The wonders of hot StoneFusion reflexology.

Stones have been used for thousands of years as tools for human existence. We have used them to build our sanctuaries; pave our streets; protect our land, and now, in the world of massage: to ensure ultimate bliss.

To hold a stone is to commune with one of the most basic elements of life: Earth. Most people reading this article have had the urge to pick up a stone while on a contemplative walk and examine it. being impressed by the beauty of its simplicity. Holding it tight in the hand, one cannot help but feel grounded and secure in the stone's solidity. This is a place that we all want to get to in receiving a thoughtful and healing therapy: grounded, secure, safe.

What is it?

Hot Stone Fusion Massage is the ultimate combination between therapy and luxury because it feeds these fundamental needs. When you use stones with mastery to give a massage or any treatment, you are able to bring clients to a place of sanctuary and groundedness. The worldly elements of earth, water and fire are brought together to bring about change.

Hot Stone Fusion Reflexology gives these amazing tools to the reflexologist, elevating your work to a place of serious therapy and divine pleasure. More and more people from all walks of life are becoming aware of the profound benefits of reflexology. Using stones in your treatments will increase not only the benefit to your clients in an astounding way, but you will experience a reduction in repetitive stress in your wrists and fingers. Hot Stone Fusion Reflexology will re-ignite your passion and faith in the power of reflexology.

Where does it come from?

We have spent a large portion of our professional lives working with, and training others to work with, stones in massage. Many articles have been written about the vague history of stone massage, but none of these have ever been satisfactory. It is true that some tribes of American Indians pour water over stones heated from a fire to create a steam in a cleansing and purifying sweat lodge. It is true that massage and heat and the combination of the two have been used historically to heal and nurture the body. However, the modern form of massage with basalt stones has been developed in the last 20 or so years by American massage therapists from the Western pan of the US. We were very fortunate to be pan of that movement and now bring that experience to the UK.

Hot Stone Fusion is a result of working with the finest group of therapists in New York and now in the UK sharing skills and developing ways to use stones to help our clients out of pain. Different from other forms of hot stone massage, Hot Stone Fusion is not standard or routine and allows you, the therapist, to develop your own creativity and individual talent for facilitating the healing of others. It is about making your work more efficient and truly working with your clients to help them experience a pain-free existence. We have years of experience and share all our knowledge with our students freely, yet without exception in every class we teach we learn something new from our inspired and talented students.

Hot Stone Fusion Reflexology has grown out of that same spirit. It is work that develops with each person that we work with. We have been dedicated to finding the techniques that we feel are the most essential and exceptional to share with you. It is our goal to make you the best therapist that you can possibly be in any realm of therapy.

Using the Stones in Reflexology.

Reflexology itself is a vast discipline. There arc many different forms that have evolved from varying philosophies and traditions. Most forms of reflexology rely on the principle that the foot mirrors the human form in its entirety. In other words the foot contains reflex zones or reflex points that represent the vital organs and structures in the body. This is also true of the ear and the hand.

Traditionally, pressure has been applied to the zones or points with the fingers or thumbs or with wooden tools. In Hot Stone Fusion Reflexology, we use stones to massage the foot or apply the pressure to the specific points that you feel need attention. The stones come in many different shapes and sizes. The smallest we fit right between the toes to help open up spaces needed in the body for balance. You can use the larger ones to carry out a general massage of the foot or use specific stones to carry out point work. The stones themselves are naturally smooth and often the client cannot tell the difference between the hands and the stones.

The stones have the ability to make a reflexology treatment more holistic in nature. A hot Stone Fusion full body treatment is a truly dynamic form of massage, where the therapist uses 50-60 stones to massage the entire body. In reflexology treatments, we use stone placement as a great enhancement to a treatment. Just imagine warm stones placed under your shoulders, letting tensions melt away, as crystals are placed on the chakra points and a warm "hot water bottle" belly stone is placed on your hara.

