Monna Cheikh has always been drawn to beauty and got herself certified as a cosmetologist in 2003. Just a couple of years later, she decided on getting her bachelor’s degree and then her master’s degree, which took a fair bit longer than expected for her. “I did my master’s degree while simultaneously having three kids, so it’s fair to say it took more than a decade. In fact, I submitted my master’s two weeks before I gave birth to my third child and defended my thesis two weeks after, with my daughter with me in the exam. When I eventually succeeded, it was such a big relief,”said Monna.
However, a decade can take its toll on anyone. “I was suddenly much older, with three kids, and lived in three different countries because of my husband’s job; the latter is also the reason why we are so lucky to be here now. With so much time having passed, my appearance had also changed. It was then that I realised, for all these years, being as busy as I was with other things, I had not given enough time for myself. Therfore, I decided to prioritise myself more, like I used to in the past, and go back to beauty.”
Pose to reduce nasolabial lines 
3 in 1 cheek pose where you also lift the corners of your mouth and tone your neck Exercise for fuller lips Forehead and eyebrow lift pose
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“I have never really had any skin problems, but gravity eventually will start to take over and I started to see that happening. I had also spent so many years being stressed and busy (as I had a checklist to complete that included having three kids and completing my master’s degree) and I really wanted to have it all at once. After this, I wanted to rekindle my love for self-care and beauty. So, I started to look for natural alternatives and this is when I discovered Face Yoga and Gua Sha,” she said.
We caught up with Monna Cheikh to find out what exactly face yoga and Gua Sha are and how they can help. Here is what she had to say:
I am a true believer in the power of one’s hands and that we should appreciate our unique features and beauty – including our ‘flaws’. I stumbled over face yoga in 2019 and started to practice it. I was immediately hooked and enrolled in a program shortly thereafter. I subsequently got certified in September 2020. Since then, many things have happened. My Instagram has grown from just 124 to over 90,000 in just four months. I am looking into starting some online courses, as the demand for them is so great. I am loving the beautiful life here in Muscat as it is so relaxed and chilled. I even named our cat Vibe, as Muscat’s vibe is just amazing.
What can Face Yoga do for you?
Face yoga is a series of facial exercises intended to lift, tone, and activate facial muscles to achieve a more youthful and “glowing” look. When performing face yoga, you intentionally isolate and tone your face muscles. We have tiny, delicate muscles in our face that we don’t usually think twice about. When I started out, I found it fascinating that it was actually possible to exercise these face muscles just like you would normally do for the muscles in the rest of your body. I have always loved the active life, especially running (although I did take a break from it for a while, but am back in business), so it made sense to me that I should also work my face muscles. As a result, I became addicted to face yoga and the Gua Sha tool, both of which have now become part of my daily routine together with regular face massages from my time as a cosmetologist.
These small routines I do every day is something I enjoy very much, even more so now thanks to the positive feedback and kind words I receive from followers on my Instagram page. It feels so good to know that I am inspiring and motivating women to believe in their natural beauty and their unique features, as well as getting them to understand the true power of their own hands and how much they can achieve by themselves. However, every face is different and therefore you need to adjust the poses to your needs as well as challenges, concerns, or wishes. I always say, don’t overdo, pull, or force it. Less is more and as long as you do it on a consistent basis, you will eventually see results. Also, it’s all about awareness, as a facial expression such as frowning will eventually show, especially if you don’t change your daily habits.
What is Gua Sha?
Facial Gua Sha is another massage technique, that uses a device called a Gua Sha stone, to relieve tension in the muscles of the face and boost blood circulation. In addition, it helps break up fascia, the connective tissue that hugs facial muscles and offers a completely different sensation than using your hands, especially when it is cold, as you can keep in fridge.
To learn more about face yoga and Gua Sha you can follow Monna Cheikh on her “Faceyoga Monna” Facebook page and on Instragram @faceyoga_monna