Face Yoga: The Complete, Honest Guide

Face yoga is a routine of facial exercises, stretches and gentle self-massage that you do regularly, usually for 5 to 30 minutes a day. The honest answer to “does it work?” is that the evidence is limited: one small 2018 study found improvements in cheek fullness, but there are no large controlled trials yet. It is low-cost, low-risk for most people and many find it relaxing, which makes it worth trying with realistic expectations. This guide covers what face yoga is, what the research says, how it is supposed to work, exercises for every area of the face, how often to practise and how to start this week.

Want guidance while you learn? Follow along in Gluvy.

What is face yoga?

Face yoga is a set of exercises for the muscles of the face and neck, combined with holds, stretches and self-massage, done as a regular routine. Some moves ask a muscle to work against a hold or gentle resistance; others stretch, relax or massage areas that tend to hold tension, like the forehead, jaw and neck.

You’ll also see it called facial exercises, face pilates, face fitness or a “yoga face workout”. The names differ, but the idea is the same: short, repeated, deliberate movement of the face, usually paired with slow breathing. The “yoga” part is less about poses and more about the mindset: attention, breath and consistency. New to the terms? Our face yoga glossary explains them in plain words.

Where face yoga comes from

Facial exercise isn’t new, but the modern “face yoga” label took off as teachers built structured methods around it. One of the best known is the Face Yoga Method, created by Japanese teacher Fumiko Takatsu, and many other teachers, books and apps have followed with their own programs. Social media made short face yoga videos hugely popular, which is probably how you found this page.

What face yoga is not

Face yoga is a wellness habit, not a medical treatment. It doesn’t treat any condition, it is not a substitute for skincare or sunscreen, and it is a different thing entirely from cosmetic procedures such as injectables or surgery. Be wary of anyone who promises a specific change by a specific date.

Does face yoga work?

The short answer: maybe a little, for some people, but the evidence is thin. Only a handful of small studies exist, and none of them is the kind of large, controlled trial that would settle the question.

The 2018 JAMA Dermatology study

The study most people cite was published in JAMA Dermatology in 2018 by a team at Northwestern University (Alam et al., 2018). Here’s what it did:

• Who: 27 women aged 40 to 65 enrolled; 16 completed the program.
• What: 30 minutes of facial exercises a day for 8 weeks, then every other day from week 9 to week 20.
• How it was measured: dermatologists rated standardised photos taken before and during the program.
• Result: the ratings showed improved upper and lower cheek fullness, and the participants’ average estimated age fell from about 50.8 to 48.1 years.

That’s an encouraging signal, but the limits matter. The group was small, many people dropped out, there was no control group to compare against, and the routine was much longer than the 5-minute sessions most people actually do. Larger controlled studies are needed before anyone can say face yoga reliably changes how a face looks. For a closer look at every study and how to test face yoga on yourself, read does face yoga work? What the research actually shows.

What other research shows

• An earlier systematic review (2014) in Aesthetic Surgery Journal looked at the facial exercise studies available at the time. None of them used a control group or randomisation, most relied on subjective judgements, and the reviewers concluded the evidence was insufficient to say whether facial exercises work.
• A 2025 pilot study of 12 middle-aged women measured facial muscles with a handheld device before and after 8 weeks of face yoga (two supervised sessions and five home sessions a week). Tone and stiffness decreased in forehead, eye and mouth muscles, increased in the buccinator (a cheek muscle) and a muscle under the chin, and elasticity increased in all the muscles measured (Medicina, 2025). It had no control group and measured muscles, not appearance, so the authors themselves call for studies that reproduce the results.

So, is it worth doing?

If you enjoy it, yes, on the right terms. Face yoga is cheap, needs no equipment and is low-risk when done gently. Its most dependable benefits are the ones you notice yourself: a few calm minutes a day, a looser jaw, and more awareness of habits like frowning and clenching. Anything beyond that is possible but unproven. Our guide to face yoga benefits rates each claimed benefit by evidence.

How face yoga is supposed to work

Face yoga is said to work in four ways, and they rest on very different amounts of evidence. Here is each one, labelled honestly.

