In a world driven by quick fixes and surface-level beauty, Shristi Mittal, founder of Face Yoga India, brings us back to something far more intuitive—our own face as a living, breathing reflection of our inner world. One of the early practitioners in this field, Mumbai-based Shristi’s work goes beyond aesthetics, as she describes the face not just as skin but as a dynamic map of our emotions, energy, and overall well-being.
Through her science-backed approach, she has helped transform countless faces not by altering them, but by restoring their natural balance and vitality.
Speaking with Navni Chawla, Assistant Editor at A Lotus in the Mud, she unpacks the deeper philosophy behind Face Yoga, challenging myths while offering a refreshing perspective on beauty, health, and self-awareness.
Navni Chawla: What drew you to Face Yoga?
Shristi Mittal: I never really planned for this—life has its own way of guiding you toward what you’re meant to do. As a child, I was deeply fascinated by science and was especially obsessed with biology. I eventually went to IIT, but life took a different turn. Sports were a huge part of my life. I played football even at the national level. Health was always a priority. I was doing everything right for my body: eating well, training hard, spending nearly four hours a day on the field.
Face Yoga entered my life most unexpectedly. While in the 8th standard, flipping through an encyclopedia, I read that we have muscles in our face too. It struck me instantly—if I was doing so much for my body, why was I doing nothing for my face?
I began researching, driven by curiosity and a preference for natural, common-sense approaches. I saw people relying on creams, injections, fillers, and even surgery. And I kept wondering – why aren’t we treating the face the same way we treat the body? The face is not just external. It’s deeply connected to everything within us—our health, our emotions, our internal systems. That realization changed everything for me.
Many people think the face is just skin, but it reflects our emotions and inner state. We see breakouts when stressed and a glow when we’re happy. How do you explain that?
Shristi: The face is one of the most honest reflections of who we are in a given moment. In my work, I see hundreds of faces every day, and now I can read them almost instinctively.
I remember meeting a friend after two years. I could sense the stress held in her face—tightness, subtle expressions, and a certain heaviness. Later, she shared the challenges she had been going through. That’s the thing—we carry micro-expressions that reveal far more than we consciously express.
Mental stress often manifests physically—tight jaws, tension, furrow lines, and skin issues. Similarly, physical discomfort or internal unease also shows up on the face. Even our smallest emotional shifts register there.
Think of a baby: how instantly they respond to someone’s expression. Even a slight frown can make them cry. That’s because emotions are deeply wired into our nervous system. We absorb and mirror what we see.
And this is why I often say people are very stingy with their smiles. Smile for yourself, not for others. Be “selfish” about it. When you smile, you’re sending powerful signals to your brain. It releases positive chemicals, influences your glands, and reduces stress levels.
So smiling isn’t just a social gesture; it’s a biological tool for well-being. It’s part of the solution.
Some see Face Yoga as just a fad.
Shristi: To be honest, a large part of what we see online today is a fad. There’s a lot of misinformation. I’ve seen workshops where people claim to “chisel cheekbones” without knowing basic facial anatomy. For me, Face Yoga is deeply rooted in science, and I am a face muscle and nerve function expert. My work focuses on understanding how your facial muscles and nerves function and then helping you optimize that function.
When you strengthen muscles, release tension, and stabilize the system, beauty becomes a natural outcome. The primary goal, however, is health.
With the right techniques, you can improve the functioning of your muscles, nerves, fascia, and lymphatic system—all of which are interconnected. And when these systems work well together, your face reflects that harmony.
There’s been over a decade of research behind what I do. In my work, we see about 99.8% results—the remaining 0.2% are usually those who don’t stay consistent.
So no, true Face Yoga isn’t a fad.
How does Face Yoga work?
Shristi: I’ve seen people carry years of stored tension on their faces, especially around the eyebrows, jaw, and forehead. It becomes so habitual that they don’t even realize they’re holding it anymore.
What’s fascinating is that sometimes, within just a session or two, when the fascia begins to loosen, the muscles start moving more freely, and that deeply held tension starts to release, the entire face softens. You can actually see the shift. It’s not just physical; something internal changes as well.
