Facial massage is one of the five pillars of a full-face yoga practice. The others are exercise, energy work, relaxation and lifestyle.
In my blog last month we looked at the benefits of energy work in a face yoga practice. Here we take a look a facial massage.
Why do Face massage?
The second pillar, facial massage, is a daily must for a healthy skin. It also has the added bonus of being extremely relaxing too. A committed daily practice can result in some very powerful benefits:
Increase circulation – Brings nutrients and oxygen to the skin promoting cell renewal, leaving the skin brighter and more youthful
Lymphatic drainage – stimulates lymph to remove toxins and waste products. This results in less swelling and puffiness and reduces dark circles around the eyes.
Improves skin tone – Tension is released in the facial muscles. The production of collagen and elastin results in a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.
Naturally exfoliates the skin – Removing dead cells on the skins surface improves the skins texture and softens the tissues and gives brightness to the face.
Lifts and tones facial muscles – The hand movements encourage the muscles to lift and tone
All of these benefits combined, and practised over time can result in a healthier, firmer, more radiant looking skin.
What Studies have shown…
Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of face massage. One such study published in the Wiley Online Library found that daily massage resulted in positive changes to the naso-labial folds (reduced), cheeks (lifted) and around the eyes (less puffiness) in more than half of the study participants. Changes also showed a more defined jaw line and changes to the subcutaneous fat tissue of the face.
The Art of Massaging
Effleurage – This is the most common method of massage and the most relaxing. Used for soothing and stroking the skin, use your palms and/or fingers in slow, upward movements. This stroking action increases circulation, removes waste, soothes the nerves, and improves skin texture
Petrissage – To compress the muscle tissue we use deeper movements. The fingers, thumbs or knuckles are used to lift and release tension from the muscle. Types of petrissage are knuckling, scissoring, and pinching. These deeper movements increase circulation and lymphatic flow, improve skin texture and tone, encourage cellular generation, and deeply relax the muscles.
Tapotement (Tapping) – Stimulating movements using the fingers or back of the hands to rapidly pat the skin. Used predominantly around the eyes and under the chin these movements encourage blood and lymphatic flow. This stimulates the production of collagen and elastin and energises the nerve endings.
Vibrations – gently vibrating the hands or palms against the skin to create a subtle trembling sensation in the skin to promote both stimulating and relaxing effect.
How to massage your face
A face massage routine is extremely easy to add to your day. You can do it when you put your moisturiser on or for a more indulgent treatment you can use facial oil.
Making sure that your skin is clean apply your chosen massage medium by gently pressing it on to the face and neck. Using an even pressure start at the neck working up the face finishing at the forehead and temples. Take extra care around the eyes (using your ring fingers) as the skin is extremely delicate. If you need to add more cream or oil, you can. Try to massage your face for at least 5 – 10 minutes for the best results.
Taking facial massage to the next level
Using your hands to massage your face is a wonderful experience but if you want to take your practice a little bit further you could always introduce a Gua Sha to your routine.
A Gua Sha is a specially shaped crystal (most commonly Jade or Rose Quartz) that is used to massage the skin. Based in ancient Chinese tradition this style of facial massage works in conjunction with the meridian system and acupressure points increasing microcirculation by 400%, this results in fewer lines and wrinkles, improved skin and muscle tone, a reduction in puffiness and dark circles and a general sense of overall wellbeing.
Want to learn more…
Interested in learning more about this amazing practice?
Then join me in my private Facebook group “The Glow Club”https://bit.ly/TheGlowClub Here I post FREE face yoga content covering the five pillars of face yoga and facial Gua Sha.
