BLOG 46: REDUCE HOODED EYES WITH THESE DAILY FACE YOGA MOVES

Today I’m going to show you techniques for naturally lifting the eyebrows and eyelids . These will help strengthen, tone, and reduce hooded eyes for a non-surgical lift. These are just a few little tips and hints, isolated exercises that you can integrate into your full daily routine. I do recommend practicing a structured daily full face programme to get the very best results.

For full routines, you can use my book, Danielle Collins’ Face Yoga. I also have apps if that’s what you’d prefer. Just search your app store for Danielle Collins. You can then personalise these full routines to suit your needs.

Let’s get started. 

As always, begin with clean hands and face. For this routine, you can add a touch of moisturising serum to help. I recommend my Fusion serum, which is full of natural botanical ingredients.

First, take the palms of your hands and gently place the base on the outer half of your eyebrow. Lift up slightly, widen your eyes, and rest your hands onto your head. Focus on one point in front of you.

Make your eyes as wide as possible, without raising your central forehead. Take a deep breath in and out through your nose as you hold. Release for a moment, close your eyes, and breathe.

Now repeat. Gently bring your palms up, lift your brows, open your eyes, focus on a point in front of you, and rest your hands on your head.

Take another deep breath in and out. Then bring your hands down. This exercise gives the entire eyebrow area a beautiful, natural lift.

Our next Face Yoga technique works deep into the muscles. It lifts the eyebrows, while relieving tension and stress. This is a wonderful technique to do when you’re having a difficult time and holding tension around the forehead and eye area.

With your index finger and thumb, grasp the muscle on the inner corner of each eyebrow. Don’t just pinch the skin out, pinch down into the muscle itself. 

Now pinch all the way across the eyebrow and hold at the end.

Widen your eyes and breathe deeply.

Release, repeat, then bring your hands down.

The third technique lifts and tones the corrugator supercilii muscle which runs all the way across the eyebrow area. As you do this exercise, you may see or feel a crease above your outer eyebrow. Don’t be concerned if you do. We’ll follow this exercise with a nice releasing massage.

Rest your index fingers, lengthwise under each eyebrow. Now lift up slightly and close your eyes until you feel a little shake or pulse. You want to feel this pulse. It means the muscles are contracting and releasing. This is how they’ll build, strengthen, and tone.

Hold for around ten seconds, then release. Repeat this two times. Just lift, close your eyes, breathe in and out, then release.

Don’t worry if you forget these techniques. You can refer to these exercises in my book, Danielle Collins’ Face Yoga. It’s lovely to keep by your bedside, on your coffee table, or on your desk. Especially if you’re at home needing motivation or full directions on how to start.

Now it’s time to smooth out the forehead. Just lightly stroke your fingertips across your forehead. This is good for smoothing out any lines that may have been created there. It also helps prevent expression lines from forming throughout the day.

What you’re really doing is learning how to relax the big frontalis muscle at the front of the forehead. This is almost like a natural way of getting Botox.

Now bring your hands gently down. Finish by taking a lovely long deep breath. In through the nose, let the abdomen rise. Now a deep breath out through the nose and let your abdomen lower.

With your forehead relaxed, we’ll work the eye area with some isolated eye movements that lift and open them up. I’m a big fan of eye movements and they form an important part of the Danielle Collins Face Yoga Method. Eye movements have been used in India for thousands of years, to strengthen and tone the muscles of the eyes. These exercises work around and inside your eyes.

This Face Yoga technique is incredibly simple. Just look up towards the ceiling, then down towards the floor. Notice if you are raising your eyebrows. If you are, place a hand over your forehead to keep it still. You shouldn’t feel it creasing up in the slightest. Don’t tilt your head either, only move your eyes. Keep sweeping your eyes up and down in a line.

Then look side to side. Keep your head as still as possible. You should feel your eyes waking up as the energy or prana increases.

Bring your eyes back to centre. Looking straight in front of you, open your eyes as wide as possible. Don’t use your forehead at all. You can place one palm against your forehead to keep it still. Get into the habit of relaxing your forehead.

Open your eyes wide and hold for two deep breaths. Breathe in and out through your nose. Close your eyes for a moment, then bring your hands down. Open your eyes when ready.

For the final exercise, circle your ring fingers under your eyebrows and around the eyes. Go very softly. Don’t drag the skin at all.

This is a lymphatic drainage exercise. It’s exceptional for reducing puffiness and dark circles. Go much gentler than you think you need to. You only need the lightest touch for lymphatic drainage and this area is quite delicate.

Keep using your breath as well. Circle a few times, then stop at the acupressure point in the corner of your eye socket. Press for a moment, then gently bring your hands down.

Thank you for joining me today. If you’d like more information on Face Yoga, you can sign up for my newsletter. I send it out regularly with new tips, techniques, and Face Yoga videos.

Sending you lots of love and light. Have a great day.