We employ techniques from sports massage, where the stones ease the stripping of the ligaments and tendons to aid in the healing of ankle and foot injuries. The possibilities are endless.

Relieving Pain

The goal in the treatment is to free up areas of pain. In Eastern forms of reflexology such as Thai or Chinese, it is the stagnant energy or "chi" in the body that induces illness and it is the therapist's job to move that energy from a blocked position to that of movement. The qualities of the foot including density, pliability, tenderness, colour, and overall shape can unlock the secrets of a person's symptoms.

For instance, according to reflexology, the tips of the toes represent the sinus. Often if a client is experiencing sinus headaches or blocked sinus due to allergies, the tips of the toes will feel sore to the touch. Working this area in a sensitive and knowledgeable manner can free the blockages in the sinus area. A client can leave a treatment feeling lighter and able to breathe much easier. Using alternating hot and cold stones in a distinctive manner can increase the efficiency of the treatment by making the session more successful, but also give the client longer relief periods between treatments.

Having spent years providing training for the most elite spas in the world, we have picked up a few tricks of the trade to make your treatments distinctive on a budget. It is easy to add a mud mask, a salt glow or a sugar scrub to your stone reflexology treatment, which prepares the feet for treatment, adds to the "wow factor" for your client, and allows you to charge more. This melding of Eastern tradition, energy healing, Western medical knowledge and business growth is at the core of all Jing Advanced Massage + Training courses.

Why add Stones?

The stones have basic qualities that will help you heal:

1. Water. The stones are heated in water in a small portable container. This opens many possibilities to make your treatment distinct from that of the therapist down the road. This includes extras like the scrubs or masks mentioned earlier. Aromatherapy can be added by dispersing oils in the steamy waters.
2. Heat. We all know that soaking your feet in a nice warm footbath is instantly relaxating and unwinding. Using stones in your reflexology will do this to your clients immediately. This makes your job so much easier. Once a client's mental state is relaxed you can begin looking at the deeper layers that create illness. On a Western physical plain, the heat brings the vital blood and oxygen to an area that needs to heal. According to Eastern thought, if "chi" is stagnant or deficient and causing illness, heat is of great benefit stimulating the area and restore balance.
3. Nature. The stones are chosen by therapists for therapists. They are naturally formed and help you to get into all those area that compromise your thumbs and fingers. It makes a great difference in quality of treatment.
4. Cold. Cold, like heat, has naturally therapeutic qualities. All the stones that we use to hold heat can be cooled and used cold. When "chi" is elevated or excessive and causing pain, cold application can have great benefit.
5. Longevity for you as a therapist. All the above benefits are good for your client but even better for you. Having a new skill that is easy and fun and has real benefits to your clients can give you greater joy in your work. Your excitement is contagious and can bring you new clients or get old clients interested again. Save your hands, wrists and thumbs. In addition to using the stones, we also employ techniques using your elbows and fists, so you can be a therapist for as long as you wish to be helping people heal themselves.

Using the stones in your reflexology treatments can enhance your treatments tremendously and increase your business. However, we believe most in developing your skills as a therapist first. Putting the most beautiful tool in the hand of a terrible craftsman does not mean he will be able to create the masterpiece. We work on bringing the master craftsman out in you first and then finding the tools that will help you create your master sanctuary.

Jing would like to thank Tracey Kiernan for her contribution to this article and the development of Hot Stone Fusion Reflexology.

www.jingmassage.com Jing Advanced Massage + Training is an organisation dedicated to excellence in all aspects of postgraduate massage training. Offering a unique range of Holistic Medical Massage workshops for treatment of pain, including low back and neck and shoulder, we also offer courses in Hot Stone Fusion, Advanced Stretching and Pregnancy Massage. Based in Brighton, we offer courses around the country.
Tel: 01273.628.942.Email: info@jingmassage.com

Our thanks to Todays Therapist Magazine for allowing us to share past articles