Ann Holdway - Kinesiology: Muscle testing & energy balancing

Health Essentials

KINESIOLOGY

Muscle testing and energy balance

ANN HOLDWAY

I WOULD LIKE to acknowledge Dr George Goodheart DC, the creator of Applied Kinesiology. My special thanks and appreciation go to John F. Thie for having the vision, wisdom and courage to share this knowledge, through Touch for Health, with non-professionals. Without his insight kinesiology would not have grown so fast, expanded to cover so many different branches, nor would thousands of people worldwide have benefited. My thanks go to Katrina Duncan for her support and expertise in reading the manuscript. And also to all the practitioners who kindly contributed valuable information to this book.

I FIRST SAW kinesiology demonstrated back in 1977. What stopped me in my tracks was how immediate it was. The demonstrator, through a process I came to know as muscle testing, communicated with his volunteers body, found out what was needed, and then, by massaging or just touching different parts of her body, he brought about a change there and then. Being a health and beauty therapist I was au fait with bringing about changes that took time and effort, often with the help of creams and lotions, machines, diet or exercise. But to just make contact with another and let their body give you information that could then be used to bring about an immediate change was a totally new concept to me. This was my introduction to kinesiology, and I needed to know more.

I went on to study Touch for Health and work alongside the most active instructor at that time, Brian Butler. Most of our weekends were spent teaching and sharing this information with others. When I first started integrating the techniques I had learned into my work some of my clients declared that I must be a witch! How else could they explain how aches and pains disappeared at a touch, that after one session they could move freely when joints had been stiff for years, or how a muscle suddenly became rock solid when they held a specific food in their mouths? Since those early days kinesiology has developed and grown in a wide diversity of ways and new information is unfolding all the time. For me the magic is still there and every now and then Ill catch myself thinking, Hey this stuff really works.

So what is the magic of kinesiology? Simply that you work with the bodys own innate intelligence and its ability to heal itself. The latter is something you experience every time you cut your finger and it starts to heal right away, without you giving it a second thought. Every day we create the life we live. More and more the initiative for finding solutions to problems be they related to health, relationships or self-development comes from the individual. Each of us is unique, with a genetic blueprint unlike that of anyone else in the world. The most valid source of information about you, is you. When it comes to issues that involve you, no other authority, no matter how well-informed or educated, knows your individual inner truth. Your body holds all the answers as to what works for you. Kinesiology gives you the key to unlock this knowledge. Awareness is the essence. The more you learn about your mind and body, how they work and what is beneficial to you, the easier it becomes to create the life you want. Each persons needs are different. You only have one body to last you a lifetime, you are its protector and its friend, you play the leading role in this never-to-be-repeated living of your life, so find out what works for you. Life is for living, loving and learning and the learning goes on throughout our lives.

Kinesiology is a product of the twentieth century: continuing to break new ground all the time, it is the fastest growing natural health care system in the world. People from office workers to athletes use it in their everyday lives to upgrade their well-being, keep aches and pains at bay, reduce stress, improve their performance and help themselves to better health. It is utilized by doctors, dentists, teachers, sports trainers, chiropractors, herbalists, osteopaths, nutritionists, counsellors and many other natural health care practitioners in their work. This book will introduce you to the world of kinesiology, answer most of your questions, advise you where to go for more information, give you some insight into what kinesiology can help with, explain what to expect from a treatment, provide you with an overview of the different branches of kinesiology, and give direction to those of you who want to learn more.

Ann Holdway started her training for kinesiology in the late 70s, following on with a course, in the United States, to become a qualified Touch for Health instructor. She also helped to form the British Touch for Health Association, serving on the committee for ten years in various capacities. Before working for a London borough as Head of Sports Development during the 90s, Ann ran her own health & beauty salon whilst teaching and lecturing in the field of health, fitness, exercise, beauty and kinesiology.

There is a growing number of people who find themselves attracted to holistic or alternative therapies and natural approaches to maintaining optimum health and vitality. The Health Essentials series will help the newcomer by presenting high-quality introductions to all the main complementary health subjects. Each book presents all the essential information on a particular therapy, explaining what it is, how it works and what it can do for the reader. Advice is also given, where possible, on how to begin using the therapy at home, together with comprehensive lists of courses and classes available worldwide.

The Health Essentials series titles are all written by practising experts in their fields. Exceptionally clear and concise, each text is supported by attractive and helpful illustrations.

Books in the series:

Acupressure, Jon Sandifer

Acupuncture, Peter Mole

Chinese Medicine, Tom Williams

Hydrotherapy, Leon Chaitow

Self-Hypnosis, Elaine Sheehan

Natural Beauty, Sidra Shaukat

Spiritual Healing, Jack Angelo

T RADITIONALLY KINESIOLOGY (pronounced kin-easy-ology) refers to the study of muscles and movement in the body and is widely used in this context by physical educators, coaches, physiotherapists and fitness specialists. Now, through worldwide use for over thirty years, a new meaning has evolved for the word, which is to describe a natural health system used by therapists based on manual muscle testing. The latter is what this book is all about.

One of the hardest tasks for kinesiologists over the years has been to find a simple and concise answer to the question, What is kinesiology? This is not surprising as kinesiology is very much a hands on therapy and it is far more tangible for the person to feel for themselves what a muscle test is, experience the difference when a change happens, learn how their body is responding to the daily stresses and strains, than it is to provide a string of words to impart the same information. Nevertheless, I will offer you a few descriptions which may answer the question for you:

Kinesiology is a system which links traditional (Chinese) Oriental ideas of energy flow found in acupuncture and acupressure with Western style muscle testing. The idea is to bring about balance within the body by removing toxins, relieving energy blockages, reducing tension and enhancing the bodys natural healing ability.