REFLEXOLOGY ~ Healing Your Body from Top to Toes | SEASON 2 Episode ONE

Hi, Carol Behringer here and welcome to the Amazing Movement podcast. And the purpose of this podcast is to help you find as much joy and well-being in your life day in and day out. [music] And today [music] our guest is Victoria Williams and she's an amazing reflexologist who I met just after the quarantine >> 2022. >> 2022 for your birthday. for my birthday. So, my birthday's New Year's Eve, in case you want to make note. And so, a client of mine who had known Victoria for years had given me a gift certificate for my birthday. And I met Victoria and we just both connected and her work is so amazing. And I'm so glad that we're here today with someone else being her client because I'm in the chair and I'm asleep. So, I'm really fascinated today to see Victoria's work because I never know, but I certainly feel the benefits. So, I'm gonna turn it over to Victoria to tell you how she became a reflexologist and now her practice and where it's moved because you work with healthy people to keep healthy. You work with people in crisis with trauma, right? You've been traumatined and then just everything in between. >> Thank you. Thank you for having me. >> Oh my gosh. so excited. >> Um I basically got into reflexology um just by mistake. Um, it was a friend of my mom's who was a massage therapist and she was also offering reflexology and I used to suffer from endometriosis in a in a really big way. Um, monthly monthly problems and pain and whenever she did reflexology, I noticed a decrease in pain. And so year after year, to cut a long story short, I ended up um finding again um a reflexologist who uh I reached out to because I was having really bad problems. I'd been, you know, struggling big time with pain um and with the endometrios with the endometriosis and uh I I used to go and see her once a week and then, you know, two every two weeks and then infrequently because I it became consistent that I was it was helping me so much more. >> And this was before you had children. >> Yes. So explain what endometriosis is because some people viewing might. >> So it's where the endometrium lining grows outside um of the uterus of and um it it it inflames. So each month when you go through your cycle, it actually inflames just the same. And so you're dealing with in inflammation in all different parts um lesions, connecting organs. So it it depends where it's growing. Um you really feel that that inflammation >> and it's a fairly common problem. It's a common problem. It wasn't when I was first diagnosed. Um it took seven years for the doctors to actually go ahead and do laparoscopies. So um in all of that time I was looking for ways of holistic wellness to benefit me. >> Wow. >> So where'd you go from there? >> So where I went from there was to um go to a college. Um I decided why am I receiving this and not giving it back from a a teenage year um in my teenage in my teenage years I um found holistic wellness with raiki and you know massage um acupuncture all of these things and I thought to myself why am I not giving this you know I'm receiving it but this is so helpful to other people >> because it resonated so much with you that you just absolutely feel the same way about my work. >> Why not give this to it's a it it really is a phenomenal modality. And so I decided that I was going to go and train. So I went to the Ontario College of uh reflexology when my ch my children had left and kind of gone to school. So I had the days where I could start studying. Um and from there it just has grown and grown and grown and I've just had the ability to work with people and uh I love I love it. I love receiving it and I love giving reflexology. >> Yes. And Victoria, I know that you keep going to conferences and you keep deepening your knowledge in this work and every time you do it and I see you again, you're so reinspired and and and it's really wonderful to watch. Yeah, >> it's constantly evolving. We're constantly learning new things about reflexology. We're having studies whereby we are proving that by stimulating the reflexes on the feet, we're getting results. Um, and I could talk a little bit about what reflexology is. Um, >> yeah, please. Because most people may not know, and the way I understood it, and I might be off base, is that your foot's a replica of your entire body. >> That's correct. >> So that you can find everything that's in the body in the foot. >> That's right. Our our feet and actually our hands and our face um replicate all the different parts, glands, and organs. They're little maps of the entire body. And so it's based on the premise that there are zones and reflexes on the foot feet that correspond and are relative to all the different parts, glands, and organs of the body. >> Wow. And so when we work on stimulating those reflexes in those zones, we're sending a signal up to the brain through the the natural nervous system um and um giving that the brain a signal to work around the body and to send whatever it needs the building blocks to restore the body to its natural state. >> And it's not just a one time like when we're talking about this like your body didn't come to be in this place overnight. So when you work on this like the