Give Your Face a Lift
Warm up
Remember the last time you skinned a chicken breast or trimmed meat (hopefully this was a long time ago before you switched to raw vegan foods)?
You saw fascia. Fascia is the thin, whitish colored band or sheath of connective tissue between the skin and the muscle of the meat. Fascia looks thin, but it is very fibrous and strong. Your body also has fascia.
Fascia forms directly under the skin and serves as a strong layer of connective tissue between the skin and the muscles underneath it. It is very important to keep the fascia from becoming glued to the skin or muscles it covers. This exercise will greatly increase circulation in your face and get it ready for these exercises.
1. Sit straight.
2. Place the palms of your hands on both sides of your face, fingers up.
3. Press them tightly to the sides of your face.
4. Move your hands up and down in a small range of motion several times and then stop.
5. Repeat 5 times.
Neck Smoother
This exercise targets the Sternocleidomastoideus, the major muscle of the neck. When this muscle is increased in size, it elongates the neck, while firming and smoothing the sides of the neck.
1. Lie across a bed, letting your head hang upside down off the side.
2. Raise your head slowly upward, stressing the muscles under the jaw.
3. Hold for a count of 6 and lower your head.
4. Repeat 3–5 times.
This is an extremely important exercise for your neck because that is where aging will show first. But be careful not to overdo it during the first several days or you will end up with a sore, stiff neck and shoulders. You must learn to relax your shoulders during this exercise. This will only come with regular practice.
Eventually your goal will be 20–30 repetitions, but do what you can. Work on raising your head up to the horizontal level at first. As your muscles strengthen and you become more adept, you will want to curl the chin up even farther towards your chest. Work at your own pace.
The exercise will strengthen the neck and lessen the appearance of lines on your neck. It will also reduce double chins, since they are partially the result of slack neck muscles.
Palm Suction
This exercise greatly improves circulation in the area around your eyes. It will strengthen the large circular muscle surrounding each eye (Orbicularis Oculi) and, when developed, will prevent or eliminate sagginess. If done regularly it will remove eye bags and, at the same time, will plump the area around the eyes—reducing or eliminating “sunken eyes” and “dark circles.”
1. Cup your palms over your closed eyes. The palm of each hand will work as a cup pressed tightly against the bony ridges around your eye, but without pressing on the eyes themselves.
2. Without lifting your hands from your skin, create a suction or pumping motion: push and slightly release the pressure.
Repeat 5 times.
3. While you are at it, you might want to alternate with another massage technique: keep your hands cupped over your eyes and rotate your wrists slightly, producing a deep tissue massage effect.
Warning: This is an excellent exercise, but DO NOT OVERDO IT! Be sure you do not bruise the delicate tissues. If you have had detached retinas, you may not want to do this exercise at all.
Face Lift
Grab a big handful of hair and pull gently upwards. This is an extremely good exercise for rejuvenating your face. Even though there is no weight bearing effect, it is literally yoga for your face. Grasp your hair with your fingers, pulling gently, and change the position of your hands until every part of the scalp has been treated. During this hair pulling process, the skin of the scalp is slightly raised from the skull.
Its minute muscles and capillaries are stimulated. This exercise has a general tonic effect, as it stimulates circulation. Applied for short periods of time, the tension sends nutrients to the roots of your hair and improves its growth.
