Sleep for a Healthy Lifestyle
As a reflexology practitioner, it’s important that you stay as healthy as possible. When you take care of your body, you inspire your client partners to take care of theirs.
Many conditions lurk unnoticed for years to develop in the body before they are recognized for what they are: diseases that, in the early stages, are seen as fatigue, headaches, insomnia.
But, whatever these conditions are called, they are actually ongoing health issues that no one has solved. Often, we just ignore these problems.
“I just need to learn to live with this……” is a remark I hear often. The problem is common, persistent, chronic.
Now is the time to see these issues for what they are and take steps to deal with them before they become full blown, serious, illnesses. Look at yourself:
Do you look healthy?
Do you feel healthy?
Do you have enough energy for all the things you want to do each day?
Do you sleep well?
Do you have digestive issues?
Do you feel toxic?
Make 2017 the year you turn your life around.
Begin by learning to get enough sleep.
The first step in a healthy sleep is having a healthy sleeping environment.
Do you or your sleep partner snore? This can rob you of hours and hours of sleep, necessary to good health. People don’t realize it but snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, a serious medical condition which contributes to Alzheimer’s. So, today, begin to address the snoring.
Snoring is not always expensive to treat. So, make your first step to a healthy year, a trip to a physician to address any and all snoring and sleep issues.
The second thing to do is declutter the sleep space. Move the home office into another room. Move the TV out. The bedroom is for sleeping and sex. Everything else goes in another part of your home or apartment.
About an hour before you are ready to go to bed, begin to calm yourself down. Prepare your body to sleep.
Taking sleeping pills is not the answer.
Instead, don’t watch television or play video games immediately before sleep. Attend fewer evening meetings.
Is your bed comfortable? Do you have enough blankets? How about the pillows?
What is your most comfortable sleep position? Do you sleep better on your stomach or are you a sleeper who prefers to be face up? Do your bed, bedding, and pillows encourage a healthy sleep every night?
Finally, schedule sufficient hours to sleep. You need at least eight hours of sleep in order to get the optimum energy and rejuvenation out of your body the next day.
One thing you can do to improve your sleep situation is to receive a reflexology session weekly. People universally claim that regular reflexology encourages better sleep. So, while you are offering reflexology sessions to your client partners to encourage their improved sleep, schedule reflexology sessions for yourself. At least, that way, you’ll know exactly how wonderful a reflexology encouraged sleep really feels.
Make it a habit to offer self-reiki therapy to encourage sleep. Teach reiki therapy to your client partners so they can give themselves sessions as they go to bed at night.
One of the secrets to a healthy body is sufficient sleep on a continued basis. Share this secret with your client partners!
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Thanks!
Thurman Greco
Oil. Oil. And More Oil!
The next time you need to purchase olive oil, read the labels on the bottles, jars, and cans. Don’t just grab the container that’s on sale or the one on the end cap or the one with the prettiest label.
I recently did a study on olive oils. I wanted this information for myself and to share with my client partners and you, my readers. Boy, did my eyes get opened WIDE!
Most olive oils on grocery store shelves are imported. The names on the labels evoke history, romance, travel to exotic places. Stand in front of the olive oil display for a couple of minutes and your brain may even wander to skin, water and summer moons:
Bertolli
Pompeiian
San Leandro
Filippo Berio
Taste Inspirations
Nature’s Place
DeCecco
Buonaturae
Spectrum
Olivari
Botticelli
l could go on and on. The least inspiring labels were Rachel Ray, Spectrum, and Hannaford’s.
When you finish reading those labels, you’re going to probably be thinking more about travel than anything else. Imported olive oils are mostly a blend of oils from many different countries:
Argentina
Australia
Chile
Egypt
Greece
Italy
Morocco
Spain
Tunisia
Turkey
Uruguay
U.S.
The average label listed 5 countries for the oil of origin. When an olive oil company blends so many oils from so many places, I feel that things get confusing. How can there be controls, health guidelines on a product coming from countries all over the world? And, truth be known, there are no controls on imported olive oil. The blend may not even be olive oil.
