Banish Puffiness and Eye Bags with Face Yoga
Let's talk about something that affects nearly all of us at some point: puffiness around the eyes.
Whether it's from a poor night's sleep, seasonal allergies, or just the natural aging process, waking up to swollen, puffy eyes can make us feel less than our best. It's often one of the first places we notice changes as we move through midlife—that delicate skin around our eyes thinning, retaining more fluid, and showing the effects of time.
But before you reach for expensive eye creams or consider more drastic measures, I want to share some face yoga approaches that can make a remarkable difference!
Understanding eye puffiness: What's really happening?
Eye puffiness typically stems from three main causes:
Fluid retention - When lymphatic drainage is sluggish, fluid can pool under the eyes
Weakened orbital muscles - The circular muscles around your eyes may lose tone over time, allowing the attached skin to droop and appear “puffy”
Thinning skin and fat pad changes - These kinds of age-related changes can make natural fluid retention more visible
The beauty of face yoga is that it addresses all three of these issues simultaneously, without harsh ingredients or invasive procedures.
Natural face yoga techniques to reduce eye puffiness:
Morning Lymphatic Drainage:
Start with clean hands and a little facial oil (almond, jojoba, and rosehip and all good choices) or serum
Using your ring fingers and a feather-light touch, sweep across under your eyes from the inner corner to the outer 10 times
Using the same fingers, lightly tap under your eyes from inner to outer corner 10 times
Finish by lightly pressing the indentation at the inner corners of your eyes. Hold for 10 seconds.
This gentle tapping stimulates lymphatic flow, helping your body naturally move that excess fluid away from your eye area. You can do this before you even get out of bed in the morning and it feels wonderfully refreshing!
Orbicularis Oculi (the muscle around your eye) Toning:
Place your index fingers at the outer corners of your eyes
Place your middle fingers at the inner corners
Look up at about a 45 degree angle and squint slightly until you feel a slight quivering of the muscles under your fingers. (Hint: If you can’t feel it, experiment with squinting more or less or changing the pressure of your fingers)
Hold for 3-5 seconds, then release
Repeat 5 times
This exercise tones the circular muscle around your eyes, which helps to tighten and smooth the attached skin and create a more lifted appearance.
I've worked with so many women who have transformed their eye area with these simple techniques. One of my students in her late 50s had been considering under-eye fillers for her persistent puffiness. After incorporating these face yoga techniques into her morning routine for just three weeks, she noticed such an improvement that she decided to postpone her filler appointment.
The key was consistency—just 3 minutes each morning while her coffee brewed made a visible difference in how her eyes looked and felt throughout the day.
Beyond face yoga, here are a few complementary natural approaches that also work beautifully:
Cool teas bags (especially green tea!) placed over closed eyes for 5 minutes
A rose quartz gua sha tool, stored in the refrigerator and used to gently stroke from inner to outer eye corner
Staying hydrated throughout the day (ironically, dehydration can cause water retention!)
Sleeping with your head slightly elevated to prevent fluid pooling overnight
Remember, the goal isn't to erase every sign that you've lived and laughed and experienced life. It's to support your body's natural processes so you can look and feel your most vibrant at every age.