The first step was to take a test to determine my current Ayurvedic dosha constitution and send Blades the results. When I did it a few weeks ago, I was presenting with a pitta imbalance. I’m a pitta vata dosha type, and my pitta energy was particularly high. It’s worth mentioning that I’m in the throes of my own personal health crisis. I’ve seen many specialists and no one knows for sure what’s going on, but my doctors suspect the root of it is autoimmune, so I’m doing everything I can to complement the Western medicine with holistic healing. She started off with a heavenly massage on the hands, feet, arms, and head. “How oily can I get you,” she asked me before session. “ALL THE OILS!” I responded. Oil is an important part of Ayurvedic bodywork, as many practitioners believe it pulls toxins from the body, and yes, I’d like some of that please. When she started the facial reflexology portion of our session, I understood why it’s important to complement it with another modality. Facial reflexology is strangely specific, and while relaxing it’s not quite massage and not always gentle or soothing. The Ayurvedic massage was centering and helped coerce the body into a parasympathetic state, where healing takes place. “These ancient techniques help rebalance the whole body,” Blades said. “They keep chi moving and get energy unstuck,” which presumably helps boost overall health and assuage ailments like mine. “Since you’re going through a slew of Western medicine conventions, I wanted to complement that and not disrupt it,” Blades said. She decided to focus on a few different reflexology points for me: insomnia (which is a side effect of one of the medications I’m taking) on the forehead, ear, and chin, the immune system, and the mind at the center of the forehead. “Trying to quiet an active mind is difficult, but my goal with this session was to bring you back into your body so healing could occur,” Blades said. Which is no easy feat, by the way—anyone who has gone through a healing journey knows that sometimes it’s easier to leave your body than to stay with it. I’ve found that the best healers will help you create a safe and comfortable container in which to heal. That night, I had a horrible night’s sleep—worse than I had in weeks. Maybe it was the unseasonably warm temperatures or maybe it was the reflexology working its magic. After a few nights of relentless tossing and turning, I was about to give Blades a call and ask what was going on. But then I had the first consistent glorious sleep I’d had in ages. I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, and when I did rise in the morning I felt ready to go. I can’t remember the last time I woke up and didn’t want to just stay in bed! It’s been years. Feeling recharged felt completely foreign, and Blades had unlocked it with her reflexology magic. The following days, my skin started to turn a corner, too. My face is a little puffy and that didn’t go away (it’s a side effect of the medication I’m taking), but everything looked uplifted and healthier. Three different people commented on the brightness of my eyes about a week after the treatment, saying they looked clearer and bluer than they had before—a hallmark of health and healing.
