothly.

2. The butterfly

The action of this massage helps to relieve tension in the hero muscle that runs between your eyebrows, preventing the formation of expression lines in that area.

How to do it:

1. Use the index, middle, and ring fingers of both hands to smooth the area between the eyebrows. Move your hands away from each other and when they reach the hairline, look down and hold for ten seconds.
2. Bring your fingers back to the starting position and repeat two more times.
3. Now do the same exercise again (3 sets of 10 seconds) but with your eyes fully open, making sure not to raise your eyebrows.

Special Tip from Danielle Collins: Try not to pull too hard on your skin during exercise.

3. The thinker

With this technique you work on the tone and strengthening of many of the lower muscles of the face, making the first act as resistance to exercise the muscles of the lower jaw area.

How to do it:

1. Close your hand and place your fist under your chin, pushing slightly upward.
2. Open and close your mouth thirty times while continuing to push your hand slightly upward. You should keep your chin parallel to the ground.
3. Now, hold with your mouth open and, little by little, cover your teeth with your lips. Hold 30 seconds.

Special Tip from Danielle Collins: If it’s more comfortable, you can rest your elbow on a table.

4. Preventing the frown

This exercise is a wonderful way to reduce and prevent vertical lines between the brows. It stimulates the muscle and increases circulation in this area. It also relaxes muscle tension, which is great for preventing lines. While massaging this area you are working with a few acupressure points that oriental medicine recognizes for their effects to calm the mind.

How to do it:

1. Place your index and middle finger between your eyebrows. Apply pressure to the muscle and gently slide your fingers apart. Hold them for twenty seconds.
2. Raise your fingers and repeat two more times, so that the exercise lasts a total minute.

Special Tip from Danielle Collins: This is a most calming and relaxing exercise. For best benefits, close your eyes and take a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through your nose at all times.

5. Lip filler

This exercise helps bring renewed blood and oxygen to the skin and muscle in the labial area.

How to do it:

1. Apply the lip balm. Place your thumb where the lip and skin meet. With a few quick jerks, move your thumb all the way around both lips.
2. Now repeat in the opposite direction. Do downward bobs on your lower lip and upward bobs on your upper lip. Continue this sequence for a minute and apply balm again.

Special Tip from Danielle Collins: Try not to lick your lips during your everyday life. The digestion enzymes in saliva dehydrate them very quickly.