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Getting back to the origin...

31/1/2020

I have witnessed the various transitions that Reflexology has gone through since I began my journey in 1972. I now find myself back where I began — at the source, and getting ready to learn to plough…..

MERLIN ON LEARNING

‘The best thing for being sad,’ replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, ‘is to learn something.
That is the only thing that never fails.

You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder in your veins, you may miss your only love.
You may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds.

There is only one thing for it then-to learn!
Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust and never dream of regretting.

Learning is the thing for you.
Look at what a lot of things there are to learn, pure science-the only purity there is.
You can learn astronomy in a lifetime, natural history in three, literature in six.

And then after you have exhausted a million lifetimes in Biology, Medicine, History and Economics, why you can start to make a cartwheel out of appropriate wood, or spend fifty years learning to beat your adversary at fencing.

After that you can start again on mathematics, until it is time to learn to plough.’

With gratitude to T.H. White - ‘The Once and Future King’ a great read.

Best Wishes
Tony Porter

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Wheels within wheels

24/1/2020

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Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel.
With gratitude to Michel Legrand and M.&A, Bergman

A principle of A.R.T. philosophy is the ability to identify disturbed reflexes.
In my view, disturbed and sensitive reflexes are indicators of inflammatory responses within the body - a significant cause of dis-ease.
‘Disturbed’ reflexes have distinct textures as opposed to that of normal, surrounding tissue.

Developing the ability is to identify these areas is essential for truly effective reflexology. They are ‘markers’ of the primary cause of imbalance within the body.

The reflexes of the feet are part of a vast neural macrocosm bound together through the fascia and other structures. The application of focus to the disturbed reflexes, no matter where they occur will encourage therapeutic response where it is needed.
The example below goes a long way in making my point:

One of the main culprits of inflammation is a pro-inflammatory protein called Leptin which is produced by fatty tissue. Apart from the inflammatory response it causes, Leptin also exerts a significant influence on Thyroid function and even the entire endocrine system; it also influences the nervous system.

My Best Wishes

Tony Porter

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REFLEXOLOGY AND MEDITATION

17/1/2020

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Reflexology and Meditation

Dear ARTists and Reflexologists everywhere

It is always usual to make resolutions at the beginning of each new year, which although begun with excellent and positive intentions, gradually start to wear off. It is only a few who can maintain that initial drive and hold their intentions intact, and through this will realise the benefits of their initial aims. These can be, for example, to maintain a regular practice of meditation (which is of particular benefit to those in the natural healing professions such as reflexology). Or to make exercise a daily activity.
There are other pursuits, such as learning to play a musical instrument or taking the decision to read as many books as time permits.

It takes a regular and faithful practice of at least three months to begin to experience positive benefits. Three months seems to be the amount of time for the benefits of pursuits to manifest.

Many years ago I had the good fortune to meet a cardiologist at a conference I was attending on meditation. Actually, as a side note, he did not look anything like my perceived idea of how a medical consultant should look. He had something of a hippy image about him. How surprised I was when he introduced himself as a consultant cardiologist!

During a break, he explained to me the value that regular meditation had for him. He told me he practiced morning and evening and always before performing surgery. Sometimes he would go into a storeroom in the hospital for a few minutes of chanting meditation before beginning surgery. Working in his type of profession is difficult to maintain regular meditation times, however he always made it a point to practice even for a few minutes. He related that meditation was the most valuable thing he had done in his life.

He later explained that the internal vibrations caused by chanting have rejuvenating benefits on the entire body. One of the reasons is that it stimulates the Vagus nerve, while also having a beneficial effect on blood and lymphatic fluids.
This effect can be observed by the way a bowl of water reacts to the vibrations from a Tibetan singing bowl.
I used to work in the practice of a medical consultant in London, who was a leading authority on the effects of stress. He invited all of the staff to join him in a thirty-minute chanting meditation at the end of the day. This practice was received with a considerable amount of derision from the practitioners in the adjacent practices! However, it was of great benefit, particularly when performed in a group situation.
Meditation helps to make for a more sensitive and receptive Reflexologist - unless you are already doing so get meditating!
My Best Wishes

Tony Porter

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Getting back to the origin...

MERLIN ON LEARNING

Wheels within wheels

REFLEXOLOGY AND MEDITATION

Reflexology and Meditation

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