BLOG 58: A SOOTHING 7-MINUTE FACE YOGA ROUTINE TO DO BEFORE BED

This calming facial yoga routine is the perfect way to relax and unwind after the day. It takes less than ten minutes to do and will help prepare you for a restful night’s sleep, so you wake up with glowing, refreshed skin in the morning. You can join in with this via my Youtube video 

GETTING READY

Slip into some soft and comfortable pyjamas and go through your usual nighttime skincare routine. Make sure your face and hands are clean, and then hop into bed and get under the covers. I recommend piling up your pillows behind you so that you can lean back on them and relax while still lengthening the spine and letting go of any built-up tension in your shoulders and neck. 

Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Take a few long, deep breaths in and out through your nose, feeling your abdomen rise and fall. Allow yourself to be present on the bed, and make the conscious decision to let go of the day and just be in this moment. 

EYE AREA

Start by placing both of your index fingers on the outside corners of your eyes. This is an acupressure point that helps ease sore eyes and release any eye strain that might have built up during the day. 

Keeping your index fingers on these points, take your middle fingers and gently trace them back and forth across the under eyes in a semicircle. Take care not to drag or pull the skin in any way. 

Next, move the middle fingers to the inner corners of your eyes, with your index fingers still on the outer corners. Half-close your eyes and then release. You should feel a little pulse or shake where your index fingers are. This is a sign that you’re building up muscle strength and tone in this area, which will help reduce crow’s feet. 

CHEEKBONES 

Now, take the first two fingers and thumb on each hand and use them to gently pinch and twist all over the cheekbone area. This move promotes energy and blood flow within the skin and encourages circulation and drainage of anything that has built up and become stagnant over the course of the day. It also allows your skincare products to penetrate deeper into the skin and improves the appearance of your complexion when you wake up in the morning. 

LOWER FACE

The next sequence of face yoga moves focuses on the jaw, chin, and cheeks. 

Start by making an O-shape with your mouth, wrapping your lips around the teeth. Then tense slightly by moving your lips into a smile shape, still keeping the lips over the teeth. Do a few rounds of this. You should feel the cheeks lifting and the jaw engaging. 

Take your index finger and place it at the centre of the point of your chin. While holding your lips in the same position as before, open and close your mouth and gently tilt your head back and forth. This move works several muscles in the lower face. 

To finish off this sequence, use the first two fingers of each hand to gently massage all the way up the jawline on both sides of your face. Then use your index fingers to work into that tight spot at the top of the jaw just under the earlobes, massaging it to release any built-up tension.

FOREHEAD

Moving up to the forehead, form your hands into fists and lay both sets of knuckles next to each other in the centre of your forehead. Pull outward to smooth them across your forehead. Remember to be delicate here—you shouldn’t be pressing into or pulling the skin. Repeat this move a few times. 

Next, make a hook with one of your index fingers and lay the rounded edge of the hook between your eyes. Then draw it upward, starting from the space between your eyebrows and moving all the way up to the top of the forehead. This spot tends to hold a lot of tension, which causes forehead lines, and this move helps relax and smooth the area. 

ALL OVER 

Finish the routine by using all of your fingertips to gently tap all over the neck, jaw, cheeks, eyes, and foreheads. Start from the bottom of your face and work your way up. 

FINISHING UP

Finally, rub your hands together to create some warmth and energy and then cup them over your face. In your mind, say to yourself three times “I am calm, relaxed, and sleepy.” 

With your eyes still closed, bring your hands into the prayer position in front of you and then lower them down into your lap. This is a wonderful way to prepare yourself for a restful night of sleep, followed by a morning where you wake up feeling and looking refreshed, alert, and awake.