World Reflexology Week 2020 Offer

Due to Covid, WRW is different and online as well.

Please, let me know if you are interested in a complimentary sample; discounts will be given for follow-up sessions.

If you are not in New York, please, look for a reflexologist near you. 

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

ICR Hosts Promotion of Reflexology Internationally /Local Efforts in NYC

REFLEXOLOGY IS NEEDED MORE THAN EVER!!!

⇉Reflexologists from around the world

Hosted by ICR International Council of Reflexologists with reflexologists from around the globe in many languages:  

2020 World Reflexology Week events on zoom

will take place from September 21-25.  

- These events are open to reflexologists and the general public. 

- I personally am excited to moderate the German language presentations on September 25, 2020 with

Helga Dittmann: Chronic Stress Relief with Foot and Hand Reflexology

Stefanie Sabounchian: Strengthening the Immune System with Ear Reflexology 

Here is the link to schedule for the weeklong presentations,  languages, and registration:  

https://icr-reflexology.org/2020-wrw/

⇉Locally in New York City

⇉It all began in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1999 with a proclamation of the Governor of Hawaii (see document).  Bill Flocco, one of the Founders of ICR is credited with WRW. 

⇉As for myself 

I came to reflexology via interest in my feet/health as a yogi.  It was for self care initially, but is now work, too.  Both are too much needed to not share and educate about them.

Happy World Reflexology Week, 

If you are interested in Reflexology/Yoga (mostly Chair Yoga), with a trauma-informed practitioner, feel free to contact me.  I hope to be back in the studio at the end of October but am available online with 

⇉facilitation and 

⇉remote sessions 

⇉ offering samples of 10 minutes  reflexology sessions in honor of WRW 2020 throughout October (feet, hands, face, ears). 

Best wishes to All of Us during this difficult time with layering crises, 

Birgit 

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Dogs; Lockdown and Separation after Lockdown?

A voice, clapping again? 

“There are no books for getting your dog happy at the end of a pandemic," says Arianne Cohen in a recent Bloomberg article  (see link at bottom of page).

I am sharing a little bit about how Ember seemed affected by the changes surrounding the unfolding of  the Covid-19 Pandemic here in New York City. 

At the very beginning of the lockdown Regal quarantined/isolated for three weeks in PA with Ember.    Ember had a ball, she loves the country where she learned to swim and gets to be a bit wilder and spends a lot of time outside.  

ICR Awards 2017 - Jade Rocks

Thank you for your visit as always,

Birgit

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Have you tried Your Reflexology Break?

https://youtu.be/zj3bN85MJIE (with music) 

https://youtu.be/ht8IoKjKa3Y (no music) 

Have you tried the One Minute Reflexology for Animals? 

#icrpaws #reflexologytreatsareyum

http://ban-chi.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/ICR_Paws_2.71165536.pdf

Interview: American Reflexology Certification Board

Many thanks to Christine Issel for the invitation to speak about my international honorary work - which has been part of my service since 2015 - on the occasion of receiving the ICR Humanitarian Award in Taitung, Taiwan on October 19, 2017, (I believe).  It is such an honor to be in the company of fellow reflexologists Mari Ogino, Betty Hult, Gina Stewart (please correct me if I am wrong) and many more who might have received this particular award from International Council of Reflexologists (ICR) in the past.

My honorary work started in 2007 on a local level after I obtained my ARCB certification and joined New York State Reflexology Association (NYSRA) and met many wonderful colleagues and has most of the time been part of my service.

(In the photo you see me with a fellow integrative care practitioner (Ayurveda) named Bhuri whom I met at Shri Jasnath Asan in Panchala Siddra, Nagaur, Rajasthan, India where I did honorary work via Gina Stewart’s international RVP in November of 2016).   Bhuri was one of the practitioners trained in reflexology at the end of our stay. 

At Panchala Siddra we stayed at the ashram and worked in the great outdoors in a colorful party tent at the edge of the Thar desert (Great Indian Desert), I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to practice reflexology abroad in this small ashram (a medieval fortress) and participate in morning yoga, puja before dinner, get henna, visit the cow sanctuary, and teach some yoga and reflexology as well. 

And the stay ended with an early morning bird watching walk led by Sharon Schafer who also mentioned us in one of her blog posts and includes a group photo of us at Shri Odium Mataji. 

http://skydanceblog.weebly.com/blog/-shri-osiya-mataji

Thank you for your visit as always,

Birgit

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Have you tried Your Reflexology Break?

https://youtu.be/zj3bN85MJIE (with music) 

https://youtu.be/ht8IoKjKa3Y (almost no music) 

Have you tried the One Minute Reflexology for Animals?

http://ban-chi.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/ICR_Paws_2.71165536.pdf

 #icrpaws #reflexologytreatsareyum

Reflexology and “Our Best Friends’ Crisis” (ICR Newsletter/ICR Paws 🐾)

This article I contributed was published in ICR Newsletter September 2019.

Later that month the ICR conference took place in Anchorage, Alaska where #ICRPaws was introduced.

#ICRPAWS is a collaboration between One Minute Reflexology for Animals and ICR (Thank you, ICR). 

This is an invitation to pet parents to treat their pets to reflexology and to reflexologists to visit their local shelters and introduce stuff to the practice to support them in their efforts supporting animals, working together to support our best friends or perhaps participate in other ways. 

Please, note some reflexology at home is not comparable to a visit from your local reflexologist. 

Best wishes to all of us during this difficult time.  Thank you for your visit as always,

Birgit 

Your Reflexology Break (express)

If you are looking for this on social media please visit ICR International Council of Reflexologists @ICRReflexology
https://www.facebook.com/ICRREFLEXOLOGY/photos/a.1476454895915151/2787527501474544/?type=3

, 

YOUR Reflexology Break

We Stay Here for you ❤️.  Please Stay Home for Us! THANK YOU! 

This is for Anyone in need of a break during this difficult time be it  at work, at home, volunteering, in bed, seated, standing, et al., 

This is for: the medical community, the care givers, the food workers.  To use the words of Angela Merkel, “those who keep the shop running”. 
This is also for everybody else who does not have the luxury of staying within the comfort of their home or who is volunteering.

Thank you for your visit as always, best wishes to all of us during this difficult time.
   
A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease... 

B.

 About sharing this practice: 

Anyone is welcome to avail themselves of this simple self touch hand reflexology break having a subtle impact on the entire body and giving your deserving hands some TLC.

Please, feel free to use this as you see it fit.
It can be beneficial to return our focus to our body regularly if somehow possible perhaps during this difficult time. 

This has initially been posted on the ICR FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ICRREFLEXOLOGY/photos/a.1476454895915151/2787527501474544/?type=3 

#traumasensitive
#flattenthecurve  #socialisolation.
We Stay Here for you ❤️.  Please Stay Home for Us! THANK YOU!

Many thanks for Gloria Holwerda-Williams and Annemie Vandersanden for constructive feedback and encouragement and for those encouraging, collaborating, inspiring along the way: ICR, LVCY, TCTSY, CRREW, STWS, YCT, NYSRA, RAA, ARCB, Obdach Wien, Kids’ Corner, RoyalA, SydnyL., Mori K. 

Hand Washing/Hand Reflexology

As shared on Facebook page of International Council of Reflexologists (ICR).  Thank you for your visit as always,

B.

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Reflexology Requires Some Commitment - Fibroid Tumors, Acute Fibromyalgia

"I went to reflexology once a week for five months and everything turned off. It never came back," Mueller said.

"I had fibroid tumors. They wanted to do a hysterectomy and I didn't have insurance because I just opened a restaurant in Fredonia," Koepke said. "I saw her once a week for six weeks and she completely resolved the problem. What she did to my stress level was just amazing. I could feel something shift."

The body takes time to heal, no doubt.

Persistence and commitment paid off for fellow reflexologists Lila Mueller and Vicki Koepke. 

http://www.ozaukeepress.com/content/former-pizzeria-owner-taps-holistic-medicine

Thank you for your visit as always,

Birgit  

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Vaccines? That’s it?

 

There are so many things we can do aside from washing hands with soap, which is very important, wear masks and wait for a vaccine.  Deepak Chopra is taking a wide angle approach which is the holistic/sustainable way.  He talks about food and stress (reflexology and yoga might be able to help with that and will have many more benefits if done on regular basis) and other factors. 
If you have a moment, check out Deepak Chopra’s Facebook video 

Thank you for your visit as always,

B.

