The aim in this workshop is to teach people how to effectively utilise various reflexology techniques into their massage treatment. Using it as a diagnostic tool and an enhancement to the massage treatment, and consequently assisting the body to return to a state of homeostasis. 

Overview
Gretel trained in reflexology and massage at the Nature Care College in Sydney and has completed postgraduate studies in cranio-sacral reflexology and facial reflexology. She is a professional member of the Reflexology Association of Australia and a member of the NSW branch committee. She practices from her home based clinic in Pymble.  Gretel is also a volunteer reflexologist at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Wahroonga where she has been part of a pilot study into the effects of Reflexology on cancer patients (particularly breast cancer). She has also completed module I of an Oncology Massage Course conducted at the hospital. Gretel is also a member of Toastmasters International and is currently completing a Certifcate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment.
She has combined all her knowledge and experience with reflexology and massage to create a massage technique that she calls the “reflexage”. This technique allows the therapist to integrate various reflexology methods into the massage treatment using it as a both diagnostic tool and an enhancement to the treatment, and consequently assisting the body to return to a state of homeostasis.

Overview:

• Most overlooked part of the body
• Review of foot anatomy
• Link the foot to body - the most powerful part of the body to work Influence of deviations from normalcy within the feet
• Gait analysis and effect on posture
• Link to soft tissue
• Feet and link to entire body including organs
• Hands on to demonstrate overlooked techniques and demonstrate outcomes

About Sandi Rogers:

Sandi Rogers is a qualified Medical Herbalist, Naturopath, Reflexologist, Lecturer, Massage Therapist, and Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the National College of Traditional Medicine.

She naturally takes a holistic approach to healing. Boasting an impressive educational background, Sandi has a Masters in Education and Training, more than a dozen diplomas in natural therapies and is currently studying for her Doctoral Degree.

Having published many papers and authored books on complementary medicine, Sandi is also in demand on the corporate speaking circuit with engagements both nationally and internationally.

Gavin Fernandes trained as a physiotherapist in England and studied manipulative physiotherapy in Adelaide, South Australia.  In England he worked and trained with Olympic athletes in boxing, athletics and rowing. Since coming to Australia, Gavin has studied and practised tai chi and yoga, which has allowed him to under understand more about postural alignment principles. In the past eight years he has combined these ancient arts with his massage and physiotherapy treatments, and has developed a system that effectively helps to prevent common injuries and treat chronic injuries.

Gavin currently has a physiotherapy practice based in Ashfield and coaches many sporting disciplines. In the past 8 years he has presented a number of work workshops in which he demonstrates and teaches the effectiveness of the postural alignment principles in both the prevention and rehabilitation of sports and non-sporting injuries.

Gavin would like to demonstrate and teach these principles and show how they can apply to massage practice, muscle strengthening and stretching exercises.
 

LOOKING AFTER OUR OWN BODIES:

"It was after my eighth heavy massage one day, and the thought of having to do another full day's heavy massage the next day, that I decided to look at ways of `saving' my own body. I stretched, I weight-trained, I exercised, but I was still constantly sore and tight after a day's work.

It was not until 5 years later that I saw an eighty year old tai-chi master move like a twenty year old, and a sixty year old yogi move like a six year old that I recognised there was a way of effectively looking after my own body.  I started to learn tai-chi and then yoga, and the principles they taught me not only relaxed my body, they improved my massage.

My aim in this workshop is to teach people how to effectively look after their own bodies

Section One - is the challenging section. It teaches us to become aware of our bodies and movement patterns, mainly of our of bad habits. The greater the insight into our postural habits, the greater the insight into the cause of our body tightness and pain.

Section Two - is the myth busting section. It allows us to compare our normal postural habits with new habits. These can be tested in daily functional movements, sporting movements and massage posture.

Section Three - is the decision and practise section. It encourages us to understand that when we make beneficial changes to our movement patterns, we need to incorporate these changes into our daily lives.

Participants requirements: Small groups will be chosen with one volunteer in each group being assessed and treated. If you have pain and tightness, the volunteer is to be assessed and treated. If you want to learn by observation, be one of the assessors and treating therapists.

However when we learn a specific yoga or tai chi exercise, everyone will practise it to understand it. Thereby you can go away, practise it and teach it to your respective clients."
 

Polarity Therapy is a holistic system of healing. It affects the Physical, Emotional and Mental planes of existence. All matter is made up of the five elements of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

Randolph Stone, the founder of Polarity Therapy referred to the energy in a person as the Wireless Anatomy. He said that by placing our hands or fingers anywhere on the body forming a bi-polar contact then energy would flow between these two points.

The purpose of Polarity Therapy is to balance and allow a free flow of energy leading once more to normal function.

There are many ways to work with the energy.

In this workshop I will be teaching you how to work with the Element Triads. The most primary or formative triads are the ones that arise at the primal inter-meshing and are called the “foetal triads”. Energy moves through the three relationships of positive, negative and neutral phases. These energy relationships occur at the time of conception. They interweave and overlay to form the subtle matrix which allows the physical body to form.

The foetal chart shows the interweaving of the four active elements to create the basic energy relationships of the physical body.

You need no prior knowledge of Polarity to be able to understand the content of the workshop as we will be dealing only with the elements and their astrological relationships to the body.

During the workshop we will be exploring the qualities of each element and then use your hands to contact the positive, negative and neutral poles in relationship to the elements of the body.

You will find this workshop very interesting and a great way to recharge your energy and it will be extremely practical. So please bring your massage table as they will be required during the majority of the workshop. I am sure everyone will have a wonderful day of giving and receiving. Let’s all share the Love Energy and learn some things along The Way.

You can easily use these principles and techniques as an adjunct to your massage practice.

Vilma had a wonderful six weeks Hungarian holiday where she attended to The Institute of Therapeutic Massage in Budapest. She learned some very useful techniques, to promote better massage result.

Massage as a natural, not invasive healing method is very accepted by the Hungarian medical professionals. They refer their patients for massage therapy with various problems.

Massage therapists are employed in hospitals and in the famous hot water bathes where people may have daily treatments. Their techniques improve the healing power of the human body. These techniques are firm, but not painful.

Vilma also wants to demonstrate her experience about that how important a good posture for the massage therapist during massage. Good posture and good positioning may protect the therapist from work related muscular pain and stiffness and improve the ability of the therapist to work longer hours without became tired.