Head and face yoga
One interesting branch of Yoga lays emphasis on the importance of assuming different facial expressions and impacting different parts of the head by muscle activation, skin rubbing, and pressure application. The exercises include: grimacing, stretching, and tensing of facial skin as well as the face peripherals (neck, ears, and scalp). Exercising tones facial muscles and draws blood to the face’s surface, improving circulation. Some call it Face Yoga.
Face Yoga gained popularity as an anti-aging promotor. Unfortunately, grandmother nature has little mercy when it comes to wrinkles, and face yoga exercises are limited in their ability to reverse facial aging. However, Face yoga can bring a fresh, vital, and relaxed feeling in the head area by awakening and stimulating. Our head contains the central controlling unit of our body. We can influence our internal brain and gain calm by impacting the external.
As years passed, experimentally, I added a short break after each exercise and focused on the area impacted. Taking time to feel the impact after completing an exercise augments the effect and allows it to ‘sink in.’ However, the extended breaks between exercises slowed down my overall practicing tempo.
Finally, I discovered that a good way for me to absorb the effect when exercising is to hold my breath after exhaling until I reach the point of air hunger.
Following this added awareness of my breathing and the realization of its effects on my mind, I now refer to Face Yoga as Head/Face Yoga.