mindbodyspirit – Page 3 – A Beautiful Therapy

Since Valentine’s Day is lurking and in true form, the shops are filling up with hearts and flowers, I thought I’d write a blog to all the lovely single folk that may not yet have found that special person.

In a world that feels like everything is a hundred miles an hour, finding love isn’t easy. Believe me, I’ve tried and I’m still trying!

Do we think it’s important anymore, particularly when it’s so easy to find a short-term fix with dating apps like Tinder and Bumble? I mean what happened to old-fashioned dating! I’m not saying anything bad about dating apps. I’ve tried them, the good the bad and the ugly. I’ve also seen some very good endings including marriage, kids, the works, and some weird endings which are too weird to mention!

It makes me laugh when the older generation, that being aunts, uncles, parents, siblings think it’s appropriate to tell you that it’s about time you started thinking about settling down. This generally tends to fall out of their unfiltered mouths at weddings or any other event where you’re surrounded by couples. Yes, it’s annoying! I’m sure you think we’re all running around wild with no clothes on and the only reason we’re single is because we choose to be.

The point is, we are trying to find someone, just not anyone! Then there’s the well-intentioned advice from our friends “You have to put yourself out there”. For the record, we are looking and we do put ourselves out there, we’re just not prepared to settle for anything less than happiness!

So, I thought I’d write this blog to say that we put ourselves out there more than you know, we go on dating sites even though we hate them, we go to the gym, we go to bars, we go out in the evenings even though sometimes we’d prefer to be sat at home relaxing. We do all these things because somehow in this crazy world we live in, we still believe in love and hope like magic that one day it will appear and we’ll have that fairy-tale ending, whatever that may be.

So, as you can see, talking about this topic “LOVE” is so bloody hard, it’s the one thing in our lives we can’t control. It’s a feeling between two people that’s either there or not. It’s that simple and so bloody difficult. The connection, the spark, you know what I’m talking about. If that’s not there, nothing is. So, what’s the point!

One thing I will say is this. For those of you who are in a happy loving relationship, don’t forget about your single friends. You may well know someone who’s a perfect match so keep your eyes and ears peeled. I can honestly say I’ve set up numerous friends who are happily married now, even if it was by my typical forward approach of pushing them into the guy they fancied at the bar. Love you, Shelley and Shaun!

And to all the single people out there that are looking for a genuine connection, keep looking and don’t settle. Life is a blessing whether you’re single or not. You have to embrace it, every minute, every second and every day. And remember, when you do finally meet that special person, they are an extension of you and your life. They’re not there to change it, I’m not sure I fully believe in Pretty Woman or Cinderella, but they are there to enhance it, just like you are there to enhance theirs.

So, here’s an early Happy Valentine’s Day to all the single people out there. Go and treat yourself to a gorgeous bunch of flowers or a massage and keep the faith :).

Considering we spend most of our time on our feet, why do we not give them as much attention as we do the rest of our body?

If you’ve read my earlier blogs, you’ll know I am a Complementary Therapist who loves making people feel good. After working like a lunatic and being a stranger to studying and student life for around 16 years, I finally took the plunge and went back to college to follow my dreams. It was challenging, extremely interesting and it opened my eyes to a higher purpose. “Helping people reach optimal health wellbeing in order to live a happier and healthier life”.

So today I thought I would talk about one of my favourite treatments, Reflexology. I’d never heard of Reflexology and it was by far, one of the more fascinating and complex treatments to learn, I’ll explain why.

Reflexology goes as far back as 4,000 B.C. and was practised in China and Egypt, as depicted in the tomb of Ankmahor. It’s based on a theory that there are energy zones running throughout our body with reflex points situated on our feet. The same goes for our hands, face and ears too, but today my focus is our feet. By adding pressure to certain areas of the foot, a therapist will be able to tell if part of your body is out of balance.

The simplest way to explain this is by looking at the diagram above. The right side of the foot corresponds to the right side of the body. The tips of the toes correspond to the head and the liver, pancreas and kidneys are in the arch of the foot, and so on. Now you know what I was talking about when I said Reflexology is complex!

A good therapist will ensure your treatment is relaxing whilst applying precise and steady pressure, working each body system to create a deep sense of wellbeing. If a specific area is out of balance, say for example an area of the body that is linked to the respiratory system such as your lungs, the therapist will spend more time working that specific area of the foot to help improve any issues.

I myself have had a number of Reflexology treatments, I am a true believer that you need to understand and feel the benefits of treatments before discussing them with clients. Reflexology is extremely relaxing, you feel light, very calm, energised and I always have the best nights sleep after a session. My clients are the same, their feedback usually refers to a deep sleep that same evening and most say they’re out like a light and have no issues sleeping right through to morning. Not forgetting how energised they feel when they wake up!

In my last session, the therapist picked up on my current issues of tension in my shoulders, neck and head. I’d had a pretty tense and strenuous week and the most important thing that came out of my treatment was that I need to work on my posture. I could actually feel tingling in my shoulders whilst the therapist worked the shoulder area on each foot.

If you struggle with migraines, backache, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, sinus congestion, circulatory problems and any other conditions it’s worth giving Reflexology a try. It has so many great benefits on both a physical and emotional level and it’s great for anxiety.

In a nutshell, Reflexology encourages the body to self-heal, it helps with relaxation, promotes good health and helps relieve stress and tension. The overall aim of reflexology is to create “homeostasis” meaning organs in our body are working together to achieve optimum health. In more simple terms Reflexology helps you find balance.

Happy feet equals happy people, happy people embrace life, maybe it’s about time we started giving our feet the attention they deserve.

Image via Pinterest

Tag: mindbodyspirit

Do You Think It’s Too Late To Find Love?

What Your Feet Say About Your Health