Giving yourself some love ….. Hand reflexology self-care

With my cast coming off this week I am constantly thinking about my hands and how they are going to function post cast. That combined with an anniversary of a friend’s death had me find this blog from March 2019 (post Christchurch Mosque terrorist attack) which I’ve ‘fiddled’ with 🙂

My mind is still filled with all those families who are now learning to live without their loved ones.  I constantly think about how magnified their emotions must be, not only with grief but also dealing with the way the loss occurred, of what the future holds and possibly a sense of uncertainly in their own community.

For that reason I thought that I would share a bit of my Healing Hands workshop so that people can put it to use at home or out and about as they deal with everyday situations which may trigger huge emotions to surface.   Reflexology is such a great tool for well-being and since feet aren’t always that practical to get to when emotions arise, I love to use hand reflexology.  It is a bit of self love and soothing that you can be using, anytime, anywhere,  without anyone being the wiser.

Reflexology is a natural, holistic treatment which works on the principle that everything in the body is connected.  It is is a mixture of ancient wisdom and modern thinking where by the nerve endings in the feet and hands can be massaged in a particular way to help bring the body back into balance.  (Read more here… third article down)

What I’m offering here is a very basic guide as to where some points are in the hand which can help elevate the stress reaction as emotions come up.  The points shown in the images are ones you can rub and/or massage to help bring you some calm in order to move forward.  For the purposes of self calming and self love it really doesn’t matter how you approach the massage rather focus on breathing deep while holding the intention of calm and love with you as you work so that your body can respond in kind. In fact I would suggest any hand rubbing, twisting, shaking and clicking with the intention of release would be fantastic!

These points relate to parts of the body which frequently come into play as part of our stress (fight or flight) response.  Our breathing can quicken so rubbing the top of our palms (lung points) can help bring our breath back into balance. Our heads can spin so rubbing the fingertips (head, brain and sinus points) can help to bring clear thinking back into play.  Our shoulders and back tense up so rubbing the base of the little finger (shoulder point) and along the edge of our thumb and wrist (spine and nervous system) can ease the tension for example.

So without further ado I’ll let you look below and give it ago ……… don’t be shy, just try it and you’ll be impressed with how much more relaxed you can feel.  NB: Since this I have made a video guide to follow for a full hand reflexology session then here is a one you can use.(video work by herself a few years ago). It isn’t exactly the same as below as it is a general routine rather than specific to stress but still hits similar points.

Healing Hands Mini Stress Relief Routine

• Pictures are all shown palms up.
• Remember to take care of yourself so if anything hurts then ease up or miss it out. 
• These are only guidelines, if you find a technique which is better for you then go with that. 
• If it seems too much and overwhelming then just focus on one or two points to start with.
• Breath as deep and slow as you can throughout the routine if possible. 

Begin with shaking out your hands then squeeze, twist and pull each thumb and finger. Rub hands together gently (front and back) while taking some deep breaths before starting the points below.

1. Head and Brain points:  These are your finger tips.  Rub/massage in a circular motion with the thumb of the opposite hand or whatever feels good for you. This will help to bring calm and balance to the mind as well as hitting on some endocrine and sinus points.

2. Chest and Lung points: This is the area is at the base of your fingers and the top of your palm.  You will feel the metacarpal heads (the other side of your knuckles) and the base of these is pretty much the lower part of this point.  Using the thumb or fingers of the opposite hand rub/massage across this area.  This will help to balance your breath and give more oxygen to the brain to bring calm.

3. Diaphragm Points: This is at the base of the lung area or just below the bony metacarpal heads. Using the thumb of the opposite hand ‘caterpillar walk’ or rub across this line in both directions. Again this helps with bringing balance to the breath.

4. Solar Plexus Points:  This is the in the centre of the diaphragm line above and in line with the middle of your palm.  You should press on this point with the thumb of the opposite hand while taking slow, deep breaths.  Do three breaths .. pressing in as you breath in and release at you breath out.  Repeat as many times as necessary to bring almost instant calm.

