What is it supposed to do?
Through a series of funny facial exercises, face yoga claims to smooth out existing wrinkles and prevent any new ones from surfacing. This natural way of both maintaining and reestablishing the contours of the face comes down to the fact that just like our body needs exercise to look toned and fresh, so does the face. And just like yoga is known to tone and detox, Face Yoga does the same. Ultimately, it’s a facelift without the scalpel.
What benefits does it claim?
Face yoga is the brainchild of Annelise Hagen, a New York yoga teacher who believes (and has proven) that doing face yoga poses daily helps to keep your skin more elastic, less saggy and deliver a more glowing and youthful complexion. The exercise routine is said to slow down the ageing process, tone the facial and neck muscles, release tension, increase circulation and improve complexion both in texture and colour by making the face look more relaxed but with a firmer outline. Testimonials clearly indicate that face yoga has the same physical benefits the ancient Indian practice has been delivering on for thousands of years.
Is there any science behind it?
As with anything steering clear of Western medicine, scientific proof is difficult to come by. However, facial muscle toning is not rocket science; the principles behind every facial toning exercise are the same as those in building muscles anywhere else.
What is it like?
Selina Adonai is the person bringing face yoga to Cyprus. One look at Selina, 34, and her natural glowing beauty and I am ready to start pulling faces. She explains how face yoga has been a huge part of her life for the past three years. “I had a crow’s feet moment,” she says, showing me a picture of before and then a close up of the skin surrounding her eyes today; definitely something going on!
Selina explains a few things about face yoga before beginning our short but enlightening lesson. Unlike yoga, face yoga does not ask its followers to attend weekly classes; instead you spend two to three hours with Selina for one time only and leave equipped to carry on at home, according to your needs.
Seeing as I am yet to hit 30, I don’t really have any problem areas to focus on, so Selina goes with the basics: forehead, eyes, mouth, chin and neck. I am told that ten minutes a day spent doing the following exercises will guarantee laughs every time I see an anti-ageing cream.
I am handed a mirror and told to apply pressure, with my fingers, to my forehead, raising my eyebrows at the same time. The idea is to apply resistance to the muscles making them work twice as hard but without creasing my forehead. On to the eyes and again, I apply pressure to the bone adjacent to the corner of my eyes and told to squint; applying the pressure however means that I am smoothing out the lines and strengthening the muscles preventing any from occurring.
So far, I’m not laughing and could easily see myself ‘applying pressure’ while in traffic. The mouth, chin and neck are a little different though and do require drastic pulling, and surprisingly I find it difficult to do!
After ten minutes I feel exhausted and my face feels a tad tingly. Obviously no dramatic changes have occurred but ‘feeling it work’ just like you feel totally worked out after a one-hour yoga session when all you’ve been doing is standing in one spot, has to mean something. I just added to my morning routine.
Where and how much?
Call Selina to attend a class that costs €70 and includes over 30 exercises, a mirror and a booklet with all you need to know. Selina Adonai: 96-661211
