Enjoy a reflexology session designed to induce deep relaxation and bring balance
to all levels of being. A reflexology session using plant medicines provides
stimulus to move energies along meridian lines in the body. All organs have an
acupressure touch point in the feet. Reflexology induces deep relaxation;
revitalizes energy; opens and clears neural pathways; increases circulation,
oxygen and nutrients. It helps to combat the effects of stress; stimulates the
endocrine system; strengthens the immune system; stabilizes glandular activity;
increases endorphins and breaks down and dissolves uric acid and calcium
deposits. The plant medicines are synergistic and are adaptogens, able to
establish the proper balance emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.
What makes my sessions unique is a focus on the emotional and spiritual
realms through the movement of energy. It was working with the Medicine
Wheel that led me to the plant medicines and reflexology. The Medicine
Wheel is designed to help us reach balance on all levels of being.
Reflexology grounds and balances the positive and negative currents of
energy flowing through the body: the yin and yang; action, inaction;
creative, receptive aspects of our nature. A session can re-pattern
beliefs to optimize growth helping to regenerate and encode new messages
in the matrix of the life force fields.
In our culture we tend to run
our bodies into the ground and then run to the doctor for an RX. In
contrast, I want to teach people how to heal themselves. Our guidance is
always trying to communicate with us through the messenger of our own
bodies. Reflexology creates a line of communication. It is a form of
preventative medicine, and I encourage people to take back their power
by illustrating moves that they can do at home to optimize their health.
Nurturing your body through self-touch is very important to over all
well being. It is a tangible way to know and love ourselves more fully.
I see the session as a type
of ceremony where my contribution is to hold space and provide a safe
place for emotional release work. The session is comprised of rhythms
and patterns from the natural world. Every movement is orchestrated with
the sacred geometry of the Medicine Wheel. When I am working with the
lymph system, for example, I work with the moon and the numbers 13 and
28. This helps return a healthy flow of Chi in the body.
Reflexology is a wonderful
modality for bringing balance of the mind, body and soul.
For more information, please
read Plant
Medicines: Past Perspectives, Future Prospects by Suzanne Rougé.
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THE ART OF REFLEXOLOGY
Reflexology is an ancient art of
healing. It is widely believed that it was first practiced in China five
thousand years ago. The oldest documentation of reflexology was unearthed in
Egypt through pictographs dated around 2500-2330 BC. Ancient people saw the
practice as a form of preventative medicine. The Cherokee Indians of North
Carolina have long acknowledged the importance of the feet in maintaining
balance and health. The women of the Bear Clan who practice reflexology are
known as "moon maidens." Jenny Wallace, a Native of the back hills of
the Alleghenies, says: "The feet walk upon the earth and through this your
spirit is connected to the universe." Inge Dougan, a pioneer in blending
reflexology with Chinese meridian lines, states, "Energy is the basis for
all life and a vital factor in healing... A more comprehensive knowledge of
energy will enhance one's understanding of the interconnectedness of all things
in the universe."
How does using acupressure on the feet improve health?
Approximately 70% of all disorders are related to stress and nervous
tension. Negative emotions like anxiety, grief, fear, doubt and worry cause
chemical changes in the body that erode our health. Reflexology is a powerful
antidote to these stress-induced imbalances. Relaxation is the first step to
normalization and reflexology is designed to induce a deep state of relaxation.
When the body is relaxed it begins to align and heal. The goal of reflexology,
then, is to trigger a return to a state of equilibrium.
What is a reflex action?
A reflex is an unconscious or involuntary response to a stimulus. In
reflexology, pressure is applied to trigger points which activate an
electro-chemical nerve impulse that is conducted to the central nervous system
via a sensory (afferent) neuron. This message is received by the ganglion and is
transmitted via a motor (efferent) neuron which then causes a response.
Reflexology, by stimulating thousands of nerve endings in the feet, encourages
the opening and clearing of neural pathways.
How does the endocrine system factor in?
The endocrine system is an intricate network of glands which
secrete hormones directly into the blood. Hormones are powerful chemical
substances that affect every bodily activity. If any of the seven principal
glands is disrupted, the whole body is thrown off balance. Thoughts and emotions
are affected by the glands, and personality is determined by gland function. If
gland function is harmonious, one will have a positive outlook. If it is
disharmonious, one will become depressed. Reflexology, by stimulating the
electrical energy, has a subsidiary effect on the chemical energy.
How does reflexology effect circulation?
Eunice Ingham's favorite saying was,
"Circulation is life. Stagnation is death." The expansion and
constriction of blood vessels is essential to the level of oxygen and nutrients
reaching the organs and tissues of the body. It is also necessary for the
excretion of toxins from the blood stream. The increased state of relaxation
during a treatment aids the excretory systems as well as stimulating the flow of
blood through the body. Studies have proven that reflexology helps to normalize
blood pressure.
What if I am in too much
pain to relax?
The body produces its own painkillers known as endorphins. They are five to ten
times stronger than morphine. According to the Gate Theory, the nervous system
can only respond to a limited amount of sensory information at one time. When
the nervous system becomes overloaded it short-circuits, or closes a gate,
reducing the amount of sensory information available for processing. The
application of reflexology encourages the body to produce more endorphins while the pressure confuses the body with too many
sensations which closes
the "pain gates". Combining breath work with reflexology helps a
person move through pain.
If reflexology closes the pain gates, then why is a treatment sometimes painful?
Grainy crystal deposits, which cause pain during a treatment, are
believed to be calcium deposits that have settled beneath the skin surface at
the nerve endings. Excess acidity in the blood stream increases calcium deposits
in any organ in the body. These crystals impede the circulation of blood flow.
The feet are a prime target for these deposits because of the many nerve endings
located there. In addition, the blood flow has to
be circulated back from the feet against gravity causing deposits to settle.
Restrictive shoes further impact this situation. Reflexology helps to break down
these deposits and increases the circulation necessary to remove the residue
through the elimination systems.
What about the benefits of reflexology to the spiritual body?
Our feet also play a major role in our spiritual
health. The feet serve as antennae for the electro-magnetic energies flowing to
and from the earth. The solar plexus serves as the center of spiritual balance
and an umbilical chord to nature. You can feel the connection between your feet
and your solar plexus. For example, when your feet are cold you can feel a
tightening of the solar plexus. Stimulating the feet not only increases physical
circulation it serves as a means of opening the crown chakra. Reflexology helps
to break up stagnant energy on an etheric as well as physical level.
Why treat yourself to a reflexology session?
The answer is simple: to enhance the
mind, body, spirit connection and facilitate the body's natural healing process.
*The Art of Reflexology, by Inge Dougan
Many blessings in gratitude to John Walpole for apprenticing people into
this beautiful healing art.
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