Face yoga is a practice of targeted exercises that strengthen and tone the muscles of the face, improving circulation, definition, and skin quality over time. It is safe when you do it the right way. A small number of people notice something uncomfortable, like new tightness, jaw pain, or being sore afterward. This almost always happens because of how the exercise was done, not because face yoga itself is harmful. Once you learn to do the pose the correct way, the problem usually goes away.
Does Face Yoga Have Side Effects?
Face yoga does not cause side effects when you do it correctly. “Side effects” means something unwanted that happens as a result of doing the exercises — like feeling uncomfortable, tired, or noticing a new line on your face.
The complaints people bring up are usually the same handful of things: feeling uncomfortable during a pose, feeling tension somewhere you didn’t expect, seeing new lines or wrinkles, getting a headache, or feeling sore. Each of these has a specific reason behind it, and in almost every case, the reason is how the pose was performed, not something wrong with face yoga as a practice.
Take wrinkles as an example, since this worries people the most. Each pose is short — you only hold it for under a minute. The poses also use specific hand placements, meaning Fumiko has worked out exactly where your hands should go and how much pressure to use, and she has tested this carefully over many years. Because of this careful design, it’s actually hard to hurt your skin or create new lines, as long as you follow the movements the way they’re taught. This other article explains this in much more detail, including why doing the exercises correctly can prevent wrinkles instead of causing them.
Common Side Effects to Watch For
- Headaches — Some poses ask you to press your knuckles or fists against your face. If you press too hard, this can sometimes cause a headache.
- Jaw tension — Some poses ask you to gently hold something between your teeth or lips, like a small object. If your jaw squeezes down hard instead of staying loose and relaxed, this can create tension or discomfort in your jaw.
- Soreness or tiredness after a session — It’s normal to feel sore or tired after doing face yoga, especially when you’re new to it — the same way your arms might feel tired after lifting weights for the first time. This feeling usually becomes less noticeable the more regularly you practice, though it’s still possible to feel a little sore now and then, even after months or years of practicing.
Who Should Take Extra Care
Some situations mean you should be more careful, or check with a doctor before starting or continuing face yoga:
- If you’ve recently had eye surgery, such as cataract surgery — talk to your doctor before doing any exercises that involve the eye area.
- If you have been diagnosed with TMJ — you can still practice face yoga, but check with a specialist first, and be extra careful to keep your jaw relaxed rather than clenched during any pose that involves your mouth.
- If you have Bell’s palsy or facial paralysis from a stroke — facial exercise can genuinely help once you’re past the early stage and moving into recovery, but doing it too soon after symptoms first appear can work against you rather than help. This article explains exactly what to check first before starting any facial exercise with these conditions.
How to Practice Safely
If face yoga videos are available, watch the whole video from start to finish, and pay close attention to small details — like exactly where the hands go, or how the mouth is positioned. Most problems happen because of a small difference between how a pose is supposed to be done and how it’s actually being done. While you practice, try to notice which exact muscle is supposed to be working, instead of just going through the motions without thinking about it.
Any part of your face that isn’t specifically involved in a pose should stay relaxed and loose — not tight or tense. For example, in a pose that works the muscles around your eyes, your forehead should stay soft and still, not scrunched up. In a pose that works your jaw or neck, the muscles in your cheeks and around your eyes should stay relaxed.
If a pose ever seems to be making a line on your face look worse, or deeper, that’s a sign to change how you’re doing the movement — not a reason to stop doing face yoga altogether. Try doing the same movement much more gently than before. You can also use your hands to gently smooth the skin in that area, instead of pressing down hard. Avoid stretching the skin more than it naturally moves. Making these small changes solves the problem more often than people expect.
Things you do outside of your face yoga practice can also affect your face, and can either work against your practice or make it look like face yoga is causing a problem when it isn’t. For example: sleeping on one side of your face every night, chewing your food using only one side of your mouth, or using a pillow that presses a crease into your neck while you sleep. If your neck or jawline exercises don’t seem to be helping, or seem to be creating new lines, it’s worth checking these everyday habits first, before assuming the exercise itself is the problem.
Practicing in front of a mirror — especially during your first few weeks — makes it much easier to check that you’re doing everything correctly. You can actually see with your own eyes whether your forehead is staying still during an eye exercise, instead of just guessing.
FAQ
Can face yoga make wrinkles worse?
Yes, this is possible, but only if you use too much force while working the wrong muscle — the most common example is squeezing your eyes too tightly shut during eye exercises. If this happens to you, the fix is to do the same pose much more gently, use your hands to smooth the skin in that area instead of pressing hard, and avoid stretching the skin. You don’t need to stop doing the exercise completely — you just need to adjust how you’re doing it. This article explains in full detail why doing face yoga correctly actually helps prevent wrinkles, rather than causing them.
Is it safe to do face yoga after cataract surgery or other eye procedures?
This depends on how your specific recovery is going and what your eye surgeon tells you. If you’ve recently had any kind of eye surgery, talk to your doctor before doing any exercises that involve your eyes.
Why does my jaw or the lower part of my face look different after doing a neck exercise?
This usually happens because a muscle near your jaw or cheek is doing some of the work, instead of, or along with, the neck muscle that the exercise is actually meant to target. Once you correct which muscle is doing the work, this usually stops happening.
Is it normal to feel sore after doing face yoga?
Yes, especially if you’re new to the practice. Feeling a little sore or tired after a session is completely normal and expected — similar to how your body might feel after trying a new type of physical exercise. This feeling usually lessens the more regularly you practice, though it’s still possible to feel a little sore occasionally, even once you’ve been practicing for a long time.
Why does my jaw hurt during or after a pose?
This can happen with poses where you’re asked to gently hold something between your teeth or lips, if your jaw clenches down hard instead of staying relaxed. Try holding it gently rather than biting down, make sure your jaw is straight (not pushed to one side), keep your chin level, and make sure both corners of your mouth are even with each other. Warming up your face before you start, and consciously relaxing your jaw afterward, also helps. If you’ve been told by a doctor that you have TMJ, check with a specialist before continuing.
Is face yoga safe to do while pregnant?
Face yoga is generally considered safe during pregnancy. That said, as with starting any new physical activity while pregnant, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor first, just to be safe for your specific situation.
Can I still do face yoga if I’ve had Botox or fillers?
Yes — face yoga can be done alongside Botox and fillers without any problem. One thing that’s helpful to know: face yoga increases blood flow to your face, and this may cause your body to absorb filler slightly faster than it otherwise would.
Can face yoga help with Bell’s palsy or facial paralysis from a stroke?
Yes, it can help once you’re past the early stage of the condition — but timing matters. If your symptoms are very recent, it’s best not to start facial exercise right away; wait until your symptoms have settled and you’re moving into a recovery phase. This article covers exactly what to check first if this applies to you.
How do I know if I’m doing a pose with the correct technique?
The clearest sign that you’re doing something correctly is that it never causes you pain or discomfort — you should only feel the specific muscle that the pose is meant to work, and everything else on your face should feel relaxed. Practicing in front of a mirror, and starting out with guided instructions makes this much easier to learn.
Start With Guided Practice
The best way to avoid every issue on this list is to learn the correct way to do each pose from the very beginning, instead of having to fix problems after they’ve already started.
I’ve put together a free guide with five of my basic poses, to help you start your practice the right way from day one.
Start your free face yoga practice →
