I remember the first time I sat in front of a pair of feet on the first weekend of my training course to become a Reflexologist back in 1995.  I had decided that I wanted to become a complementary therapist, and after trying out several therapies (oh how difficult that research was – I had to subject myself to reflexology, massage therapy, shiatsu – poor me!) I decided reflexology was what I would like to study. 

Obviously, someone who decides to train as a reflexologist does not have a problem with feet!  Even so, I was apprehensive about how I would feel when it came to actually sitting at someone’s feet and learning how to give a reflexology treatment.

I needn’t have worried – I sat at a fellow student’s feet and I immediately felt at home.  I just began by holding the feet and using gentle massage movements, and somehow I felt the significance and the power of observing and working on a person’s feet.  They say the soles of the feet reflect the soul of the person, and after all my experience as a reflexologist, I believe this to be true. 

The feet can tell you so much about the person - about their owner’s thought processes, their gifts, how they express their feelings and emotions, if they are clear communicators, if they are sensitive, if they are practical and methodical or if they are full of good ideas that they find difficult to put into action.

Since I first studied reflexology I have worked on so many pairs of feet.  I have studied the Language of the Feet, and I have developed a keen interest in the stories the feet can tell.  Here are just some of the things you can tell about a person’s approach to life from their feet

• A person with wide feet is usually very practical, very reliable, ‘salt of the earth’.  They tend to be very methodical and hard-working and might it difficult to sit down and relax – they are always doing something.

• Longer slender feet reflect souls who are more aesthetic by nature.  They like to relax and be pampered.

• A person whose feet have good arches is likely to be very well supported in life. 

• A person with bunions is usually motivated by the need to help others.  It may be that they need to take a step back and see what it is that they need to do to help themselves more.

• Think of the phrase ‘getting cold feet’ – a person with cold feet may tend to start projects, but probably are not very good at finishing them – they literally get ‘cold feet’ before the end.

• A person with longer toes will be full of good ideas.

• Hard skin on the feet can reflect hardship or areas of vulnerability. 

There are so many aspects to reading feet.  The skin, temperature, colour, shape of the toes, angles of the feet, markings on the feet, and nails all tell their own part of the story.  Summertime can be a very interesting time for foot readers as they can observe all those feet in flip-flops and sandals!

Of course, on the other hand, if you spot someone staring at your feet – now you know what they are looking for!

Sharon Murphy is a Reflexologist and lives in The Rower, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland.   She can be contacted at 051-423957 or 087 9305591, or by email at Sharon@TrueBlueTherapies.com.

If you would like to find out more about what your feet say about you, or indeed about what you can tell about family or friends from their feet, True Blue Therapies deliver a workshop on Stories the Feet Can Tell.  For information on the next workshop, contact Sharon on 087 9305591 or email Sharon@truebluetherapies.com .  Likewise, if you would like to book a reflexology session with Sharon, you can contact her at the same number or email address.  

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