Oliveri oil comes from Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Pompeiian oil claims to have oil in its bottles from Italy, Greece, Spain, Argentina, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco, Chile, U.S., and Egypt.
The only olive oil I buy and trust is organic American Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Olive oil is a food which can be therapeutic. If I’m eating something partially because of its therapeutic qualities, I want to know that I’m getting what I pay for. And, let’s face it, olive oil is not cheap. I want it to be organic and I want it to be EVOO and I want it to be what the label says it is.
When I read the labels, I discovered that most of the companies with these romantic sounding names claimed to use oils from most every country. There were some exceptions:
Pompeiian produces several different olive oils. One is American and 1 is Portuguese.
Carapelli, DeCecco, and Buonaturae sell pure Italian olive oils.
Taste of Inspirations has an oil from Italy and an oil from Greece.
San Leandro’s oil comes from Spain.
As far as my research leads me, the only Sicilian olive oil comes from Trader Joe’s.
The principal oil used in my kitchen is organic American Extra Virgin Olive Oil because medical experts believe that it is a good food to help prevent several diseases which I’m not interested in dealing with:
cancer
heart disease
high blood pressure
osteoporosis
rheumatoid arthritis.
There’s a method to this. In order for your EVOO to be therapeutic, you need to use an EVOO regularly enough to consume about 2 large spoonfuls daily. This means you’re going to cut out some less desirable oils. An easy way to do this is to substitute olive oil for margarine, butter, peanut oil.
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat – a healthy dietary fat.
You may not even know it but your EVOO is a heavyweight in your kitchen. It’s important on your reflexology table too. When your client partner voices dietary health concerns, this is your opportunity to share the health benefit information. One of the easiest ways to begin to eat healthy is to rely on American organic extra virgin olive oil.
ENJOY!
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Thurman Greco
8 Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
I estimate that one third of your client partners have problems sleeping. Many of them have just given up on getting a good night’s sleep. This is not a good thing because there are many things that a person can do to sleep well…every night, not just once in awhile.
A person who gets enough sleep looks and acts healthier because there is more energy available to do the things to get through the day successfully. So, here are some suggestions that have proven to be successful. Try them. Share them.
- Receive a reflexology session every week. People who get reflexology regularly tell me they sleep better. This is important for practitioners, too. I receive a session weekly. It’s one of the most important things I do in life.
- Reiki sessions are wonderful for sleep. Do you teach Reiki? Attune your clients to be reiki practitioners so they can give themselves sessions every night when they go to bed. Sleep is sure to follow. A well intentioned Reiki therapy session is better than a sleeping pill.
- Have a regular sleep schedule so that you go to bed every night at the same time. Schedule your evenings so that you plan on sleeping 7-8 hours every night.
- An hour before going to bed, turn off loud music, scary TV shows, and consciously wind down.
- Do you have a lot of things to do tomorrow? Before you go to bed, make out a list of all the things you have to do tomorrow. Then, put that list in another room and forget about it until tomorrow.
- Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. This means moving all the clutter and junk to another part of the house. That includes the TV and anything else that is a sleep distraction.
- Take a look at your bedding. When was the last time you bought pillows, sheets, blankets? Does your mattress sag in the middle? Are you sleeping in worn out sweat pants with holes? It’s time to focus on sleep-inducing comfort.
- Get a pen and journal notebook. Early in the evening, every evening, spend a few moments writing about one thing that you feel thankful for.
Thanks for reading this blog post. I will be offering more sleep tips throughout the coming year.
The book “A Healer’s Handbook is available as an ebook on Amazon an d Nook. The paper version is available on my website: thurmangreco.com. So far, the response to the book is very positive.
Thanks again.
Thurman Greco
9 Things Reflexologists Don’t Do – and 5 Things we Do
Cure – Reflexologists do not cure. Instead, we promote healing, which can be a very
different thing, depending on the issue.
Patient – Reflexologists do not have patients. Physicians have patients. We have client partners. Some reflexologists have clients. But, whatever we have, we don’t have patients.
