Starr Tater

8. Exercise for a refined face chargeBenefit: The facial charging exercise described in the previous chapter and the refined face charging exercise seem similar, and so it is. However, this advanced exercise fills the flat area of the face between the wings of the nose and the cheeks, which the simple facial charging exercise is not intended to do. This action adds softness to the face and makes it look younger. The exercise works with the orbicularis oris muscle and the levator labii superioris muscle, which form this area of the face.Technique of execution1. Perform this exercise lying down. Take the starting position. Imagine a point in the middle of the upper lip. Now imagine a point in the middle of the lower lip. Open your mouth and pull these two imaginary points away from each other so that the mouth takes an oval shape. Place, without pressing, your index fingers on the upper part of the cheeks. Smile with the corners of your mouth, then release the muscles, feeling how the cheeks move under your fingers. Mentally imagine how the muscle pushes under the cheek each time you smile. Repeat this movement ten times.2. On the tenth smile, pull the lower and upper lips away from each other with all your might. Imagine that your cheeks are moving along the wings of your nose, through the middle of your eyebrows and up, through the crown. Raise your hands above your cheeks and follow the energy along the wings of the nose, through the centre of the eyebrow line and further through the crown. Hold in this position until the count of thirty.3. Lift your head about a centimetre off the floor or so that the muscles of the front of the neck and tense buttocks are involved. Keep your hands above your head and hold the energy until the count of thirty. Pucker your lips and blow to relax the muscles.Advice: To add even more definition to your face, perform this exercise three times a day.

Exercise for lifting the lower part of the face
Benefits: The exercise for lifting the lower part of the face works with the main muscles of the jaw and mouth, toning them. It helps to strengthen the jaw area and improve the oval of the face.
Execution technique
1. Perform this exercise while sitting. Assume the starting position. Open your mouth wide and roll your lips onto your teeth. Pull the corners of your mouth to the back teeth and roll them tightly inward. Look up, towards the crown, and smile in such a way that the corners of your mouth point to the tops of your ears.
2. Place your index fingers on the corners of your mouth and draw an imaginary smile line (imagine a happy face) from the corners of your mouth towards the tops of your ears. Hold your fingers above your ears. Push your face forward and pull your shoulders back. Wait for the burning sensation and count to thirty. Tighten your lips and blow.
Tip: This exercise works wonderfully for strengthening the lower part of the face. Do it once a day to strengthen and tone the muscles in this area.
7. Exercise to strengthen the lower eyelids
Benefits: This exercise for the lower eyelids strengthens the ring muscle surrounding the eye and the lower eyelids. The effect of this exercise will be a reduction in the void under the eye and an increase in the muscles of the upper part of the cheeks.
Execution technique
1. Perform this exercise while sitting. Assume the starting position. Place your middle fingers on the inner corners of your eyes, and your index fingers on the outer ones. Pull the upper and lower lips away from each other so that the mouth takes the form of a long, clear oval.
2. The upper lip should be tightly pressed to the teeth. Squint strongly with your lower eyelids and smile with the tips of your mouth, pushing energy under your cheeks. Look up, at the ceiling, and stay in this position until the count of ten. Release the muscles and repeat this exercise four more times.
Tip: This is a wonderful exercise for those who have excessively inflamed eyes or who suffer from severe puffiness under the eyes. If you belong to this category, repeat this exercise twice a day.

Cheek Lifting Exercise

Benefits: The cheek lifting exercise trains the cheek muscle. As I've mentioned before, gravity ages us, causing our cheeks to move downwards due to the pull of the Earth, creating a flat face effect. However, we can fight this and this exercise helps us in this battle. It can return the cheeks to their former position and provide additional definition to the face.

How to do it:

1. This exercise can be performed either sitting (my favourite position) or lying down. Assume the initial position, but sit in such a way that your face is pushed forward and your shoulders are pulled back. Imagine points on your upper and lower lips. Open your mouth and pull the points away from each other so that the mouth forms a long, clear oval. Place the index finger of one hand on your chin to provide a little resistance.

