FACE YOGA & BREATH
What if your face could finally breathe? The power of face yoga and breath.
We muscle our arms, strengthen our backs, stretch our legs... but what about our faces? The one that expresses everything. The one that tires, that reflects anxiety, joy, lack of sleep, tensions that we don't express. What if it too needed a breath of fresh air? Relaxation, presence, gentleness.
Face yoga, this gentle yet powerful practice, reminds us that the face is not a mask, but a living map of our inner state. When we add the power of breathing, everything changes: the complexion brightens, the features relax, the mind calms.
At Yogaterrae, we believe that well-being also starts here: between the temples, the cheekbones and the breath.
Written by Tina - July 2025
Reducible content
Reading time
Approx. 10 minutes
WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER
- Why our faces carry the weight of our emotions
- Face yoga, an age-old ritual brought up to date
- How breath transforms the impact of facial exercises
- A simple routine to practice at home, on your mat
- Observed benefits: natural beauty and inner peace
- Yogaterrae, a space for connecting body, breath and face
"Let's take a look!
WHY OUR FACES CARRY THE WEIGHT OF OUR EMOTIONS
We often forget it, but the face is one of the most contracted areas of our body. Frowning eyebrows, a clenched jaw, stress-induced frown lines, cheekbones frozen by control... What we go through leaves a subtle but constant imprint on our features. By dint of holding back, pleasing, masking or "holding on", our facial muscles become exhausted. Unlike our thighs or arms, which we relax after exertion, the face is constantly in demand, without ever taking a conscious break.
It's a paradox: what connects us most to others - the look, the smile, the expression - is also what we listen to least. Tensions silently accumulate there: anger stuck in the jaws, anxiety in the eyelids, fatigue in the forehead. And yet, these signs are visible on the outside - and invisible to the wearer. They are symptoms of a society under stress, where even beauty seems bound to conceal the truth of life.
That's probably why face yoga has become such a worldwide craze. On TikTok or YouTube, millions of views focus on simple gestures: relaxing the forehead, massaging the cheekbones, freeing the jaw. Celebrities such as Meghan Markle and Miranda Kerr have shared their facial rituals, while natural wellness brands (such as Wildling, FaceGym or Skin + Me) integrate these techniques into more holistic routines. In France, holistic therapists and breathing coaches now run circles dedicated to the "living face", combining self-massage, breath and mindfulness.
This is where face yoga becomes a profound ritual that goes far beyond beauty care. It allows us to feel our face again, to inhabit it, to listen to it, to free it. It reminds us that we are not a fixed mask, but an emotional landscape in motion. And that a simple release of the jaw can sometimes be worth more than a long speech.
FACE YOGA, AN AGE-OLD RITUAL BROUGHT UP TO DATE
Long before it became a trend on social networks, facial massage was already practiced in many ancient traditions. In India, Ayurvedic treatments have for centuries included precise gestures on marma points (vital energy zones) located around the temples, eyes and jaw. In Japan, the ancestral art of kobido, literally "the ancestral way of beauty", combined refined touch and energy circulation to maintain a youthful face... and a clear mind. In China, traditional medicine has always recommended brushing and tapping the face to boost qi (vital breath) upon awakening.
Today, this ancient knowledge is making a comeback, revisited in the light of neuroscience, natural cosmetics and holistic approaches. Face yoga, as taught by the likes of Fumiko Takatsu (Canada), Koko Hayashi (USA), Sylvie Lefranc (France) and Danielle Collins (UK), does more than just "rejuvenate" the face: it aims to reconnect expression, body awareness and breathing.
Each exercise - raising the cheekbones, activating the perioral area, opening the eyes - becomes a micro-practice in refocusing. It's a way of regaining fine control over our emotional musculature. The face ceases to be passive. It becomes a place of active presence. A meditation in movement, transforming features without freezing them.
At Yogaterrae, we deeply believe that this form of yoga, far from being superficial, responds to a contemporary need: that of reappropriating one's image through feeling rather than an external gaze.
HOW BREATH TRANSFORMS THE IMPACT OF FACIAL EXERCISES
A facial exercise without breathing is like a wave without a sea. Breath is the invisible matrix of every movement, the key that links surface to depth, gesture to feeling. Since the pandemic, approaches combining conscious breathing and facial self-care have experienced spectacular growth. From Paris to Seoul, wellness studios now offer face yoga sessions in pairs with breathwork coaches. In London, the "Facial Breath Club" founded in 2024 by trauma therapists has popularized the idea of "breathing by and for your face": a protocol combining mandibular relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing and guided micro-movements.
Science is not to be outdone: recent research by the Stanford Center for Sleep & Stress shows that slow, nasal breathing significantly reduces the activity of facial muscles linked to chronic stress. In France, many practitioners now combine face yoga, cardiac coherence and facial reflexology in well-attended hybrid workshops, notably at summer retreats in the South-West or on the Ile de Ré.
In concrete terms, inhaling slowly through the nose opens the ribcage... and in this expansion, the forehead softens, the temples loosen. On exhalation, the mouth opens, the jaw drops slightly, and the whole face regains its natural, forgotten weight. This back-and-forth breathing acts like a warm wave, smoothing out invisible tensions. Some practices associate sounds with the breath: the "mmm" that makes the cheekbones vibrate, the "ha" that frees the cheeks, the "om" that resonates even in the sinuses.
