18 months of Face Pilates

I first began practicing Face exercise regularly in July 2020, which means this month is exactly 1.5 years of Face Pilates for me. Here are the things I did regularly, the first two pretty much daily:

  • Face, tongue and neck exercise

  • Massage, intra-oral massage

  • Gua Sha

  • Constructive rest or Still Point Induction and breathing exercises

And then about six months ago, the live Face Pilates courses evolved to add new protocols. I do the first two daily now too:

  • Lymphatic stimulation, face brushing

  • Skin rolling massage

  • Osteopathic techniques to support the cranial nerves and nervous system

These are the improvements I’ve personally noticed from my practice:

  • Eyes less sunken and brighter

  • Forehead creases practically gone and reduced 11-lines

  • Smoother skin tone

  • Pinkish skin color from improved circulation

  • Better resting facial posture and oral posture

  • Less jaw tension, no more clenching at night, no more mouth guard needed

  • Less nasal congestion, easier to breathe on the side of my deviated septum

  • Fewer headaches and tools to calm headaches once they start

  • Reduced brain fog

  • Less pain from talking for hours (aka teaching Pilates!)

  • Better vision (both eyes improved according to optometrist and astigmatism in one eye improved)

  • Better sleep, especially when I practice right before bed

  • No more gum recession, gums are pinker and plumper (dietary changes recommended in the course helped with this)

  • More self awareness of inadvertent facial movements and expressions, hence fewer forehead creases

  • Much less neck tension

My only wish is that I’d started in my 30s instead of my 40s. What I love about Face Pilates is that while it improves appearances, it also improves the little declines in the health of my skin, head, mouth, teeth, neck, and nervous system that I’ve been noticing slowly accumulating with age. To not only look younger but also feel younger and more resilient is worth all the time spent practicing. And even after 1.5 years of Face Pilates, I still look forward to it every night. It feels so good and is such a simple yet potent form of self care.