Reflexology
Healing the body through working the hands and feet is an ancient art that dates back to a variety of cultures.
The earliest evidence of hand and foot massage was discovered in Egypt in 2330BC.
The ancient Chinese developed traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the theory that one’s “vital energy” runs through 14 major meridians, or channels, in the body.
Meridians either begin or end in the tips of the toes, and massage stimulates the flow of energy and clears congestion in the meridians, thus encouraging harmony in the body.
Evidence of working the hands and feet to improve health is also found in traditional Ayurvedic medicine (the oldest system of healing approx. 5000 years).
Ayurvedic means “the science of life” and it encompasses not only physical health, but also spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
Reflexology is based on the theory that the body can be divided into zones and that imbalances in one part of the zone can be addressed through working another part.
Eunice Ingham (1889 – 1974) developed reflexology as we know it today, dedicating her life to researching reflexology and bringing it to the general public
When the body is put into a stressful situation it goes into “fight or flight” mode. This means that the sympathetic nervous system responds to the situation.
When the body is relaxed the parasympathetic nervous system counteracts the effects of the sympathetic nervous system and helps the body relax itself and restore its energy.
Reflexology calms a person, putting them into a relaxed state in which the parasympathetic nervous system can take over.
During stress the endocrine system releases adrenaline and nonadrenaline which help the body to prepare to fight or flee from a situation.
It is deeply relaxing and reduces the body’s need for excess or unnecessary sympathetic and adrenal responses. It also puts the body into a relaxed state so that the parasympathetic nervous system can function effectively.
It is a holistic therapy working the body, mind and soul of a person.
It improves both cardiovascular and lymphatic circulation.