Remembering the Imaginary Guidelines
There are a number of imaginary lines that run through the feet. One group of lines is the ten longitudinal zones. Five zones run on each side of the centerline of the body. Each foot is divided into five zones that run through the entire body from head to toe. The great toe represents the major reflexes of the head, so that toe is also divided into five zones.
Zone one begins in the big toe and runs up the body to the brain and then down the arm to the thumb. Zone two runs from the second toe through the body to the head and out to the index finger. Zone three begins at the third toe and runs up the body to the brain and out to the middle finger. Zones four and five are the same with the related toes and fingers. All the zones run right through the whole body and the sections are equally divided.
The right side of the body is reflected only on the right foot and the left side of the body is on the left foot. In the theory of zone therapy, there is no crossing over to the opposite side of the body. The right brain is the right side of the head and body, and the left brain is the left side.
The Meridians
The twelve meridians are another set of guidelines, with six beginning or ending in the feet and six beginning or ending in the hands. The meridians are curved lines running through the body covering different areas. They too are represented on both sides of the body; however, since the lines zigzag back and forth, the reflexes are found on the lines, not in the sections.
Fact
The tendon that runs from the diaphragm line to the heel line is another guideline. This line is used to divide the foot in two. As you work, you will often designate areas to either side of this tendon.
The Horizontal Lines
Another set of imaginary guidelines indigenous to reflexology is the transverse lines that divide the sole of the foot into four distinct sections. The first line is found under the toe necks, running from the great toe out to the edge of the little toe. This represents the shoulder line and includes all the body parts from the shoulder up.
The next line, which runs under the ball of the foot, is the diaphragm line. The area embodied between these two lines is the thoracic, or chest cavity. The center of the arch is where the next line is found, and this line is representative of the waist and thus is called the
The last guideline is found in the upper portion of the heel. This line is known as the
FIGURE 8-1 The imaginary horizontal lines separate the body into sequential working sections.
