The Third Chakra and Reflexology
The reflex point for the third Chakra is the upper half of the instep, below the ball of the foot. This reflex point is found on both feet. Third Chakra issues include
anger
shame
victimization
self esteem
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT THIRD CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING:
How important is doubt in your life?
Can you make decisions?
How important is fear in your life?
Are you able to carry through decisions and plans to fruition?
Do you have to be right in every decision?
Do you always have to be the center of attention?
Do you lack willpower?
Do other people control your life?
Do you think for yourself?
Do you act on your own?
Can you survive on your own initiative?
Anger is a third Chakra issue because that’s where much anger is stored. Depending on how the Chakra is balanced, anger can range from no energy to excessive energy. Third Chakra anger focuses on self-esteem because the third Chakra governs our power.
We can feel this anger and need for power in our solar plexus, the home of the third Chakra in the body. This Chakra is where we feel “butterflies” when we are nervous as we develop our personal will.
The third Chakra is closely connected to Chakras one and two as energy moves up the spine from the base. As the energy reaches the third Chakra, it begins to take on a shape and a vocabulary as it finds its voice. The third Chakra is where we develop our own personal truth, formulate our own personal authority, and integrate personal power into our lives.
The third Chakra is the result of the development of the first and second Chakras. This is where we give voice to our truths.
Reflexology for the Spirit sessions offer homeostasis, the balance of all body systems.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras.
Meditation is important to a balanced third Chakra. An unbalanced third Chakra creates a person unable to manage power.
An unbalanced third Chakra affects one’s posture, body language, and spinal alignment. It’s difficult to separate the physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulties in this area. Yoga helps.
Physically, the third Chakra governs:
Stomach
Liver
Spleen
Pancreas
Gall Bladder
The third Chakra is a major power point. When you work with your client partner’s third Chakra, you offer an opportunity for the person to develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
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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!
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Photos provided by Renee Ruwee
Thurman Greco
Chakras, Insight and Reflexology for the Spirit
heart with wings
We know from our basic reflexology classes that the organs of the body, the skeletal system, the endocrine system, etc., are mirrored on the feet. The same is true of the chakras. Each chakra has a specific place on the foot.
Once we factor in the chakras with reflexology, we come to the heart of the Reflexology for the Spirit concept.
This offers us another layer/healing tool important both to us and our client partners. How does this work?
Let’s say you’re working a person’s feet and you find a hollow. It’s located on the bottom of the foot immediately below the little toe. This hollow is also red. If we were to pinpoint this hollow on the reflexology map, it would be the shoulder.
Looking at the chakras on the reflexology map, we know this is the 4th chakra. So, we know that we have a shoulder issue and a 4th chakra issue.
This is an over simplification of what’s happening with the chakras and reflexology but it gives you an idea of how this is going to work.
The next few posts will focus on the chakras and how they impact our work as reflexologists. Many of you will be well acquainted with how chakra work. Others will be in new waters.
It doesn’t really matter what your experience level is here. What matters is that we, as reflexologists realize that a hollow on the 4th chakra level will have an extra meaning for you and your client. So will a corn on the 3rd toe.
We will not only see what:
crystals,
hollows,
corns,
warts,
athlete’s foot,
redness,
yellow skin
and anything else found on the foot reflects. But, finally, we will gain specific insight into what areas of your client partner’s life the crystals, hollows, corns, warts, athlete’s foot, redness, yellow skin actually affect.
A callus on the heel, for example, is a 1st chakra event. This callus will impact the core beliefs of your client partner.
You will know when you find hollows or crystals or mushiness (or anything else) in the kidney area of the food, that you also have a second chakra event.
Chakras form the total energetic makeup of a person. When working a person’s feet, it’s important to know what each chakra means, how it affects the person’s day-to-day life. Insight into a person’s deeper layers helps them recognize things about themselves which they
may have forgotten,
didn’t feel were important,
or didn’t care about.
INSIGHT IS A POWERFUL HEALING TOOL.
The chakras are all interconnected. They build on one another. What this means is that if one chakra is not balanced, all of them will be affected. The entire body will be affected. When you have a cut on the bottom of your foot, it may result in painful walking which will result in a spine thrown off balance which will affect the health of the entire body. There is a ripple effect.
