Body and Soul

Body and Soul is an essential health handbook for today’s woman. Health expert and natural therapist Karen Smith guides women through the pitfalls which may arise as early as thirty five and suggests ways to nourish and heal their bodies. Body and Soul provides a positive outlook, showing women how to manage their health wisely, to experiment with therapies and to take seriously healthy eating and exercise.

Includes:

  • Ageing and how to combat it

  • Infertility and pregnancy in later life

  • The menopause, HRT & natural alternatives

  • Arthritis

  • Osteoporosis

  • Nutrition, diet and supplements

  • Targeted exercises

  • Stress management

  • Aromatherapy

  • Massage & reflexology

  • Yoga

 

Extracts from Body and Soul

Originating in China and Egypt thousands of years ago, reflexology is a therapy which uses pressure on the feet or hands based on the principle that they contain reflex areas corresponding to different parts of the body. By stimulating these various reflexes it is possible to enhance the inherent healing abilities of the body. Reflexology is much more than a remedial treatment to be applied only during illness; in fact many people enjoy regular sessions to give the body an ‘MOT'

During a lifetime the feet carry an individual the equivalent of five times around the earth. There are 7000 nerve endings in each foot, each one connecting to a different area of the body as shown in the chart below.

p.138 REFLEXOLOGY


Through reflexology, energy is increased along the meridians (the body's energy channels), unblocking areas of congestion which may be the cause of an imbalance in a particular organ or gland. To a reflexologist , a person's feet represent a mirror of the body.

There are a number of pressure points on the face which can contribute to healthy-looking skin when stimulated. These can easily be worked on at home in front of a mirror using the pad of the first or second finger.

p.120  PRESSURE PONTS OF THE FACE

Originating in India about 1500 years ago, yoga literally translated from Sanskrit means union. The ancient yogis perceived the body as a vehicle with the mind as its driver and the soul as man's true existence. Yoga is a method of balancing these three forces.

One of the great masters of yoga Swami Vishnu Devananda , compares the human body to a car. It needs lubrication, a cooling system, an electric current, fuel and a sensible driver behind the wheel for it to run properly. He developed five principles to fulfil these functions.

  • The asanas (positions) lubricate the body, keep the muscles and joints running smoothly, tone all the internal organs and increase the circulation.
  • The body is cooled by complete relaxation
  • Pranayama (yogic breathing) increases prana, electric current
  • Fuel is provided by the food and water we consume together with the air we breathe
  • Lastly there is meditation, the driver which stills the mind and transcends the body – the physical body.

p.99 YOGA