This alliance between breath and gentle gestures is powerful because it doesn't seek to correct, but to listen. It transforms a tense face into living territory. It creates an intimate link between emotion, expression and inner regulation.
And it's this subtle, deep, universal breath that Yogaterrae invites us to rediscover through each routine: a breath that doesn't change our appearance, but reveals our presence.
A SIMPLE ROUTINE TO PRACTICE AT HOME, ON YOUR OWN MAT
You don't need a bathroom mirror or a formal class to get started. All you need is a quiet place, a little time, and what you already have: your face, your breath, and your mat. This familiar surface then becomes a cocoon of reintegration, a place where you can place your hands on your cheeks, massage your temples, feel the release as the seconds pass. Sitting comfortably, cross-legged or lying in Savasana, you can let your face express itself with full awareness.
Here's a very gentle sequence to get you started:
- 1. Face awakening: lightly tap the contours of the face with fingertips, from chin to forehead.
- 2. Relaxing the forehead: place palms on temples, then smooth forehead outwards, exhaling slowly.
- 3. Soft-mouth" breathing: inhale through the nose, then exhale, letting the mouth open naturally, without forcing.
- 4. Jaw release: place two fingers at the junction of the jawbones and massage in small circles, then yawn voluntarily.
- 5. Activate your inner smile: close your eyes, breathe in and imagine a smile emerging from within your cheeks, without any external contraction.
This routine can last 5 minutes or extend to 20, depending on the mood of the day. It can be integrated into a gentle yoga practice, an evening session, or even an anchoring moment in the middle of the day. Some people add a little natural vegetable oil, such as jojoba or calendula, to intensify the sensory dimension.
What Yogaterrae wishes to encourage here is free regularity: sincere gestures, made over time, which transform a routine into a ritual. Because skincare is not a luxury, but a way of paying attention to what we offer the world every day: our presence.
OBSERVED BENEFITS: NATURAL BEAUTY AND INNER PEACE
The effects of face yoga combined with breath are sometimes visible... but always felt. That's where the subtlety lies. After just a few days, the features become slightly smoother, the eyes appear clearer, and the contour of the lips is redefined without tension. Dark circles fade, not because they've disappeared, but because the light in the face changes. This is not an anti-ageing promise: it's a slackening that restores radiance. A new softness of expression.
Beyond appearance, the deeper benefits are invisible. Many people report improved sleep quality, reduced chronic headaches or mandibular tension. Others report a reduced mental workload, greater awareness of their posture, and a greater sense of presence in social interactions. By calming the nervous system and relaxing the face, we also free up inner speech, which is often harsh, critical or tense.
It's as if, by softening the face, we let in a little more truth. The mask falls away. Naturalness returns. Acceptance follows. Some women speak of a "living face", others of a "reconciled face". It's a beauty that's not immediately obvious, but which imposes itself through its serenity. What you give off changes, because what you feel calms down.
And it's precisely this deep peace - visible or not - that Yogaterrae considers the heart of well-being: a beauty that doesn't seek to seduce, but to radiate from within.
YOGATERRAE, A SPACE TO CONNECT BODY, BREATH AND FACE
At Yogaterrae, we believe that a yoga mat is much more than a support for postures. It's an intimate territory where body, mind and breath come together. It welcomes deep twists, restorative silences, conscious breathing... but also the care of the face, that often forgotten place of our attention. Face yoga fits in naturally, as an extension of what we've been cultivating from the start: presence to oneself, in all its forms.
To make this approach accessible to as many people as possible, we have created the Yogaterrae Member Card. A symbol of belonging to a community of women and men who seek to breathe better, move better, live better. For €1, it opens up a sustainable space - 20% for life on the boutique, yes, but above all a discreet and powerful link between those who believe that a healthy mind leads to a healthy life.
Practicing on your mat, massaging your face, breathing deeply, welcoming yourself as you are: these are acts of gentleness, of self-care, of reclaiming yourself. And when these gestures are repeated every day, in every corner of the world, they become a silent form of inner revolution. A yoga of the living, a yoga of the true.
And that's what Yogaterrae wants to continue cultivating with you: a beauty that breathes, a breath that connects, a life that soothes.
Thank you Tina for this timely post!
Thank you for taking the time to breathe with us, to listen to what your face is whispering, and to make the breath a gesture of care. May each practice, however small, bring you closer to yourself - with gentleness, light and truth.
TINA's bio
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TINA
1994, Reunion Island, Mauritius, a Life of the Indian Ocean and Yoga
Since childhood, this intrepid traveler has crisscrossed the globe, leaving her footprints on beaches the world over.Passionate about surfing, scuba diving and sailing, she has made the ocean her playground and source of inspiration.
The freedom of the waves, the serenity of the ocean depths and the wind in his sails have punctuated his journey, always guided by a quest for connection with nature.
Through her explorations, yoga has become more than a practice for her - it's a way of life.
Between morning surf sessions and meditative sunsets, she has found in yoga a perfect balance of strength, fluidity and self-awareness.
Today, she combines her passion for water sports with teaching yoga and is part of the Yogaterrae team, here in France, in the South-West and often remotely :)
This adventuress is a true source of inspiration for anyone who aspires to live in harmony with their body and nature.
Through her stories of incredible experiences, she invites everyone to open up to a world where every wave, every breath and every posture is a celebration of life.
