Tara Sanders: Healing, Yoga, and Reflexology
healing, yoga, and reflexology
As reflexologists, we add new clients to our practice often. Healing, yoga, and reflexology are important here. Depending on your personality, or your practice, you may ask a few or many questions from them on the intake forms and in the initial interviews.
Trauma is one area of a person’s life which we rarely approach. It is just too hidden, too destructive.
This is wise. Trauma is a subject which our client partners need to bring up when the time is right for them to share. Because nothing is said doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. It just means that the person isn’t comfortable discussing it.
Because, in reality, 1 woman in 4 has experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Personally, I question the 1-in-4 statistic. No woman reports domestic violence or sexual assault if she can possibly avoid it. Reporting is simply too painful.
When I first spoke with Tara Sanders, a Woodstock based yoga instructor and program director in the nonprofit Exhale to Inhale I was suddenly very alert. I realized that we, as reflexologists, need to be more sensitive to the secrets and hidden traumas of our client partners.
Exhale to Inhale yoga works to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to heal through yoga. Exhale to Inhale yoga guides women through postures, breathing, meditation. Taught in trauma sensitive style, practitioners are enabled to ground themselves in
their bodies
their strength
their stillness.
As this happens, the women connect to themselves. They work toward empowerment and worthiness. This practice can be transformative for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence when they shed the cloak of victimhood.
Healers, reflexologists, and body workers have long known that when a person is traumatized, the event is stored in the muscles.
We also know that reflexology sessions are given a boost when combined with other modalities such as yoga, meditation, breathing, Reiki therapy, and massage.
Tara teaches the classes without music. She does not touch the students to correct a posture. Lights remain on throughout the class. These sessions offer survivors an opportunity to reclaim their lives through the healing and grounding of yoga.
Tara uses the yoga classes to help her students feel safe, strong, in the present moment. As she teaches, she is a conduit for healing and healthful programs in our community. Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners are also conduits for healing as we work the reflex points to encourage homeostasis.
Exhale to Inhale is a New York-based nonprofit offering free weekly yoga classes to survivors of domestic and sexual assault. After June 20, Exhale to Inhale yoga classes will be taught free of charge to women in area shelters in Upstate New York.
Not everyone has a Tara Sanders available in the community. However, it’s possible to suggest reflexology sessions offered in tandem with yoga, meditation, breathing classes. Whether or not you are aware of your client partner’s experience with trauma or domestic violence is not important. What is important is that you invite your client partner to experience this boost to your modality. Think of healing, yoga, and reflexology as a package.
Hopefully one day soon, there will be more Tara Sanders yoga teachers in communities everywhere.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Jennette Nearhood provided the media.
Thurman Greco
Reflexology Blog – Headaches Always Have a Muscular Component
Headaches have many causes:
Alcohol
Drugs
Emotional Stress
Excessive Noise
Food Allergies
Glaring Light
Poor Diet
Tension in the Neck
Tension in the Shoulder Muscles
Vision Problems
On a spiritual level, the causes are just as numerous:
Feeling out of control
Frustration
Overwhelmed,
Overcrowded
Over thinking
Self Critical
Undermined
A good first step in dealing with headaches is to figure out what is happening in your life just before a headache begins. This investigation may require a headache diary.
Begin by keeping track of everything you are eating. You want to find out if a food can be the cause of your headaches. Marge D’Urso always said that two biggest causes of headaches are wheat and dairy. She recommended that a good first step in dealing with headaches is to give these items up for six weeks.
Keep track of your environment and how it’s affecting you. Describe your feelings. You’re looking for evidence of repetitive behavior and/or attitudes which may affect your headaches.
Record your headaches: location, duration, severity.
There’s a muscular component to all headaches. Addressing this component involves regular visits to a reflexology for the spirit practitioner. Regular sessions relieve stress, encourage homeostasis, improve day-to-day functioning.
Record your sleep patterns. Is insomnia a factor?
Thyroid and adrenal hormone imbalances can cause headaches. Visit an endocrinologist.
NOTE: If you discover that the headaches recur regularly, you need to visit a medical professional.
When offering a reflexology session to a headache sufferer, begin by working the solar plexus and diaphragm reflexes.
Work the nervous system as you focus on the brain reflexes.
Work the respiratory system as you focus on the sinuses.
Work the digestive system as you focus on the pancreas.
Work the sense organs as you focus on the ears and the eyes.
Work the muscular system as you focus on the arm, shoulder, and neck muscle reflexes.
