BLOG 153: HERE’S 3 EXERCISES TO LIFT YOUR MOUTH CORNERS NATURALLY

As we get older our muscles naturally start to lose strength. This includes the muscles in our faces. One of the side effects of this is that the corners of our mouths can start to drop down, making us look like we’re unhappy, even when we’re feeling perfectly happy and content.

We may also notice drooping in our cheeks, or a slight asymmetry in the different sides of our faces. So, in this post, I’m going to show you three facial exercises that target these areas and help to lift the mouth corners naturally.

These three techniques are quick and simple to do. In total, the full routine should only take a few minutes, so it is hopefully easy to fit it into your day.

You might decide to do these exercises as part of your morning or evening skincare routine (or both). Many people find it easiest to remember to do the exercises if they integrate them into their existing habits.

However, the beauty of face yoga is that most of the moves can be done anywhere. You don’t need any special equipment – just your hands and perhaps a mirror and some serum. So, you could easily do these techniques in front of the TV, during a quick break from work, or while you’re in the shower.

The key is to do the techniques regularly. Like any form of exercise, facial exercises work best to tone the muscles and lift the face if you do them consistently – ideally every day.

If you prefer to follow along with a video, you can find a demonstration of these three techniques over on my YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you stay up to date with all my latest videos – I share plenty of face yoga sequences, facial massage tips, and advice to support your health and wellness.

GET SET UP

Make sure your hands are clean before starting any face yoga sequence. Ideally, you want a clean face too, which is why many people like to do this as part of their skincare routine before they apply makeup.

This sequence only requires a minimal amount of touch, however, so you can get away with doing it during the day too.

Find a comfortable spot to sit or stand. It helps to have a mirror to hand for some of these exercises, so you can make sure you are maintaining symmetry as you hold the poses.

If you have some serum to hand, apply a few drops to the skin around your mouth and lower cheeks. I like to use my Fusion by Danielle Collins Pro Lift Facial Moisturising Serum, which is lovely for face yoga.

Take a few deep, calming breaths through your nose. And you are ready to start.

1. LIP TUCK

Tuck your lips in, keeping your mouth closed, and activate your muscles to turn the corners of your mouth up.

Check in the mirror to see if any lines are forming around your mouth. Use your index fingers to gently smooth any lines that do appear away. Keep your fingers on either side of your mouth so that your skin stays smooth while you hold the pose. We never want to create any fresh lines while doing face yoga!

Hold here for about 20 seconds. You’ll feel your muscles working. This exercise helps to tone and lift the muscles around your mouth, tightening and tautening the attached skin and helping to lift the corners of your mouth.

Release for a few breaths and then repeat this exercise three more times.

2. SMILE

Relax the muscles around your mouth and then lightly smile, keeping your lips together. 

Place your index fingers on the corners of your mouth. Hold here, breathing deeply in and out through your nose.

As well as helping to encourage your mouth into this upward position, this exercise gives a boost to the energy and circulation, making your lower face look fresher and brighter.

3. WRAP LIPS WITH HEAD TILT

Open your mouth a little so that you can wrap your lips around your teeth. Lift the corners of your mouth up as though you were smiling.

Once again, use your index fingers to smooth out any lines by placing them on either side of your mouth while you hold the pose. Use your mirror to make sure both sides of your mouth are symmetrical as you do this exercise.

Keeping your mouth and fingers in place, gently tilt your head back until you are looking up at the ceiling. 

Come back down and recheck your position in the mirror. Then repeat the move, tilting your head back and coming back down again.

FINISH

Bring your hands back down and release your lips. Take a few deep breaths to finish, focusing on relaxing and releasing tension from the muscles of the lower face.

Hopefully, the muscles around your mouth feel like they’ve had a good workout. Over time, as you continue to do these exercises regularly, you’ll begin to see an improvement in the symmetry of this area. You should also notice that the corners of your mouth naturally come into a more smiling, upward position.

I love to share simple, quick, but effective tips like these with all of you. If you also feel drawn to face yoga and would like to be able to teach these wonderful skills to others, you might like to check out my teacher training courses.

I offer two teacher training courses, one in face yoga and one in facial gua sha. These are obviously highly complementary skills, so many people take both courses, but you can also do each as a standalone.

As well as learning more face yoga techniques and exercises, you’ll discover how to structure a workshop, how to set up your business, and how to market your offerings. Both courses are available through distance learning, and you can work through the materials at your own pace, meaning you can fit your studies around your life.

You can find out more via the teacher training section of my website.