We dropped in for a 30-minute face yoga session with instructor Deepak Patel, and came back feeling and looking like we had woken up from a restful night's sleep

Your face is said to mirror your inner self. Countless late nights and too many hours spent in front of the laptop seemed to have found their way onto mine, in the form of lines and dark circles.
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Clearly, it was Face Yoga time.

I quickly got down to tugging every muscle of my Mumbai-pollution-braved face as soon as the 30-minute session began with me seated opposite naturopath and yoga instructor Dr Deepak Patel.

Deepak Patel tests the flexibility of Anushree's neck.

Face Yoga exercises the facial muscles to enable energy flow and to boost blood circulation, which helps erase lines and wrinkles, and relieves tiredness.
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Dr Patel claims one 30-minute session is the equivalent of getting eight leisurely hours of sleep, or signing up for a very expensive platinum facial.

Sitting across me was a man determined to reveal my "diminishing jawline". My neck was tested for its flexibility as I rotated it backwards and forwards, and then backwards again.

The initial set of movements involved clenching my teeth so tight, I was convinced my molars would shoot out of my ears.

The real fun began with the funny face asanas. Sheethkari Pranayama involved breathing in deep only through my teeth so as to inhale cool (sheeth) air that reaches the facial muscles internally.

Never mind how weird I looked teeth bared and eyebrows raised I felt a cool, comforting sensation on my face at the end of the ten gradual sheetkaris.

This was followed by the animal asanas named after lions and monkeys; I was living out the Jataka Tales!
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Simhasana had my tongue and pupils on brilliant display, and Vanaramukhasana had me puff my cheeks, and fill them with enough air so as to reach my ears such that the molars that I previously feared dislocating would surely be uprooted by now.

All of these asanas, I was calmly told, would increase the energy flow in my face, by stretching the muscles and skin.
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Thankfully, there were adequate pauses of deep breathing and Bhoomi Naman (a forward bending posture) for relaxation.

Pulling, puffing, tugging... was it all worth it? I thought so. Despite the sweltering mid-morning heat, my face looked fresh and I felt surprisinglyu00a0 rejuvenated.

Dr Deepak Patel conducts regular Face Yoga workshops
At The Blind School For Women, Lallubhai Park, Andheri (W),
The Saifee Hospital in Charni Road and at the Bandra Hindu Association.
Call 9324036235 for details.