Retreat 4 Your Feet | Blog - Retreat 4 Your Feet Reflexology

Covid-19 Re-Opening Info...

3/6/2020

We have had updates now that reflexologists will hopefully be able to start working again from 4th July, which I am very excited about. I am now taking bookings for the WC 6th July, so get in touch if you'd like to book in.

To keep in line with advice from the government and from The Association of Reflexologists (The AoR) I will be making a few changes. These are as follows:

Risk assessments- To be completed before each treatment. This will be a short document that I will send before your treatment for you to complete and send back to me.
Face coverings- Government advice at this time recommends that facial coverings are required in enclosed spaces. The AoR advise that both the therapist and the client wears a mask. Information from Toulouse Hospital states that this can cut the transmission by 98.5%. Ideally this should be 2 layers of cotton fabric, it does not need to be a mask as long as the mouth and nose are covered e.g. a scarf. I have ordered some swanky material to make masks and I will be making enough for my clients too, which you can either buy for £1 when you come for your treatment or you can bring your own.
Payment- I will not be able to take cash payments so will need you to pay via bank transfer on the day of your treatment.
Blankets- Please bring your own when you come for a treatment
Water- Please provide your own
Cleanliness- I will be covering the massage couch with couch roll, spending at least 15 minutes between clients cleaning and ventilating the room, washing hands regular and asking you to either wash or sanitise hands on entry to the treatment rooms.
Home visits- I will need you to provide your own towel, flannel, pillow and blanket when I come for treatments. I will need to wash my hands on entry and exit of your house.

Please bare in mind that this is all changeable information, it hopefully won't change my business too much and won't put you off having a much needed treatment. I'll keep you updated if there are any changes.

Self-help Stress routine

29/5/2020

What with everything going on in the world today, it can be quite an unsettling time and you could be feeling more stressed than normal. Reflexology can really help to calm the mind, ease your stresses, and restore the body back to how it should be working. I normally work on the feet, but you can also practice reflexology on yourself on your hands, and although it's not as relaxing as having someone do it for you, it's still beneficial!

So why not try it for yourself? Put on some calming music, light your favourite candle, and grab some hand cream. Rub the cream in first and give yourself a general hand massage, then work the following areas.

Solar Plexus & Adrenals: Use your thumb or knuckles to work into the solar plexus and adrenals. The solar plexus is in the centre of the diaphragm and it can be affected when we are stressed due to changes in our breathing. By working on this point, you can help promote relaxation in the body. Try pressing down on it and taking a deep breath in, and then releasing the pressure on it while breathing out. Do this a few times on both sides. The adrenals are another point affected by stress and they control our "fight or flight" response. You can find this point at the bottom of the line when you put your thumb and forefinger together. Pinch it with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand and you should be able to feel it when you get the point, it can feel quite tender. The idea with reflexology is that we work away these tender spots. So, work at a pressure that feels good to you.

Pineal & Pituitary Gland: The pineal gland is responsible for your circadian rhythms which controls your sleep patterns, so by working on this pressure point you can help regulate your sleep patterns. The pituitary gland regulates your hormones and it can help to work this area if you've been feeling a bit out of balance with your hormones or if you've been stressed. In the hand the area for the pituitary and pineal gland is the same. It can be found in the centre of your thumb print. Sometimes you can feel a little nodule in this area. I find it's best to get into this point with the corner of the knuckle of your other thumb.

Spine: The spine can be a great area to work on to release and tension caused by stress. Work along the line on the outer edge of your thumb and focus on areas that are tender. The best way to do this is to walk your other thumb down the line, pressing in as you go and focusing on the tender spots.

This routine is great to do at any time of day, but would be best when you are already relaxed, so try and incorporate it into your bedtime routine and see if it has an effect on your sleep.

Covid-19 Update

26/5/2020

Covid-19 Update

12/5/2020

Following the government announcement on Sunday 10th May it is looking unlikely that I will be able to re-open until July at the earliest. This is of course going to be based on whether we can keep outbreaks and numbers down in the meantime. Things could still change during this time and I will be looking out for any government advice and following The Association of Reflexologists advice closely too. Please bare with me during this time. I would love more than anything to be able to help support my clients during this time of unease and difficulty, but we have to do what is right and all stay safe and well. Don't hesitate to get in touch during this time if you are struggling and would like some advice on points to work on your own hands and feet.
All the best,
Georgie x

Week 1 Lockdown

30/3/2020

Well done! You got through the first week of lockdown. I hope you are doing OK, and keeping happy, healthy and positive. I had a good week last week and I am adjusting well to lockdown life. I wanted to share with you some things I've found have helped keep me positive and busy (hopefully without sounding too much like a wannabe "influencer"!).

Cooking- this is a great opportunity to try out new recipes. I love cooking (and eating!) and mealtimes for me are a good chance to sit down and stop, and catch up with my husband. I've included some recipes at the bottom of this post of recipes I enjoyed last week.
Online courses- I've managed to find some really good online seminars and reflexology podcasts to keep me learning. Last week I was focusing on the links between Traditional Chinese Medicine and reflexology, which is such a broad subject with so much to learn about.
Exercise- I've been loving all the Instagram live workouts. Last week Heartcore did a great pilates workout on Wednesday at 10.30am, Digme did a good barre class at 10.30am on Friday, and they both have lots of good yoga classes too.
Routine- getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, not sitting at the computer all day and getting up to have a walk around (even if it's just some sprints up and down the stairs), having set meal times and sticking to a good evening wind down routine. If like me you are at a bit of a loose end, then I find making a to do list each evening for the next day is really useful. Sometimes when you have no sense of urgency on jobs they can just be added to a long list which you never really get through, so giving yourself a tick off list can make it really satisfying when you've completed all the jobs you've set yourself. Be realistic though!
Games- We've been playing Dobble each evening before dinner and it's getting very competitive.
Jasmine Hemsley's sound bath- this is an amazing meditation session with singing bowls that Jasmine Hemsley does live on Instagram on Saturdays. She's recorded them and put them on her Instagram page so if you miss it, you can still watch it. It's a great thing to drift off to sleep to and I listen to it after my bath on Sundays.
Staying in touch with friends and family- I'm pretty sure I've been more sociable during lockdown than ever! We are so lucky to live in an age where we can talk to and see our friends and family on Facetime/Skype/Zoom or Houseparty. We've been having regular group calls with family and even did a "pub" quiz on Saturday with a group of friends. It's important to check in on your friends and family during this time where you can feel quite lonely.