if you do repeated um sessions then it keeps retraining the messages between the brain and the body. >> Yes. In in in in a way yes it does. Um and I I I think the most important thing is to actually get the body to respond and to reinstate the I'm losing it a little bit. um to um >> like open up new pathways for >> open up new pathways to um to to to the body. Yeah. >> So we're on our feet for most how many hours a day and it is literally just it it stops working. It stops working. >> Let's see it happen. Okay. >> All right. >> Right. >> Go for it. >> So a session would begin um coming in into the chair. and um finding out about your your health history to see um if there's anything bothering you at the moment. Um I've had a a chat here with Stacy who has a slight uh some insomnia issues, but also some neck issues. So, what I like to do um is find out more about what's going on with the body. Before I start, I do a quick check of the feet. see see how how they are, if there's any sores, if there's any pain. Um, and I'm using a hot towel with some tea tree just to get the feet ready. And as you know, Carol, this bit's quite nice. >> It is. It's so nice. And Victoria has a wonderful cozy space that just puts you in the zone for this treatment. M smells divine. And that's a warm towel, right? Too. That's why you're taking it out of the thermos. >> That's Yes. So, I work from home and I also go to people's homes that can't necessarily get to me. Uh, generally if they have, you know, wheelchair leg problems. Um, I I work with people with ALS and Parkinson's. U more often than not, it's easier for me to get to them. And so um I tend to this is my get up where I take a nice thermos fl my road show. >> So just sterilizing the feet. And what we'd do here is we'd take some nice deep breaths just to connect with that breath and just to slow the system naturally. >> I'm going to >> really concentrating on that breath. And sometimes reflexologists don't use balms or creams. I do. I think it adds to the the experience. Um, and it's just a little bit easier um especially with dryness, especially this time of year when people are struggling with dryness. And so just connecting with the feet and we start with a sort of a fiveinut um warm up. And it's really important to state that, you know, as a reflexologist, I'm not a massage therapist therapist. And this is and I'm I'm not giving them a f foot rub. Um, but it's we've got to get the foot warmed up. We got to get the circulation going. And also, people are going from summer shoes to fall shoes and then to winter boots. And so each time we go through a season, we have a seasonal shift because >> your feet carry your body around all day. It's how you get from task to task. And when you change that, it changes everything. >> Yeah. And some of the worst things that we're doing is wearing flip-flops. >> And it's the the worst thing that we can be doing. >> And so yeah, we'd start with a a warmup. Now, we've got some studies out there that have proven that reflexology helps with circulation. Um, we, you know, we've we've seen that. And also stress relief. The biggest biggest biggest thing that you can get from reflexology is, um, those two things. Um, 80% of diseases and issues are related with a root cause based in stress. And so if we can knock that out as best we can, we're making ourselves healthier. >> We h we have to work on that because just living on the planet is stressful. Yes. >> You know, timets and work and family and it's not that it's unnecessary stress, it just exists. Yeah. >> So the more that we can rein it in. >> So here I'm just doing um as we said the map uh the body is a map on the foot. Um, this technique is called the spinal twist. So, the spine is is literally um mapped out down here. And we're just twisting this out. Just kind of loosening everything up a little bit and also making the client feel relaxed. >> Well, I'm by then, so I [laughter] I have my session, so I'm really excited to watch this. >> Do most of your clients fall asleep? most fall asleep. Um, and I like to to to those ones that say they're never gonna fall asleep, I usually give them a five minute countdown. And it it's a I use um frequency music as well, which has now been also proven to um that it works really really well in relaxation. And so, um, with the music, with the scent, with the atmosphere, I just want people to feel comfortable and that they can snore as loud as they want to. >> Yeah. And I'm like, I'm trying to think if I even remember the music. I don't. I might when I first come into the room, but I'm I miss it. [laughter] I miss out on that. I probably don't because that type of music is meant to also condition you. Correct. