My 90-Day Face Yoga Experiment: The Results

My 90-Day Face Yoga Experiment: The Real Results

Let’s be honest. My reaction when I heard about face yoga was eye rolling. I am a guy who enjoys tangible outcomes, things that are measurable. The concept of bending my own face in weird shapes in order to appear younger or more sculpted was just as useful as wishing on a star. It was thin stuff, what a people would believe.

Then I happened to see a picture of myself. It was not a bad picture, it was just a snapshot. And here I saw what I had not seen. A touch of drooping about my face which rendered it indistinct. A frowning crease in my forehead which made me always appear distressed. Vanity had nothing to do with it; it was the realization of the slow gradual progress of time upon my own face. I am late 30s and it was showing.

Thereupon I made it a project. I would give face yoga a 90-day trial on the up straight. I would check my progress in photos, record any improvement and the most important thing, I would follow a disciplined routine. No spells and wizards. Only me, my hands and 15 minutes a day. This is my case study.

Why I Even Bothered: How Face Muscles Work.

So before I grabbed into the before and after, I needed to know the why. This played a very important role in motivating me. Our face has over 40 muscles. These muscles can be tightened like the ones in your legs or arms, made stronger, and lengthened. The argument is straightforward, unless you attend to the gym, your body becomes not so toned. Our faces are no different. We use expressions, and we hardly use these muscles to their fullest extent of movement.

The contradictory idea is that some expressions do leave scars in the skin after some time- the frowning, squinting expressions form wrinkles. Face yoga seeks to address that by tightening the muscles that lie beneath the skin to better support it, in theory resulting in a firmer and more raised look. It was reasonable enough that I spent 90 days.

My Process: No Frills, Just Folks.

I set strict rules for myself:

Time: 90 days, no bargain.

Time: 15 minutes each morning and immediately after brushing my teeth.

Routine: I combined exercises that I had selected on the internet and focused on certain areas. I did not purchase any programs and apps. I kept it simple.

Consistency: This was the key. I did the 15 minutes even when I was tired or busy.

Monitoring: On Day 1, Day 30, Day 60 and Day 90 I recorded profile pictures front and side. Same light, same day, no expression.

At this point, we will deconstruct what I was working on and what I actually accomplished.

Jawline Face Yoga Pre and After: The Definition Search.

This was my primary goal. I desired a more sculpted jawline. My chin was tender, and the place where my jaw and my neck joined was becoming less pronounced.

The Exercise I Did: The Lion/s Roar.
This is one that is ludicrous, yet it works the whole lower face. You hold yourself straight and open your mouth as wide as you can, stick out your tongue as far as you can toward your chin and extend your fingers wide as you hold the position of 60 seconds. There was a great pull in my jaw and under my chin.

The “Chewing” Exercise
I would sit and rhythmically pretend to chew with my head tilted back with attention to using the muscles along my jawline. I would then tilt my head on each side and do the chewing, thus working the muscles differently. I did this for about 2 minutes.

My Jawline Results:
This was the most conspicuous change to me. Some 6 weeks later, I began to notice a change as I felt my jaw. It felt tighter, more solid. The pre and post photos had a definite improvement. The tenderness of my chin had diminished to a large extent. My jaw the side view of the face was more trim. Neither was it a surgical change in any way, but it was a certain definitely, quantitatively, reversed reduction of the sagging which I had observed. My face just looked… leaner.

Nose Face Yoga Before and After: Can You Change Your Nose?

It is the most disputable one. I was deeply skeptical. The bone or cartilage in your nose can not be exercised, can it? Correct. However, that is not the argument, it is about tightening the small muscles around the nose and the upper cheeks in order that they can slightly change the look of your nose, especially in the case you have a wider or more flatter nose bridge.

The Nose Smoother is the Exercise I Used.
I would bring my index fingers to both sides of my nose and press it. Then, I would bulge my nostrils against my fingers against the opposition, and cling to it a moment or two, then drop. I did about 20 reps. The other one was wrinkling up and down my nose.

My Nose Results:
Let’s be 100% factual. My nose did not grow smaller and shorter. I did however notice a slight yet noticeable change. There was a slight sharpening in the space between my nose and my cheeks, which are where my bridge is. The exercises appeared to tighten the tissue around, so that my nose appeared a little more streamlined on the front. It was a very delicate effect, yet I was able to observe it in my side by side photos. It was not a new nose, but a somewhat new and genteelized version of my old one.

Anti-Aging Face Yoga: Pre-and Post-test: Wrinkling and Sagging.

This was the holistic part. The aim was to even out the skin tones, soften the lines in the skin and fight that overall tiredness look.

The Exercises I Used:

The Forehead Smoother: Both hands flat on my forehead, and open my fingers. I would slowly pull the skin down and at the same time attempt to lift my eyebrows up. This is a resistance exercise that will help tighten the forehead muscle and make horizontal lines less noticeable.

The Brow Lifter: I used my index finger just above my eyebrow keeping the skin down. Then I would attempt to raise the one eyebrow, maintaining the contraction of the muscle. This is aimed at the 11 lines between the brows.

The Cheek Lifter: I would smile as broadly as possible, and with my fingers I would push the apples of my cheeks upwards towards my eyes. I would keep this, and could feel the muscles of my cheeks burning.

My Anti-Aging Results:
This is where the cumulative effect was at its best. My deep line between the brows–my stress line–was unmistakably softened. It was not gone, but was far less acute. My forehead horizontal lines were also less deep. Even more than the lines, one could see the general elevation of my face. My cheeks did not appear quite so flat or so droopy. I was more alert, not as tired. I began to hear people say to me whether I was sleeping more or whether I had taken a vacation. This was the practical validation that I required.

The Hard Data: My 90 Day Face Yoga Journal.

I’m a data guy, so here’s a simple table of my subjective scoring (1-10, with 10 being best) throughout the experiment.

Q: Is face yoga an alternative to Botox or fillers?
A: I am not a physician, but, in my experience, no, not altogether. It’s a different approach. This is because Botox paralyzes the muscles, and face yoga makes the muscles stronger. In my case, I found face yoga to be a very natural and subtle lift and toner, which I was quite pleased with, but not a medical procedure.

Q: Are the results permanent?
A: As in any workout, you can only sustain the gains by continuing the workout. I have reduced to 10-minute maintenance schedule every second day and my outcomes have been stable.

Q: Is face yoga safe?
A: Generally, yes. The key is to be gentle. You are not tearing, you are stretching and making your muscles stronger. In case of any sharp pains, stop. Always start gently.

My Final Verdict
Thus, did my 90 days face-yoga experiment work? Absolutely. It demanded no monetary effort on my part other than my time and discipline. The findings were measurable, real, and significant to the extent that other people took note of them. My jaw line is more defined, and my wrinkles are less harsh, and my face is just more active.

It’s not a magic bullet. It will not provide you with those of a facelift result. Nonetheless, it is a strong, natural and totally free device to be in charge of growing old. For me, that’s a win. I have now included face yoga as a daily activity in the morning and it is now a habit just like brushing my teeth. It is no longer an experiment but is simply what I do. and if a sceptic like me can be converted, perhaps it will to you too.