Recommend – We do not recommend. Instead, we work feet. We concentrate our energies on facilitating healing.
Advise – Reflexologists do not advise. We support our client partners in their healing path. Our work brings about homeostasis and synchronicity.
Examine – We do not examine. We read feet or hands or ears. .We notice where our findings are located. We work the feet, hands, ears, to bring about healing, homeostasis, and synchronicity.
Prescribe – We do not prescribe. That’s for physicians and other medical professionals. We rely on our hands and hearts to tell us what we find, to encourage healing, to facilitate homeostasis, to see synchronicity.
Dispense – We have nothing to dispense beyond the sessions we offer.
Diagnose – We do not diagnose. Physicians assist us in our healing efforts when they offer a diagnosis. This is important because it’s much easier to overcome a health issue if it has a name.
Administer – We do not administer anything. Instead, we read feet, offer sessions. Our noninvasive sessions have been offered to client partners for ages and ages.
Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners use our hands, brains, and hearts.
We do not need to over schedule our days to be successful. Twenty-five appointments a week is a full time practice for a Reflexology for the Spirit practitioner.
We are not wedded to advertising. Some of us don’t even have business cards. Referrals work well for us.
Because Reflexology for the Spirit works well with other modalities, many of us also practice yoga, massage, Reiki therapy, flower remedies. That means we are always growing, learning.
We honor our heritage. Reflexology for the Spirit practitioners take our traditions back many, many years:
Our history takes us far back in time with beginnings shrouded in mystery. What we do know is that early references to reflexology can be found in China, India, Japan, Egypt, Greece, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, South American and North America.
Historians tell us that Egyptians practiced both hand and food reflexology as early as 2500 BC. If you ever travel to Egypt, please visit the burial ground at Saqqara. The Physician’s Tomb there has a famous wall painting showing two people receiving reflexology.
If you ever find yourself in Japan, be sure to visit the Medicine Teacher Temple in Nara. There you’ll find a stone carving depicting the soles of Buddha’s feet in a carving dating to 790 AD.
In India, there are paintings of Vishnu, the Hindu god’s feet with symbols corresponding to several reflexology points.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian form of medicine becoming popular in our country. Reflexology is incorporated in Ayurvedic medicine.
Reflexology has been recorded in ancient Chinese writings describing pressure being applied to fingers and thumbs.
From this glorious history and recent twentieth century trailblazers, we now have thousands of people practicing various kinds of reflexology throughout the world.
Reflexologists the world over work in tandem with physicians as our field moves toward integrative medicine in the twenty-first century. Integrative medicine works to heal the total person: the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.
Reflexology has endured the test of time and is modern as tomorrow in the 21st !century.
Thank you for reading this blog. It has been a long time since I’ve posted an article. I have been working full time/overtime on the new book! It’s happening!
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
Progress of the Book
The book is, at last, being edited! Real book progress is being made. I hope to get it to the publisher soon. I plan to go over it one last time about mid July.
Thanks to everyone for your patience.
Please share this exciting news (for me, anyway) with your favorite media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, NY
A Battle Front Reflexology Spa Treatment to Boost your Client Partner’s Good Health
Now is a good time to offer a Reflexology Spa Treatment to boost your client partner’s good health. People everywhere are fighting flu, colds, and other maladies as the body offers a battle for good health. This is also a time when people focus on the immune system because every pharmacy around has generously sized signs announcing flu shots.
For your client partner concerned about fighting viruses and infections, the Battle for Health Reflexology Spa Treatment is not a luxury. It’s more in the necessity category.
Begin your battle plan by selecting the essential oils you’ll use. My preferred essential oils for this Spa Treatment are:
clove
lemon
nutmeg
oregano
peppermint
tangerine
thyme
Your oil selection will guide you to which music to use and what decor to adopt.
My favorite oil in this selection is peppermint. But, since not everyone likes peppermint (or you may prefer another oil), select the oil based on your discussion with your client partner as you book the appointment.
