Tender Loving Care for Feet

Although you may end up with tired, painful feet at the end of the day, giving your feet some TLC – tender loving care - can transport you into realms of pleasure. Feet are one of the most sensual and sensitive parts of your body, and a loving touch applied here can be wonderfully relaxing, energizing or stimulating.

Self-treatment is wonderfully soothing. However, nothing you do to yourself can quite match the sensation of leaning back and letting someone else do the work. There is something utterly relaxing about having your feet massaged; tension seems to drain out of the whole body almost as though a tap had been opened. Perhaps because the feet are so far away from your head, it feels easy to let your mind release worries and anxieties too.  So, if you’ve got the time, check in to a good foot spa for an ayurveda foot ritual treatment that will soothe your spirits and restore your soul.

Simple self –Massage

Self-treatment is also great way of learning massage, because you have your own physical response to guide you. It is important to get yourself into a relaxed position; you should not need to twist your back or the knee in order to reach the foot. If you are comfortable, you will find it much easier to detect the subtle differences between different strokes and types of pressure, and your reactions to them. You will instantly know when you have got the technique right, and when your touch is sufficiently sensitive and pleasing.

Different Strokes

When giving yourself foot massage, take the opportunity to experiment. Try out different strokes, levels of pressure and combinations of the two. What you like can also change depending on your mood and the part of the foot being worked. As a general rule:

• Fast strokes are stimulating and energizing.
• Slow rhythmic strokes have a calming & relaxing effect.
• Deep pressure can be used to release muscular tension, relieve stress or to enhance vitality.

• Gentle pressure is soothing and has a calming effect on both your mind and your body.

Involve Your Partner

A relaxing foot massage is a wonderful gift to be able to offer others. It’s also worth persuading your partner to learn a short routine, so that you can benefit from it.  Anyone can learn simple massage strokes, even if they have never learned massage techniques before. Giving & receiving soothing foot massages with your partner is a great bonding experience and also means relationship enriching ‘quality time’ spent together.

Calming Movements

Incorporating a few extra movements, aromatic natural oils, cooling foot creams and even a mint scented relaxing foot soak helps to heighten the effects & convert your massage into a longer pamper treatment for the feet. Peppermint with Lemongrass (for cooling) and Ginger with Spice (for warming) are excellent soothing blends to use. Take some time to relax afterwards too – perhaps with a cup of herbal tea.

Start-up Massage

Ayurveda sages believed that a daily massage was one of the best ways of keeping the body healthy. Few of us have time for a full treatment, but a quick self-massage for the feet is a great way to start the day.  A simple foot massage can be designed to be relaxing yet invigorating – a real wake-up call.

Re-charge Time

Most of us don’t have enough time in our lives to relax and recharge. Ideally, we should stop and rest whenever we feel tired or low in energy, but we often need to keep going because of work, home or social commitments.  If you don’t have time to sneak into a good foot spa between your daily commitments, a home foot massage routine can be designed to soothe and revitalize at the same time. Use it as an instant pick-me-up whenever you happen to be - great for days when you can’t stop – but feel you can’t go on.

Silent Moments

When you are giving or receiving you home foot massage, try to work in silence – a few minutes of calm can help to increase the restorative effect of the massage.

Learn Massage

All that is needed for a simple self-massage treatment is an understanding of a few basic strokes.  After that, it is a matter of practice so that you become comfortable with the different techniques involved.