4 minute read
Ayesha Pathan
Ayesha Pathan is a reflexologist who specializes in geriatric healthcare. Her base skill degree is in acupressure with a specialization in geriatric care. Reflexology was a part of the course she was pursuing. Ayesha mastered the subject and eventually fell in love with the modality. She now practices as a reflexologist and treats various physical, mental and psychological health conditions. She uses both, reflexology as well as acupressure, to treat her patients.
Personal Profile
Ayesha was born and raised in Pune. She worked as a consultant for training, translations, and documentation during the initial stages of her career in the social development sector. Later, she formed her own non-profit organization where she worked on community health, policy advocacy, and education with tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh for 20 years. In 2016, she relocated to Goa and started working as a Reflexologist. Initially she started doing house calls for her work. Her first clinic was in Mapusa. In 2019, she moved back to Panjim, but then the lockdown happened, and she had to wind up and go back to doing house calls. In April 2022, she set up her clinic in Porvorim where she currently operates from.
Her Vision
Ayesha says that the vision she had in mind while starting Ayesha’s Reflexology was to provide a support system for senior citizens living alone in Goa. When she started doing house calls, her major clients were senior citizens. Over time, her range of clients grew and now she treats patients from ages 3 to 99. Ayesha says that deep down in her head, she desires to delay hospitalization and old-age home placement for everyone. “No one deserves to live in pain and without care”, she says. “We need to create a support system where we all can count on each other”. She adds that the fear of falling sick, the crisis of medical costs, and being dependent on others, are not good for anyone's dignity. “A backache or hormonal imbalance can break one's confidence and genetic conditions or auto-immune health disorders can totally take away someone's quality of life. Reflexology sessions are like perfect health tonics— they take away the pain, lower stress levels and give you strong immunity”, she says.
Ayesha says that her previous career helped her to get the confidence to communicate and connect with people of all ages and genders. Degree, knowledge, practice and compassion are my key strengths to work effectively. She says that since reflexology does not involve any complicated instruments, restrictions, procedures or any kind of machine, people are easily drawn towards it.
Challenges Faced
Establishing the identity of reflexology as an alternative medical therapy was a major challenge that Ayesha faced when she just started practicing as a reflexologist. She was often taken for as a masseuse, and sometimes for a foot massage lady or beauty parlor lady. With time, she developed patience and practice in breaking these misconceptions that clients had about her and her work. Reflexology can treat health disorders. I have treated many impossible conditions and disorders just by treating people’s feet, she says.” The work that I do is a traditional science which can be obtained and learned with practice and patience”, she adds. Ayesha says that the words of support that she receives from her patients serve as a huge motivating factor for her to perform her work even better. Her patients also helped her by referring new patients to her along with multiple contacts, reviews and recommendations.
Her Future Plans
In the future, Ayesha plans to teach Reflexology. Her other plans include travelling to treat people beyond borders, finding difficult health disorders and working on them. “I want to share the knowledge I have gained through my practice with some potential empathetic students who want to work like me”, says Ayesha.
While working on the feet of her patients, Ayesha trains them to understand human anatomy scientifically and observes and directs their health in their favour. She says that one's body is a wonderful gift to a person. “It talks to you through pain, discomfort, stiffness and many other ways. We need to learn to communicate, catch the problem in time and treat it at the initial stage.”, she adds.
For more information about Ayesha’s Reflexology and the services it provides,
Call: 08788617848
Instagram: @ayesha_s_reflexology
