After years of teaching face yoga to more than 100 women, I've seen a clear pattern: even many women with the best intentions and most diligent personalities often struggle to maintain consistent practice on their own. This isn't a personal failing or lack of willpower – it's simply human nature.

Some of these muscles get used regularly and are healthy. Some get overused and create lines we don’t want. Still others are rarely, if ever, isolated and intentionally exercised. The result is that some parts of our faces get stronger as we get older, while other parts get weaker and create imbalances.

Women are typically drawn to face yoga for the aesthetic benefits. But here’s something interesting I’ve noticed: The longer someone practices face yoga, the more they talk about benefits that have nothing to do with how they look.

Of course we all deserve to feel comfortable and at home in our bodies, regardless of age or appearance. But if it's so obvious, why do so many brilliant, accomplished, generous women struggle to believe it?

When I first started practicing face yoga, I expected (ok, well, I was hoping for) physical results—more toned muscles, a lifted look, a brighter, smoother complexion. What I didn't expect was that face yoga turned out to be as much an inner journey as an outer one.

Have you ever been in a situation where someone (in my case, it was usually one of my daughters when they were kids), "Are you upset about something?" or "Are you mad at me?" or "Do you feel OK?" or some such WHEN YOU ARE FEELING PERFECTLY FINE??

If I could sit down with my 40-year-old self, here are the three most important things I would share about skin health and beauty. (They might surprise you.)

Taking time for ourselves isn't selfish – no matter what that niggling inner voice might be telling you. It's an absolutely necessary aspect of being the best humans we can be.

For decades, I bought into the beauty industry's biggest lie. It's the one that whispers (and sometimes shouts) that our worth is tied to looking younger. That aging is the enemy. That we should spend countless dollars and hours fighting against the natural flow of time.