Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing that involves placing of hands over parts of the body for a period of time. Hands can be either placed on or above the body, hands do not need to touch the body. The hands act as a conduit for energy to flow into the body and the energy knows where it needs to go for healing. For the purposes of using Reiki for digital use relief, follow the image above with attention to the areas around the head especially the eyes, neck and head area. You can couple this with applying therapies to the face, find that on the reflexology for TMJ post.
Markus (my husband) was in need of some serious tender loving care this weekend as he had been experiencing stress, fatigue and a lingering headache on Saturday afternoon. Prior to his reflexology session, we took a short forest bath where we slowly meandered around the old growth trees. I asked Markus to place his hands on a tree trunk and to imagine the energy traveling from roots deep in the earth up through the trunk, into his hands and then through his body and back down to his feet into the earth where a loop was made with the roots of the tree. I had him hold this image in his mind for later.
Markus selected two cards for today’s session; the Pineal (sleep cycle gland) healing Water Crystal Oracle card and then randomly selected the Banyan tree (with spectacular roots) card from the Wisdom of the Trees Oracle. It was interesting that he selected this card symbolizing grounding and stability; the reason he also placed his hands on the trunk of the tree earlier. This was a nice synchronicity.
I performed a full foot reflexology session. While doing so, I found that his right foot was tender in various places. This is new, as he’s not experienced any pain in his feet since last year. The areas of tenderness included the bronchial down to the bladder (upper to mid medial side), the medial side of the heal and the neck jaw lymph drainage point (just below the webbing between the first and second toe). I went over these areas several times, and he found they remained tender but reduced a little. The left foot showed no tenderness. This is interesting to see, and I have seen this before where one foot retains the tenderness while the other does not. Markus was stressed and fatigued and we know that can play a role in foot sensitivities during a reflexology session.
After the session was complete, I proceeded to use a tuning fork on those tender areas. Markus commented that he could feel the vibrations moving from the fork into his body and that it was a pleasant sensation. After spending about 20 mins doing this, I did a pendulum sweep over his chakras to see if there was any energetically active areas. We found the same areas to be active as in the past as the pendulum swayed or did circles over the sacral, solar plexus and throat chakras. I placed crystals on him in these areas along with a clear quartz crystal on his forehead (crown) and asked him to continue resting for a few minutes.
After this, I asked Markus to select a crystal and hold it in his hand while we read about the Banyan tree from the guide book. Afterwards, he closed his eyes and envisioned his hands on the tree trunk exercise as described earlier. I asked Markus to remain laying back in the chair for a few more minutes just focusing on the meditative music video and the hummingbirds play outside the window. Markus was yawning non-stop for a good half an hour after the session was complete.
It wasn’t too long after that he noticed he started to feel better; less pain in his head and more balanced. The strain in his lower legs and feet were gone and he was feeling energetically lifted. This was a big difference from earlier in the day when he struggled to walk in the forest. That night he had a fantastic sleep and on Sunday reported that he was feeling very relaxed and completely rejuvenated. This always makes me feel good to know that his body is responding well to the sessions.
I have included the video I used in his session for your own enjoyment.
Disclaimer: Reflexology does not diagnose, prescribe or treat for specific conditions. Always seek proper medical attention should you suspect you have a medical problem. Reflexology is not a replacement for medical treatment.
These special stone / crystal sets were handpicked here on Vancouver island. The large basalt stone comes from a beloved orca rubbing beach I’ve been frequenting since 2003 – if orcas like to rub on them then they must be special. The pebbles (agate, quartz, quartzite, jasper) from the beaches around Victoria that I have tumbled over time. I acquired the very special forest crystals that grow under the trees of Nootka sound and are ethically hand-mined as well. These make great reflexology / reiki kits and are available in my shop. Free shipping Canada wide.
Today is Valentine’s Day and this made for a perfect treatment day for my husband, Markus. As some of you may or may not know, he walks up to 30k a day on his job as a letter carrier at Canada Post and reflexology is a necessity for his rest and recovery. I love rubbing his feet with Cherry Rocky Mountain Body Butter, it makes his feet silky and smooth while giving me good traction.
After his foot treatment, I did a chakra sweep with the pendulum as a closing ritual and found his heart chakra to be active (the pendulum made small circles – I recaptured this in the video to the left). I placed a rose quartz on this chakra while reciting some of the characteristics. The heart chakra represents love, healing touch, walking (in the forest), and joyful endeavours. I use the chakra system as a means to reflect on different things in our lives, such as the activities over the past weekend.
Vancouver Island just had a huge winter storm bringing with it tons of snow so yesterday we took a walk in the forest near our home. It is a magical thing to be able to walk out of our home and in the old growth forest. Interestingly, Markus heard the eagles while there and today he picked the eagle card (representing truth, power, karmic transformation) from the Wild Unknown oracle deck. He also picked the ‘Right Brain Hado’ Water Crystal Card; a healing card representing creativity.
Disclaimer: Reflexology does not diagnose, prescribe or treat for specific conditions. Always seek proper medical attention should you suspect you have a medical problem. Reflexology is not a replacement for medical treatment.
Markus is still recovering from skin cancer; in June it will be his 1 year since surgery. You can see in this photo – the scar is still slightly visible but he is no longer in any pain. There is still one spot under observation that emerged over the surgical site and will be taken care of in the spring. Skin cancer sucks and I now dread summer because of this. Although we don’t get as much sun during winter, he still needs to protect himself. We need to observe him often as we learned that both Basal cell carcinoma and Melanoma run in his family. I thought this photo provided a decent visual update on his recovery.