This also works for the chakras. When the first chakra is unbalanced a person may feel ungrounded which will affect how the person deals with depression (a second chakra issue), which will no doubt affect one’s digestion (a third chakra issue). and on and on.
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Artwork donated by Jennette Nearhood.
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!
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Thurman Greco
Mental Fatigue – Do you need a fogbuster?
Mental Fatigue…ahhhhh. All of us suffer with this occasionally.
Fatigue, whether it be mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual, can be a strong indication of illness. So, if your brain is tired more often than you want, you won’t be playing hypochondriac if you schedule an appointment with your professional healthcare provider.
Many diseases list fatigue as the first symptom. Popular among those diseases is adrenal imbalance
cancer
diabetes
poor thyroid function
It can also just mean that we’re a little overdrawn in the energy department. I occasionally wake up feeling less mentally sharp than I want. When that happens, I reach for an essential oil. Popular essential oil fatigue busters include:
Basil
Black Pepper
Frankincense
Idaho Balsam Fir
Nutmeg
Pettigrain
Pine
Rosemary
Sage
Spearmint.
Each of these oils will “do the trick”. Place 4-6 drops of whichever oil you have on hand and/or prefer. Rub the palms of your hands together. Cup your nose and mouth with your oil-soaked hands and take several deep breaths. You should notice a difference.
When an essential oil fragrance is inhaled, the odor molecules travel up the nose and end up finally connecting to the brain. The result is that the connection affects the
heart rate
blood pressure
breathing
memory
stress levels
hormone balance.
The scent of the essential oil can bring up memories and emotions not only in this life but, I believe, in past lives as well. This offers a powerful form of therapy which, when combined with reflexology, promotes homeostasis.
Combining reflexology and essential oils can be beneficial to your client partners. If your client does not notice a fairly quick feeling of energy returning to the body, it’s time to refer him/her to a physician.
Photography by Renee Ruwe.
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Thurman Greco
“Should I Accept Clients Who Smoke?”
What a question!
“Of course. Yes.”
“But, what if they smell of tobacco? I find it very offensive. And, besides, I don’t want my healing space reeking of smoke.”
Well, I stick to my guns here. Cigarette smoking is an addiction. It is a disease. You accept the client and offer assistance, support, guidance as s/he struggles to give up smoking.
Encourage the person to cut down on the number of cigarettes smoked in a day. If you can get him/her to cut back to 5 or fewer cigarettes a day, the final push will be very easy.
When people think of diseases smokers contract, they always come up with the same usual suspects:
lung cancer
throat cancer
COPD
Emphysema.
In reality, the diseases caused are many more and the health damage done is much greater.
Smoking and exposure to second hand smoke is really hard on the immune system. Smoking ages the body faster. This results in
wrinkled skin
clogged arteries
emphysema
cancer
impotence.
The most important reason for not smoking is what it does to the immune system. Smoking wrecks the immune system causing it to become overactive. And, the effects are often easily seen.
It’s not necessary to see a person smoking to know you’re looking at a smoker. It’s also not necessary to smell a smoker either.
The effects of smoking can be seen in the skin, hair, nails, eyes, posture.
The effects of smoking can be heard in the classic smoker’s cough.
You cannot help your client partner stop smoking. What you can do is help with the cravings and other discomfort while they go through the 5-6 week withdrawal process. Reflexology for the Spirit, Reiki therapy, and encouragement can go a long way to support during this time.
Help your client partner become dramatically healthier. Nicotine patches are available. CVS sells a smoking cessation program which helps.
After the 6-week period, you can help your client partner do a cleanse and you can offer support choosing a physical fitness program.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Water, Water – What are we to do?
It’s really hard to find clean water. Our water is so filled with toxins that our bodies have become toxic waste dumps.
So, what are we to do? We need it to live.
There are 2 issues here, really. The 1st issue is getting clean, pure water. The 2nd issue is using it:
drinking,
bathing,
nourishing our planet.
So, what are we to do? We need it to live.
Getting clean water can challenging.
For starters, filter it. The filter you choose depends on your budget and your water issues. Filters come in several different varieties:
pitchers/carafes
faucet-mount systems
under-the-sink systems.
To learn about your water toxin issues, use your local county water quality report and advice from local water quality experts.
In the past, I used an under-the-sink system and was very pleased with it.
