Yoga Instructor and Facial Reflexologist Mariko Hiyama explains the benefits of Facial Reflexology; a relaxing workout for a younger looking complexion.
Born and raised in Japan, Mariko Hiyama learnt about the traditional methods with using hands to heal people including Reiki, Shiatsu and Qi Gong with her Master Joe Lok. With so much exposure to health and wellbeing, her upbringing heavily influenced Mariko’s philosophy of life.
What followed was 10 years of working in the banking industry including stints at HSBC. Mariko analysed how easily people fell ill due to stress and workloads. She realised how much facial muscles and structures were neglected despite the fact that the face and the scalp can affect the rest of your mind and body.
As proved by Mariko, it is never too late to improve our wellbeing; who reevaluated her career and quality of life by learning Asana yoga, a physically demanding side to yoga at the age of 35, “Yoga teaches you to open your heart, focus on your breathing, and the benefits vary from improved physical strength, flexibility and feeling more calm; I feel myself switch from negative mode to positive mode.”
Taking place in European countries like as Malta and Germany, her yoga teaching training was taught by teachers from the States. However, she names one of her real teachers as her grandmother as her “yogic way of life”. Receiving a yoga certification took a month, but Mariko wisely explains, “To be a skilled instructor who can demonstrate from inside, everyday is a training and I am still learning in various dimensions.”
Her next step was to once again pack her bags to embark on her new journey to Spain to learn about Facial Reflexology. Facial Reflexology can be used to create internal balance or for rejuvenation. By using precise stimulation of the nerve points and zones on the face and scalp — messages are then sent to the brain using the nervous system which in return sends impulses directly to specific parts of your body which makes one feel more balanced. Rejuvenation is more focused upon lifting up the facial muscles which can create a more young look and feel.
In Hong Kong, sometimes we forget to make time for ourselves to just take a breather from the busy city life. Here are some of Mariko’s top tips to improve your wellbeing at home:
1.Cooking is a great form of meditation and really gives you a sense of fulfilment.
2. Feed your brain with good quality art, books and films — we all need to broaden our cultural knowledge to receive good inspiration.
3. Take a walk outside and be in nature as much as possible.
4. Spend quality time with friends and family.
The final tip that we were left with in regards to improving our well-being was about dietary habits and we were pleased to hear that you don’t have to eat clean all the time! “If you only eat clean food, your body won’t know how to react when you eat unclean food. So sometimes you have to challenge your body, but you should also know how to cleanse it. Never over-eat and never overindulge yourself — it’s all about the balance and keep everything in moderation.”