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> And so here we would be um I've kind of done a very very quick warm up. I'm just using my thumb which would be a thumb walk. Um this is one of the techniques that we use within reflexology. And I'm just thumb walking the um diaphragm line. Um, more often than not when people are asleep and I get to this point, I actually watch to see what's happening and I get the the big breath, big sigh happening. Um, it really does um >> slow that >> and sigh are very healing. >> Size are very very healing. It's it's it's slowing. It's we're slowing the system down to to begin to work naturally the way that it should. And so we would start I'd usually start with this if I if I noticed that they weren't relaxing straight away. And then always the spine the spine connecting to absolutely everything. And if the pressure is too much, do let me know. So I'm literally um working up the vertebrae here. Just seeing if >> that's crazy. >> You may be able to feel sensations happening. >> Right. I'm out by now. So, yeah, give us feedback. >> Yeah. So one of the biggest um findings that we've we have now is that uh two reflexologists very renowned they um did functional MRI testing on a good thousand uh uh clients and they saw that when the foot was being worked on and stimulate they could see the opening of the um the >> Eric, it's right there on the right there. It's my phone. I can tell. >> Sorry guys. >> So, say that again about the spine. So one of the biggest findings that we've had is that some uh very renowned reflexologists in did a testing functional MRI and when they were working on the feet the brain was lighting up and we have imagery now to say and they used um the shoulders, the eyes and the small intestines which was the the the the we have different maps. Everybody has their own map. These maps were the ones that all kind of correlated together. So they used those three areas. And so when they were working on the people and asking sensations and the brain was lighting up, they all matched and and so they had it. >> And of course, somebody came along and um decided that >> they weren't going because we hadn't stated in research that um they were not reflexologists being tested on, then it wouldn't be taken. So, we've now done another test >> and they've put it together and they it's it's just trying to prove that that this works and that when you're stimulating the body, the feet and the hands, the brain is lighting up. The brain is feeling where the sensations are. >> How far back in history is reflexology a therapy? >> So, they found on hieroglyphics. >> Hieroglyphics. They found um that some um on a papyrus hieroglyphics of of uh practitioner >> well of feet with oil >> was an honor. >> Yes. >> In history. So yeah. >> Yeah. >> It just >> and so it does go back and and actually Unice Ingram is the mother of reflexology. She brought it around. I think it was the 1930s and she had worked with a doctor. I think she was a um a physiootherapist and she worked with a doctor on zone therapy and so this came from her. She is she is the one that brought it to the forefront. >> And what was her name again? >> Unice Ingam. >> Unice In Singum. >> Yes. >> Okay. And so since then her nephew I believe brought it through um even further with more research and work. >> So really it's only in uh the mainstream >> and it's not all yet fully in the mainstream. No. >> Uh it it's in the last century. >> Wow. So in Canada I believe and also the UK um they use it in oncology um centers because they've seen the redu the stress reduction that it that it has a great effect on patients going through cancer treatments. Um >> what are you doing on my toe right now? >> I'm working your headbrain area. >> Yes. >> Did you feel it? >> Yeah. Like tingly? >> Yeah. Is it hurting? >> No. >> I know. When do you pay attention to your body this much? Right. >> Yeah. >> So, working the shoulder is >> I can see the circulation in the foot changing. >> The the temperature also you can you can start to feel warmth. Um especially with people with Parkinson's and uh ALS obviously the circulation the foot becomes very very tense very uh tight and the circulation is not as it should be and so as soon as I start to work um you can see that it the color changes the texture changes we're looking we're looking we're looking for deposits um in the foot so we're looking for uh like a gritty sensation. So if something is blocked, we know that we need to send signals up to the brain to go and work in that area. So working on the bladder. Um if we see any kind of puffiness, then I'm going to start working there just to just to send signals up there because everything's connected. Everything is connected >> and everything's not connected creates a different kind of stress, right? >> Absolutely. >> For the body parts to be speaking to each other. So >> Stacy's um strongest issue when we spoke before we began filming was insomnia. >> So all of these points that you're now doing linked to her de-stressing enough to have better sleep. >> Yes. Yes. So, I'm working the spine. I'm working the neck. I'm working the shoulder because the shoulder I'm feeling a little bit of grittiness in there. Um, and then I'm working the head and brain up through the neck, the head and brain area to bring some circulation and uh hopefully press the button so that we kind of induce that homeostasis into the body. >> And circulation brings information, right? and then takes waste away. >> So the nervous system is what I'm trying to work with. I'm trying to send a signal using the nervous system to the brain. Circulation is bringing nutrients and everything that's needed to feed the different areas of the body that need to be fed. Um, but it is the nervous system that I'm working with >> to increase the circulation to increase all those improvements. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Sort of. [laughter] >> I know there's a lot in between. Yeah, there's a lot. >> Yeah. [clears throat] >> It's the grittiness. It's the um Uni Singham used to call it crystallize effect. We use that in massage therapy, but it's not actually that's not what we can apply that to. It's it's it's deposits. It's deposits. It's blockages within that tissue. So, the tissue itself will feel slightly different. If something is blocked, I'm going to feel slight uh issue in that area with tenderness with uh it becomes puffy. Um it becomes tight. And so my the aim of my work is to get in there and start to work with it to unblock that area with pressure. It's a it's a it's a um focus pressure technique. Reflexology is a focus pressure technique. >> How do you learn that on your just your fingers start to feel different? >> Mhm. You really have to be called to this work and you are. [laughter] >> I love this work because I know that it works and I needed to to to know that it worked in order to go forward with it. The pain the pain relief that I I receive I I feel from reflexology is phenomenal. And I will say acupuncture as well. Hand in hand for me it was the the the way that I ended up with three children and terrible endometriosis relief was reflexology and acupuncture. >> Wow. >> Mhm. And how fortunate that also in this season we have we will be featuring an acupuncturist. So >> absolutely. >> Yes. Wow. So doing both together double down doubled down on your endometriosis. >> Yes. >> Wow. >> Yeah. Double down on the pain >> for sure. [clears throat] >> Mhm. >> Yeah. So, taking a nice deep breath in through the nose. I know that when I fall asleep during the treatments when I come to you that I'll have jolts or actions and some that I don't know until I come too and Victoria reports back on what she found and where and how the rest of my body reacted. >> And as a reflexologist, it's really important also to say that you know we don't go against western medicine. We don't uh we're not medically trained. Um and therefore, you know, any findings are what relates to reflexology. >> So basically, you can be ready for better medical treatments. >> Yes. >> Because your body's just open to it and in a better state of being in general. I think as soon as we uh work on relaxation, we're already in a better state. >> Yeah, that's proven medically, I think, psychologically every which way, right? That stress, any relief of stress, well, mostly relief of stress will make a person have better rest. Yes. Which means that whatever is going on in your body can heal. >> Absolutely. >> Wow. And these would be the zones that I'm working up now. So I'm literally uh just scanning I'm kind of scanning the foot just to see if anything just jumps out at this stage. And anything that the the foot is a the foot map is 3D. So we work um you know something might be behind one of the organs. So I might be working on the the heart, but I'm also working on the bronchial area because it's 3D. So as I'm working through the different body systems, whatever I come across during that time, that's what I'm kind of going to work with. >> Does each foot report something different? >> Yes. Yeah. So the heart um obviously we don't have two spines, we have one spine. So everything kind of crosses over to to the the large toe and down. And then this side would be the spleen. This side is the liver. We have the two kidneys. We have the one heart, but it covers less on this side than this side. This side covers more of the heart. So it's it's it's the map is learning the map that kind of um comes across together, but the left relates to the left, the right relates to the right. Except when we're working on the head and the brain area, the brain being that whatever controls the left controls the right, the right to the left. >> So the right brain, left brain theory in general, >> yes, also applies >> also the ps to the foot. >> Wow. We're going to watch this foot have its metamorphosis. And again, these are just like little warm up techniques that we're using just to get the foot ready. Well, I know that when I um was working with the client that gave me the gift of Victoria, um that I had been searching for years for someone who focused fully on reflexology. So there are people that are trained in the whole body who offer reflexology, but people that focus strictly on reflexology are hard to find. >> There's not many. There's not many um here. Um there we have a huge following in the UK um and in Canada. Um, unfortunately there's not too many here in the US yet, but we're trying to we're trying to train up the youth so that they can use it and bring it through. And people always ask me uh always say to me, did I have a pedicure? I didn't did I I didn't have a pedicure. And I say, don't you don't need to come with >> dressed >> dressed. [laughter] My main aim is for people to feel completely and utterly relaxed in this chair. Uh it's no judgment. Whatever happens, if you fall asleep, if you snore, um I'm I'm dealing with the feet. I'm not dealing with the rest. And it is a personal experience. It's uh I like to to find out how people are afterwards. And I know