My monthly challenge for April is going to be quite easy under these circumstances...it's "no new clothes", so hopefully I don't get the urge to have a huge online shopping trip! I was finding March's challenge of "no single use plastic" OK up until a couple of weeks ago. When the supermarket shelves started to be stripped bare of all their fresh produce, I had to start trying alternative shops where sometimes the plastic packaging is unavoidable, and when the last available broccoli was wrapped in cling film, I had to just suck it up and give in. I did notice last week M&S are getting better at reducing their plastic packaging, which is good because I think they are one of the worst for it. The challenge made me a lot more aware of how much packaging is used unnecessarily, and it even changed my habits a bit.

Let me know if you are struggling with anything and I can send you self help videos of reflexology points you can work on your hands or feet. Look forward to seeing you when I'm back treating again.

Take care and stay well,

Georgie x

Cauliflower with pomegranate, green olives & chickpea puree:
Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side dish

Florets from 1 large cauliflower, leaves kept to the side
1tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
30g toasted walnuts
115g green pitted olives, chopped
chopped coriander leaves
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
For the chickpea puree:
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 crushed garlic clove
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp cayenne pepper
150ml extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Roast the cauliflower with olive oil, cumin, cayenne and seasoning for 25 minutes and add the leaves to the pan for the last 10-15 minutes until golden. To make the puree blend all ingredients in a food processor. Season and add enough water to get the texture you want. When the cauliflower is cooked add the walnuts, olives, coriander and lemon juice. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with pomegranate seeds. Serve with the puree.

Taking a break...for now!

23/3/2020

To all my lovely clients,
👣
In line with all of the advice surrounding Covid-19 I have now decided to temporarily close my treatment rooms and stop treating clients. It’s been a really tough decision for me to make and I feel as though I’ve been going back and forth all weekend, but hopefully now I’ve had the decision, I’ll feel more settled. I know in my heart it’s the right thing to do and feel so lucky to have a job I wanted to cling onto so badly.
👣
Just know that this time will pass and I will be back treating as soon as I can! Stay happy, well and healthy.
👣
All the best,
👣
Georgie✌️💕💚👣
#retreat4yourfeet #reflexologist #covid19

March Challenge

27/2/2020

It's nearly March...which should mean we're nearly into Spring, so fingers crossed it warms up soon.

My monthly challenge for March is to stop using disposable/single-use plastics. I was quite shocked by the state of one of the beaches we visited in Mexico over Christmas. Along the shoreline there was a plethora of washed up plastics. There were various different sachets, plastic bags, tooth floss sticks, an asthma pump, toothbrushes, shoes, a comb, and those horrid 6-pack rings for cans. I'll always remember a shocking video I saw circulating the internet of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in it's nostril. It actually moved me to tears, and definitely had the intended impact on me to stop using straws. There are lots of amazing organisations out there trying to stop the problem of plastics littering our sea/beaches (4Ocean), and cutting down on our use of single use plastics (Greenpeace). Why not join me in my challenge this month???

February Challenge

4/2/2020

This month my monthly challenge is: Dry February. Controversially swapping January for February...I'm already feeling better for it, not that I drank loads before but it's just nice to have an excuse when you go out and it saves a few pennies. A month off alcohol makes me feel so much more alert, productive, healthy and rested.

As we all know it's Valentine's Day on Friday. Why don't you think about your feet this Valentine's Day and show them some love by booking them in for some reflexology this. I can also do vouchers, so get in touch if you'd like to buy one for friends, family and loved ones, and we can arrange that.

Happy New Year!

20/1/2020

Happy New Year and I hope your Christmas was nice and restful! I've been back from Mexico for a week now and I'm feeling refreshed and ready for 2020. I've been very busy with clients, I've been healthy eating and exercising to keep the post holiday blues at bay and I'm all caught up on sleep lost from jet lag. I hope your Monday isn't too blue...

Mexico was amazing. The sea was unlike anything I've ever seen, with so many different shades of blue, and of course it was lovely to be in the sun to help break up the English Winter. I had reflexology twice while I was away and learnt that the Mexican way of reflexology is VERY different! They focus on digging deep into certain pressure points that are so painful it made me tense up and sweat. I wouldn't say it was the most relaxing experience at all, but I can now say I've experienced reflexology in Mexico!

I'm back on my monthly resolutions this year, and January's is to stop saying "like". I'm finding this really difficult and although I think I've started saying it less, I don't think I'll be able to give it up completely! Next month is "Dry February" and I'm looking forward to a productive month.

Get in touch to book yourself in for a treatment and give yourself something to look forward to.

Loyalty Cards

19/12/2019

Coming in 2020! Retreat 4 Your Feet will be giving out loyalty cards where every 10th treatment is half price. This is to say thank you to all my loyal clients after they have used the introductory offer of 6 sessions + `1 free.