RAA Conference 2008

I was pleased to have attended the Reflexology Association of America's conference in Portland, Maine at the beginning of the month. This year it was titled Oceans of Opportunity, a fitting name as international Reflexologists converged on this small oceanfront city.

On Friday, May 2nd I drove up to Portland arriving close to 8am to attend the 9am Leadership training workshop. Laura Aho Jodry and Bill Flocco co-taught this workshop geared towards leaders in state and national Reflexology associations.

Saturday, May 3rd was kicked off by Dr. Gwenn Wyatt from Michigan State University's Nursing college. Dr. Wyatt had a PowerPoint presentation outlining some of the work she is doing in her current research project "Reflexology: An Intervention for Advanced Breast Cancer."

After a second full day of conferencing a colleague and friend of mine headed over to Soakology for some foot soaking, tea and crackers. I chose an Ayurvedic foot soak and there were polished river rocks and pebbles in the bottom of my basin. This was my second visit to Soakology and was once again quite enjoyable.

During the conference I attended Bobbi Warren's breakout class on Foot Reading, expanding on my training from Chris Stormer. We had fun discussing the banana shaped fourth toe and other interesting aspects of toe reading. After a short break I then attended Dr. Martine Faure-Alderson's session on Cranio Sacral Reflexology. Dr. Faure-Alderson's English was thick with her French accent but she was very quick witted and a joy to listen to. Her techniques were very interesting and I've been experimenting with some of them since returning from the conference. The final session I attended was with Dr. Dan Lobash on Korean Hand Therapy. I had been introduced to SuJok Therapy for the first time by a new MAR (Massachusetts Association of Reflexology) member, which is similar to KHT, so I was quite intrigued. After three days of sitting for many hours at once I was experiencing lower back, neck and shoulder discomfort. We practiced the Korean Hand Therapy techniques using an aluminum probe and some press pellets and within a couple of hours my back was feeling much improved whereas my neck pain had disappeared. Very cool!

At the end of the conference a bunch of us Massachusetts Reflexologists got together for a photo in front of the Reflexology History display. What a great conference!

Sampler Sessions at Curves' Open House

On Wednesday, April 16th, I gave Foot, Hand and Ear Reflexology samplers to guests at Curves' Open House. I met some wonderful ladies between the members, the staff and others participating in the Open House.

See us on LuckyMag.com

This week we're the featured location for Reflexology in Boston on Lucky magazine's website.

Queen for a Day

I've been invited by the South Elementary School Fundraising Committee to participate in their "Queen for a Day" fund raiser on March 30th here in Stoneham. The donations and proceeds from this event are going towards ArtQuest. Kim shares...

Art Quest is a unique educational program designed to develop thinking skills through observation of visual works of art. Art Quest integrates art history and art appreciation with class curriculum providing students with an opportunity to learn visually.

I will be providing sampler sessions of foot, hand and ear reflexology as well as foot reading demonstrations. If you are interested in attending or want information on this event please contact me and I'll put you in touch with Kim and the organizers.

New pictures of the office

I received a call from a magazine last week wanting pictures from the office for an upcoming online article on Reflexology and Reflexologists in the Boston area. With the help of a friend (thanks Kris!), I have some new pictures of the office to share!

This first image is taken from the front porch where our sign reads "Relax, Renew, Reflexology." I had the sign designed from one of the main images on the website - the one with the beautiful lotus flowers on it.

And the second image here is of the treatment room featuring me, reclining in the zero gravity chair. I don't know about you but when that chair is reclined I go into instant power nap mode! I moved the Sansevieria trifasciata, aka: Snake plant, into the treatment room from the waiting room and it looks really cozy in the corner by the radiator.

Reflexology for the Childbearing Year Workshops

On February 23rd I co-taught Reflexology for the Childbearing Years with Marionna Sabia at the Palmer Institute. The students were current Reflexology students or graduates of Reflexology courses looking to incorporate techniques and theories to work with clients from preconception through postpartum. Two of the students were pregnant so everyone in the class got a chance to feel and see the differences in the reproductive organ reflexes of:
- a pregnant foot
- a never-been-pregnant foot
- one or more pregnancies foot
- and even the areas reflecting the residual scar tissue from cesarean deliveries

Reflexology is so wonderful for women during this stage of their life. Though the studies, so far, have been few it is certainly showing the benefits range from ease of pregnancy symptoms, to improved chances of conception, to shorter labors and births, and a quicker recovery period after the baby is born.

I will be teaching a similar workshop at the Cortiva Institute in Watertown in September but this time it is geared towards birth professionals, couples and massage therapists. For details click here.

What's the difference between acupressure and reflexology?

In the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Body Sense magazine I address this commonly asked question: What is the difference between acupressure and reflexology?