20 years later, a Lithuanian returned to his homeland in Great Britain: he turned his hobby into a source of livelihood.

– You have lived in the UK with your family for almost 20 years, but this summer, when you returned to Lithuania for a holiday in London, you did not return. What changed?

– The pandemic was a moment when I stopped and began to notice what was happening to me. And a lot is happening! I also began to miss my home. It is true that this behavior has been heard in my life for a long time, especially after every party in Lithuania. I stayed with my family in Lithuania for five weeks, but even a week before returning to London, even my friends noticed that I was feeling bad. Returning to London was increasingly difficult, and the adjustment period lengthened when he returned. Then I began to wonder why he tortured me so much. Such problems emerged even more during the pandemic. What if there is no chance to go home? What will I do then?

When the first opportunity to fly to Lithuania arose, we came back here on vacation, but when we landed in Lithuania, we realized that something was changing, that something was different this time. And those around me began to wonder if I was back forever. Then I wondered if it really couldn’t be as good here as there. And is it really as good as here?

– While living in London, I was working as a barista and reflexology was just a hobby. How did this therapy come about in your life?

– My last job was in a cafe at the London University of Economics, where I worked for 13 years. The barista-café manager’s job helped me meet people because every morning when I met the customer, I saw their emotions. If I see concerns on my face, I offer calming teas, and if the customer is not asleep, I offer double coffee. Sometimes it takes so little to get a person’s attention.

While living in the UK at some point, I had a personal crisis. I consulted western doctors, but they only offered sedatives and antidepressants. I said no and did not go looking for information. I first discovered the need, but at the time, energy or holistic was not being spoken out loud, so I looked further.

I was looking for a suitable form of massage, I tried some of them but it still didn’t work. It was at that time that I read self-help books in which I continued to discover the word “reflexology” as one of the most effective forms of therapy for emotional and bodily healing. I started to notice this word in my environment too: in the subway, in the streets, in the clinic notes, but I did not understand how to improve my well-being through my feet. Then I discovered a teacher from whose first contact I realized that he had found what he was looking for.

– Why did you decide to turn your hobby into your daily activity when you returned to Lithuania?

– While I was living in London and kept coming back to Lithuania for a holiday, I also brought my hobby here. Friends and acquaintances who lived in Lithuania became interested in what reflexology was and wanted to experience it. The growing circle of clients gave me a sense of security that they need me here in Lithuania. His desire to reach me was greater than that of those in England. Finally, I realized that I had left Lithuania to bring him reflexology. I probably wouldn’t have discovered it in Lithuania, and in London I had the opportunity to reach world-class teachers. It seems that what I have accumulated during those 10 years in England is a kind of return to Lithuania.

– For me, before trying reflexology, it seemed the simplest foot massage. But what is it exactly?

– Reflexology is an alternative or complementary form of medical therapy. Its roots lie in various cultures: in ancient Egypt, China, Greece, Japan. In ancient times, it seemed to have touched my feet in all parts of the world. Pressure or stroking was applied to relieve pain. The reflexology we now know began with zone therapy developed by the famous American physician William Fitzgerald.

Reflexology is the science that examines the principle that there are reflexes in the feet that correspond to all organs and parts of the body. Proper stimulation of these reflexes can help solve many health problems. This therapy can also be used as a preventive measure. In my own perception, it is disease prevention, chronic symptom relief, and the art of deep relaxation.

– What changes do clients notice after reflexology therapy?

– It happens that after therapy they cook. This means that the body lacks water, the body wants to eliminate toxins. If the skin has rashes, then the cleaning process is carried out. It happens that after reflexology, people fall asleep. Therefore, the body needed a deep rest. Or your muscles ache, like after a workout.

There are many things that can be done during this year of therapy: You can reduce migraine pain or eye pressure, loosen your sinuses, adjust hormones, etc. It is difficult to list everything, but it is like a kind of overload on the body.

– Are there clients who have difficulties not so much physical as emotional?

– Yes, there are probably most of them right now. The circumstances we live in prevented people from doing things and everyone stayed with them. What happened? Some people have found that they may not like themselves, don’t know how to be with themselves, and don’t know their emotions. We are so overwhelmed with everything that we don’t even know who we are anymore. Many visitors say that they are no longer faced with themselves, overwhelmed by uncontrollable emotions, that they are tormented by fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety attacks and increased fears.

– You mentioned that when you felt such a need for reflexology clients, you even had to hire a business consultant.

– Yes. I needed someone to help me with business strategy, marketing, and that was one of the best solutions. I belong to the WHUB women’s club and the collaborative space where I work and receive client sessions. There I met its co-founder Patricija Miklušiene, who advises brands and service brands in the beauty and health sectors. We are currently working with her and her agency on business growth strategy, marketing. It was during this pandemic that I realized the importance of communion. Even in business, it brings much more profit than you would on its own.

We “point” too much from job to job, trying to do everything ourselves. Then you sit on an Instagram post for half a day and you finally realize that you don’t know how to express yourself freely and you don’t know all the rules of the Lithuanian language. I can not change. May my hands be for those who need them most.

Reflexology teachers say that the way a person looks at their feet says a lot about what they think of themselves. In our society, feet are very neglected and ignored, that’s why my job is to help a person to dialogue with himself through his feet, to transmit his story and help him to meet the real self. Each of us must do what we do best.