For me, school was always a challenge. Maybe that’s why I became an educator - to help others discover the joyous potential in learning. Each person is unique, and for each there are easier and more challenging ways to learn. Here are three ways we learn, and how we can make learning easier, retain much more of what we learn, and have fun doing it!

Experience As newborns, we didn’t know how to move our arms and legs purposefully. We learned through experience, as we practiced finding our toes, reaching, crawling, falling and, ultimately, walking . Whether we practice playing an instrument or playing tennis, we’re learning by experience.

Our ancestors learned by experience that one kind of mushroom is a food, while another is a poison. Shamans and medicine men and women around the world learned by trial-and-error, a powerful, though sometimes dangerous(!), approach to learning. Things learned through experience, both the mistakes and the successes, are often the lessons we remember the best. 

                                            – Albert Einstein

Learning from Others We learn language by imitating our caregivers. In school our teachers show us how to do algebra. In the example of our ancient forbears, the medicine woman or shaman would teach an apprentice the lore of plants and healing to preserve the wisdom for the tribe. 

Learning from others saves time, reduces trial-and-error and shares accumulated knowledge.

Learning from Within There is another way to acquire knowledge and wisdom, and we have this “teacher” with us wherever we are. This intuitive capacity manifests differently for different people, and it can be nurtured through meditation and other spiritual practices. Perhaps ancient shamans accessed the secrets of healing this way.

Einstein was inspired to discover the Theory of Relativity by a dream he had about hurtling down a mountainside.  Plunging faster and faster, he looked up and saw the stars changing in appearance as he neared the speed of light.

In the Reflexology certification and continuing education classes we offer, we utilize all three of these learning approaches. Our students devote the majority of their time, both in and out of class, to experiential learning. We provide them with visual, kinesthetic and auditory cues through in-class demonstrations and training DVDs, hands-on practice on each other, plus our experienced instructors talk them through our foot, hand, face and ear reflexology protocols step-by-step. 

In our advanced classes we teach anatomy and physiology as well as pathologies and how to help those with a variety of conditions, and how to create a healing environment. 

Our holistic approach is one of the key reasons our training is unique. In our training we address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of wellness. The philosophy underpinning our approach is that joyful learning, and better health and well being, all come from within.

Practical experience combined with study, while allowing your intuition to flow, makes learning an easy, fulfilling and joyful experience!