Face Exercises To Stop the RBF

Tired of people asking you why you look so upset? Facial yoga may be for you! 

Women, especially black women, are the most accused of RBF: resting b*tch face syndrome. Well, excuse me if I’m not always smiling. Watching non-black women receive praise for boasting black girl culture (while black women remain disrespected) can get a little exhausting, you know? But being apart of this creative, dynamic, and exclusive group gives me about a million reasons to feel on top of the world. So when I’m feeling incredibly happy, why am I still being asked why I look so mad?

Here I am thinking I look like this.

Meanwhile, I look like this.

Can you relate? If so, I know you’re probably thinking, “That’s just my face, what can I do about that?”

Credit: Pinterest

Face yoga, that’s what. Face yoga is a collection of facial exercises that help massage the facial muscles and stimulate blood flow. This reduces tension in the facial muscles, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, and erases bags from under the eyes -- all the things that make can make you look upset, even when you’re not. Two of the most prominent face yoga instructors include Danielle Collins, a face yoga expert who hosts a face yoga series on the Healthista Youtube channel, and Fumiko Takatsu, founder of Face Yoga Method. Both strongly believe that you can reduce RBF by exercising your facial muscles in the same way that you would tone your legs, glutes, or abs. Doing these facial exercises can also increase your skin’s production of important proteins that help keep it supple and tight. Just look at our royalty Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, who lives by facial yoga and clearly benefits from it.

Look at those bright eyes! Not a single hint of RBF insight. Wanna get like Megan? Here are some of the facial poses and exercises you want to give a try.

Wrinkle Eraser 

Credit: YouTube

This exercise can prevent or erase forehead wrinkles, which can sometimes make you look like you’re frowning when you’re not. To do this pose, take your pointer finger and index finger on the same hand and press both tips directly between your eyebrows. Your pose should look like this: 

Gently press your fingers inward while expanding them outward, slightly stretching that layer of muscle. Hold for about 10-15 seconds, making sure your face is completely relaxed. There are two other exercises that you can do in addition to this to create a wrinkle-eraser sequence. Watch the video here. 

Mini-V

Credit: YouTube

This exercise is extremely helpful for reducing droopy eyelids & puffiness around the eyes, both of which can make you look tired and totally over it. To do this exercise, place both middle fingers on the bridge of your nose and place your index fingers on the outer corners of your eyes to form a V. The pose should look something like this:

Once you are in this pose, look upwards and squint your eyes while applying light pressure with your fingers. Repeat this 6-8 times and close your eyes for a short rest. 

Cheek Lift 

Credit: YouTube

This exercise will help lift and tone the cheeks, which also helps left the corners of your mouth and erases all signs of RBF! Start by folding your lips over your teeth, and use your index fingers to push your cheeks back (use some pressure). The pose should look like this: 

Hold this pose for about 10-15 seconds, let go, and repeat 2-3 times. 

Flirty Eyes

Credit: YouTube

This exercise is another way to bring life to those under-eyes. As an added bonus, it also helps lift the eyelids, giving your eyes an overall brighter look! Start by placing your index fingers on both sides of the bridge of your nose, and pull your lips downward, away from your nose. Look up at the ceiling and flutter your eyelids as fast as possible, as demonstrated below:

Try to flutter your eyelids for about 10-15 seconds. Be careful, this one is a true workout -- you can actually feel a “burn”! 

The Yummy Face 

This exercise is more of a “pick me up” to add to the end of your face yoga routine. It helps you look happier simply by making you smile while you move your tongue from side to side and think of something “yummy”, hence the name of the pose. Start by putting your index fingers at the corners of your mouth and forming a slight smile. Then, stick your tongue out and slowly move it from side to side like. Once you stop moving your tongue, here’s a fun challenge: smile for the rest of the day! Watch the video HERE

Credit: Dentagama

Clearly, fitness is not limited to the body. We have to start thinking about our facial fitness as often as we think about our physiques. Think about it -- when you don’t exercise your body, you can’t expect it to perform at its maximum potential. The same idea now applies to your facial muscles ladies (all 42 of them), so let’s put them to work! Shoot, people might even stop asking you why you look so mad.