1. Muscle tone (theory, early evidence)

Your face has around 30 muscles on each side. (Our guide to the face muscles maps each one by area.) Most of them are muscles of facial expression, supplied by the facial nerve, and a few are chewing muscles that move the jaw (StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf). Unlike most muscles in the body, many expression muscles attach to the skin, which is why moving them changes your expression.

The theory is that exercising these muscles, like any muscle, may make them slightly fuller and firmer, which could support the skin above them. The cheek-fullness finding in the 2018 study fits this idea, but it hasn’t been confirmed in controlled trials.

2. Massage and circulation (theory)

Many face yoga routines include tapping, pressing and gliding strokes. Massage temporarily increases blood flow to the skin, which is why your face may look a little pinker and feel warmer afterwards. Some people also find that massage makes their face look less puffy in the morning. These effects are temporary, and there’s little research on lasting changes.

3. Habit awareness (practical, not studied)

This is the quiet benefit. Practising face yoga makes you notice what your face does all day: frowning at a screen, clenching your teeth, squinting, pushing your chin forward over your phone. Once you notice a habit, you can let it go. This is hard to measure, but it’s real for many people.

4. Relaxation (practical, not studied for face yoga)

Slow movement plus slow breathing is relaxing. Holding tension in the forehead or jaw is common when you are stressed, and a few minutes of deliberately releasing those muscles can feel good. Face yoga hasn’t been studied as a relaxation technique on its own, so treat this as a pleasant side effect rather than a proven benefit.

Face yoga exercises by area

Each area of the face has its own moves, and a balanced routine touches all of them. Below is one simple example per area with three steps. Hold times and repetitions are suggestions; go slowly, keep the pressure light and stop anything that hurts. For full routines per area, see our face exercises hub. For a longer list with two moves per area and a 10-minute workout, see our face yoga exercises guide.

Forehead: Forehead Smooth Down

1. Place both hands flat on your forehead, fingertips meeting in the middle.
2. Close your eyes and smooth your hands slowly down over your brows with gentle pressure.
3. Repeat in calm strokes for about 30 seconds, letting your forehead stay soft and still.

This is a relaxation move rather than a strength move, and it’s a good one to return to if you frown when you concentrate.

Eyes and brows: Under-Eye Slide

1. Apply a little moisturiser so your fingers glide without pulling.
2. Place your index fingers flat on the bone under your eyes, not on the eye itself.
3. Slide very gently outward toward your temples for about 30 seconds, using the lightest pressure of your whole routine.

The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the face, so less is more here.

Cheeks: O-Shape Pump

1. Sit tall and form a tight O shape with your lips.
2. Slowly open and close your jaw while keeping the O, feeling a stretch through your cheeks.
3. Continue for about 30 to 40 seconds, keeping your forehead relaxed.

If your forehead wrinkles while you do this, slow down. That’s a sign you’re recruiting muscles you don’t need.

Mouth and lips: Lip Press and Release

1. Close your lips and press them together gently, as if holding a thin piece of paper between them.
2. Hold the press for a slow count of five, keeping your jaw and teeth relaxed.
3. Release completely, let your lips go soft, and repeat five to eight times.

Keep the press gentle and avoid pursing your lips hard, since repeated hard pursing is exactly the kind of strong expression you don’t need to practise.

Chin and jawline: Jawline Press and Pull

1. Place your fingertips along your jawbone on both sides.
2. Press in gently but firmly, then pull your fingers outward along the bone toward your ears.
3. Repeat rhythmically for about 30 seconds.

Our guide to jawline exercises has six more moves for this area, plus an honest look at what exercise can and can’t change about your jaw (it can’t change bone structure or target fat in one spot).

Neck: Sky Smile

1. Sit or stand tall and slowly tilt your head back to look at the ceiling, only as far as is comfortable.
2. Smile widely, feeling the stretch along your jaw and the front of your neck, and hold for a few seconds.
3. Relax, bring your head back to neutral, and repeat for about 30 seconds.

Skip this move or keep the tilt small if you have any neck problems or feel dizzy.

A note on the nose and full face

Many programs also include moves for the area around the nose and full-face moves that combine several areas, like a warm-up tap across the face or a slow, full-face relaxation. They’re good ways to start and finish a session.

How often and how long to practise

Short daily sessions of 5 to 10 minutes are the most practical way to practise face yoga, because consistency matters more than length. There’s no research comparing different schedules, so this is common sense rather than a proven dose. Our guide on how often to do face yoga has weekly schedules for each level.

For context, the 2018 study used a much heavier protocol: 30 minutes every day for 8 weeks, then every other day until week 20. That shows what was tested, not what you need to do. Most people can’t keep up half an hour a day, and a routine you skip is worth less than a short one you keep.

Some practical guidelines:

• Start with 5 minutes a day. A full-face routine like our 5-minute face yoga routine for beginners is enough to learn the basics.
• Build to 10 minutes once the moves feel familiar, adding a focus area you care about.
• Pick a fixed time. Morning works for a quick, waking-up routine; evening works for a slower, relaxing one. The best time is the one you’ll stick to.
• Rest when you need to. If your jaw, neck or skin feels sore, take a day off.
• Give it time. Think in months, not days, and judge progress with consistent photos and how your face feels, not a daily mirror check.

Face yoga and gua sha

Face yoga and gua sha work well together: face yoga moves the muscles, and gua sha is a gentle massage that glides a smooth stone over the skin. Many routines already include hand massage, so adding a stone is a natural next step rather than a different practice.

Here’s how they differ:

	Face yoga	Gua sha
What it is	Exercises, holds and stretches for facial muscles	Gentle massage with a flat stone and facial oil
Equipment	None	A gua sha stone and facial oil
Main feel	Working, then relaxing muscles	Smooth, soothing strokes
Typical session	5–10 minutes	5–10 minutes
Evidence	Limited, a few small studies	Little high-quality research on facial use

Our full comparison of face yoga vs gua sha goes deeper, with a combined 10-minute routine. A simple way to combine them is to do your face yoga moves first, then finish with a few minutes of gua sha strokes from the neck up. Our step-by-step gua sha routine shows the angle, pressure and order for each area, and the gua sha hub collects everything else on facial massage.

If you’d rather follow along, Gluvy includes about 34 gua sha and facial-massage video courses, from jawline and cheek strokes to neck and relaxation routines, each with a timer for every step.

Safety and who should check with a doctor

Gentle face yoga is low-risk for most people, but a few conditions mean you should check with a doctor, dentist or physiotherapist before you start. The rule that applies to everyone: stop any move that causes pain. For the full list of possible downsides, see face yoga side effects.

Talk to a professional first if you have:

• Jaw joint (TMJ) problems, such as jaw pain, clicking, locking or a history of jaw dislocation. Wide mouth opening and jaw moves can aggravate them.
• Facial palsy or another nerve condition affecting the face. Facial exercises for these conditions should be guided by a specialist, not a general routine.
• Recent fillers, injectables or other cosmetic treatments. Ask the clinician who treated you when it’s safe to press, massage or exercise the area.
• Recent facial, dental or eye surgery. Wait until your surgeon says the area has healed.
• A neck condition, such as a disc problem or recent injury. Skip head tilts and neck circles until you get advice.
• Active skin problems like a rash, infection, sunburn or inflamed acne in the area you would touch.

General good practice:

• Use light pressure. You should feel gentle stretch or pressure, never pain.
• Don’t drag dry skin. Use a little moisturiser or oil for any gliding move.
• Stop if you feel dizzy, numb or sore, and seek advice if it doesn’t settle.
• Don’t over-do it. More minutes and more force don’t mean better results.

How to start face yoga this week

To start face yoga this week, pick a fixed time, take baseline photos, and do the 10-minute starter routine below on most days. That’s all you need for the first few weeks.

Step 1: Take baseline photos

Take a few photos of your face before you begin: front-on, and both sides. Use the same spot, the same light (daylight from a window works well), the same distance, a neutral expression and no makeup. Repeat every few weeks in exactly the same conditions. Photos taken in different light are almost impossible to compare fairly, so consistency matters more than the camera.

Step 2: Choose your time

Attach your session to something you already do every day: after brushing your teeth in the morning, after your evening skincare, or while your coffee brews. Set a reminder for the first couple of weeks until it becomes automatic.

Step 3: Follow the 10-minute starter routine

Sit or stand tall, relax your shoulders and breathe slowly through your nose. Work from the top of your face down.

#	Move	Area	Suggested time
1	Fingertip tapping warm-up	Full face	1 minute
2	Forehead Smooth Down	Forehead	1 minute
3	Under-Eye Slide	Eyes	1 minute
4	O-Shape Pump	Cheeks	1 minute
5	Lip Press and Release	Mouth and lips	1 minute
6	Jawline Press and Pull	Chin and jaw	1 minute
7	Sky Smile	Jaw and neck	1 minute
8	Slow neck circles	Neck	1 minute
9	Jaw release: lips closed, teeth apart, tongue resting on the roof of your mouth	Jaw	1 minute
10	Slow breathing with eyes closed	Full face	1 minute

Do each move gently and rest between moves if you need to. On busy days, the first eight moves at 30 seconds each make a 4-minute version.

Step 4: Keep it going for three weeks

Stick with the same routine for about three weeks before changing it. That’s long enough to learn the moves properly and make the habit stick. After that, you can add a focus area, such as the jaw or forehead, or swap in longer exercises.

Start with a guided plan in Gluvy

If you’d find it easier to follow a video than a table, Gluvy is built around this structure. You pick a focus area (Forehead, Eye & Brow, Nose, Lips/Mouth, Cheeks, Chin & Jawline, Neck or Full Face) and follow a 3-week plan of 5 to 10 minutes a day, drawn from more than 200 guided video exercises. Every step has its own timer, so you don’t have to count. An optional AI face analysis during setup can suggest which areas to start with; it’s a starting point for choosing a plan, not a medical or skin diagnosis.

Start a 3-week face yoga plan, 5 to 10 minutes a day: download Gluvy for iPhone.

Face yoga, skincare and everyday habits

Face yoga works best as one part of a broader routine, not as a replacement for the basics. A few everyday habits do a lot of the work:

• Sunscreen every day. Sun exposure is a major driver of visible skin ageing, and daily sunscreen is one of the best-supported habits for protecting your skin.
• A simple skincare routine. Cleanse, moisturise and protect. Our skincare lessons walk through the basics if you’re unsure where to start. Our guide to skincare routine order explains which step goes where.
• Posture. Holding your phone at eye level and keeping your ears roughly over your shoulders changes how your jaw and neck look and feel.
• Unclench. Rest your lips closed, teeth slightly apart and tongue relaxed. Notice when you clench during the day.
• Sleep and overall health. Sleep, activity and a balanced diet affect how rested and puffy your face looks more than any single exercise. And because spot reduction of fat isn’t supported by evidence, no face exercise can target fat in one area of the face.

Choosing a face yoga app or program

A good face yoga program is one with clear form cues, short sessions and honest claims. Whether you use a book, a teacher, videos or an app, look for:

• Clear demonstrations of each move, ideally video, so you can copy the form.
• Built-in timing, so you’re not counting in your head.
• Short, structured plans that fit into a normal day.
• Variety across areas, so you’re not repeating the same few moves forever.
• Honest language. Be cautious with any program that promises to “erase” wrinkles or deliver results by a date.

Our comparison of the best face yoga apps looks at the main options side by side, and the comparisons hub covers other alternatives.

Practise face yoga with Gluvy

Face yoga is easier to keep up when you don’t have to plan it. Gluvy’s face yoga video workouts give you more than 200 guided exercises across forehead, eyes, nose, lips and mouth, cheeks, chin and jawline, neck and full face, organised into 3-week plans of 5 to 10 minutes a day with a timer on every step. You can add gua sha courses, guided breathing and sleep sessions, morning and night routines, and a progress journal with selfies to compare your photos over time. See how the app works, or start with the free 5-minute beginner routine on this site.

Sources

• Alam M, et al. “Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging.” JAMA Dermatology, 2018. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5142
• “Effect of Intensive Face Yoga on Facial Muscles Tonus, Stiffness, and Elasticity in Middle-Aged Women: A Pre-Experimental Clinical Trial.” Medicina, 2025. PMC12112979
• “Anatomy, Head and Neck: Facial Muscles.” StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. NBK493209