Now I buy my drinking water. Water in the Hudson River Valley is so special. The product I choose is New York Springs USA water, a natural spring water sourced in the Catskill Mountain area of New York State.
If New York Springs USA is not available, I reach for Mountain Valley Spring Water which comes from the Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.
It just so happens that these 2 waters are spring fed.
If I’m working or traveling or shopping out of the area and need to drink a bottled water, I’ll go for an ultra purified brand I know and recognize over a spring fed water which I am unfamiliar with.
When in New York City, I drink water offered to me at the restaurant table. Make no mistake about it. New York City water is the best available anywhere. I know this. I live and work in the area. New York City water comes from the Ashokan Reservoir, an extremely well protected and guarded body of water. Catskill Mountain residents love, honor, and are proud of their water. Nothing but the best is good enough for us.
Although we can’t list things like the vitamins or calories found in water, it’s important for our overall health to keep hydrated.
Water offers a natural detox as it cleans toxins out of the body which collect in the urinary tract. Drink enough water often enough to urinate every 2 hours.
Hydration fights fatigue..something we all battle. There are many tired people wandering around right this minute who are not really fatigued. They are thirsty. At the 1st sign of fatigue, drink water and then give yourself a few minutes for your body to react to the needed hydration.
Water helps the body break food into nutrients as it travels through the digestive system.
Sufficient hydration prevents kidney stones.
Water helps strengthen the adrenal glands.
I offer a glass of New York Springs USA to each of my client partners at the end of the reflexology or Reiki therapy session.
As a reflexologist, please encourage your client partners to keep hydrated. Help them choose the best water for their health and lifestyle needs. They will feel better.
http://www.newyorksprings.com
Hot Springs National Park
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Thurman Greco
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.
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Jennette Nearhood provided the media.
Thurman Greco
5 Ways to Be Connected
The human immune system is a fast responder. It knows immediately when/if we are having emotional or spiritual problems. And, of course, this response affects our health.
If wellness is important to you…and I think it is because you’re a reflexologist, then one of the best things you can do is pamper your immune system. This works for your client partners also. No one is exempt on this.
This we know: there is a direct correlation between negative emotions, disease, and accelerated aging. Appreciation, sympathy, understanding are important to all of us.
Inner peace is important to being well – being grounded.
One thing in life which promotes inner peace and groundedness is an appreciation for nature and seeing the connection that all living beings share.
There are several ways to promote this connectedness:
WALK IN THE PARK. Actually, a “walk in the park” is the generic term for any activity which gets you positively involved with nature That can include biking, hiking, museum going, or anything else which makes you aware of how connected we all are.
GET A PET. This is a biggie if you can do it. Not everyone lives where pets are allowed. But, if you can…a dog or cat is awesome. Pets offer something which humans seem to be unable to offer: unconditional love.
A pet will:
improve your immune system function,
give you a more positive outlook on life,
lower your blood pressure
love you unconditionally.
What more can you ask for?
KEEP A JOURNAL. For some this can be a challenge. But, this journal is not for anyone but yourself. So, don’t worry about the spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, etc.
The purpose of your journal is to make a note of special moments which sustain you when you’re feeling low. Such moments include:
a cat’s purr
a baby’s smile
a smell of a flower
a compliment
a smile from a stranger
When you record them, you may notice that these special moments occur more often than you thought.
BREATHE. This is a biggie. Breathe in while while mentally repeating a positive phrase such as “I bring positive energy into my life.” Hold your breath for a moment and then exhale as you repeat “I radiate positive energy.” Consciously breathing for a couple of minutes each day can have a profound impact on your life.
Many people go through their whole lives not even thinking about how they breathe or what their breath does for them. Honor your breath.
INCORPORATE SURPRISE. Try to do something unexpected every day. Compliment a total stranger on a haircut or a jacket or something. It doesn’t matter what, really. Just say something complimentary to someone who is totally not expecting anything.
Leave a small token for someone who is not expecting anything…and keep it a secret if you can.
Offer to walk someone’s dog.
Say “Thank you.”
GET INVOLVED. This can mean walking a dog at the local pound or hosting a food drive for your local food pantry. There are many, many groups out there where people are working to make life better for us all. Volunteering is an extremely positive way to go through life.
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.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Michele Garner donated the artwork for this post.
