Relaxing and invigorating, a foot massage is what we all need at the end of a hard day at work. Perfect for draining away the tensions and relaxing the body, a foot massage can be done at home on a personal level or can be administered by a trained therapist. When it is administered by a trained therapist, it is known as reflexology, and it is more than just a massage. Reflexology foot massage is about pressure therapy and is done by applying pressure at reflex points in the foot to prevent diseases or heal the body.
Foot reflexology is based on the belief that the reflex points or the nerve zones go all the way from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head, connecting all the vital organs. An expert in reflexology can put pressure or massage the various meridians on the sole as well as on the side of the feet to tackle the root cause of the illness.
Ambience: Ideally reflexology feet massage is done in a relaxing environment. The person should be comfortably seated or can recline on a sofa or a divan, without his/her shoes and socks. Soft meditation music and a calm environment are beneficial. It is necessary for the feet of the patient to be clean and dry. A foot soak is a good idea before beginning. Massage can be done with aromatic essential oils diluted in massage oils.
Stroking: This is a technique that stimulates the blood vessels in the feet and can induce warmth. In this, the therapist holds the foot and massages the top part, using his/her thumbs to make slow, stroking motions. He/she starts from the toes and moves to the ankles, and then reverses the process. Then the same process is done on the soles.
Ankle rotation: In this, the therapist will move the ankles from side to side to loosen the joints of the ankle. Then he holds the heel in a cupping motion and the ball of the foot in the other hand. Then the foot is rotated clockwise and anticlockwise a few times to de-stress the senses.
Pivoting: In this, the therapist gently massages the area below the toe, and then rolls the big toe back and forth.
Kneading: The therapist uses his finger tips to knead the sole back and forth, and then he kneads the knuckles at the joints.
Finger Walking: In this the therapist visualizes the foot as a few squares and walks his fingers horizontally.
You can use various ‘tools’ to give a reflexology foot massage. These include reflexology mats, gloves, reflexology foot chart, socks, hand and foot reflexology charts and reflexology kits.
Tags: foot reflexology, hand and foot reflexology chart, reflexology feet, reflexology foot chart, reflexology foot massage
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 5:20 am and is filed under Massage Therapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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