Work the spinal reflexes.
End the session as you spend a few moments on the liver and solar plexus.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media.
Please send a comment.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco.
Work the digestive system as you focus on the pancreas.
W
Migraine Headaches: severe throbbing pain beginning on one side of the head which can last from 4 hours to 3 days
Migraine headaches are both very painful and very common. They can be hereditary.
They have very definite emotional and spiritual causes. People suffering with migraines are experiencing fear of failure for one thing. The person is in a situation where it’s necessary to heavily control feelings as well as environment. These controls may be coming from outside as opposed from inside oneself. Parent? Boss? Spouse?
The sufferer may be in a situation in life where feelings must be repressed. The person is actually emotionally/spiritually hiding.
Words that describe the migraine sufferer’s situation include conflict, punishment, control, overcommitment, guilt, fear, anxiety.
Events triggering a migraine headache include our old friend stress, bright lights, allergies, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, oral contraceptives, foods: cheese, smoked fish, red wine, chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, bananas.
Getting rid of migraine headaches takes some real focus. It’s important to examine all the underlying problems including nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and endocrine system imbalances.
Reflexology for the Spirit can be a real help but it’s best to work from a prevention standpoint. In other words, a migraine sufferer needs to include a weekly reflexology session in his/her schedule – not just for awhile but as a lifestyle activity. This commitment is necessary to keep the stress down and to address the underlying causes. Having a reflexology session only when the migraine headache occurs is not the answer to the problem.
Nutritional issues can be addressed by consultations with a nutritionist knowledgeable of migraines. Then, after the consultations, the migraine sufferer needs to omit the necessary foods and add the necessary supplements and herbs. This amounts to a lifestyle change. Any diet and supplement changes will take at least six weeks to have any real impact.
Whoever you consult with will probably recommend magnesium, fish oil, B vitamins. If you are already taking these supplements, consider that you may be using a product which isn’t suitable for you. That’s why it’s necessary to consult with a nutritionist. As we all know by now, I use Liz at Village Apothecary here in Woodstock: 845-679-0970.
Eliminating food triggers is important. Some suggested triggers include wheat, oranges, eggs, tea, coffee, milk, chocolate, cheese, beef, corn, sugar, yeast. Here again, the migraine sufferer needs to work with a knowledgeable professional.
My Reflexology teacher, Marge D’Urso always told us that the first thing a person should do is eliminate wheat and dairy from the diet. She felt those two foods were the cause of many of our health problems.
When offering a reflexology session to a migraine sufferer, begin by working the solar plexus and diaphragm reflexes.
Work the endocrine system by focusing on the pituitary gland reflexes and the adrenal gland reflexes.
Work the nervous system as you focus n the brain reflexes.
Work the circulatory system as you focus the heart reflex.
Work the urinary system as you focus the kidney reflexes.
End the session by working the liver and solar plexus.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media.
Please leave a comment.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
vitamins.
A
Bladder Infections can take many forms due to germs in the kidneys, ureters, or bloodstream.
Bladder infections usually begin in the lower lower urinary tract: urethra and bladder. If not treated, they can progress up the tract to the ureters and kidneys. Several factors cause urinary tract infections (UTIs): sexual intercourse, long-term catheterization in the bladder, congenital urinary tract abnormalities, bladder obstructions and an impaired immune system. Examples here would be diabetes, or a person taking high doses of cortisone. Incomplete emptying of the bladder also encourages UTIs.
FOR WOMEN: Things which help prevent UTIs include wiping from front to back following a bowel movement, avoiding deodorant sprays, douches, powders. Drink plenty of water, consum yogurt, kefir, and acidophilus milk. Always urinate whenever you feel the urge, urinate after intercourse, wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes.
There is an spiritual/emotional component to bladder infections. The urinary system begins to break down when your life is upheaval. Words that describe situations inviting bladder infections include anger, irritation, bitterness, fear, grief, guilt.
Reflexology for the spirit sessions are definitely called for with a UTI. The homeostasis offered is a significant contribution. However, a healthcare professional must be consulted because these infections can quickly escalate from a nuisance to something much more serious.
Begin the session by working the solar plexus and diaphragm reflexes.
Work the spleen reflex.
Work the digestive system with emphasis on the liver.
Work the endocrine system with emphasis on the adrenal glands.
Work the urinary system with emphasis on the bladder and kidney reflexes.
Work the lymphatic system reflexes.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your preferred social media.
Please send a comment.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Sweaty Feet can be very “trying” for a Reflexologist.
