fACIAL ANATOMY - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

This is the Facial anatomy where you can see exactly which muscles you are activating when you do Face Yoga! This can help for the face awareness and realizing which exercises would be the best for your personal face yoga routine.

The largest organ in the body, the skin guards us from the external elements, and protects the underlying muscles, bones and internal organs. It is made up of three layers:

  1.The epidermis, our skin’s top layer, provides a waterproof barrier that protects us from the elements and pathogens, gives us the sense of touch and regulates body temperature. It is composed of four layers of cells: the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, and stratum corneum.

  2.The dermis, our skin’s middle layer, is comprised of connective tissue which contains our collagen and elastin proteins. It also contains blood vessels, our lymphatic system, hair follicles, glands and nerves. Its main function is to protect and cushion us from stress and give our skin bounce and elasticity.

  3.The hypodermis or bottom layer of skin is made up of connective and adipose tissue. Its main function is to protect us from trauma and cushion the skin.

In order to have healthy skin you want to give it as much help as possible to do its job. By exercising Face Yoga you are helping the blood flow and the natural exfoliation of the skin through manipulation and movement. This helps the epidermis by encouraging regular shedding of the top layer. This in turn encourages the lower layer of the epidermis to produce new cells, thus helping skin to look bright, glowing and energized. Daily Face Yoga helps the dermis by improving the lymphatic drainage in this area which reduces puffiness, bloating and uneven skin tone. The hypodermis has blood vessels and nerves like the dermis, so stimulation of this area helps with better circulation to the epidermis.

MUSCLES

There are 57 muscles in the face, head and neck, including the ears and tongue. The main function of the face muscles is to give us the ability to make facial expressions. Each muscle in the face has a particular function and needs to be looked after differently; some need to be strengthened and lifted, others need to be released of tension and some need training to stay relaxed. Face Yoga supports this amazing web of muscles in all these ways. The fact that all the muscles are attached is important, because lifting or relaxing one can provide lift and support or freedom from tension, for another.

BONES

There are 22 bones in the face and head. The function of these bones is to protect and support our face and brain. Face Yoga works less with the bones and more with the muscles and skin. However, due to the natural loss of density and thickness of some bones in the face as we age, working the muscles and skin to provide support and lift for the face is important to balance this bone atrophy and change. As the bones are attached to the muscles, strengthening and toning the muscles helps to support the bones. It has also been shown that a lack of exercise weakens bones as we age so strengthening exercises may help the bones stay strong.