reflex
FROM HEAD TO TOE
The Face as a Mirror of the Body
By Yvette Eastman

“From head to toe” is an amusing phrase for us as Reflexologists since we know that the toes contain all the reflexes to the head. So one of the first things that would give you the perfect Face Reflexology session might be to rub your toes! But that’s not why you are reading this article so let me give you some very wonderful visual cues on Face Reflexology. Many of you are already people watchers. This article will show you specific traits to observe and what stories they can tell you.

Look at your self in the mirror, or ask your friend for permission to stare and make deductions. Ever line and every trait will give you messages. It will be as if you were reading a book. That will also tell you which areas need assistance.

First look at the face chart on the left, and the superimposed image of a body drawn on the face. Look at the place where I have drawn the head. Now look at the picture of the man on the right, and notice the lines on his forehead, just above the nose.

Face number 11s copy
I call these “number 11’s” and they tell me that this person’s mind is always going – just like the “energizer bunny”. This man is in his head all the time. If his mind is always on, then he probably has trouble falling asleep because he is constantly thinking. He is therefore missing many hours of restful sleep. People who do not get enough sleep do not heal as swiftly and tend to have muscle pain in arms, legs, neck, back muscles and joints. The discomforts activate the adrenal glands, partly because they need some of the minerals that the adrenal glands know about and partly because the “get up and go” or flight/flight” hormones need to be activated, for our fellow to get up and do his daily work. The adrenal glands cannot tell the difference between thinking stress and real stress. They only understand that when there is stress, they need to stimulate conversion of proteins to carbohydrates, raise blood sugar levels and promote glycogen storage in the liver, in order to provide instant energy. Bursts of the hormones, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline are released in response to a stressor, resulting in the traditional —fight, flight or freeze responses.

When the adrenal glands of our fellow with the ”# 11’s” are over-stimulated, they activate the tendon guard reflex in the calves of his legs (so he can run faster). Over a period of time, this tightens the Achilles tendon, which now pulls on the plantar fascia, the major muscle in the foot.

After asking our “#11’s” on his/her forehead, if his mind is always going, and if he has trouble falling asleep, I can now ask, “Do you have pain in your feet?” It seems like a big jump yet it is often true. The Achilles tendon has pulled so hard on the fascia of the foot’s muscle that it may have torn away from the bone in the feet.

More visual information:

Yvette picture
I look at the nose and cheeks. Are they splotchy and red? The problem may be Rosacea. But the Face Reflexology concept points to possible lung or heart involvement. I also check for a diagonal crease in the ear, which often supports the heart involvement theory. Now my client and I can discuss different ways to assist and strengthen the heart and lungs with exercise and food choices and the use of Reflexology. I use the reflexes to the lungs, bronchioles, trachea and Solar Plexus Heart & Circulation. I might suggest Yoga or Tai Chi or Qi Kung, all of which teach breathing techniques,


More facial information. On the man’s picture, notice his smile. On the Face as Mirror of the Body picture , notice that some of the muscles that activate the smile correspond to the knees. His smile is crooked, so I suspect jaw-joint concerns (TMJ). Along with asking about his jaw, I ask this fellow if he has any knee problems. Since he has foot problems, I am not surprised. And now, notice that if you draw a line from one knee to the other on the “face mirror”, the line goes through the low back and hips. Another question for our man, “How is your low back? How about your hips?”

The fact is, most foot pain originates from the low back, which also causes knee problems, and that, of course, affects the feet. So the pattern continues with jaw problems, possibly caused by gnashing or grinding teeth at night, by tightening the jaw and teeth,(so you don’t say the wrong thing), affecting the knees. The knees are often equated in Reflexology to our link with the spiritual. A stressed person does not always trust that the world is unfolding as it should. So there is no surprise when TMJ problems reflect knee problems.

One last visual cue deals with the lips. I laughingly point out to you that we are a tube from the mouth to the other end. A tube with a pretty face, but a tube no less! So, if the mouth is constricted, I suspect the same at the other end, and there may be constipation, or congestion in all the lower functions. In some people where the lip is very flaccid, I suspect other forms of colon problems, IBS, loose bowels. I do not diagnose or tell people what I observe. I ask questions and from the answers I receive, I now have a good idea of which reflexes I want to work with. I use foot, hand or face Reflexology, whichever will give the best results for that individual.

Take a look at this Face Reflexology chart below. Guided by the information you have just read and the information you know about yourself or your friend, gently press, stroke, tap or hold the points shown to affect different parts of the system.

In Reflexology you can do no harm. Reflexes do not stimulate the organs, but rather send a message to normalize them. There is no reason to fear working on a person with an irregular heartbeat, or an overactive bowel. Working on these points will bring them back to their own natural rhythm. Whether you are dealing with the Pancreas and Diabetes, or with bloating, know that you will bring relief.


Face Reflexes copy

To find out more about facial cues, read Yvette’s book, Face to Face - Face Reflexology for Health and Relaxation. In her manual she describes many characteristics that have both physical and emotional attributes. She also teaches you several different techniques to provide a great facial reflexology session, including scalp massage. She describes many reflexes to relieve headaches. Yvette is always involved in emotions and their relationship to disease and illness; she shows you how to overcome certain behaviours and emotional challenges using reflexes that relate to them.

Yvette teaches classes in all forms of Reflexology as well as providing sessions. Check her website http://www.touchpointreflexology.com or e-mail her: yvette@touchpointreflexology.com