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
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 Reflexology Spa Treatment to Boost Spiritual Health
Occasionally your client partners need a bit of special attention. Life events create a need for a spiritual affirmation. A Reflexology Spa Treatment for the Spirit can be just what is needed. This session honors the part of the body beyond the bones and muscles.
Begin this session plan by selecting the essential oil you’ll use. My preferred essential oils for a Spiritual Spa Session include:
bergamot
clary sage
frankincense
galbanum
juniper
lavender
Roman chamomile
Once the oil has been selected, you’ll be guided to choose the music. the decor. When you book this Spiritual appointment, discuss and choose the oil.
Whatever oil and music you choose, make your selections both powerful and healing. Have the music playing when your client partner enters your healing space.
For this spiritual session make your client partner comfortable on your healing table and then wash his/her feet using warm, wet towels. Once your client partner’s feet are washed, wrap them in warm dry towels.
Anoint your client partner with the selected essential oil. Apply several drops of the chosen oil to both your client partner’s hands. Encourage your client partner to rub his/her palms together and then wipe them over the face, head, halo, aura.
Move to your client partner’s head and bring in Reiki. Offer three Reiki holds to the head.
Now, move to your client partner’s feet. Anoint your client partner’s feet with a lotion to which you’ve added a small amount of the selected essential oil.
Now, offer five minutes of delicious warm ups to your client partner’s first foot. While you do this, leave the other foot wrapped in the warm towel.
Follow this with twenty minutes of specific reflexology offered to reflex points chosen to encourage spiritual therapy. Work the reflex points in the following order:
1. solar plexus
2. pituitary gland
3. pineal gland
4. thymus
5. adrenal glands
6. ovary/ testicle
7. heart
8. spine
9. intestines
10. Chakras
11. Now, finish this part of the session by returning to the solar plexus and liver.
Offer five minutes of warm downs as you complete the work on the first foot.
Now, cover the first foot with the warm towel and move to the other foot where you will offer five minutes of warm ups, and twenty minutes of spiritual focus on the second food.
Now, offer five minutes of gentle warm downs on the second foot as you complete the reflexology part of this session.
It is now time to offer three Reiki therapy holds to both feet and then close the Reiki part of the session.
This has been a deep session. Your client partner needs a few moments to return to “now”. Gently cover both feet with warm towels, leave him/her alone for a moment as you prepare a glass of water and offer it to your client partner.
Quietly visit with your client partner as you end the session. This may take a few extra moments for your client partner prepares to return to “now”.
Thank you for practicing reflexology and thank you for offering this spa session to your client partners.
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Thurman Greco
Art work created by Jennette Nearhood.
The Seventh Chakra and Reflexology
The seventh Chakra reflex point is on the tips of the toes. This is where we find the hair, the brain, and the central nervous system.
Seventh Chakra issues include:
living in the present
selflessness
non-attachment
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT SEVENTH CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING:
How can I release cravings?
How can I open myself up to more intuitive thoughts?
How can I see the world as manifestation of the divine?
How can I manifest the divine?
What is my world like without the limitations of the body?
How can I become more aware of multi-dimensional reality?
What direction do I want my future to take?
How can I awaken my spiritual potential?
How can I achieve success in all parts of my life?
As a person seeks wholeness and enlightenment, the Chakras build on one another to allow the flow of universal energy. Blockages in 1 or more of the Chakras make this flow difficult to impossible. A seventh Chakra issue is the (in)ability to be non-attached.
When non-attachment cannot happen, the person gets stuck in a belief system which may not work. Then, that person finds him/herself putting a lot of energy into justifying the dysfunctional system. The lesson is to learn to move on to thoughts and beliefs which work. This allows universal consciousness to grow and mature.
Symptoms of an unbalanced seventh Chakra include
chronic migraine headaches
drug abuse
spiritual extremism
denying the body some of its basic needs
compulsive behavior
rigid beliefs.
A balanced seventh Chakra combines all the senses as they work to create a connection to the infinite.
Reflexology for the Spirit sessions offer homeostasis which is the balance of all body systems. This is extremely important for the spiritual growth experienced in the seventh Chakra.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras.
Meditation helps keep the seventh Chakra balanced. Regular meditation on the senses is important. It is also helpful to meditate on the different colors of the Chakras.
When you work with your client partner’s seventh Chakra, you help him/her find enlightenment. A balanced seventh Chakra becomes a ladder to awareness of divine consciousness.
Thank you for reading this blog/book. I am now accepting reflexology students. Please email reflexologyforthespirit@gmail.com for information. Thanks.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Thurman Greco
The Sixth Chakra and Reflexology
The sixth Chakra reflex point is located on the lower parts of the toe pads. This is where the pituitary gland, eyes, and ears are located.
Sixth Chakra issues include
insight/denial
intuition
illusion/delusion
trust
visualization
psychic abilities
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN ABOUT SIXTH CHAKRA ISSUES WITHOUT QUESTIONING.
Am I able to see the bigger picture?
Can I see when my ego is in charge?
How can my life be better?
Can I make this happen?
Can I set aside time for self-reflection?
Do I know myself?
Am I blocking my creative ideas?
Are those around me blocking my creative thoughts?
Am I holding onto emotions which I should be releasing?
Am I gaining insight into myself?
Am I working to increase intuition?
Does my heart agree with my mind?
Am I working to make life better?
Can I see the “bigger picture”?
Am I able to encourage intuitive dreams?
Am I able to encourage and manifest realities from visions?
Tuning into the conscious and subconscious mind is a sixth Chakra issue. There is a balance which needs to be achieved. At one end of the line, we have a person whose mind functions on the rational level only. When this happens, the person has difficulty visualizing things mentally and subtle communication is difficult to understand. This person also has trouble seeing opportunities offered by dreams or intuitive thoughts. The other end of the line is a person who lives in a fantasy and may be delusional. When the sixth Chakra is is healthy, the person is able to balance the rational and the intuitive.
A balanced sixth Chakra is in tune with our senses as well as both the conscious and subconscious mind. The sixth Chakra is then able to regulate the energy channels of the other Chakras.
As with the other Chakras, Reflexology for the Spirit Sessions offer homeostasis which balance all of the body systems.
Reiki therapy sessions balance the Chakras. People with 6th Chakra issues respond positively to distant healing Reiki therapy sessions.
To help balance your sixth Chakra, take time to meditate on the ocean. As you do this, you will be able to calm an overactive mind. This encourages
peace
perception
understanding
concentration.
It will also encourage insight. As people gain insight into themselves, they invite spiritual growth and development.
It’s easy to tell how centered the 6th Chakra is by observing a person’s eyes and ears. Sight and hearing issues are related to 6th Chakra imbalances. Other issues related to 6th Chakra imbalances include
insomnia and other sleep problems
frequent nightmares
feelings of despair
depression
When you work with your client partner’s 6th Chakra, you offer the opporunity to help him/her clear out past issues and problems to make way for the new life which is waiting.
Thank you for reading this blog. I am now accepting new reflexology students. Please email reflexologyforthespirit@gmail.com for information.
The posts in this blog are being published less frequently for the next few weeks as I work to finish the reflexology book. This book is a resource guide for reflexologists.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
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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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Don’t forget to join the email list.
Thurman Greco
9 Important Questions to Ask About Pain
Ubiquitous, pain. Everyone suffers with pain occasionally. Some of us suffer with pain constantly.
Pain comes in many forms:
Pins and needles
Searing
Hot
Cold
Constant
Deep
Screaming.
Everyone has names for pain.
Reflexologists, whenever a client partner begins to discuss pain with you, ask the following questions:
How long have you had this pain?
If your pain is not constant, does it come and go on a certain or random schedule?
Do particular activities initiate the pain?
What does it feel like?
Does it have a shape?
What does it look like?
What does it sound like?
What does it smell like?
Is there a story connected to this pain? Do you know it?
Is there a word that will help you heal?
Now, speak to your pain.
Ask your pain if you can work together to heal.
Is there a word to help you heal? Pause a moment to receive this word.
Then, find out what color this word is going to be. Now, repeat this word several times as you experience the color bringing relaxation to your entire being.
As you experience this, know that relaxation is important to pain because when we relax, we heal.
Often, just going through the above questions offers relief. Sometimes we have pain which has a past life origin. These questions can help reveal this situation. People who have tried everything with no luck are able to have breakthroughs.
But, even if the questions don’t seem to offer immediate insight, they are very powerful and are quite helpful.
Reflexology can be a powerful pain management tool if used in the right way. In the near future, I’ll be offering a series of posts sharing pain management sessions.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
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Media provided by Renee Ruwe
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
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.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
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