Whichever oil you choose may inspire you to select a specific CD. If not, be guided by the reflex points you’ll be working in this session. You’re going to stimulate your client partner’s body to fight disease so being “battle ready” may be important.
When I offer a Battle for Health Spa Treatment, I’m motivated to offer peppermint oil and have a few peppermint plants in pots in the healing space. You may be motivated to do something completely different. There are no “wrongs” here.
Have your music section playing when your client partner enters your space.
You may want to wash your client partner’s feet as the first step in this session. Warm some moist cloths in the microwave and gently clean your client partner’s feet.
When your client partner is comfortably situated face up on your table or in your reflexology chair, anoint your him/her with the selected oil. Put a few drops of the essential oil in the palms. Have him/her rub the palms together and hold them over the face and take a few deep breaths. Then have your client partner rub the hands over his/her face and head.
Now, seat yourself at your client partner’s head. . Bring in the Reiki and offer three Reiki holds to the head.
Now, move down to your client partner’s feet. When you offer reflexology to the feet, you’ll add some carrier oil to the essential oil and use this blend throughout the session. You may be able to find a commercial lotion in the right blend which you like.
Selecting the first foot, offer five minutes of delicious warm ups. Follow this with five minutes of general reflexology to your client’s foot.
You now have your client partner’s first foot prepared and ready to receive the Spa Session on this foot. In this part of the session, you’ll stimulate the glandular parts of the body as you work the reflex areas listed below. You’ll encourage your client partner to fight disease.
Work the following reflexes for twenty minutes on the first foot. Offer this section in the following order.
1. Work the solar plexus to relax the body and establish a good breathing pattern.
2. Work the spleen reflex to stimulate it to perform its immune functions.
3. Work the liver reflex to filter wastes as it cleans the body of toxins.
4. Work the kidney reflex to stimulate blood cleansing.
5. Work the intestinal reflexes to move toxins out of the body.
6. Work the lymphatic system reflexes to build a defense system against illness
6. Repeat the work on the solar plexus to finish the immune system path.
After spending fifteen minutes working the above listed reflexes, spend five minutes offering general reflexology. Finish the work on the first foot with five more minutes of warm downs.
Now, move to the second foot and repeat the process. This means you’ll offer five minutes of warm ups, five minutes of general reflexology, fifteen minutes working the reflexes in the following pattern:
solar plexus
spleen
liver
kidneys
intestines
lymphatic system
solar plexus
Finally, offer five minutes of general reflexology and then five minutes of warm downs.
When this is completed, offer your client ten minutes of Reiki theraapy on the feet. It is now time to seal the Reiki therapy part of the spa session.
Let your client rest for a moment while you get a bottle of water or a cup of herbal tea for him/her.
Spend a couple of minutes with your client while s/he drinks the water and returns to “now”.
Thanks for reading this blog.
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Thurman Greco
Jennette Nearhood donated the art work for this article.
2.
Putting it all together – The Chakra System, Reflexology for the Spirit, and Reiki Therapy
Chakras work together. If one is unbalanced, the entire system is affected. The Chakras communicate with one another as their energy moves up and down the spine from Chakra to Chakra.
When this Chakra System is open and functioning well, the human body is in a positive, stress-free, alert state. When the energy traveling from one Chakra to another is not balanced, the body is stressed. Even though the imbalance may be limited to only 1 Chakra, the system will be affected.
Humans use several ways of communicating with ourselves, other humans, and the environment around us:
the cranial brain
the nervous system
the abdominal brain
the energetic layers surrounding the physical body
Using the cranial brain, we know what is going on around us, We observe it, We form opinions, belief systems, and we communicate with others using language, both written, spoken, and body language. We use our senses:
our eyes,
ears,
skin,
nose,
intuition.
We feel pain, emotion, know when we are ill, afraid, or happy.
Our abdominal brain sends much information to the brain. There is a continual flow of information going from the digestive tract to the brain which keeps the brain informed about what is happening in the body. The abdominal brain sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the intestinal tract. This leads me to believe that the intestinal brain is more important than we realize.