5. Shoulder Points:  This are located at the base of your fingers and the section at the bottom of your little finger.  Using the fingers or thumb of the opposite hand work across the area … first the ‘line’ and then the section at the base of the little finger. Notice any tenderness (not pain just tenderness) and breath into it to help ease away the tension from this area of the body.

6. Spine points: This area runs along the outside of your thumb and along the bottom of your palm.  There are various ways to work this area on  yourself so see which feels the most comfortable – work with thumb of opposite hand in a ‘caterpillar walk’ style, work with fingers of the opposite hand, rub with the whole of your opposite hand.  If you think of the tip of your thumb as your head then work up towards the head will bring more calm energy and working down towards the wrist will bring a relaxing calm.

7. Adrenal Points:  These points are found near the fleshy part at the base of your thumb and likely to be found by the tenderness there.  Best worked in a gentle circular motion with the opposite thumb while the fingers of the opposite hand ‘cradle’ the hand being worked.  Remember to breath as deep as you can while working these points 🙂

I hope this finds you safe and secure with another tool in your kete (basket) while feeling a little more calm.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

The Roller-coaster of Life

Life really is unpredictable. Even when we think we have it all sorted, things can be taken completely out of our hands. We get sent in a different direction, one which we never expected to have to take. This can be hard to accept and often a grieving process can occur. We are faced with the alternatives of rolling with it or fighting and struggling against it, which usually only leads to us suffering more.

If you’re anything like me then you kind of expect life to keep getting better when you put effort in. I anticipate a future where the highs and lows of the roller coaster ride lessen until eventually they level completely. This is what I have in my mind’s eye as I go about my daily practices though it hasn’t happened yet so maybe I shouldn’t hold my breath too much. The reality is that there is always something happening; a curve in the track, a dip, a tunnel, a sudden plunge into god knows what or a breath taking view from the ‘top’ where everything seems great.

^{What will tomorrow bring?}

I notice too, as I have been paying more attention to my life, that even when I’m feeling like I have life ‘sorted’ a loved ones’ roller coaster can sometimes come crashing into mine. Entwining us in a wave of emotions and actions that no-one saw coming. We’re caught unawares and left scrambling with whatever we have at hand. At those times, it can be hard for me not to go into panic mood or my usual rescue mood. More and more though I’m learning a bit of ‘roller coaster maintenance’ and I’m slowly learning to separate the two. Create some space for repair, reconstruction, separation and leveling of the track as I remember and use the tools I have sooner and sooner.

Recently I read a quote from Pema Chödrön which was like a penny dropping. It made me re-think how I approach life and its roller coaster ride. She wrote ‘We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.’

Maybe in knowing in advance that things will be up and down we will be able to prepare ourselves easier. We will be in a better position to accept the seemingly unacceptable. We can create the emergency kit early, ready for when ‘disaster’ occurs, so that we have an easier time of it when things rock our world. By practicing healing techniques before these life changing events we will be in a better space to use them. They will be a common, everything tools that we are familiar with using The time to get good at meditating, at relaxing, at self care, at EFT, at breath work, at gratitude is now before the proverbial hits the fan. Having these tools feel like second nature, ready to be used at short notice, can only be achieved by us taking time now to use them regularly. Now before we really need them.

^{Mini Hand Reflexology for stress}

So take a minute now. Don’t wait. Practice one of those techniques you have heard about, or one that you want to learn more about, which help to reduce stress. Find some time to use it each day and begin to create a habit out of it . That way when your roller coaster ride overwhelms you or when another roller coaster careers towards you you’ll be ready and fully prepared to go with whatever life is bringing you.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Read an e-book week!

Just a bit of a heads up that all my e-books are now 50% off for the ‘Read an E-Book’ week over at Smashwords!

My five titles available through Smashwords

I have 5 books now for under $2 US including a 12 week life coaching course to keep the year rolling along in the right direction, a guide to living a ‘Stress-Less’ life and a comprehensive guide to Bach Flower Remedies. They are all easy reads with loads of health and life coaching tips in them; the best bits I use on myself and those I work with 🙂

Check it out while the deals are still on and enjoy an e-book as the changing seasons play outside.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz