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Professional Therapeutic Reflexology

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Dec 05 2011

Is This Class for You?

Imagine relaxing with your partner, parent, child or best friend and being able to easily and confidently offer that special person a soothing and relaxing hand or foot reflexology session. Better still, being able to treat yourself to the benefits of reflexology!

Well, my exercise teacher and some of the women in my class imagined exactly that a few months ago and took action. At their request, I spent four hours instructing them in basic reflexology. None were professionals; yet all left with skills that they could immediately use to help themselves and their loved ones.

I have been asked by others in the group to repeat the class, and have decided to open it up to the general public this time. If you are a “lay” person (or a massage therapist curious about reflexology), this is your chance to learn how this amazing discipline works and how to apply some simple techniques yourself. Join us on January 21st. I will explain the basic theories, show you how our organs and glands are represented through the reflexes on the feet and hands, and guide you on how to effectively support your body’s systems through the reflexes.

Reflexology for You and Your Loved Ones

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology, Hand Reflexology, General · Tagged: Foot reflexology, Reflexology

Oct 24 2011

Two New Stones

For years the standard stones in hot and cold stone therapy have been basalt and marble. Now there are a couple of new contenders in the game, and I am happy to add them to our toolbox in the upcoming Reflexology Rocks! class. Let me introduce them to you.

Himalayan Salt Crystals

Surrounding the earth is an electromagnetic field that vibrates at 7.83 cycles/second. Known as the Schuman Resonance Frequency, it is the most commonly found frequency in the natural world (including the human body), and provides optimal resonance for overall health and well-being.

The modern world of computers, smart phones, televisions, refrigerators and microwaves bombards us with man-made frequencies that emit much higher electrical wavebands than our own natural vibration of 7.83Hz.  Continual exposure to these higher oscillations (known as Electro-Magnetic Frequencies [EMFs]) causes and promotes physical imbalances (especially to our central nervous system), interferes with cellular development and contributes to the build-up of harmful free radicals in the body.

Salt crystals, on the other hand, emit a vibration of around 8Hz and help to neutralize the harmful effects of EMFs. There are many simple ways to introduce crystal salts into our lives (which I will explain during the Reflexology Rocks! class on November 12th); one of which is the use of Himalayan crystal salt stones within a foot reflexology session.

Himalayan crystal salt is different than regular sea salt and a wonderful adjunct in healing:

1. It has been exposed to enormous pressure and heat for millions of years. The high compression creates the salt’s perfect crystalline geometric structure, and its inherent ionic energy. Our cells absorb elements easiest when they are in an ionic state, and research indicates that Himalayan crystal salt, whether applied externally or ingested, is extremely bio-available to human cells.

2. The Himalayan Mountains are one of the most tranquil, undeveloped regions of the world, untouched by modern pollution. Use of dynamite during the mining process is strictly prohibited so as to preserve the purity and structure of the crystals.

Soapstone

Soapstone has been discovered to be the best thermal conductor of any stone. It retains heat and cold longer and more uniformly than many other kinds of stones commonly used in thermal therapy. The nature of soapstone allows it to provide a very silky but deep uniform pressure. Because soapstone is non-absorbent, hygiene maintenance is very easy.


Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology, General · Tagged: Foot reflexology, Reflexology

Oct 22 2011

The Lasting Effects of Reflexology

During the final module of the 2011 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Professional Reflexology Certification classes, the interns completed two full days of combined foot and hand sessions with the public. One of the recipients asked a question following her session, and it initiated a wonderful discussion amongst the three of us.

As background, the woman who posed the question is an experienced receiver of reflexology and many other forms of bodywork, and is herself a Polarity therapist.

Our guest commented that for her the positive effects of reflexology far outlast those of massage or any other form of bodywork. She was curious as to why.

I recalled how much of our scientific understanding of reflexology is owed to the Brits, who focused much of their scientific research in the late 1880’s on documenting the human reaction to the environment (including touch).

? In 1883 an English physiologist, Marshall Hall, introduced the concept of “reflex action” in the body.

? Scientists conclusively proved the neurological relationship that exists between skin, tissue and internal organs, and charted the reflex action between skin sensitivity and internal disease.

? Sir Charles Sherrington, who with Edgar Adrian earned a Nobel Prize for his work on the physiology of the nervous system, proved that the entire nervous system adjusts to a single stimulus in its effort to coordinate all the activities of the organism.

Back to our guest’s question, I suspect that it is that interconnectedness of the parts of the body, awakened by the stimulation of reflexology points, that provides the longer lasting effects that our guest spoke to. When function and balance are restored within the individual organs and systems, ultimately the whole organism adjusts, not just the musculature. The return to body-wide homeostasis is what creates the long-lasting feeling of wellness.

