When I trained as a reflexologist waaaay back in 2001 in the UK, we were taught how the body is reflected through the feet, we were taught anatomy and physiology, we were taught the position of reflex points, sequences and techniques to bring it all together as a holistic therapy... but there was no real mention of the importance of our emotions, soul or spirit. We had one day talking about subtle energies but nothing I learnt through my accreditation, prepared me for discovering how the soles of the feet can literally become the doorway to the soul.
Five years after my year long practitioners course, I enrolled on a 5 day workshop that changed my life. The connection between the mind and the body... the power of our emotions... how the body speaks to us through its dis-ease... and how all of this is reflected through our feet. This workshop became my spiritual awakening (a story I'll share another day!) and the way I offered reflexology totally transformed. I became so passionate about it, that I taught these insights and techniques in workshops for many years.
So here we go...
Take a deep breath before you read on... and as you read the following questions... be really honest about the emotions that come up.
What do you think about your feet?
These are the first questions I always asked when giving talks and workshops on Universal Reflexology and Sole Healing... because like it or not... when you describe how you feel about your feet... you are essentially describing how you feel about yourself.
It's amazing... and actually quite sad... how many people say that they hate their feet... because this shows that they are not happy with who they are and how they are. However, through that admission and acceptance, the doorway is opened to deeper self discovery and... a healing of those emotions and an understanding of where those emotions may have come from.
Here's a couple of basic foot reading insights.
The right foot reflects the past and the left foot reflects the present - so have a look at the differences between the two. To someone with foot reading insight, the differences will highlight where the changes have taken place emotionally.
The toe pads reflect the head, mindset, beliefs, patterns and ways of thinking - look at the different shapes, colour and direction the toes are pointing in! It all means something :)
The soles of the feet reflect the 'front' we are putting out to the world and what we are facing.
The tops of the feet reflect what we have put behind us.
Of course, foot reading for emotional and spiritual wellbeing is subjective, personal and emotional. There are deeper insights where we bring in the chakras (the body's energy centres), colours, temperature... and it's not a case of 'one size fits all' with just the one linear meaning to a condition or area of the foot. We have to step beyond the limits of our logical minds and drop into the power of our intuition and be fuelled with love, compassion and respect for the soul who is baring their soles (soul) to us. There must always be a connection based on integrity and trust for any Sole Healing or reading to take place.
I have witnessed clients move through deep realisations, self acceptance... and release. For example... simply from being able to highlight the meaning of an area of thick hard skin that hasn't gone away despite continual exfoliation, scrubbing and professional podiatry, long held grief that has been a burden and block to moving forward in life has been released. And yes, the hard skin softened and didn't come back.
I truly believe that when we are ready to hear the messages of our body, we open the door to our hearts and our healing... and our soul can be heard through our soles.
Lots more to come on Foot Reading... and wishing you all a wonderful evening!
Love from the Spanish Alpujarras,
Sally xx
PS... This photo was taken from a Foot Reading talk and demonstration I gave to The International Newcomers Club when I lived in Rio de Janeiro... almost 10 years ago!