If you’re looking for a natural and non-invasive way to reduce wrinkles, increase radiance, tighten skin, and boost collagen and lymphatic drainage, online yoga platform MyYogaTeacher is offering yin yoga and face yoga workshops this spring that will help turn back the hands of time while refreshing your appearance.

Taught by leading instructors Annelise Piers and Kanika Sud, the workshops will address how the practices of yin yoga and face yoga can help with anti-aging and rejuvenation for the face and body. Both teachers teach ongoing classes on yin yoga and face yoga (the yin group classes are not always focused solely on anti-aging but on much broader aspects for overall health).

Back in April the first workshop, “How Face and Yin Yoga Can Help Turn Back the Hands of Time,” was complimentary and introduced the topic of anti-aging through yoga. The second workshop, “Reverse Pandemic Aging,” takes a deeper dive into the topic of face and body rejuvenation through a targeted practice of yin yoga and face yoga.

According to Piers, who leads the yin yoga sessions, yin works through the practice of stimulating acupressure points and holding long poses that gently stress layers of fascia, which improves energy flow in the meridians (pathways) that support the body’s vital organs. While yin generally does not engage muscles, the passive action of the practice causes fibroblasts (cells in the body’s connective tissue) to boost the production of hyaluronic acid, elastin and collagen.

Piers will work on the heart and spleen energy meridians, and teach how yin yoga supports the lymphatic and circulatory systems by improving digestion, blood flow, skin hydration, waste elimination, and reducing sluggishness and fatigue. She will address how to improve bone and joint health, and overall mobility, by targeting the kidney and lung meridians, and focusing on key acupressure points.

“You’ll learn how to better preserve the body’s vital ‘jing’ energy—a foundational energy connected to lifespan—which you want to preserve as you age,” says Piers.

Sud teaches face yoga and will go over how to strengthen facial muscles, boost collagen, promote lymphatic drainage, which plays a key role in immunity, and increase blood circulation, demonstrating exercises like “brow raiser,” “cheekbone lift,” “scoop the jaw,” and more, along with targeted massage techniques.

“Practicing a handful of face yoga exercises twice daily for 15 minutes, or once for 30 minutes, can help firm and tone specific muscles which lead to wrinkle reduction around the eyes, forehead, lips and neck—and tighter and more radiant skin,” says Sud. “And, face yoga stimulates areas of the face that can help improve the tone of the vagus nerve, which benefits physical and emotional health.”

There will be four 90-minute sessions (May 20, 21, 27, 28) and each session will cover a different topic related to reversing pandemic aging. The workshop costs $50 for members and $75 for non-members. The Reverse Pandemic Aging Workshops for May include:

• Strengthening the Facial Muscles and Boosting Collagen Naturally (May 20, 5 to 6:30 p.m.) With an aim to reduce wrinkles on face and boost collagen and elastin naturally, this session will gear towards strengthening the facial muscles to improve their tone and “tightness.” Along with facial exercises, massage and acupressure techniques will also be incorporated in the session helping relax key points in the face that tend to become tense.

• Yin Yoga for Lymphatic and Circulatory Support (May 21, 5 to 6:30 p.m.) With a focus on the Heart (San Jiao in particular) and Spleen energy meridians, the session aims to help the body get rid of metabolic wastes, improve digestion and the supply of Qi and blood through the body. In so doing, we aim to improve feelings of sluggishness and fatigue, and hydrate the skin. We will also work with accu points and suggestions for essential oil support.

• Awaken Your Face: Vagus Nerve and Lymphatic Drainage Massage (May 27, 5 to 6:30 p.m.) This session will endeavor to activate the lymphatic system and improve the vagal tone through fascia facial massage. The aim is to stimulate cellular activity to tighten the skin and reduce expression lines, while promoting lymphatic and blood circulation.

• Improved Bone Health and Mobility (May 28, 5 to 6:30 p.m.) This session is aimed at the Kidney and Lung meridians to keep tissues moist, lubricate the joints and preserve vital ‘jing’ energy and vitality. A huge factor is to soothe the nervous system to help bring about the balance. We will also work with accu points and suggestions for essential oil support.

MyYogaTeacher is an online yoga platform that features private and group lessons covering a wide range of yoga styles (Kundalini, Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, restorative, and more), pain management, and meditation.

It offers a 14-day, free trial period for non-members, which includes unlimited group classes, two 60-minute private sessions, plus access to recordings of the group classes in case they are unable to attend the live classes. Interested parties can sign up for the free trial at the MyYogaTeacher homepage.

For more information about MyYogaTeacher, visit their website and follow on Instagram: @myyogateacher

[Photos courtesy of MyYogaTeacher]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk