Reflexology :: a path to consciousness
The Universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself; everything you want you already are.
Rumi
It is World Reflexology Week! This timeless therapy has been applied, most probably, for thousands of years. It is arguably the most accessible, affordable and effective medicine on the planet and yet, in 2018 only a tiny percentage of people can express what it is, how it works or why everyone would benefit from knowing. There are even professionals in the field who do not recognise its scope or its significance. I’m sure that if more people did, the masses would be informed and healthcare systems around the world would be reimagined over night. And that would be just the beginning…
Understanding Reflexology
Reflexology is the study of the human body as a microcosm within the macrocosm. It is the embodiment of an ancient law ‘as within, so without’ whereby each individual on the planet is a reflection of the whole Universe. Likewise, each part of the individual reflects the whole person.
What that means is that maps of the entire body (internal and external) can be projected onto the feet/ the ears/ the hands/ the face/ the legs/ the arms/ the fingers/ etc…and stimulated in order to send a signal from one body part to another by way of the nervous system. The nervous system is our body/ mind/ soul’s innate intelligence which is responsible for all the automatic and self regulating mechanisms that keep us alive and healthy.
More than any other system in the body this web reflects the interconnected nature of our bodies and the interconnection between all people. This connection is above all vibrational and can’t be measured with limited human senses or investigated by even more limited scientific equipment. Reflexology, therein, is best explored not with the rational mind but via direct experience.
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
Tao Te Ching, Sutra 1
As a means of internal ‘rebalancing’ Reflexology is both mysterious and unpredictable. What is certain is that results are more substantial the more frequently it is applied and they tend to unfold more quickly when the signal sent to the brain is initiated in proximity to the central nervous system and the sense organs. For these reasons, the face provides a reflex zone of the highest order.
Facial Reflexology for Self Care
The more I encounter Reflexologists specialised in working with the feet, hands, face, etc using the standard Westernised approach (rooted in Zone Theory and the work of an American doctor in the late 1880s), the more I realise we are two very different breeds of practitioner. So, whilst my perspective may differ from other professionals in the field, Reflexology as I know it represents an incredible self care tool for the following reasons:
Simplicity: there is absolutely no specialised skill, knowledge or belief required to begin working with Dien Chan Zone. Whilst many Foot Reflexology trainings emphasise the intricate functions of the body by way of clinical anatomy, such a study is not necessary to begin practicing and benefiting from the technique. Our basic training Operator lasts just 16 hours and is open to people from all walks of life.
For the masses: Italian Facial Reflexology can be learned by anyone and implemented in full autonomy anytime, any place. Though working with a therapist will amplify the experience and results, it is not a necessity. You can begin treating yourself today by following the effortless instructions in my teachers’ generous manual 'Dien Chan Zone: A Practical Handbook'. When you do choose to work with a professional at the end of every treatment you'll be taught exactly how to care for yourself at home between sessions.
No side-effects: Reflexology engages with the natural intelligence of your body. Nothing is added (no chemicals, herbs, supplements, lotions, etc) and nothing is taken away. Therein, there are no undesired side-effects to self treatment as long as you use a gentle touch.
Practical: this technique is best applied with your fingertips. Specialist tools are redundant when it comes to self care. Avoiding facial reflexology tools saves resources and liberates us from the belief that healing requires anything but our own bodies. Economic and Earth friendly.
Potent: the results provided by this technique are so powerful that to employ any other form of medicine in unison is unnecessary. There's no need to visit (and pay) multiple therapists at once - or invest time in money in additional therapies at once. Give time and space everyone can realise their own healing power.
Useful throughout life: often people call upon Reflexology at the end of life, whilst undergoing cancer treatment or to prepare for pregnancy. This is limiting as Reflexology shines as a means to prevent illness and maintain health at all stages of life as well as aid recovery from all kinds of ill-nesses. When people employ this technique regularly they will not only save time and money but the effect of Reflexology will expand exponentially.
Developing trust
By working on ourselves each day we can achieve results that far surpass those offered by other medicines or therapies not just at the physical level. It has been my experience as well as my pleasure to witness others who have worked with Dien Chan Zone® report:
Improved symptoms: the results of this reflexology are often immediate and for many dramatic over weeks/ months. Even the most sceptical new-comers are left astonished.
Altered beliefs: over time the experience that simple gestures on the face can produce such radical shifts within generates a renewed perspective on the human body, on healthcare, on Life and what is possible. Dis-ease and symptoms can be interpreted as a poetry of the body rather than a threat.
Increased sensitivity: self treatments engage your attention and expand your senses, your awareness of bodily functions / emotional states. This leads to greater connection between the mind and body thereby breeding intuitive intelligence.
Empowerment: an internal revolution unfolds as people literally take their health into their hands. They become less reliant upon doctors, therapists, appointment times, pharmacy opening hours, etc. From first aid to allergies they are equipped to walk through life without fear of their bodies and free from the victim mentality which implies discomforts and dis-eases are unexplained and undesired.
Spiritual self-agency: this practice is a gateway to see yourself from a new perspective, as ‘God’ or unlimited consciousness. By activating self-healing mechanisms independently you learn to trust yourself and move through life making choices underpinned by this foundation.
Finding the path
Perhaps unconsciously the moment you decide to try Reflexology you are opening to the possibility that your body can heal itself and in so doing you are stepping away from the conventional wisdom upon which most of us were raised.
Doubt is the reason we go to pay money to other people to give us the ‘answers’, to tell us what to do with our life. Because we want to abdicate responsibility for the power that we have. But that power is God’s power. And it actually can’t be denied. We can try to deny it. We can try to give our power away. But to do so leaves us living a half-life.
Ricci Jane Adams
The path of Reflexology is a path of releasing doubt. It is a liberation from programming, gadgets and superstitions. How does one arrive here? With multiple courses focused on specified protocols? By spending money on a fancy toolkit? By giving our attention to sculpting the facial muscles as we work? Of course not.
The path to consciousness through the practice of Reflexology comes by practicing… by exploring ourselves and our receivers not with the mind but with the senses, by developing a deep connection to our bodies, by permitting our intuition to lead us forward and by expanding our beliefs about what is possible. Ultimately this practice reveals our infinite nature, the endless possibilities that lie ahead and the power we have to co-create our Life and our world.
The more you give yourself to Reflexology (or to any other path that leads to the same place), the more you come to be at one with Life – circumstances, people and events are not laid on your path to punish or cause difficulty but to support and guide you back to your centre. Ultimately, Reflexology is communion with infinite intelligence and the time is coming when more people will begin to live it that way.
