Month: May 2018

If you follow me on Facebook, have participated in one of my workshops, or have read some of my previous blogs, you know that I am always encouraging people to find those moments during the day when you can do your Face Yoga exercises. And if you have a block of time to do a little routine or work on a specific area, all the better.

Face Yoga is what I do. So I have a fairly set morning and evening routine. I honestly fit in exercises whenever I think about it. And if you find me in front of the TV or in a car (driver or passenger), you can bet I’m doing a little Face Yoga at the same time. Some days I prepare and practice for lessons and workshops. Other days I revise the exercises I do less frequently. Then there are busy days, disorganized days, and just plain old lazy days where I do less. But I do something EVERY day, no matter when, where or how long. It is habit, a part of my lifestyle.

I was recently traveling. Being away from home, being on the move, and sometimes being exhausted gave me the perfect opportunity to put my money where my mouth is and fit in Face Yoga exercises whenever I could.

There’s always a lot of sitting and waiting for a plane, train or bus. I just held my magazine up (book, tablet, newspaper) and no one could see if I was making faces or not. (Neck high, not down creating wrinkles and helping gravity!) When I was doing an exercise like The Smile Lifter, it just looked like I was enjoying what I was reading!

Then there’s the time you actually spend in transit. There were a lot of exercises I could do in the confines of the airplane seat – exercises to stretch the neck, tone and relax the eyes, push acupressure points or mini-massage areas to name a few. They all helped to make me feel more relaxed and refreshed AND pass the time more quickly.

Spending several hours in the car? Rather than just slouching and watching the scenery, I could do as much or as little Face Yoga as I wanted. No matter if I was the passenger, or the one driving.

And all that sitting (no matter what type of transport we’re talking about) gives you the opportunity to remind yourself to sit up straight, shoulders down and relax the upper back. You feel less cramped at the end of the trip too.

Sometimes you can spend a lot of time on the subway before you get to your destination. It was another perfect moment to exercise. “What did the other passengers think?” you ask. They were all on their phones, reading or sleeping. No one was looking at me!

Being a tourist, you spend a lot of time waiting in queues for museums, monuments, amusement rides, food etc… Since not all Face Yoga exercises are spectacular facial movements, I doubt anyone else even realized I was exercising.

Not having time for my morning routine made me feel guilty at first. So I had to decide which area(s) of the face I wanted to NOT neglect, which exercises were the most powerful for me, and how could I combine exercises to get maximum benefits in a short amount of time. Two or three can do the trick. Then I though about what I do normally just walking around my house doing other things, and combined that with getting ready for my day. It’s called multi-tasking.

It was a little harder to stay hydrated with all the moving around – especially getting hot water. Mornings and evenings at the guest houses were easy. But most restaurants plop a big glass of ice water in front of you as soon as you sit down. When I, a bit sheepishly, asked for plain, hot water the first time, the response was not what I expected. The waitress told me people order it a lot more than you would think. So don’t be afraid to order it yourself.

My homemade cream, moisture spray and lip balm were lifesavers, as far as keeping my skin moist. No surprise, but this was especially true for the plane trip and during the day when I was out visiting and not having the opportunity to drink water whenever I wanted, or whenever my skin felt dry and tight. Taking care of the skin while you travel is so important whatever products you prefer.

I hope I don’t give the impression that I spent my vacation obsessing about my skin and doing Face Yoga exercises – far from it. But it was surprisingly easy to keep up with some sort of routine away from home.

So I’m sure there are many, daily moments that you could be doing Face Yoga too. And that, if you are committed enough, they can become part of YOUR daily routine.

And if you’re on vacation? No excuses.