This kit was assembled based on my own self-care needs and includes a variety of tools that I find useful for relieving stress and pain.
STICK – The ‘Relaxus’ Thai reflexology/massage stick with two sides is made from non-threatened wood; use to pinpoint pressure points on hand and foot.
STONE – The basalt stone feels good rubbed on hands, feet and even face! The more you use it, the darker the stone will become as it absorbs your oils. It miraculously remains darker even after washing. Stone was handpicked from the beaches of Vancouver Island.
RING – Roll the stretchy reflex-ring up and down fingers for a pleasant and calming experience. Use when experiencing stress due to traveling, visiting the dentist or doctor, writing tests, or on a first date! Please note that this item mimics a ring and maybe worn as such unless you feel it is cutting off circulation. Reflex-ring tools are meant to feel snug but not worn for long periods of time.
BONUS! I’ve included some magnetic seeds to use if you experience any hand, arm or shoulder pain. Originally made for the ears, I used these to help relieve pain from tendinitis as an experiment and found that it worked! Simply stick to areas tender on hand and press every so often. Stickers stay on until they fall off. Sorry, they only come in one colour.
Each kit may slightly vary because no two stones are alike!
Disclaimer:Reflexology does not diagnose, prescribe or treat for specific conditions. Always seek proper medical attention should you suspect you have a medical problem. Reflexology is not a replacement for medical treatment.
This weekend we focused on the fine details of my subject, Markus, who is very observant with both his eyes and his ears. And so I found it interesting that while I was picking out an animal focus card to use for the reflexology session, at almost the same time he asked for the hawk card, just as I was holding it. And so hawk energy it is!
This past week, his depot participated in a health worker appreciation and a 45 truck convoy made it’s way to the Victoria General Hospital to show their appreciation. You can find some videos of that on Canada Post’s Facebook page. It was very touching to see the cross appreciation of the frontline workers during this difficult time.
Markus’s job continues to be heavily loaded. As a postie, they are seeing record high parcel volumes similar to Christmas time. Except this has been never ending and the weight of the job has definitely been taking some toll on his stress and knees. He has since upgraded to a new style of shoe to see if that helps take some of the impact. Also, people have been more aggressive than usual about receiving their parcels as there are delays due to Covid-19. And so my husband has had to deal with his fair share of difficult incidences on his route.
This coupled with growing and spreading skin cancer (another suspicious spot has emerged on the other side of his face) has been stressful, for us both. We are currently waiting for a variety of face gaiters and strong UV protective clothing that is also stuck in transit. We need to make contact with the dermatologist as soon as they open to alert them to this and see if there is any way to expedite his surgery. He has been waiting over a year and we have another half a year to go. We are discussing phasing out his job as a postie and moving him indoors in the near future.
On a personal level, I have been having more trouble sleeping lately due to the worry and will start to administer stronger more consistent self-reflexology routines for stress and sleep.
For this session, I performed a full foot reflexology routine, some facial massage, used the tuning fork to emphasize the stress-reducing reflex points and applied Reiki to the cranial, face, knees and legs. He felt amazing after the session as well the following day. It gives me some relief to know that I can do something to reduce his stress. When we reduce our stress, we can put our body into parasympathetic mode and that is when we heal ourselves.
Cards used: Masaru Emoto – Cranial from Water Crystal & Hawk from Wild Unknown by Kim Krans
Disclaimer: Reflexology does not diagnose, prescribe or treat for specific conditions. Always seek proper medical attention should you suspect you have a medical problem. Reflexology is not a replacement for medical treatment.
In the last session with my husband, Markus, I combined reflexology with sound therapy (music and tuning fork), in addition to some facial reflexology (feels so good!). As you might know, I am now incorporating cards into the sessions. For this session, I selected the Frog card for Markus as I felt it best described the guidance he needs. I have decided to give him the treatments on the weekend so that he has the following day to completely decompress and relax. This also allows the healing cleanse some time to do its magic.
Although I’ll have completed over 50 treatments by the end of my practicum, Markus will be my longest ongoing study, for life. Markus is a ‘postie’ who walks 30 km days on the job. During this Covid19 pandemic, mail and parcel volumes have actually skyrocketed. This is good on one hand but bad on the other as it’s a huge physical burden. Markus is also battling skin cancer and we are patiently waiting for strong sun protective clothing coming all the way from Australia. He is still 6 months away from surgery. In the meantime he needs to cover up all his exposed skin from the harmful UV rays.
If you work outdoors, COVER UP!!!!
Cards: Water Crystal by Masaru Emoto and Wild Unknown by Kim Krans
Disclaimer: Reflexology does not diagnose, prescribe or treat for specific conditions. Always seek proper medical attention should you suspect you have a medical problem. Reflexology is not a replacement for medical treatment.
While my case studies are on hold, I am still doing reflexology sessions with my husband. I am combining all I can (reflexology, reiki, sound) into these sessions to see if we can reduce any of the stress and inflammation that comes with his job. As Markus is an essential service working as a letter carrier for Canada Post, he continues to endure heavy burdens from his job.
Probably the most concerning of all is the skin cancer on his face and is still waiting another six months for surgery (will have been waiting 1.5 years if you can believe that). Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are unsure if his surgery will be on time or delayed. This isn’t good news as the cancer is growing larger and we find ourselves taking measures into our own hands. He is allowing me to document the sessions and share the journey with you.
If you work outdoors, invest in sun protective clothing. Even though Markus has been wearing hats and sleeves, he is now upping the anti with stronger coverage.
Cards include the Wildwood Tarot and the Water Crystal Oracle.