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Some Feedback (Reflexology)

“Re: My reflexology was like walking on air, on my way home.” 

Please, note reflexology in this case meant about 25 minutes of hands-on work; the recipient opted for foot reflexology and some hand reflexology. 

Feedback is always appreciated.  Thank you! 
As practitioner I learn from every participant.  (My work is trauma-sensitive and the person who seeks me out is a participant rather than a client; please, note, everybody can benefit from trauma-sensitive service). 
Thank you for your visit as always,

B. 

A few mindful breaths can at times allow for more ease...

Reflexo-Yogic into the 2020s

One Mile Walk- one way

The feet like all areas of the body benefit from attention and exercise, but may be overlooked.  The things I did to my feet before yoga and reflexology, although shoes became somewhat of an issue after a metatarsal stress fracture in 1986.  From then I needed to be more mindful about what I wore.  I remember my pair of black platforms.
The feet represent the entire body, the feet are a microcosm of the body according to reflexology.
The feet are the foundation of shapes/forms (* as we call it in trauma-sensitive yoga), according to yoga.
Anatomically, the feet are the foundation of our physical structure with 26 bones and 4 layers of muscles. 

This New Year’s Day I expanded on the idea of a Coney Island Polar Bear tradition makeover, making it a “reflexo-yogic” practice due  to a lingering cold and lacking motivation.  It just seemed too much work to plunge.

Walking barefoot the mile from Stilwell Avenue to Brighton Beach it was.  I started with standing in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, walked next to the water on the very firm and cold surface, continued along the drier wobbly part and ended with a few minutes of walking on the boardwalk.  Walking on wood resonates with me; I find it heavenly.  Splinters did cross my mind, so I kept it short and I walked slowly and mindfully.

Water, wet, drier sand, wood (careful)
= foot work out/body tune up

The 200 thousand or so nerve endings on my feet, the reflexes got busy, as yogini I connected to feeling the temperature in the body and the way my feet made contact with the ground (interoception) through the full motion of walking as well as cold entering through the back, my neck getting achy as a result of carrying a bag across my body.  It was very windy at times.  It was not an easy walk. 

  

The first metatarsal mentioned above and marked in the collage on the left, the long bone behind the big toe on the right foot was beginning to hurt as it so often does, but as my feet warmed up it disappeared after a while, as most of the time.  When I sat down on a bench on the boardwalk, my toes were red and a bit numb and the arch starting itching, but the warmth of my hands removing the sand and wiggling the toes and moving the ankles was enough to alleviate the discomfort.  By the time I was wearing my shoes, my feet were back to normal, and the pain in my neck had subsided.

When I started with the polar bear plunge around 1993, it was a very small event, but it has become a very big and crowded event since 2000 I believe with having to stand in line to get registered, then waiting for your “color” to hit the Atlantic in waves.  While nothing beats the exhilaration of taking a full body plunge with a crowd of like-minded folks from all walks, an often greater part of me craves solitude and private quality time.  That part of me was satisfied on New Year’s Day during the walk.
I walked the mile back to Stillwell Avenue via the boardwalk wearing my boots (which also  allow for full range of motion) and did some dancing on the boardwalk before stopping at a friend’s house to have some yum soup and to watch the first sunset of the year.  It always feels so strengthening to brace the elements despite possible discomfort.

Wishing you the best for the new decade, may we all be surrounded by balance within so we can deal with external imbalances.

Thank you for your visit as always,
B.

* Poses (the term used for “asana” which actually means seat) is not a term we consider trauma-sensitive.

Coney Skies Never Fail, neither does the Polar Bear Crowd.

Bye Coney Island; see you soon (Q Train).   

Funky Knee: Reflexology as First Aid

(From my draft folder).  During a summer holiday weekend last year, we did some boating with Ember.  It entailed often sitting with my knees splayed out.

I am not very good in getting in and out of vessels, and my buttocks had gotten a bit stiff.  I ran up a small hill with uneven terrain, such as twigs,  rocks, and roots to get my phone to take some photos.  All of a sudden there was this pain on the medial (inner) side of my left knee; wrong step, stiff to begin with, the rushing did it.  It can be that easy to hurt yourself when we rush, can’t it?  I did some