Geraldine Villeneuve is the third speaker from the UK Reflexology Conference 2018
Geraldine Villeneuve, Author of “Put Your Best Feet Forward”, is an American Board Certified Reflexologist, has been practicing reflexology for over 30 years. She holds a bachelor of science in Therapeutic Recreation, and is a licensed massage practitioner specialising in injury remediation. She is a charter member of RAA as was a keynote speaker at the national reflexology conference in Anchorage, AK in 2016.
She founded the Seattle Reflexology and Massage Centre(SRMC) in 1992 where she produced and taught a popular three hundred hour Masters Level Reflexology Certification training series until 1999. Inspired by specific keynote speakers at national and international reflexology conferences, she invited instructors from around the globe to introduce their method of reflexology to her students, which began to set the standard for the school’s higher purpose.
Geraldine trademarked Structural Reflexology® in 2013 as a revolutionary motion to promote foot health awareness by providing education for more healthful and therapeutic options to resolve foot pain and compensation in the body. Ultimately her goal is to encourage public awareness to rise into a culture of individuals with vital feet rather than a culture of foot-pain sufferers.
Reflexology is the gift that grounds us and anchors our body to enable more light to shine through our being. When we are in pain, this pain reminds us of our body’s density. Because we have a physical vehicle (our body) on this earthly plane, we must ground ourselves and use the feet as a platform to branch into higher realms of being. Take Fire-Walking as an example of the power of grounding. I had the privilege to take renowned motivational speaker Tony Robbins first
Fire-Walk work shop in Vermont. It was titled ‘Mind Revolutions.’ After 5 days of mental cleansing, healing exercises, and learning to re-establish the mind/body connection, participants willingly lined up to walk barefoot across a 12-foot bed of hot coals raked out from a huge bon-fire that took a day and half to burn. The prerequisite to being allowed to proceed was determined by Tony on how well you were grounded to the earth and your mindset. He could ascertain the readiness of each individual by their posture, which communicated thoughts and emotions that either empowered or disempowered confidence. Tony assessed each person very astutely and would only allow those who presented a strong grounding posture to walk over the hot coals, and sent those who did not to the end of the line, lest
they risk the exposure of being burned. No one got burned, well, except for one participant. I spoke with her afterwards and she explained that although initially she felt ready to walk– in the midst of her journey across the hot coals an uncomfortable memory entered her mind and suddenly her little toe was singed. She was mad. Mad at being burned and mad at the world for the troubles she couldn’t reckon with from her past. Burning her little toe ended up being the catalyst to healing and reconciling with her past—and as a result, she blossomed into a very successful professional.
You may wonder how this information fits in with ‘Put Your Best Feet Forward’? The simple answer is: because our foundation sets the tone for success in life–on all levels, whether it be on the physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, or on the etheric plane. Consciously or unconsciously, I believe we as reflexologists are in tune with this concept the most.
There is a natural rhythm to walking and movement ,which can be related to reflex activity in the body. I have concluded that the feet, as a microcosm of the body, are designed by nature to resuscitate the rest of the body through movement—and Structural Reflexology is one of those many gems that pave a rainbow of colours to enjoy life more thoroughly.
First, I want to acknowledge the late, Mr. Bill Runquist, a gifted reflexologist who was one of the main contributors to introduce Foot Joint Mobilisation to reflexologists after he studied with podiatrist, Dr Harvey Lampell, and chiropodist, Dr. Simon J. Wikler. The benefaction was to understand foot function as an integral component in the practice of reflexology. After apprenticing with Bill for over 3 years I discovered more clearly why this information was bestowed to those in the reflexology field and spent years practicing and incorporating foot movement with foot reflexology, while maintaining the relationship of the feet as a microcosm of the entire body. Twenty years later I compiled this information into my debut book, Put Your Best Feet Forward. I am so grateful to have been mentored by Bill and hope this presentation adds further respect and momentum to his message, as well as to Dr. Simon J. Wikler DC, and Dr. John Martin Hiss, MD. Today, in the Light of keeping this valuable information alive, I pass the baton on to you with joy.
Isn’t Reflexology wonderful? There are so many ways to practice Reflexology and there is usually a success story that follows each session. This presentation will take you on a journey that will enhance what you already know about the feet as a microcosm of the body. On many levels Reflexologists are indirectly doing this work already….
What is Structural Reflexology?
Structural Reflexology® is a combination of foot assessment, reflexology and manual muscle and ligament tension release work. The purpose is to overcome foot tension and bring the foot back to a stage that is comfortable and functional. This is accomplished by relaxing the long and short foot muscles that coordinate foot movement and by releasing ligament strain for organised joint articulation during locomotion.
Benefits of Structural Reflexology
* Improve foot joint articulation
* Improve weight bearing and balance
* Improve blood & nerve supply to the feet and body ! Relief of compensation in feet and body
* Relief of joint tension
* Increased strength and vitality of the feet and body
Primary Goals of Structural Reflexology
Reduce stress in the feet and entire body …
Overcome joint tension…
Relieve muscle strain …
Increase joint motion …
Bring the foot back to a stage that is comfortable…
The Structural Reflexology® practitioner initiates his or her session using a Brannock Foot Measuring Device to measure their clients feet, which helps determine probable causes of foot issues. Ink press equipment may also be used to assist in observing weight distribution problems, and reveal over or under-stimulated reflex areas of the body due to inappropriate weight bearing. However, the eyes, ears, thumbs, and fingers are the most important tools to the session.
