In a world where everyone wants a snatched and sculpted face, if you told me I could get that without the horror of needles or burning a hole in my pocket, I’d say count me in. So, when I noticed that face yoga was trending all over social media—with a massive uptick in Google searches, as well as millions of views on TikTok—with people ditching fillers and botox in favour of tapping, slapping and puffing their way to lifted cheekbones and tighter skin, I decided to give it a shot.
Our favourite celebrities have co-signed this trend in a big way. From Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Gwyneth Paltrow to Meghan Markle, all have been spotted embracing this age-old practice as part of their beauty routines.
As someone in my early twenties and not too concerned about fine lines or sagging—what I was hoping for was a natural lift, radiant glow, and morning puffiness to be reduced. So I reached out to Vibhuti Arora, a certified face yoga instructor and founder of House of Beauty India, who kindly walked me through a series of beginner-friendly exercises I could try for a week. No needles, no fancy tools. Just my hands and a mirror.
@selina.dasilvaaa Face yoga is actually so effective 🫧If you are struggling with a double chin or want to define your chin more, try these exercises 🤍#faceyoga #facial #doublechin #facialtreatment #facialmassage #beautytips #skintok #fyp
First of all, what is face yoga?
Face yoga is a natural practice involving specific exercises and movements designed to tone and strengthen our facial muscles. Think of it as strength training, but in this case, it’s for your face, not for your body. These exercises tone your muscles, visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, enhance your complexion, improve your neck and jawline, and even help to reduce stress. Our skin starts losing collagen as we age, resulting in wrinkles and sagginess. This is where face yoga comes in: by focusing on over 50 muscles across the forehead, cheeks, jaw, and neck, regular movements can help improve blood circulation, lymphatic drainage, and muscle tone, resulting in naturally lifted, tighter skin. However, it’s important to remember that face yoga is not a quick fix treatment; rather it would require consistency and balance. “Many either skip days or do too much too soon. Like any fitness regimen, face yoga requires balance—your facial muscles need both activation and rest,” explains Arora.
What I attempted
Arora recommended four weekly exercises, each targeting a different concern from puffiness and sagging to fine lines and dullness. My mornings started with the Slapping Piano technique, I would puff air into my cheeks and gently slap my face upwards with both hands about twelve times, from the nasolabial folds to the temples. It sounds dramatic, but it instantly woke up my skin by boosting circulation and is a great pre-makeup ritual. Followed by Cheek Whips, which had me lifting my cheek zones using two fingers. Like flipping pages in a book, think fast, repetitive upward motions that deliver an instant visible lift and glow. Then came the Smile & Pout exercise, where I alternated between smiling on one side and pouting on the other to tone the area around my lips. And I’d end my routine with the V-Squint, placing my fingers in a V shape around the outer corners of my eyes, looking up and holding for six counts, to tone the delicate under-eye muscles and help reduce puffiness.
The entire ritual took about ten minutes and was repeated once daily during the week. The rule of thumb? Proper skin prep. “Always use the right facial oil or moisturiser for your skin type. Performing face yoga on dry skin or without the right slip can lead to unnecessary tugging, stretching, and even premature lines—exactly the opposite of what you want,” Arora explains.
The perceived results
A few days in, and the changes to my face have been small but apparent. The daily morning exercises were initially difficult to follow, but soon enough, they became something I looked forward to before I went about my day. According to Arora, the ideal time to do face yoga is in the morning, right after waking up.
My skin looked brighter, and there was a natural flush to my face that wasn’t there before, especially in the mornings. The puffiness around my eyes also seemed to dissipate faster. As someone constantly trying to outsmart dullness and tired-looking skin thanks to my messed-up sleep schedule, this felt like a small but mighty win. There was no dramatic before and after transformation and I certainly did not expect a chiselled jawline by the end of the week, but what I did notice was a renewed complexion, which my skin definitely thanked me for.