I remember a client who used to sleep only 3-4 hours a night. Her system was constantly on edge. But once she began practicing Face Yoga consistently, and we worked on regulating her nervous system through specific techniques, something shifted. Over time, she started sleeping for up to 10 hours.
Because ultimately, when your nervous system feels regulated, your body begins to relax. And when the body feels safe, it allows itself to rest.
That’s the deeper layer people often miss. This isn’t just about how you look. It’s about how your body holds, processes, and eventually releases what you’ve been carrying.
Another woman, 40, came to me to heal some scars on her face. Like most people, she walked in with aesthetic concerns like lifting, tightening, acne, and a double chin. Soon, it became clear that her body had been in a state of fight-or-flight for years. When your nervous system is stuck in that mode, it doesn’t feel safe enough to truly rest. Sleep becomes shallow, recovery is compromised, and it all starts reflecting on the face. Through consistent practice, as we worked on releasing facial tension and regulating her system, something shifted. Relaxation began to happen—not just on the surface, but internally for her.
This is what people often miss. We rarely focus on the health of our face or the lifestyle that supports it. Everyone is so fixated on beauty, but beauty is really just a byproduct of good health.
There’s no point in Googling remedies for dark circles at 2 a.m. because that is the time your body should be in deep, restorative sleep. That’s where real repair happens.
When you address the root causes, such as your habits, your nervous system, and your internal balance, the face naturally follows.
Is Face Yoga more about sculpting or about rewiring our inner patterns of stress and aging?
Shristi: When we talk about sagging, we need to understand what it really represents. At a biological level, it’s a sign of degeneration of the body moving toward breakdown. But I don’t like to look at it in a negative or fear-based way.
From a science perspective, aging is influenced by two processes: anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic processes are the constructive ones where everything we do builds, repairs, and nourishes the body. Catabolic processes, on the other hand, break the body down through poor lifestyle, stress, lack of movement, and bad habits. When catabolism outweighs anabolism, we start seeing accelerated aging.
But I honestly don’t like the word “aging” the way it’s used today. All our lives, we’re excited to grow up, to step into our 20s and 30s, to become independent, and to live fully. And suddenly, around our 30s, the narrative flips. Aging becomes something to fear.
Is aging really bad? I don’t think so. Even in my field, I embrace wrinkles. They are a part of growing. They carry your experiences, your laughter, your life.
What concerns me more is when I see 20-year-olds feeling and looking like they’re in their 60s and dealing with sagging, pigmentation, dull skin, and double chins. That’s not aging. That’s an imbalance. That’s a lifestyle where catabolic processes are dominating.
If you take care of your facial muscles, understand the right techniques, and support your system holistically, your face naturally retains its vitality. I’ve worked with grandmothers who have developed beautifully defined jawlines—it’s absolutely possible.
Look at someone like (Bollywood actor) Milind Soman. He challenges the entire narrative around aging.
The whole idea of “anti-aging” today is largely fear-driven. It’s used to sell.
For women, especially, we’ve normalized discomfort. Periods are expected to be painful. Menopause is expected to be difficult. But when the body is supported correctly, these transitions can be natural and far easier. Your hormones are meant to support you, not work against you.
So to answer your question, Face Yoga is not just about sculpting. It’s about restoring function, balance, and health. When you take care of your muscles, your nervous system, and your overall lifestyle, beauty naturally follows.
You don’t need to chase anti-aging. You just need to support your body, and your face will reflect that.
How can people reach out to you?
Shristi: We offer two main pathways, depending on what someone is looking for. For more common concerns such as dark circles, acne, asymmetry, or general skin issues, we offer a structured course that runs for 5-6 weeks. For deeper or more complex concerns, we do a QA and then guide the individual accordingly. This is part of our Heal Complete program.
Through the face, we often end up addressing much deeper issues. We’ve seen cases where people have experienced improvements in long-standing conditions such as thyroid imbalances, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), migraines, and even eye sensitivity, because everything in the body is interconnected.
Shristi Mittal’s Instagram handle: @FaceYogaIndia.
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