2. Look up at the top of your head and squint your lower eyelids. Lift your cheeks, smiling forcefully with your upper lip. Push the smile under your cheeks and hold this position until the count of thirty. Then purse your lips and blow.

Tip: If your cheeks are too low or you have a flat face, repeat this exercise twice a day.

Exercise for lifting the hollows under the eyesBenefit: The exercise for lifting the hollows under the eyes works with the orbicularis muscle, which surrounds the entire eye. When the lower eyelid and cheek begin to sag, a hollow space forms under the eye. This exercise should tone and strengthen the lower eyelids and fill the void.Technique of execution1. Do this exercise sitting down. Assume the starting position. Place, without pressing, your index fingers on the very top of the cheeks and tissues under the eyes. Mentally imagine a point on the upper and lower lip. Open your mouth, moving these two imaginary points away from each other to form a long, clear oval. Close your eyes. Roll them back, towards the nape.2. The eyes are lifted to the nape and closed. Open them 6th make quick flutters with the upper eyelids up to the count of sixty. You will look as if you are flirting, but in fact, you will feel a strong tension in the lower eyelids.Tip: If you have deeply set eyes, perform this exercise three times a day.

Jaw Strengthening Exercise
Benefit: This exercise is beneficial for the wing-shaped inner jaw muscle. Working this muscle will help you tone the sagging sides of your cheeks, as well as eliminate or almost eliminate the sagging skin of the face oval.
Execution Technique
1. This exercise is best done in a seated position. Take the starting position. Open your mouth and roll your lower lip inside, comfortably placing it on your lower teeth. Pull the corners of your mouth to the back teeth and tightly roll them inside your mouth. Keep your upper lip firmly pressed against your teeth. Place your index finger on your chin to provide light resistance. Open and close your jaw with a slow, scooping motion, using the corners of your mouth when opening and closing your jaw. Imagine that you are scooping your favourite ice cream with this 'scoop'.
2. Extend your chin about a centimetre each time you make a scooping motion. Scoop slowly and focused. Imagine the sides of your face lifting. Perform this scooping motion until you feel a lactic acid burn in the line of the face oval. At this point, your head will tilt back, and your chin should be looking at the ceiling. Imagining the sides of your face lifting, keep your jaw still. Count to thirty.
Tip: Check that you are making the scooping motion using the corners of your mouth, not the jaw joints. I recommend doing the jaw strengthening exercise twice a day to prevent sagging of the face oval line. Some clients have also told me that this exercise helps them alleviate the painful symptoms of temporomandibular syndrome.

Exercise for cheek development

Benefits: The exercise for cheek development trains the buccinator muscle. This muscle forms the rounded upper part (apple) of the cheek. The exercise also works with the orbicularis oris muscle, which encircles the mouth. It lifts and expands the cheeks and eliminates eye sinking.

Execution technique

1. This exercise can be performed sitting, lying, and in motion. I like to do it sitting - this way I feel a greater surge of energy. Assume the initial position. Imagine a point in the middle of the upper lip. Imagine another point in the middle of the lower lip. Open your mouth and stretch both points in different directions. Thus, the mouth forms an elongated, clear, oval shape. Hold this oval shape exactly in one place. The upper lip should be pressed against the teeth. Place, without pressing, your index fingers on the upper part of each cheek (apple).

2. Smile with the corners of your mouth, then release the corners. Push energy under the cheek muscles and quickly repeat this movement thirty-five times. Use the muscle-brain connection to visualise the pushing movement of the muscle under the cheek each time you smile. You should feel the cheeks moving when you do the exercise. To enhance the movement, you can tense and relax your buttocks each time you smile and release the corners of your mouth. Tension in the buttocks during the exercise helps to push the cheeks more strongly.

Tip: Perform the exercise for cheek development at least twice a day. It's easy to do when you're working on the computer, watching TV or even walking. If you feel pain in the jaw area, it means that, smiling and relaxing your cheeks, you are involving the jaw, not the upper lip. Only the upper lip pressed against the teeth should work. To relieve pain, blow through your lips. This small action releases the muscle from lactic acid and should immediately relieve you of pain.