How To Give a Stress Relieving Foot Massage
Posted on February 23, 2008
Filed Under Foot massage |
Fearning to give a good foot massage is a wonderful thing you can do to help your two feet and those of your friend. The study in this area is called ‘Reflexology’. The benefits of reflexology will happen automatically by simply rubbing the feet or paying special attention to tender places in feet.
The supplies you will need are two or three big towels and some form of lubricant. Such lubricant may be some kind of rich cream, lotion or eucalyptus, mint or ti tree oil which is a natural disinfectant. You can make your own by adding a couple drops of essential oil into an unscented cream. If you are working on your friend’s feet, then make sure that his knees and feet are well supported by a recliner chair with the foot rest up and the giver is sat either on the floor or on a small stool in front of him. The process of foot massage involves the following steps:
-
Begin with clean feet. A foot soak with a cup of Epsom salts dissolved in a gallon of warm water is a wonderful way to de-stress before you begin the foot massage. Dry thoroughly, including between your toes.
-
Gently massage one foot completely before trying the other foot. Apply and massage the cream gently throughout the foot. End this portion with strokes going from your toes to your ankles.
-
Work a little more deeply for these next few strokes. Put both hands around your feet with your fingers on the bottom and your thumbs on the top. Move your thumbs between the tendons (those cords you feel on the top) smoothly and firmly from your ankle toward your toes. Make long strokes rather than short, jerky ones. Work with enough pressure so it’s not ticklish, but not so deep it feels like a gouge.
-
Work on the soles of your feet next. When you are working on yourself, this is easiest with your foot propped on the opposite knee, with a towel below to protect your clothing from cream. Using your thumbs, make circular motions that cover the entire surface of the bottom of your foot, moving from the base of your toes toward your heel. Keep the pressure of the circles steady and even. Use a bit more firmness on your heels; the skin here is tougher.
-
Continue with a little firmer pressure yet, and go back over the entire surface of the sole. Give a few extra strokes to any area where you experience chronic pain-the ball of your foot, or the arch, or perhaps around your ankles.
-
Massage your toes with gentle, circular motions, using a bit of a stretch while you rub. Then, give them a little exercise by rotating them.
-
Shake the energy loose from your own hands as you feel it building up.
-
Twist the foot by rotating both hands around it, each going in opposite directions.
-
Finish the massage by repeating the all-over gentle massage you did to begin with.
-
After the massage, wipe the soles of your feet with a towel to prevent your feet from being slippery. Slip into some wonderful heavy cotton socks or slippers.
Foot massage is a wonderful medium for relieving stress and pain from your feet. But you must be refrained from doing this, if a chronic foot pain is not relieved through foot massage.
Comments
Leave a Reply
RSS FEED