Promising firmer skin, lifted features and a calmer mind, face yoga is having a moment, with more than 95K videos on TikTok. If you’re picturing contorted expressions or holding your face in awkward poses, the reality is far gentler.
What is face yoga?
Face yoga blends simple exercises, massage, acupressure and breath-led relaxation into a practice that feels less like a workout and more like a ritual.
More than a fleeting lift, face yoga, and its deeper companion, buccal massage, offers a nervous-system-led approach to skin health. Jodie Lever, a facialist known for her immersive massage techniques, sees these practices not just as tools for beauty, but as ways to support soft-ageing through regulation, release, and reconnection.
“The muscles of the face, like the rest of the body, can hold tension, stress and unexpressed emotion,” Jodie explains.
Face yoga brings awareness and movement to areas that may have become slack or stagnant, helping to tone, realign posture, and boost energy flow.
“It’s a powerful way to restore balance, especially when paired with intentional breathwork,” says Jodie.
A step further
If you’re looking for something that works even deeper, buccal massage reaches the inner muscles of the cheeks to release tension in the jaw and mouth. “It can dramatically improve circulation, reduce puffiness, and soften the look of stress-related lines,” says Jodie. “It also reconnects us to the inner landscape of the face. I often describe it as a somatic reset.”
Both techniques support lymphatic drainage, boost blood flow and encourage collagen health, but what really sets them apart is how they calm the nervous system. “In today’s high-stress world, that inner sense of calm is what truly allows the skin to regenerate, glow, and age with ease.”
So, in the name of glowing skin and a quieter mind, I carved out just 12 minutes a day to see if these micro-movements could actually make a visible difference. I followed the seven-day natural face lift programme from Danielle Collins – the queen of face yoga, with 17 years of experience behind her. Here’s how it went…
“I tried face yoga – here’s what happened”
Day one
As I geared up for a week of facial massage, I wasn’t expecting the first video from Danielle to focus on… posture. What did standing up straight have to do with fine lines and facial tension? As it turns out, quite a lot.
We began by grounding the feet and tuning into the breath – inhale for a count of four, exhale for six. Danielle explains that good posture is essential for helping the face look lifted, healthy and youthful. Even a few seconds of slouching can create tension through the neck, jaw and mouth, so years of poor posture? No wonder it shows on the face.
I rolled my shoulders back and forward to release tension, softened into a neutral stance, and aimed to lengthen through the spine, with a gentle tuck of the chin. Already, I noticed how much more open and aware I felt.
Next, Danielle instructed me to apply a generous amount of serum to my hands, then gently tap across the neck, jaw and face to wake up the skin. This simple movement stimulates blood flow and gives an instant brightness – subtle, but noticeable.
The video ends with a hand-over-heart moment of gratitude, grounding the practice in something deeper than skincare. A reminder, maybe, that softening how we feel can often be the first step to softening how we look.
Day two
Today’s focus shifted to the upper face, but, perhaps unexpectedly, also to mindset. For Danielle, how we feel on the inside is just as important as what we do with our hands. That inner dialogue? It shows up on our face.
As someone with a permanent tech neck and a deeply furrowed brow, I suspect it’ll take more than a week to undo the damage, especially if the remedy is more self-love than serum.
Moving into the practical part, we worked on the forehead. Danielle guided us to form a large C shape with the thumb and index finger; index finger placed just above the brows, thumb resting on the cheek. From here, gently pull the skin downward with the index fingers while trying to raise the brows and widen the eyes. Hold for two seconds, relax, and repeat a few times. Then hold for a final ten seconds. This is meant to strengthen the forehead muscles and help smooth lines over time.
By the end, I couldn’t say for sure whether it was the posture, the kind inner voice, or the subtle massage, but something had shifted. My eyes looked a little brighter. Maybe even a bit lighter, too.
Days 3-4
As we moved further into the week, the practice deepened: more breathwork, longer facial massage, and an introduction to buccal massage. This is where things get a little more intense.
Because buccal work involves massaging inside the mouth, Danielle emphasises the importance of going gently and listening to your body. The goal isn’t to push through pain or end up with sore skin, the touch should feel firm but comfortable.
Using the thumb inside the cheek and the fingers on the outside, you begin to glide upwards in smooth motions. It’s a strange sensation at first, but surprisingly soothing once you settle in. A little redness is normal here, but it’s a sign that things are shifting. Tension softens. Lines start to blur.
Days 5-6
The final stretch of the programme brought a focus on acupressure and facial awareness: slower, more meditative, but still deeply effective.
We began by placing the middle fingers at the start of the brows and gently tapping around the eyes – up over the brows, down along the top of the cheekbones, then in towards the inner corners. We repeated the sequence in reverse, using light, rhythmic tapping. This helps to boost circulation, relax the delicate eye muscles, and soften fine lines.
Next, using index fingers, we stroked gently under the eyes, from the nose outwards, four times. This movement is designed to reduce puffiness and bags by encouraging lymphatic flow and increasing oxygen to the area. We ended with a simple mantra: I look glowing, healthy and happy. And honestly? I really did.
Day seven
The last day focused on lymphatic drainage – a technique Danielle recommends doing with a feather-light touch. This isn’t about working the muscles; it’s about gently detoxing the face and encouraging the release of toxins.
There were moments I felt a bit ridiculous (like when I had to press my tongue up towards my nose), but I can’t argue with the results. By the end of the week, my neck looked noticeably more sculpted.
Did I look like I’d just popped out for a tweakment on my lunch break? No. But that’s not the point. This is a daily ritual. Something to weave into your usual beauty routine, that supports long-term change. And after just seven days, there’s no denying it: the results are already starting to show.