Once the initial foot assessment has been completed and the subjective and objective information has been noted, the Structural Reflexologist begins the work of educating their clients about the organisation of the foot, and how it functions, building up to why the body in turn compensates from strain, which is more often than not from the shoes they have been wearing. This part of the session is essential in order for the client to make informed decisions about the shoes they choose to wear and to have a chance for lasting success in their recovery from foot pain. Then the hands on part of the Structural Reflexology® session begins.
To proceed with a Structural Reflexology® session it is good to note the Foot Reflexology Guidelines as reference points as these guidelines make it easy to know where the sections of the feet articulate horizontally. For example:
” The heel-line defines the articulation area of the calcaneus and talus. These are reflexive to the pelvis and the organs within.
” The waist-line defines the articulating joints between the mid-foot: Cuboid, Cuneiforms 123 and the bases of the metatarsal bones. These are reflexive to the low and mid back and the organs within.
” The diaphragm-line differentiates the area of articulation between the metatarsal and the phalangeal joints. The flexibility of these joints is important to keep their reflex area vital in expanding the muscles that move the lungs for breathing. s
The guideline that divides Zone 1 from Zone 2 is the vertical tendon of the Flexor Hallucis Longus muscle. This muscle attaches to the distal great toe at approximately the Pituitary Reflex. Its origin is the posterior middle 1/3 of the fibula. Its function is plantar flexion of the great toe and springing the foot into action when walking and running.
The joints found along the horizontal guidelines are critical areas of joint movement for the heel, the transverse arch, and for metatarsal-toe movement. If these areas become immobilised it’ll throw off body mechanics and soon reflexes in the feet will reveal inflammatory responses in the body.
Joint tension in the feet gives the practitioner insight to compensation that may be brewing elsewhere in the body. Whenever a joint is locked in the foot it will indicate the joint tension associated with that reflex in the musculo-skeletal reflex area in the body. For example, while using the thumb walking techniques on the bottom of the foot, the practitioner may detect stiffness in zone five at the waist guideline. As a Reflexologist, your notes might state that the reflex area of the hip or splenic flexure of the colon present texture change inconsistent with the tissue of the rest of the foot.
Structural Reflexology® will go a step further and consider the local anatomy of the foot. The notes of a Structural Reflexologist may first speak to the tension at the site of the Fibularis Brevis and Digiti Minimi Brevis, indicating that these muscles are under great tension where they attach to the base of the fifth metatarsal. While the Reflexologist can release the tension at this site to a degree, it is important to know that the reflex is associated with the entire muscle and that the tension is initiated from the belly of the muscle, which is located on the side of the lower leg. The marvel is in discovering that this chronic tension of the Fibularis Brevis and Digiti Minimi will manifest into structural problems associated with the hip and quite possibly the flexure of the colon.
The same philosophy holds true for the site of the shoulder joint reflex. It is common to find callusing at the site of the shoulder reflex in zone five just above the diaphragm line. Callusing on the foot indicates inappropriate weight bearing on this site and the body produces an increase of tissue to help protect this area. The callus will continue to build until the issue of weight distribution is corrected. This is why once you get it shaved off, it comes right back. It has to.
So upon finding this callus (and we all know that calluses love to be worked on, as long as they are not inflamed) we determine that this individual could be suffering with shoulder issues. The formed callus lets us know this is a chronic issue that never goes away. The Structural Reflexologist also subscribes to this point of view and understands that this area on the foot is an attachment site for the Adductor Hallucis, noting this muscle is under tension. This muscle is an agonist (or works with) to the Abductor Hallucis to keep the great toe straight.
This image shows the ADductor Hallucis where it originates from the medial Great toe and attaches to the medial head of the fifth metatarsal as well as to the base of the medial fifth metatarsal. Its agonist is the Abductor Hallucis muscle, which originates at the medial calcaneus and attaches to the medial head of the first metatarsal.
The Structural Reflexology assessment would reflect that the ADductor Hallucis attachment at the fifth metatarsal site presents adhesive quality to the tissue. Relaxing the entire lung reflex area as we do in our regular reflexology session would certainly help to relieve this tension because this muscle crosses through the width of this area. Having more knowledge about the local anatomy of the foot will help the reflexologist understand why this reflex area has become outstanding.
So let’s talk more about foot anatomy.
One of the most overlooked aspects of the anatomy of the foot is its division into two separate vertical columns of bones; respectively, each column of bones has a separate function:
Equipped with strong ligaments that join bone to bone, the lateral column stabilises the skeletal structure of the feet to bear weight, while the medial column is designed for spring and shock absorption during locomotion.
The separate functions of the columns of the foot are maintained and manoeuvred by muscle power with a collaborative goal of keeping the body erect and relaxed in gravity during the process of standing and moving.
When any one of these bones become misaligned, the reflexes become more apparent because of the pulling tension at their sites of attachment on the foot. Of course this also throws foot mechanics out of balance and weight bearing falls off its normal course. The body in turn, begins to compensate from the weakened base in the areas directly above the joint tension (or subluxation)
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© 2o18 Presented and prepared by:
Geraldine Villeneuve, BS, LMP, ABCR Structural Reflexology Practitioner, Author of ‘Put Your Best Feet Forward ‘