For starters, the natural inclination is to just not touch the feet. Don’t worry. Use an antibacterial spray on the feet to clean them off. Wear gloves if you are worried that you’re going to “catch” something.
Remember this: A person with sweaty feet is a person whose Adrenal glands are in serious passing gear.
There are several things your client partner can do. We can’t prescribe these things but it’s nice to know what they are: soak the feet in salt water to change the bacteria, rub the feet with alcohol and let it dry, change shoes and socks often, and spritz with cleansing spray whenever possible.
Suggest a visit to a podiatrist to make certain there are no infections, etc. Whatever the condition, you still have a person with serious spiritual conditions needing your attention regularly.
SYSTEMS TO WORK: adrenals, nervous system, immune system, urinary system, digestive system with emphasis on the liver and the solar plexus.
ESSENTIAL OILS: bergamot, Roman chamomile, frankincense, lavender, marjoram, wintergreen, myrrh, rosemary, sandalwood, thyme, ylang ylang, and spruce.
Thanks again for reading the blog. Our next post will focus on Swollen Ankles and Feet.
As always, this post comes to you from my healing space in Woodstock, NY.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
When You Consider the Pace and Demands of Life in the 21st Century, it’s no Wonder that Stress is a Huge Factor and Issue in our Health Care Dilemma
The causes are overwhelming and include lifestyle situations, medications, time management, relationship issues, which produce biological responses, any or all of which can contribute to making a person somewhat, or even very, ill. Many people live with stressed adrenal glands.
Prolonged stressful situations can have effects lasting an entire lifetime. In some cases, children growing up in stressful or abusive situations maintain a stress alert throughout adulthood so they never seem unstressed. This can contribute to disease even decades later.
Stress weakens the immune system and, because of this, becomes a factor in diseases such as angina, anorexia, anxiety disorders, autoimmune disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, colds, depression, Type II Diabetes, digestive diseases, fibromyalgia, headaches, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, immune suppression, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual irregularities, PMS, rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, ulcerative colitis, ulcers.
“Flare ups” because of an event or problem can trigger outbreaks of acne, arthritis, asthma, heartburn, Multiple Sclerosis.
It’s important for your client partners to develop positive coping habits to manage stress. These include yoga, meditation, tai chi, regular Reflexology for the Spirit sessions.
A healthy diet is essential for stress management. People suffering from the effects of stress should restrict or eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates. Meals should be eaten in a relaxed atmosphere.
Reflexology for the Spirit facilitates homeostasis. It can also be used to calm the adrenal glands. This is essential when dealing with stress.
SYSTEMS TO WORK: thyroid, parathyroid, and pituitary reflexes as well as the lung, kidney, spinal reflexes and the solar plexus. Include extra warm ups and warm downs.
ESSENTIAL OILS: lavender, Roman chamomile, blue tansy, cedarwood, marjoram, rose, sandalwood, and frankincense.
Thanks for reading this blog. We are approaching the end of this section. There are three posts remaining: Sweaty Feet, Swollen Ankles, and Thickened Nails. After those posts, we’ll explore some spiritual and non-spiritual treatments for different medical issues.
As always, this post is coming to you from my healing space in Woodstock, NY.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Eczema is an Itchy, Red Skin Irritation which Itches Before the Redness Appears
The eczema skin irritation first appears in itchy patches.
Several factors bring about eczema: stress, immune system overload, and allergies, all of which will respond positively to regular Reflexology for the Spirit sessions. However, your client partner needs to identify what triggers the outbreaks and to adopt self-care strategies to control the problem.
Many eczema sufferers also have asthma.
Often, an eczema sufferer struggles with negative attitudes toward events in his/her life. When these occur, you see an eczema outbreak.
Typical things which set off an eczema bout include certain foods, drugs, animal dander, some metals, fragrances, cleaning products. Emotional stress, anger, poor circulation, and weather changes can compound the problem.
A little sun daily (10 minutes or so) can be helpful.
As with all immune system disorders, a clean environment is critical. This includes the home, car, air, water, body, workplace. Once a person begins to clean out the toxins, the body will have a chance to improve. Cleaning out involves discarding all the toxic cleansers and cosmetics in the home and replacing them with non-toxic cleansers and cosmetics which aren’t going to exacerbate the eczema.
Your client partner will be embarking on a journey of clean living which includes a diet free of toxins, chemicals, etc.
Since real health begins and ends in the colon, the next step is a colon cleanse.
Once the environment is cleaned up and the body is cleaned out, it will be easier to cope with stressful issues.
