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November 2007
Facial Fitness
You’ve accepted that working out your body keeps you feeling and looking young, but did you know that exercising your face also helps stave off the visible effects of aging? Annelise Hagen, the author of The Yoga Face, explains how to “pose” your face to tone your facial muscles. Hagen suggests practicing these poses in the morning and evening, after washing and moisturizing your face, so the skin is slick and flexible. Prep your face with a moisturizer like NIVEA VISAGE Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Crème: It improves skin’s resilience and firmness while giving it needed flexibility during your yoga session.
To keep your brows and forehead looking young, try a pose called “Surprise Me.” Raise your eyebrows and forehead up and down while your fingertip is placed in the middle of your forehead. (The light pressure from your finger provides resistance.) Repeat this motion twenty times in the morning and at night.
To tone your jaw, throat and neck, start doing “The Baby Bird.” Take the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, swallow, then smile. Repeat this motion three to four times, morning and night.
To reduce the look of frown lines, try “The Tongue Stretch.” Bring the tip of your tongue as far down to the bottom of your chin as you can, and hold it there for 60 seconds. This releases tension in the jaw and firms up the lower half of your face. Repeat this three to four times.
To relax your entire face, make “The Lion Face.” (Warning: You will feel slightly ridiculous as you practice this pose.) Sitting cross-legged, inhale and contract all of your muscles (such as your fists, buttocks and those in your face). As you exhale, roll your eyes, open your hands, and stick out your tongue. Repeat this three to four times.