As we concluded our conversation I was left to marvel – once again – at the incredible drive for wholeness and order that we humans have been gifted.

Have you or your clients been surprised by long-lasting and seemingly unrelated responses to reflexology?

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: General · Tagged: Reflexology

Sep 10 2011

Reflexology Rocks!

I clearly remember the first time that I experienced a Stone Therapy session. Back then, there was so much buzz about adding hot and cold stones to a bodywork session, I admit to a lot of skepticism. I decided to try it out anyway. And am I glad I did! The experience I had changed my relationship with myself.

I immediately began to seek out a qualified and experienced teacher, so that I could provide my clients with a similar experience. After hearing the same unbelievable feedback from my massage clients, I began to wonder what it would be like to incorporate stonework into an already deeply relaxing reflexology session. Well, the rest is history. Although it’s been a couple of years since I taught Reflexology Rocks!, I feel moved to do so again.

Stones are part of the earth element; they help us to reconnect with the earth’s grounding, stable force. Used as an extension of one’s own hands, hot and cold mineral stones enhance and often elevate a client’s experience of reflexology to one of almost primordial sacredness. (I didn’t make that up! Those are words I often heard from many nearly speechless clients.)

Rooted in the ancient Tibetan and Native American traditions, Stone Therapy seduces the mind/body to surrender all traces of mental and muscular tension – a logical adjunct to reflexology, don’t you think?

Chilled stones calm and cool inflammatory conditions while heated stones lull the recipient into a deep experience of themselves that almost defies definition. Together hot and cold stones provide a vascular workout for the entire body, both stimulating and relaxing the circulatory system at the same time. As contradictory as this may sound, it is this unique interplay of heat and cold that deeply relaxes and re-energizes a tired body. Homeostasis and balance restored: the prime intention of a reflexology session, right?

I invite you to join our small group on Saturday, November 12 in St. Augustine, Florida from 10am to 2pm, where you will learn how to safely incorporate aromatherapy and hot and cold stones into a hand or foot reflexology session. Stones and all related equipment will be provided in class; resources to purchase your own tools and accessories will be made available. Read more here.

Consider making a weekend of it. Participate in the Reflexology and Essential Oils – The Perfect Marriage class on Friday, November 11. Read how you can take advantage of a one-time only reduced fee.

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: Foot Reflexology, Hand Reflexology, Aromatherapy & Essential Oils · Tagged: Reflexology, Essential Oils

Mar 09 2011

Stress, Brain Development & “Relaxology”

“Relaxology”. That’s what one of my recent classes renamed reflexology after their introduction to the art.  I had to smile – it is a perfect name, isn’t it? It certainly describes one of the primary benefits and one of the main reasons that people seek out reflexology.

Some of you have heard me say before that I believe that relaxation is the basis of health; that health can’t exist outside that internal environment. Because of its effect on the central nervous system – specifically the autonomic branch – reflexology has a unique ability to relax both body and mind, and in turn the damaging effects of stress.

Data from a Princeton University study adds still another reason to reduce stress in our lives:

Led by psychology professor Elizabeth Gould, observations of the brains of primates confirmed that effort and determination play less of a role in brain development than we would like to believe. Prior to Professor Gould’s research, modern neuroscience was predicated on the hypothesis that all brain neurons emerge during prenatal and early postnatal development; that brain cells were thereafter fixed. Her research demonstrated two important findings to the contrary:

1. The primate brain (that includes ours!) is always creating new neurons.

2. The structure of the human brain is largely influenced by its surroundings, not by concerted effort and determination. The research proved that chronic stress halts neurogenesis (the production of brain neurons). This groundbreaking study revealed that the brains of stressed primates literally stopped creating new cells and neural pathways. In addition, evidence showed that existing cells retreated inward. The brains were said to “disfigure.”

Gould’s research carries monumental implications when we consider not only our personal health, but also the health of a society in which stress factors continue to mount.

Fortunately, there is much we can do with reflexology for our clients and ourselves when it comes to combating stress and encouraging brain development. Reflexology is a modality proven to shift the autonomic nervous system from its “flight or fight” response to stressors to the healing state of “rest and repair”.

When people request a stress-reducing session from me, I immediately focus on the reflexes of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord); add in the adrenal reflexes to support those busy glands in their efforts to respond to excess stimulation; and the diaphragm reflex to aid in deep, relaxed breathing and improved oxygen delivery to the brain.

It’s nice to know, isn’t it, that both stress reduction and brain development can result from something as simple as a soothing session of “relaxology”?

Written by Karen Ball · Categorized: General · Tagged: Reflexology

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