Face Yoga: The Practice That Changed How I See Ageing, Energy, and the Brain

I discovered Face Yoga at a time when I felt completely depleted. Burnout had taken its toll. I had been struggling with insomnia for more than a year, and I could see the effects not only in my energy but in my face. The skin was losing tone, the eyes looked tired, and more than anything there was a sense of heaviness I couldn’t hide.

As a trained Shakti Power Yoga teacher, I was sceptical at first. Yoga for the face? It sounded almost superficial. But curiosity, and perhaps a quiet hope, led me to explore it further.

What I discovered was not a beauty technique. It was a doorway into understanding how deeply interconnected our muscles, circulation, nervous system, and even brain health truly are.

Over time, both in my own life and in the lives of my clients, I began to witness changes that went far beyond appearance. People felt calmer, slept better, and often described a renewed sense of vitality that was difficult to explain but unmistakable to experience.

What Happens Beneath the Skin

One of the first revelations was learning how unique the face actually is. Facial muscles are different from the muscles in the rest of the body. Many of them attach directly to the skin rather than to bone, which means even small improvements in tone and circulation can subtly reshape expression and posture.

But the real story goes deeper. When we gently engage facial muscles, we are not simply “working out” the face. We are stimulating circulation, oxygen delivery, and tissue renewal. This kind of mild, regular stimulation is known in physiology as hormesis, the same principle by which exercise strengthens the body. Small, consistent signals encourage repair and adaptation.

Over time, tissues respond. Blood flow improves, lymphatic movement increases, and the face begins to look more rested, more alive, not frozen or artificially altered, but naturally supported.

A Discovery That Changed How Scientists View the Brain

In recent years, researchers have made a remarkable discovery. For decades, it was believed that the brain had no proper system for clearing waste. Today we know that it does: the glymphatic system, a network through which cerebrospinal fluid washes through brain tissue and carries away metabolic waste.

Even more fascinating is where this waste goes. It drains through lymphatic pathways in the head and neck.

This discovery opened an entirely new field of research. Scientists began exploring how circulation, breathing, sleep, and movement influence this drainage process.

Direct studies on Face Yoga are still limited, and more research is needed. But the physiology itself is clear: movement and relaxation in the head, neck, and facial tissues influence circulation and lymphatic flow, which play a role in the environment surrounding the brain.

This may help explain why many people notice not only improved appearance but also clearer thinking, better sleep, and a calmer mind when they practice regularly.

It is an area science is only beginning to understand, yet the connections are compelling.

Why Face Yoga Becomes Especially Valuable After 40

One of the most important turning points in a woman’s life is menopause. As oestrogen levels decline, several changes occur quietly beneath the surface. Skin produces less collagen, circulation slows, and tissues gradually lose some of their elasticity and hydration.

These changes are natural, but they also mean the body benefits even more from gentle stimulation and movement.

Face Yoga supports microcirculation, helping bring oxygen and nutrients to tissues that may otherwise become sluggish. It also helps maintain muscle tone and flexibility in connective tissue, which contribute to facial structure and expression.

Many women tell me they feel not only that their face looks healthier, but that they feel more energised and present in their own bodies again.

The Nervous System: The Hidden Factor in Ageing

Another discovery that surprised me was how closely the face reflects the state of the nervous system.

The jaw tightens when we are under pressure.The forehead contracts when we worry.The eyes lose brightness when we are exhausted.

Face Yoga is, in many ways, a relaxation practice. Slow movements, breathing, and awareness activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the state in which repair and regeneration occur.

When the nervous system relaxes, sleep improves. When sleep improves, tissues repair more effectively. And when repair improves, both health and appearance begin to change.

It becomes a virtuous cycle.

A Complement to Spa Treatments, Not a Replacement

One important point I always share with clients is that Face Yoga is not meant to replace professional treatments. In fact, many people find that they enjoy their spa treatments even more once their skin becomes more responsive.

When circulation improves and tissues are healthier, treatments often feel deeper, more nourishing, and longer lasting. The skin is better oxygenated, muscles are more relaxed, and the overall experience becomes richer.

So please don’t miss your treat at the spa of your choice. Self-care can take many forms, and professional treatments are a beautiful way to relax and restore. Personally, I still enjoy visiting spas myself, from time to time I head to Chewton Glen for a treat and I appreciate these moments even more now that I understand how daily practices and professional care can support each other.

Face Yoga is simply another way of caring for yourself between those moments, gently, consistently, and naturally.

What I Have Observed in Practice

Over the years, I have seen consistent patterns in people who practice regularly. The face becomes more relaxed, more symmetrical, and more expressive. Puffiness often decreases, and skin tone improves. But what people comment on most often is something harder to measure: they feel calmer, clearer, and more connected to themselves.

These changes are not instant, and they are not dramatic in the way quick cosmetic fixes can be. They are gradual, gentle, and deeply rooted in physiology.

And that is precisely what makes them sustainable.

A Simple Way to Begin

Face Yoga does not require long sessions or complicated routines. Even five to ten minutes a day can make a difference.

A gentle jaw release can relieve tension that accumulates from stress, speaking, and screen use. A simple temple massage can improve circulation and encourage relaxation, often easing headaches and mental fatigue.

The key is consistency and kindness toward oneself.

A Practice of Awareness, Not Perfection

What continues to inspire me about Face Yoga is that it is not about chasing youth or fighting ageing. It is about supporting the body’s natural processes, respecting its rhythms, and cultivating awareness.

Science is still uncovering many of the mechanisms behind what practitioners experience. More research is certainly needed, especially in areas such as brain health and lymphatic drainage. Yet the physiological foundations are increasingly clear, and the lived experience of thousands of people, including my own clients, speaks for itself.

Sometimes the most powerful practices are the simplest ones: breathing, moving, paying attention, and giving the body what it needs to function as it was designed to do.

And that, perhaps, is the real beauty of Face Yoga.

For readers interested in exploring the science behind circulation, lymphatic flow, ageing, and brain health, these studies and reviews provide valuable insights:

• Brain Cliarance through Facial stimulation - https://neurosciencenews.com/facial-stimulation-glymphatic-29213/

• Glymphatic system overview (brain waste clearance) -https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/glymphatic-system

• Discovery of meningeal lymphatic vessels - https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14432

• Sleep and glymphatic clearance research -https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1241224

• Menopause, oestrogen, and skin ageing -https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12374573/

• Lymphatic drainage and fluid movement -https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21768-lymphatic-drainage-massage