Our Chakras work together as a communication system. The Chakras communicate with:
one another,
our bodies,
those around us,
the entire universe.
So far, this book/blog is focusing on the seven major Chakras located along the spine. In reality, each person has many more Chakras, all of which work together. They also work with our cranial brain, central nervous system, and our abdominal brain to assist and guide us in our journey through life.
The interconnection created by our Chakras, our cranial brain, our nervous system, and our abdominal brain results in a beautiful spiritual consciousness which supports us in our journey through life.
Reflexologists, as you work to facilitate homeostasis in your client partners, don’t leave out the Chakras. Include this fascinating energy system as you work.
BothRreflexology for the Spirit and Reiki therapy fit into this spiritual communication system. When you offer reflexology to a client partner and you set up the session with Reiki therapy, you expand the power and scope of the healing you offer. As you reflex the feet, if you include the Chakras, you are adding even more power to what you are doing:
Reflexology for the Spirit
Reiki therapy
Chakras
You bring about homeostasis as you balance the energy systems of the body. You work to connect your client partner with all that is. Your client partner’s body, mind, and spirit are joined through the Chakras located throughout his/her body.
This is truly healing the mind, the body, and the spirit at the same time. This is Reflexology for the Spirit.
WOW!
Thank you for reading this blog/book. And…thank you for your patience as I work to finish this book.
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Thurman Greco
The Second Chakra and Reflexology
The second Chakra reflex point is located on the lower half of the instep on both feet. This is where the intestines are located. It’s also where we find the kidneys and the sexual reproductive organs.
Second Chakra issues include
letting go
elimination
release
support
rigidity
finances
relationships
sexuality
control.
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT SECOND CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING.
What issues are draining you?
Can you let go of negative feelings when it’s necessary?
What feelings are you holding on to?
Are your relationships supportive?
Do you feel financially supported?
Are you centered?
Are you open to positive change?
Are you addicted to pleasure?
How can you ground yourself?
Are your boundaries rigid?
Guilt is a second Chakra issue. At one extreme, there is the danger of becoming overcome by fear. At the other extreme, the person may become hedonistic.
If you and/or your client partners want to be healthy, it’s important to have a balanced second Chakra. Centering is the operative word here. When a person centers the second Chakra, a sense of self is discovered. When this center is found, it becomes a place where we can merge with the world as we express our emotional, creative, spiritual, and sexual selves. For me, a centered second Chakra is sacred.
As with the first Chakra, Reflexology for the Spirit sessions offer homeostasis which is the balance of all body systems.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras.
Meditation can also be important here. The goal is to meditate on a centered state. In the process, you’ll develop a positive energetic, emotional, and physical sense of self. That is what the second Chakra is all about – living successfully with one’s self.
It’s easy to tell how centered the second Chakra is by observing the lower back. Lower back pain indicates a need to center the second Chakra.
Physically, the second Chakra governs:
the bladder
kidneys
lower back
sex organs
intestines.
When you work with your client partner’s second Chakra, you offer the opportunity to help him/her find the self. It’s in the second Chakra that we find a sense of emotional balance and self esteem. A balanced second Chakra brings a person home – home to Creation itself.
Thank you for reading this blog/book. I am now accepting reflexology students. Please email reflexologyforthespirit@gmail.com for information. Thanks!
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Thurman Greco
The First Chakra and Reflexology
All 7 of the major Chakras are reflected in our feet. They line up on the spine and they relate to energy centers found on the body. The first Chakra is found at the base of the spine.
The reflex point for the first Chakra is located on the heel of both feet. First Chakra issues are concerned with
security
survival
connection to our earth – our environment
issues with grounding
one’s connection to the community
protection
FOR ME, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT FIRST CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING:
Have you put down roots? Or are unable to establish a home?
Do you find it hard to move ahead in life? Or, are you unable to let go of your family?
Do you feel vulnerable? Are you refusing to budge?
