Funny face

HERE is an easy and wacky way to reduce wrinkles and double chin: puff your cheeks several times or pout your lips and kiss an imaginary lover. These and more are some of the facial exercises in “funny face yoga,” or the art of face contortion.

On Sept. 13, yoga instructor and former Singapore model Vivien Tan-Vaca formally introduced to the Philippines the concept of funny face yoga, which, as its name suggests, is a series of wacky facial expressions. Although there are existing face yoga tutorials on YouTube, she said this is the first time the Philippines has seen it done live. Funny face yoga is a set of facial movements intended to reduce fine lines, chubby cheeks, a double chin, and even halitosis, while promoting blood circulation and good vibes.

One of the major goals is to “find joy from within,” said Ms. Tan-Vaca, who married a Filipino and has been in and out of the country for the last five years.

“W����� na lang ’yung laway, okay lang ’yan,” (Just wipe the saliva, it’s okay) she joked while she demonstrated an exercise that requires you to stick your tongue out while inhaling through the mouth and then exhaling through the nose, which inevitably causes one’s saliva to trickle. The movement relaxes the body while clearing the phlegm, she said.

Before exercising the face, she said it is important to stimulate first the shoulders and the neck. The shoulder shrug and neck rotation are meant to encourage blood and oxygen to go to the face and brain. This relaxes and clears our head, and in turn, makes us happier.

“There’s a science behind it,” said Ms. Tan-Vaca. She said the constant muscle movement and oxygen flow to the face and neck stimulates blood circulation and collagen production that keeps skin smooth and supple.

Do every routine 26 times. Why the magic number? “Because it is half of 52,” she said while joking.

To prevent halitosis or bad breath, puff your cheeks and exhale for 30 seconds, doing this 26 times. The fresh oxygen, said Ms. Tan-Vaca, will circulate well throughout the mouth to push away the stale breath.

For strained eyes, the former model said move one’s eyes in four directions: up, left, down, right, and then reverse the order. This exercises the eye muscles and eases the tension.

While losing overall body weight helps reduce chubby cheeks and a double chin, funny face yoga is claimed to help increase the slimming of the face through the “kiss-the-air” routine: stretch the neck upward while pulling the collarbone down, and then pout 26 times (as if kissing someone taller than you) are while making a smacking sound.

“Imagine kissing your husband or wife, or boyfriend or girlfriend,” she said.

Why advocate for funny face yoga? “Not everyone can go to class or studio. The funny face meanwhile can be done anytime, anywhere: LRT, MRT, home, or office. You can do it whenever you are. Plus it makes you smile, which is the goal of the yoga,” she said.

She suggests doing face yoga every day while also noting the importance of balanced meals.

While she’s in and out of the country, she said she plans to hold roving classes in schools and offices where people need a good laugh and a bit of exercise once in a while. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman