Reflexology

Hello friends, and welcome to this month’s Joyinmovement
newsletter,

Earlier this year I wrote a
newsletter about feet. It was from a structural as well as a “how to
take care of your feet” perspective. Now we are going to look at your
feet as a gateway to your body and mind. Let me first share with you why
I chose this topic for the last newsletter of 2008. For about 20 years
now on every New Year’s Eve at the stroke of midnight, I JUMP into the
new year! It’s always been my way of letting go, putting my best foot
forward and embracing the possibilities of the coming year. It’s no
surprise to me that even after all these years I remain fascinated by
all the different aspects of our feet: what they look like, how they
move, and what they represent. So I sat down with my friend and
colleague Ariel Talmor, who for 19 years has been a wholistic foot
reflexologist and teacher, to explore the body/mind connection reflected
in our feet.

What Is Reflexology?

Reflexology is the manipulation of
points and areas in the feet that stimulate points and areas throughout
your body. However, there is much more to it.

Physical Healing Aspects of Reflexology

Your feet reflect your whole body,
and the human body is a reflection of the total universe (uni=one,
version). The feet are the gateway to the human body. Why? From the
ankles up the energetic world is represented, but your feet correspond
to the physical world, or what we perceive as the world of form. Feet are dense and
working on them is the key to undoing this density and achieving
balance. You alleviate this density by improving circulation.

Diminished circulation throughout
your body means less nourishment and less vitality for all your organs.
Stimulating points on the feet increases blood circulation so that your
organs breathe better, while at the same time releasing toxic
accumulations of waste material. Better circulation gives the body a
chance to restore its balance to all your organs, glands, muscles, and
throughout your nervous system.

Our feet register everything we
experience. Technically every cell in the body also registers everything
we experience, but we can easily access our feet. When you open the
most dense points it influences better circulation so blood and
nutrients get circulated. Also, inner organs are hard to get to through
touch but the nervous system that runs through all organs can be fed
through working on the feet to improve circulation. For cells to survive
they need movement, nutrients and elimination. All human tissue needs
the same things. Improving circulation allows your organs to heal and do
their job, making reflexology a powerful preventative as well.

Energetics of Reflexology

Every organ corresponds to an emotion or
trait. For instance, kidneys represent fear, adrenals courage and the
liver anger. Feet correspond to understanding……UNDER your STAND are
your feet! Feet and head are opposites. Feet is ego and head is higher
self. Head is the intellect and connection to the universe and higher
self. Feet represent the here and now. The key to a balanced life is to
balance the energy world and the world of matter as we ground our
perceptions in the here and now.

When feet are too dense it’s not
good. Ariel says that the feet are the most prevalent place that people
short out their energetic circuit of balance. You want your head not too
airy and your feet not too dense. Nutrition and lack of understanding
of yourself, others or life can influence this density.

Imagine your foot. The toes
represent air (intellect and mental state), the base of the toes
represent fire, the ball of your foot is water and the heel is earth.
Take a look at your toes. Are they forward pointing and straight? If
this is the case Ariel suggests that you’re an optimist who looks
forward while still living in the present. Are they inward and
retracted, held back? You’re likely to be someone who doesn’t express
themselves, can be pessimistic, unsatisfied and defensive.

There are many modalities that work
on the organs, so why does Ariel’s passion lead him to work through the
feet? He explains, “There are many places we can work on the meridians
and energy lines that run throughout the body. Working on those energy
lines in the foot, however, gives the added value of working with a
matrix and quality of understanding. Most of our ailments stem from a
misunderstanding, usually of fear, love , and life. What could be more
natural than approaching our ailments through the matrix of
understanding?”

In Ariel’s view the secret to
happiness is to merge the conscious and subconscious (balancing the
physical and non-physical worlds), thereby lessening the conflicts we
all experience. Working through our feet can help with the process of
resolving these conflicts. We can use reflexology as a preventative and
restorative modality. We can also use it when we have a particular
health concern if we are willing to explore the mind/body connection
through our feet. Your body recovers, so function improves.

Tips for Self Care Using Reflexology

Some places to consider working on:

#1 To help manage your stress work with your solar
plexus, which is right below your breast bone. This is your 3rd chakra
area and represents ego and stress. To work this point go under your
third toe just above the ball of foot border with the arch. Put pressure
there and massage.

#2 To balance your right and left
brain go to both big toes just under the nail. Use your knuckle and
massage side to side.

#3 To balance your pituitary gland
and increase harmony in both your body and your surroundings, use both
big toes on the pad of the toe. Use your knuckle and massage in a swirl
pattern. When you do this, it stimulates a very strong electrical point
that governs your endocrine system.

Ariel’s website is www.sole-to-soul.com. In closing, I’d like to
encourage you to share these newsletters with others. It is OK to
reprint them for any groups or publications you’re involved with, but I
request that you just include my name and website so if people have
questions they know where to find me.

So when you join me by jumping into the new year, you
may have a new appreciation for your feet as the gateway to greater
health. As always, I hope this newsletter adds to your joyinmovement!

Happy holidays!