A hypoallergenic moisturizer is essential.
AREAS TO WORK: immune system, liver, lymphatics, digestive system, solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS: lavender, frankincense
Thank you for reading this blog which is coming to you from my healing space in Woodstock, NY
Tomorrow, we’ll begin to cover the topic of fatigue.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Calluses and Corns Can Be Troublesome and Represent Spiritual Challenges
The impact calluses and corns have on your client partner depends on where they’re located on the foot or toes.
For many, they’re protective armor and a defense mechanism representing the soul crying out for protection from unbearable outside events. For example, a callus in the heart area of the foot deals with protection from problems of the heart that have become difficult. Calluses and/or corns on the throat area of the foot represent problems relating to communication. And, calluses on the heel area connect with core beliefs.
There’s a relevant place for Reflexology for the Spirit when dealing with these spiritual issues. If you have a client partner coming to you regularly with calluses and/or corns, please refer him/her to a podiatrist to treat the medical aspects. People shouldn’t self treat these conditions because they can end up with worse problems than they began with. And, if your client partner is diabetic, it’s even more important to seek medical help.
Several trips to the chiropractor are in order here if your client partner’s gait is being impacted upon. A properly aligned spinal column helps overall health.
After that, it’s up to you, the practitioner to facilitate the spiritual and emotional healing which accompanies regular sessions.
Your client partner should be able to move forward as issues resolve.
AREAS TO WORK:
ESSENTIAL OILS: tea tree, lavender, Roman or German chamomile.
Thank you for reading this post. Please contact me with whatever questions you may have.
Our next post addresses an issue experienced by many people: Constipation.
Peace and food for all
Thurman Greco
Arthritis and Reflexology for the Spirit, Continued
When an arthritis sufferer uses all the health care professionals available to him/her, the results are better. Fewer drugs will be consumed. That’s an important result.
A Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner deals with the problems presented by arthritis over the long haul. When working with an arthritis sufferer, you need to learn about all the things s/he can do in the self help arena. Try to learn all the things that the rheumatologist recommends. When you know these things, you can work with them. Know about recommended exercise therapy. How does acupuncture fit into the overall picture? What does the nutritionist recommend?
Optimum improvement depends on repeated, regular visits to the Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner’s table. The other specialists will “come and go” as needed in the client partner’s life. You, on the other hand, owill be seeing this person weekly.
Arthritis sufferers often postpone getting needed treatment necessary for relief. This is not a good approach. The sooner your client partner begins to aggressively combat arthritis, the better off s/he will be – even years down the line.
When working with an arthritis sufferer, regardless of the type, keep in mind that you are dealing with a person who cannot help being overly critical both of self and others. Many arthritis sufferers appear to harbor resentment and blame in many areas of life. This is a huge statement considering the number of people suffering with arthritis.
AREAS TO WORK: solar plexus, entire endocrine system, urinary system, immune system, nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system, liver, solar plexus and individual joints the client partner is suffering with.
ESSENTIAL OILS: wintergreen, peppermint, nutmeg, German chamomile, clove, copaiba, helichrysum, Idaho balsam fir, white fir, pine, eucalyptus globulus, frankincense, and myrrh are popular with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.
Violet Flame Reiki therapy is appropriate for arthritis sufferers.
The next post will cover bunions.
Thank you for reading this blog. Please contact me with any questions you have.
Peace and food for all
Thurman Greco
Arthritis and Reflexology for the Spirit
The next two posts will concentrate on the issues of Arthritis.
Arthritis is a word used to describe over 100 diseases causing joint pain. It’s definitely a spiritual disease. It’s important for a person who seems to be suffering from arthritis to get a diagnosis from a rheumatologist. That’s the first step in going down the path to proper treatment.
An example of this would be that some arthritis sufferers (as with rheumatoid arthritis, for example) are dealing with an autoimmune condition and the Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner would reflex the feet a certain way based on the autoimmune disorder.
The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It’s a leading cause of pain and disability in older adults. This is caused by loss of articular cartilage in joints. The joints most affected are hands, wrist, neck, lower back, hips, knees. Risk factors include obesity, heredity, and improper diet.
The best way to combat arthritis, regardless of the kind, is to use a team approach. The arthritis sufferer’s team should include a rheumatologist, Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner, physical therapist, nutritionist, acupuncturist, and a primary medicine practitioner.
The next post will continue with the emphasis on arthritis.
Thank you for reading this post.
Peace and food for all
Thurman Greco