that after the treatments you always send people um a survey of are you listening to your body and what the result was. And >> yeah um I always I always follow up because I want people my my philosophy in my work is that I want people to connect with themselves. I'm just facilitating. I'm not helping them here. I'm facilitating them getting better and looking after themselves. And so my whole aim is you know check in with yourself. What how do you feel today? Um reflexology has some after effects per se. Um you know increase toilet visits uh sweat. Um you might sleep more. You may uh just you know have the burst of energy and then slump. So increased thirst and hunger can be huge. You may have a funny kind of metallic taste in the mouth. It's just the body's way of reacting to the the the stimulation, the reflexology. >> It'll come to you later. >> So, usually when I have different types of experiences with practitioners that they'll ask something and I'll say, "Oh, no. You know, I don't I don't I don't feel that." And then later I'll think about it and I'll go, "Yes, I do." But we're also busy and distracted from our bodies to get back into it and then learn through these types of treatments how much better we can feel. Like we don't know how good we can feel. >> Yeah. >> People live with things and it becomes they compensate. And when you then you have one of these wonderful treatments and you'll think, "Huh? >> I need to pay attention." Yeah. >> And it is paying attention to your body. It's paying attention to what's going on and just living that that uh connected lifestyle. And once people do start feeling better, they just take better care of themselves, don't you think? In general. >> Yes. So each piece of self-care, which is a word I think is overused in many ways, I don't know, it's been a very popular word the last couple of years, but any bit of self-care that you begin educates you to the next level. And there are times when I need to come more regularly to you. And I'm I'm really good at rotating things like um myofascial work and then reflexology and an acupuncture and find how they build on each other. And while many of these things aren't covered by our medical insurance, it prevents us from loss of work, loss of joy and life in general. um and just brings you know a better quality to life which is can't what is it priceless [laughter] >> absolutely and I think all these these modalities anything that you choose um they should go hand inhand with each other um and you shouldn't be stressed trying to fit them in it should actually fit in with your lifestyle >> yeah and not all of them speak to each of us so I always say be open actually [clears throat] as I've always revealed on podcast. I'm 72, soon to be 73. And over the decades, I saw um different um acupuncturists, different reflexologists. Um and as I said, I really didn't see reflexologist because I couldn't find any. I only knew one and she moved to South Carolina and uh and was and was searching. and that you really do if you're open to it. Sometimes you still need to give it a chance because again we didn't get here overnight. The things that are happening in our bodies have built up over a lifetime. >> Yes. Yes. >> And you could find that you have a a reaction to something that your body was imbalanced for many years. >> And I think you just got to be open-minded. Mhm. >> Um there has to be, you know, where it comes to holistic wellness, you have to have an open mind. Um in that just by trying something differently than what you would be used to. Um I think it's uh I think we do shy away from holistic wellness um because it's not we're not brought up with it. Well, a lot of us are 90% of us are not brought up with it. So, I think it is it's just being open-minded to what what your body's capable of. >> And it's not I think I know that some people that I have as clients, they'll say, "Well, you know, I just feel like that's such a luxury." And to me, well, it it is. and you do feel much better in the moment or shortly thereafter the building up of taking care of yourself like you know I'm going to make it to 100 [laughter] and I want to make it only if I can be this vital so um you know I'm always open to whatever will help me and I just know that your work has >> and how I would end the session is connecting my heart with your part and then I like to do a kidney sweep. So down from the adrenals, kidney and down into the bladder to encourage a slight detox. >> So it connects all the systems in the body and rebalances them. >> Rebalancing. and coming up to the solar plexus, which is the the main connector of all the nerve endings. And taking a nice deep breath in when you're ready. And slowly really checking in from top to toe. >> You have a glow even your face, too. Like you you you're glowing. >> Wow. Yeah. And so as a as a kind of finish off a will state probably already have said it but reflexology is a focus pressure technique in which we can stimulate the nerves endings up to the brain bringing relaxation better circulation and just putting the body back into that homeostasis state. feel amazing. >> Thank you so much for joining us and all the information that you've given us. >> Thank you for having me. >> Be in touch. Yeah. [music]