Have you noticed your cheeks looking flatter than they used to — less full near the cheekbone, almost hollow in the mid-face? It’s something I hear from Face Yogis constantly, and it tends to catch people off guard. Most assume it’s just weight loss or genetics. But more often than not, it comes down to the muscles underneath.
The cheeks are supported by a network of facial muscles — primarily the zygomaticus major and the muscles of the mid-face — that hold volume and shape in place. When those muscles weaken and lose tone over time, the cheek area flattens and the face can start to look gaunt or tired even when you feel perfectly well. The good news: those muscles can be trained back. That’s exactly what these three exercises do.
Why These Exercises Work
I’ve been teaching face yoga for over 22 years. One thing I tell every Face Yogi who comes to me about flat or hollow cheeks: the muscle is still there. It hasn’t gone anywhere. It just needs consistent, targeted work — the same way any muscle in your body does when it’s been undertrained.
These three exercises target the mid-face from slightly different angles — working the zygomaticus muscles, cheek fat pads, and the connective tissue that keeps the face lifted and defined. Done daily with consistent face yoga practice, most Face Yogis notice a real shift in fullness and lift within three to four weeks.
Before you start, sit tall with a relaxed neck and shoulders and breathe deeply through your nose. That starting position isn’t just a formality — tension in the neck and shoulders travels up into the face and reduces how effectively you can engage the cheek muscles.
Exercise 1: WOW!
Before any targeted cheek work, you need to warm up the muscles around the mouth and mid-face. This exercise does that simply and effectively.
- In a slow, not too exaggerated manner, say “WOW” 10 times.
- Come out from the pose and relax.
Keep each “WOW” slow and deliberate — you should feel the cheek and lip muscles activating with every repetition. This is more than a warm-up: done consistently on its own, it helps restore movement and tone to muscles that have become underused.
Exercise 2: Cheek and Face Line Lifter
This exercise works the full cheek — from the lower face up toward the cheekbone — targeting the muscles that give the mid-face its lift and definition.
- Place both palms on the sides of your face with your thumbs underneath your ears.
- Move your hands up at a 45-degree angle and open your eyes wide without wrinkling your forehead.
- Curl your lower lip over your teeth and pull the corners of your mouth toward your molars.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Come out from the pose and relax.
Keep your forehead completely relaxed throughout — all the work should be happening in the cheeks and mouth, not the upper face.
Exercise 3: Profile Facelift
This is the finishing exercise — it lifts and defines the cheek from the side profile, which is where flat cheeks tend to show most visibly.
- Place your right palm on the side of your face along your face line with your thumb under your ear. Place your left hand on your forehead.
- Move your right hand toward your ear at a 45-degree angle and lift your left hand up. Hold for 10 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side: left palm on face line, right hand on forehead, move left hand toward ear at 45 degrees, lift right hand up. Hold for 10 seconds.
- Come out from the pose and relax.
Work both sides equally — even if one cheek feels flatter than the other. Consistent bilateral practice is what brings symmetry back over time.
The One Thing That Makes the Difference
I’ve worked with over 764,000 women through this practice. The ones who see results aren’t the ones who do the most — they’re the ones who show up every single day.
Ten minutes daily is enough. The cheek muscles are small and respond quickly to intentional training. They also lose tone quickly without it. Most Face Yogis notice subtle fullness returning in the mid-face within two to three weeks. By week four, the lift near the cheekbone tends to be clearly visible.
One more thing worth knowing: flat cheeks often come with tension held in the jaw and lower face. Before your exercises each day, take a moment to release your jaw — let it drop slightly, unclench the back teeth, and soften the area around the mouth. You’ll get more from every exercise when you start from a place of release rather than holding.
Ready to Go Further?
If you want a guided, structured practice for the cheek and mid-face area — with daily support and real results — join me for the Bring Back Your Cheeks Challenge. It’s a 5-day event and every day we’ll work through targeted cheek exercises together.
