When I was first introduced to Kinesiology 15 years ago, I was immediately intrigued. Originating in the 1970’s, Kinesiology is the scientific study of body movement which addresses the physiological, bio-mechanical, and psychological elements of a patient. The basis of a kinesiology treatment lies in manual muscle testing, which is used to identify imbalances that are causing certain disruptions within the body.
During my first treatment, the practitioner pushed my arm in a certain direction in order to decipher an answer from my muscle’s reaction to his action. I remember thinking it seemed pretty profound… I mean, how could my body possibly communicate what was wrong?
Roll on 15 years and today, as a yoga teacher i understand how our bodies are always trying to communicate with our brains. We just need to learn how to listen. And this is Kinesiology in a nutshell. It is an incredibly effective process rooted in science that ‘plugs in’ to the body’s wisdom in order to understand not just what the issue is but also what is required to get better.
So how does it work?
The body is like an electrical piece of equipment which is controlled by the brain. The brain is continually in communication with each of the 639 muscles in the body. If a muscle is electrically in balance, when tested, the muscle will remain strong and resilient to any sort of physical pressure.
However, when the body is under some sort of stress (from a chemical, emotional, structural or electrical cause), the electrical signals in one or more muscles go weak. This tells the therapist that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. As well as physical injuries and ailments, it also aids psychological wellbeing including emotional trauma, anxiety, stress and PTSD.
Jo Hanks, Seed’s Kinesiologist in Henley, first discovered this modality when going through some personal health issues. Said Jo, “I had been suffering with skin, digestive and hormonal issues for over a year. Rounds of antibiotics weren’t helping clear my skin and had disrupted my digestion. Neither was the birth control pill that I had been prescribed which in turn disrupted my hormones too.
“I ate what I thought at the time to be a healthy vegan/vegetarian diet and yet, nothing changed. I felt helpless and disempowered with my health and didn’t know what to do next. Out of desperation, on recommendation from a friend, I invested in a Kinesiology consult where we discussed my lifestyle, diet & nutrition and used muscle testing to find out what supplements were needed in my diet to bridge the gaps. The results were life-changing.
“I found it fascinating how my body responded to the muscle testing and knew exactly what and how much it needed to rebalance and heal. And even more interesting was how my mind responded to being listened to & heard in a way I’d never experienced before. All of this helped me make changes and feel truly empowered to get my vibrant health & energy back on track.
“I had finally found something that treats the person as a whole, pinpointing the root cause of body imbalance rather than solely firefighting symptoms & disease alone. This for me and my health was a total game changer. And that’s why I wanted to bring this to other people through my work.”
In her clinic, Jo sees & treats the following:
- Raised cortisol levels due to stress / hormonal imbalance / wired tired
- Digestion / weight loss / disordered eating
- Immunity
- Post viral recovery
- Chronic fatigue
- Low mood
- Sleep
- Hormonal imbalance
- Cancer
- Prostate
- Menopause
- Thyroid issues
- Emotional wellbeing
Said Jo, “I love guiding my clients through & beyond what’s holding them back from reaching an empowered place with their health, where they feel back in control of their lives. This is why I do my job – there’s no better feeling than seeing my clients thrive.”
Jo Hanks works from a beautiful private clinic space at Badgemore House located just outside Henley. For more information visit www.seedwellness.co.uk/johanks