Do you eat properly?
Do you hang onto unhealthy relationships?
Can you receive?
Can you give?
Are you in a rut?
Are you afraid of change, even if it is positive?
Are you in your body?
Are you controlling?
There are many first Chakra phrases using the word “heel”:
Cool your heels
Down at your heels
Well heeled
Take to your heels
Drag your heels
Achilles heel
I’m sure you can come up with even more.
Fear is a first Chakra issue. Fear is a culprit in almost every disease, health issue, and problem we encounter in life. Fear keeps us all from being the totally healthy beings we were born to be.
We carry fear over from past lives. And, if you don’t believe in past life issues, just skip them and think for a few minutes about the fear issues we carry from childhood. We can be perfectly rational adults and still carry fear baggage around. Sometimes I see clients whose fear issues weigh more than their physical bodies weigh. Many obese people are holding fear in the form of extreme fat around their bodies.
If you and/or your client partners want to be healthy, it’s important to have a balanced first Chakra. There are several ways to balance one’s first Chakra:
Reflexology for the Spirit sessions offer homeostasis which is the balance of all body systems.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras.
Meditation. Set aside a few minutes daily to meditate on a balanced Chakra system. The first Chakra needs to be grounded. Take time each day to listen to what your body tells you. If you listen, it will never lie to you. If you listen, you will know when you are not grounded and when your Chakras are not balanced.
It is also easy to tell how balanced your first Chakra is by observing your hips. What is the range of movement for your hips, knees, and ankles? How do they feel? Your ankles, knees, and hips move you forward in this world. They keep you balanced. Stability is important for the first Chakra. Pain, tightness, restricted movement, and inflexibility are strong indicators of a need to balance the first Chakra.
Physically, the first Chakra governs 3 systems:
Immune System
Skeletal System
Lower Digestive Tract.
When you work with your client partner’s first chakra, you offer an opportunity for increased self awareness. What a gift you give!
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
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Photos provided by Renee Ruwee
Thurman Greco
Time-Out for Sharing then Moving on to the Chakras.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing with you. I’ve offered information in each post for you, in turn, to share with your client partners. I’m following the advice of my teacher and mentor Marge D’Urso who emphasized the many things we can all do in conjunction with reflexology to encourage homeostasis.
Not all of this information applies to all of your client partners.
Some people come to our tables in order to feel better. Others want us to help them take greater charge of their own health. Yet others simply want to hop on the table, receive their reflexology session, and go away blissed out. And, there’s nothing wrong with that.
One special group wants to add other things to their lives which will help them
feel better
look better
avoid chronic disease
live longer
enjoy better health.
By sharing this information slowly, in small increments, you can, along with your reflexology sessions, give your client partners an opportunity to completely change their lives for the better in a non threatening way.
These gradual changes when mixed with reflexology offer dramatic improvements over time. The idea is to be sharing opportunities for good health without complicating lifestyles any more than they already are. You’ll be leading your client partners to a a more healthy lifestyle. They can completely change their lives 1 step at a time.
Slowly
Easily
Comfortably
Not all client partners will adopt every suggestion offered. Some won’t choose any suggestions. Some will try everything suggested for a time. Then, they’ll drop the health step after a few weeks. There’s something here for everyone. We are all different. Our attitudes, ages, and lifestyles are all different.
What’s important is that you are gently, without pushing, sharing suggestions for a healthier lifestyle.
When your client partners are ready, they’ll have this knowledge to use in the way which works best for them.
I’m taking a break with this series of posts to offer you, the reflexologist, some more hands-on posts. Then, I’ll return to these wellness posts for awhile longer…until I feel you have something to offer most client partners over a period of a year or more. You want to be sharing something which a person may accept and live with for awhile before taking on another health giving change. It’s important to let an adopted change settle in so they become lifetime habits.
Beginning next week, I’ll offer posts about Chakras and the feet. We have reflex points for Chakras in our feet. I hope you find these articles interesting. I hope you can use this information in your work!
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
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Thurman Greco
