Could your life be reflected in your feet?  

Such are the intricacies of the human foot that Leonardo Da Vinci once described it as “a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”.  

Now a new documentary finds your feet may even reveal a great deal about the kind of person you are, how you perceive yourself from an emotional perspective and what impact that has on your health. 

Shot in 2008 and completed earlier this year, “The Foot Reader” is a 10 minute documentary on the beliefs and aspirations of Australian practitioner and “champion” of the fledgling reflexology industry, Lyn Fava. 

According to Lyn, reflexology is an effective and safe way to improve blood circulation, energy flow and natural healing in the human body. 

“Reflexes are located on the hands and feet that correspond to all the glands, organs and other body parts. Using finger and thumb pressure techniques on these reflex points, you can stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal,” says Lyn who incorporates feet reading into her consultancy practice. 

“From an emotional perspective, one foot represents the past while the other represents the present and you can see if there’s been a change in a person’s life,” she says.  

A powerhouse of energy and self belief, Lyn worked as a trained nurse for 20 years before concluding that the traditional western approach to medicine was simply not enough for some people. Reflexology is now filling that void. 

Today, Lyn operates a successful consultancy business with contracts to provide foot reflexology and relaxation therapy to the office workers of many large corporations across Australia.  She also treats private clients at her home clinic in the western suburb of Werribee. 

However, as “The Foot Reader” reveals, Lyn aspires to something much bigger. As head of the Australian School of Reflexology and Relaxation in Box Hill in Melbourne’s east, Lyn has been instrumental in developing and training the next generation of reflexology practitioners for almost a decade. 

Produced and directed by independent Melbourne filmmaker, Brendan Guerin, the film documents the journey of 71-year old Elsie Chapman who turned to reflexology after her own doctors admitted they could no longer help in her battle against Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Diabetes and other chronic ailments. 

After six weekly sessions of one hour each, Elsie speaks of a remarkable improvement in her health and emotional state which is supported by before-and-after shots of her feet that reveal an obvious visual improvement in shape. 

“We interviewed Elsie and Lyn before and after the six week program which provides the bulk of the footage,” said Brendan.

 “We then sought quotes from some of the world’s most influential thinkers - contemporary and historical - on the wider subject of alternative medicine and interwove these with our interview pieces to give the film its structure.”

While scientists remain adamant that the evidence to support reflexology to date is inconclusive, producing little more than a placebo, Lyn is convinced of its merits. She believes that research now under way in several countries in Europe and Scandinavia will soon validate the technique and help lift the industry out of its cottage industry status.