Mike Holloway of Henry Ford College’s radio station invited me to speak about Reflexology on his monthly program, “Metaphysically Speaking.” He asked great questions and I
enjoyed the hour we spent discussing the relaxing, healing benefits of Reflexology. Listen in on our conversation by clicking on the link below:
Friendship
A good friend expressed his reluctance to have a reflexology session with me … because he was my friend! I wasn’t sure how to respond to him, other than to reassure him that I wouldn’t hurt him and that I found feet to be beautiful. I told the story to my certification teacher. She encouraged me to really listen to the feelings that people have about their feet, their insecurities, their histories, their need to be understood rather than soothed. The idea that there is a barrier created by friendship was an unusual one for me. My friend expected a kind of impersonal detachment between a “professional” and the client that he felt was difficult between friends. Whereas I feel that one of the best gifts I could give anyone, friend or acquaintance, is a session of reflexology, which could only be enhanced by an existing, warm relationship. However, the offer of a gift is best accepted, as my friend eventually did, in a spirit of curiosity and openness, rather than a feeling of obligation. I encourage all to be receptive to reflexology’s benefits, as I will be to their concerns.
Altered State
The last few months of this year have been very mild. So mild that I feel as though I’m living in a different state. North Carolina maybe, or Tennessee. Just not Michigan. I have few complaints, except for a bit of worry about the plants and trees that need cold and snow. I harvested the last of the kale and Brussels sprouts from my garden a few days ago, a very generous, healthy and economical extension of the growing season. The grass is still green, although a few fingers of snow now clutch at the ridge of edging between the mulch and the yard. The ground still gives a bit under my feet. The air may stroke instead of slap. A most unusual winter.
It reminds me of how pleasant it can be to have an altered experience of something quite ordinary. It may suddenly have a different focus or emphasis, elicit an extra sensation or new response because it is thrown into sharp contrast from one’s normal awareness or memory of it.
This can happen during reflexology, too, both for the practitioner and the client. I often become aware of a deep connection with a reflex zone, heat, energy, softening, a release of tension that blurs the boundary between my fingers and the foot. The client may breathe deeply, tell me about a tingling sensation in their arm or experience a sudden movement, smile, fall asleep. And when the session ends, they experience a relaxed state that feels altered because the body has been released from its habitual patterns of tension into something that feels new.
Reflexology and MS
A friend alerted me to Ann Romney’s new book, In This Together: My Story, in which she discusses being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the different pathways she explored to manage MS, including reflexology. Here is the interview she had with Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour recently about her book:
Being open to help from many different resources can be life affirming and SUCCESSFUL! To your very good health.
The benefits of Reflexology
This is a lovely summary of just some of the benefits of Reflexology.
A good harvest
I have many thistles in my garden. I love their purple flowers, and the bees and the butterflies love them, too. But then they go to seed and multiply in an unsightly way. They are easy to pull out, but you have to grasp their stems low to the ground to avoid the sharp prick of their thorns.
And so I battle with their benefits and their detriments. There is a Spanish proverb that says, “He that has a good harvest, must be content with a few thistles.” And so in life, we may have thorny problems that actually serve as messengers of something we need to attend to, but if we don’t do it in a timely way, the problems may multiply until they are out of control. Reflexology can help root out nagging health issues and help resolve and/or mitigate their symptoms until your body is once again able to fight off issues that have become invasive. Here’s to a healthy, balanced life … and garden!
Swift and beautiful
I attended the Detroit Kennel Club dog show recently. It was wonderful to see so many different breeds of dogs under one roof. I was especially struck by the similarities and differences between the dainty Italian greyhounds and the majestic Borzois. Both are sighthounds, both are swift and beautiful runners, but at entirely different ends of the scale!
Our feet come in many shapes and sizes, too, and have traveled sometimes fast and sometimes slowly along any number of unique paths before coming to the reflexologist. Many feet are tired and tense. But muscles can be eased, tension can be released and energy increased through therapeutic foot massage, so that our feet can once again carry us with suppleness and support. Swift as they need to be, beautiful in the execution of their seemingly simple task, to carry us through life.
The four elements
Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The essential elements of life on earth, as defined in ancient times.
I recently experienced all of them when I rode in a hot air balloon. Air and fire lifted the balloon into the sky and we floated above the earth. But when water was added to the equation and the balloon pilot gently set our basket down in the middle of a lake, my knees started shaking. It seemed dangerous. Just my overactive imagination? Or is there a natural state of balance that we instinctively realize? Suddenly it seemed we might capsize. There was too much water, not enough fire and air, and the earthy shore was too far away! I could only trust in the skill of the pilot at that point, and we did finally lift off from the surface of the water, to my enormous relief.
It was an interesting lesson about how disproportionate elements in our lives, whatever they may be (disease, stress, fatigue, fear, etc.) may tilt our bodies into unbalance. Moving back into balance is an important factor for anyone who wants to realize a state of well-being and health.
A strong base
That familiar honk. Look up! The strong V of flying geese appears, so close I can hear the whistle of their wings as they pass overhead. Suddenly the mundane task of taking the garbage can to the end of the driveway becomes something that lifts the heart into the sky. The shared shape of their formation, the triangle, helps give lift to all of the birds. So to, our bodies need a strong base as we fly through our days, supported by good nutrition, exercise and gentle bodywork, and, of course, the help of our flock of friends and family.
The world on your back
I was delighted to see a turtle in the garden bed outside my front door today. This quote seemed fitting: “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn: American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker
I would encourage everyone to treat their body as if it were a house, all systems well-maintained, where one can both shelter and celebrate.
Sole Insights Reflexology LLC 