Exercise, any time, any where

Forget about the body and the mind, the latest form of yoga is all about the face. ELENI PHILIPPOU gives it a try

Yoga has always been a practice for the mind, body and spirit. Besides the moves that have yogis twisting and turning their bodies, there is another form of yoga that is quickly taking the world, and Cyprus, by storm: face yoga.

The first time I came across face yoga was at a local spa offering a face yoga massage. Curiosity kicked in and I booked myself a session. The treatment (see below) piqued my interest in face yoga and whether it exists in Cyprus.

A Google search offers more than 640 million results, and celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow are known to have adopted face yoga exercises as a way to step away from Botox injections and rejuvenate the face from within.

So what is it? In a nutshell, it is the practice of facial movements and exercises that stimulate the muscles, skin, and circulation of both the blood and lymphatic systems. As with regular yoga, the sessions usually include a teacher who demonstrates the exercise and then participants repeat it. No equipment is required and so face yoga is easy to do anywhere and anytime.

One of the few certified face yoga teachers in Cyprus, Geraldine Savvias explained it as: “A blend of yoga-like body postures, facial exercises and conscious breathing, most importantly breathing because the face is connected to the rest of the body. The whole body is connected one way or another.

“The same way people exercise their body to keep the muscles fit and toned,” she added, “we need to exercise the muscles in our faces to keep them fit and toned. There are over 60 facial muscles, some of which are very small and as the saying goes, ‘use it or lose it’”.

Doing facial exercises to keep the skin healthy and toned is not a new practice. In fact, it dates back centuries. Queen of Beauty, Cleopatra is believed to have used similar techniques to take care of her youthful skin. Others date the likes of face yoga back to India, or China where the higher class would use jade rollers (also current) to massage the face and rid the body of bad Qi. The first Face Yoga Method book though was published in Japan by Fumiko Takatsu.

A course by her is how Geraldine became a certified Face Yoga teacher in 2018 and started holding classes. Private, intimate classes is how she works and I joined one. We met at a private home, about ten of us on cushions in a semi-circle around Geraldine.

The session began with gentle movements and stretches of the whole body, to wake up the muscles and quieten the mind. Soft music and the burning of essential oils provided the atmosphere. Each of us had a glass of water and a mini mirror in front of us. Soft-spoken yet knowledgeable Geraldine explained what face yoga is and how its over 70 exercises tone and relax the muscles of the face and neck.

“Face yoga,” she told us, “is a combination of breathing and facial exercises that can help with slowing down the natural ageing process.” Straight away we jumped into the exercises, moving the face in various ways and at angles that felt strange. Tilting the head and stretching the skin around the cheekbones while sticking out your tongue makes you laugh at first yet if you close your eyes and focus on breathing, you begin to feel the muscles working.

Other exercises included looking up slightly sideways and pouting and making a puffing vibrating sound to plump the lips. “Ever noticed how babies’ lips are round and full?” Geraldine asked at this point. “They make this motion with their lips all the time but as adults we stop doing it because it’s silly yet actually, this action brings back circulation to your lips.”

She went on to explain how exercises like these help lymphatic flow and blood circulation and can act as a natural facelift. No botox or double chin surgeries needed. Geraldine herself middle-aged looks fresh, with clear, smooth skin. She gives thanks to practicing face yoga but says doing so goes hand in hand with healthy habits we all hear about all the time: staying hydrated, eating well and protecting the skin from the sun.

Face yoga exercises can be done anywhere: first thing in the morning, while watching TV or even driving, just prepare for some surprised stares. Daily practice is recommended and Geraldine says it is also important to go back to class to learn new exercises that train other muscles and correct old techniques.

Part of the face yoga family is the face yoga massage mentioned above and available in a few local spas. The name caught my eye at the serene Olea Skin and Wellness spa in Nicosia. Contrary to the class, face yoga massage requires nothing from the person receiving it. Simply lie down and relax at the hands of the masseuse. With gentle lifting and massage movements, the therapist works on relaxing the facial muscles while activating more lazy ones.

I have had a face massage before, normally as part of a whole-body treatment. This one however was 25 minutes dedicated purely to unclenching the jaw, pressing on the eyebrows and blissfully pinching all muscles – the overused and the dormant too. Ellena, my spa therapist, worked through deep massage movements that offered relaxation to warm up the skin and improve elasticity and collagen production.

“Face yoga,” and consequently its massage techniques, “consists of pressure points and targeted exercises to stretch the muscles,” says founder of Olea and beauty therapist Elena Athieniti. “It lifts the skin by relaxing the muscles on the face that hold a lot of tension and lead to premature ageing such as forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet. Several studies have proven that acupressure used in the face yoga method, helps reduce stress, prevent headaches, release sinuses and even improve the quality of sleep.”

I left Olea with glowing skin and feeling profoundly calm, so much so I sat in the spa’s relaxation area for another 20 minutes before getting back into my car. Whether it is a daily practice, a natural facelift or a new weekly class, the is a lot to unpack in face yoga.

For Geraldine Savvias classes contact her via her Facebook page @FaceYogawithGigi or on 99 375950. For Olea Skin and Wellness, visit www.olea.com.cy or call 22 252579