Looking for Deposits

Looking for deposits in the feet takes a bit of practice.  Deposits can sometimes be hard to detect, but time and practice will make you very skillful at it.  In TCM foot reflexology, you will work back and forth between feet.  For practical reasons, and good flow, it’s best to start at the top of the foot and work down.  Identifying deposits is done on the plantar aspect of the feet.
In each step, you will always be placing your supporting hand on the dorsal surface of the foot, behind the working hand.  Beginning at the ball of the foot, placing the thumb of your working hand on the plantar surface, take several strokes horizontally across the lung reflex area.  (Shown as blue outline)  Focus on what you feel below the surface of the dermis.  Do the lung reflex area on one foot, then switch to the other foot.

Next, on the client’s left foot, toward the lateral aspect, above and slightly below the diaphragm reflex is the heart reflex.  (Shown in dark pink)  With the thumb of your working hand, take short, deep strokes upward toward the toes.  You will do this on the client’s left foot only. Working your way down the foot just below the diaphragm reflex are the stomach/pancreas reflex areas.  (Shown in yellow)  Again, take several deep strokes upward, toward the toes.  Switch to the other foot.  Work this same way on the colon (shown in blue), kidney/bladder (shown in red), small intestine reflexes (shown in pink), and finally the liver/gallbladder reflexes on the right foot (shown in green).

Once you have detected the oldest deposit, you are ready to continue your session by working the entire foot, with a focus on the oldest deposit as well as on any areas your client might be experiencing symptoms.  Remember that levels 3, 4, and 5 deposits can be uncomfortable to the touch, so always work within your client’s comfort zone.