Ember: Reflexology, Belly Rubs for Newly Adopted Canine Family Member

Ember's favorite ear reflexes

Ember found a home; I am Ember's mom and her live in reflexologist if you will. Her exact age is unknown but she is young, and yet has a complex past.

Ember has been getting Reflexology ever since we adopted her one rainy November day and we have come a long way:  

- Dien Cham/Facial Reflexology 

- also some Ear Reflexology.  How can anyone resist these ears, they have a life of their own and are so inviting!  Bionic, a friend called them;- )

- She also gets a bit of Paw Reflexology on all four paws, (hands and feet if you will) (Central Nervous System, diaphragm, lung/heart reflexes).  She has webbed toes like her late brother Mowgli, she swims.  

 The daily practice has been rewarding in many ways and was quickly extended to the booty rub which she asks for already and it is great for red lights when I feel we (yes, we!)are not grounded enough and/or it's a bit too noisy (sirens, construction, etc.).  And I wish I always remembered. 

Her absolute favorite for now seems to be the belly rub.  She gets it clock and counter clockwise in multiples of nine.  Ember very clearly demonstrated one afternoon out on the street that she needed some of that, by throwing herself on her back and thus exposing her belly.  I at that moment remembered that we had rubbed her belly when we met her and how calm she was.  Ever since it has been part of the daily routine.  Luckily, she loves being touched in general, and I picked up on the significance of the belly rub.  (Mowgli as he got older was obsessed with the booty rub and found ways to even ask strangers for it, and loved the morning dien cham ritual).  How do I know that he did not just endure it?  Well, he might have yawned or stretched and did not pull or walk away.

Ember's morning sessions last probably between 3-10 minutes, often she also gets a little something at night, or possibly during the day, too, at least when I am with her, and she also gets kisses and hugs.    

Ember loves touch.

Acclimating/integrating the new family member requires creativity and tips from many of our friends/trainer Bruno with respect to Ember and has been a journey.    What has worked for brother Mowgli (not biological siblings of course) was a great start, but Ember needs much more, we are also 10 years older, and 2019 is more complex than 2009, that is the big picture. 

 Healing is an ongoing process and she is not an adult yet, so she is still developing.  She has made a lot of progress very quickly considering she now lives in a very busy New York City neighborhood, and is exposed to dogs of all ages, breeds, temperaments daily, people, people, people, sometimes coming from all directions at the same time cars, bicycles, strollers, walkers, and sirens, etc.., you get the idea daily life in NYC, or any other big inner city.   

Healing is never quick enough, is it?  We tend to want convenience at all times, including the perfect pet - we may want them low key when we are tired, engaging when we want to engage, etc. 

Facial Reflexology to Alleviate Allergy Symptoms (Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America)

Luckily, I personally do not suffer from chronic seasonal (or any other) allergies - at least I am not aware of any- but I have had bouts of symptoms from time to time these last two years or so.   

Last week I had one of these days when I found myself having to do facial reflexology exercises at least three times during my time in the park with Mowgli.  Well, no problem; it is so easy to do it, my hands were dirty but I could use my knuckles, but it also left me wondering about Climate Change and getting older and one's body's changing needs.  This is what I think about a lot; this is work and this is my passion. 

The exercise empowered me, and helped me through the itchy eyes and sneezing, but I decided to also use the neti pot once I got home just to make sure the symptoms would not linger due to pollens being caught in my nostrils.  Kristyn of Smith and Brit Spa and Boutique had reminded me of that.  Thank you, Kristyn.  That made so much sense.  The pollens also gather on our clothes and hair. Interestingly, the ladies at Smith and Brit and I also had plans to do a video for IG the same day - sharing these wonderful exercises based on Marie-France Muller's wonderful teachings.

The weather has been something.  We have had days of summer, then it was a lot like April (in May) if you remember what April traditionally used to be  - lots of rain - which resulted in an explosion of foliage, blossoms and fragrance.  Central Park is more lush than ever, I am still not used to the many shades of green.  

It is so beautiful and so fragrant; another reason to use the neti pot.  I would not want to miss the smell of spring. 

Panicky Immune System - Global Warming/Climate Change

removing layers

It got so hot so quickly and both mornings, yesterday AND today,  I felt allergy symptoms coming on (only the third time or so in my 50+long life) during our walk in Central Park, but awarethat I have been having a bit of a cough for a while, I realized that it was my immune system getting panicky, the body's psychology, so interesting!  But the fragrance, just yum.  

- Sniffle protocol to the rescue - it takes less than a minute and it did its magic, just like Marie-France Muller noted in her book*.  Despite dirty palms from touching Mowgli, I could do it right there and then - how convenient.

HAPPY NEW LUNAR YEAR; Year of the Dog!

Ringo (Sean Casey )

HAPPY NEW LUNAR YEAR.
The Year of the Dog begins on February 16, 2018. 

I am taking this as an invitation to continue to raise awareness about the subtle, yet powerful benefits of Reflexology for our canine friends and to spread positive vibes all around.   

I recently found out that there are 600.000.000 strays (SOURCE: ZEROSTRAYPAWJECT) worldwide!  Please consider adopting an animal looking for a home once you are ready. 

Fafa and Joker (Papa and Chocolate)

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”

—Will Rogers (actor, Connecticut Yankee)

What a beautiful and unexpected encounter after a recent breakfast in Hualien, Taiwan with two new canine friends.   

It was very interesting to watch how the older dog Fafa/Papa* communicated with Joker/Chocolate and with me.

Collage 1: The older dog (brindle) approves of me after brief inspection.  I had seen them briefly the day before; he enjoys a few relaxing strokes of facial reflexology; his eyes are closed. 

Collage 2: Communicating playfully and coaxing the younger one who had just gotten up with what I imagine to have been "this is fun, try it; come on, it’s relaxing; I’ll do stretches with you first.”  They did stretches together and were affectionate and gentle, and playful. 

Collage 3: The younger one listened :) and gets moral support during "his session.”  Fafa/Papa is watching us, his face close to where the action is.

Collage 4: Mutual gratitude 🙏🏻; good bye between me and senior (come again maybe?); the younger one just walked off; he did his job.  He pleased Fafa/Papa.  Easy breezy for me, but so incredibly heart warming and eye opening.

Re-reading for the Blog

Originally I had inquired with Marie-France whether she was blogging. She laughed and said that she could barely manage her in box. She generally travels a lot and does workshops teaching the method to the general public and others; when I met her last fall, she had been away from home (France) for more than a month. She was tired. And when I first contacted her in 2008, she was planning to tour Australia and was on the road even longer. The Reflexology Association of Australia invited her.
One day the idea of creating "something like a fan club" came up out of the blue after a yoga class. I ran it by her - she was delighted - I let the idea sit for a while: The solution came to me just like the fan club idea: I was to blog about her book, to read it a second time and put my findings into writing and offer a platform for others to share.
Reading the book for the first time and recognizing its potential, I wrote a short summary and incorporated the method immediately, e.g. the Energy Giving Massage, and the Frog on the Face have been helpful on many occasions.

Short History - Facial Reflexology/Dien Cham

Facial Reflexology has long been known in China, Japan, and other Far Eastern countries; however, in the 1980s major developments took place in Vietnam, namely, Professor Bui Quoc Chau, together with a team of doctors, research scientists, and acupuncturists developed Facytherapy in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). (Chapter I, Facial Reflexology - Marie-France Muller). Theory and Practice of Dien Cham to follow