In the past I have done 6 different videos on how to massage your own feet using reflexology concepts and techniques. This week I’m going to consolidate them so you can give yourself an ultimate foot massage from just one video.
The first one I did was in 2011, which is 9 years ago, but the good thing is Reflexology doesn’t get old because it’s already super old. This is believed to be the first recording of a foot massage in the pictograph in the tomb of Ankhamor in 2330 B.C. This year is 2020 A.D. so that’s 4350 years ago. It is believed to be orally passed down before it was recorded in the pictograph so it must be older than that. This was found along with other medical procedures that they used to practice back then so they must have known the benefits of the foot massage for your health.
Your feet have reflexes that correspond to different organs of your body and as you massage those reflexes you are stimulating the corresponding organs. So giving a thorough foot massage is like giving a full body massage. Ok I know it is not the same as getting a full body massage but it is very relaxing.
Before you get started with the actual massage, it’s a great idea to give your feet a foot bath by soaking your feet in warm water in a tub for 10-20 minutes. A foot bath not only relaxes your feet but it also cleans your feet.
You can enhance it by adding Epsom salt to relax the muscles, essential oils for aroma and various medicinal benefits, apple cider vinegar or regular milk for softer feet, or flowers to make you feel like a princess.
- Toes
Let’s warm up the foot. Put some lotion or lubricant of your choice. Grab the foot, put your fingers between the toes and circle three times in one direction and three times in the other direction. Make a fist and glide down the sole. Rub all over the foot with your thumbs.
I’ve noticed in these old videos I’m using thumbs a lot. If your thumbs get tired or if you have long fingernails, overlap your thumbs or use the index finger joints or use all four finger joints instead to press and glide.
The big toe corresponds to head and brain. Right in the center is a point for Pituitary gland which is the master gland important for hormone production. Press this point with your hooked thumb or index finger joint if you have a long fingernail. Base of the big toe corresponds to neck, throat, and thyroid gland. Massage it by rolling it between your fingers or press with your thumb.
All the other toes correspond to sinuses. Roll them between your fingers or press with your thumb. The base of the second and third toes corresponds to the eyes. The base of the fourth and fifth toes corresponds to the ears. Again, if you have long fingernails, use the finger joints to stimulate.
2. Ball of foot
The ball of foot area corresponds to the chest area. Let’s start with the area under the big toe. This is the heart area especially on the left foot because your heart is located on the left side of your body.
The area under the four toes is the lungs area. Let’s massage your lungs. Massage with your thumbs or go sideways or use finger joints. I believe the intention is very important so let’s think of happy lungs as you massage.
The area under the pinky toe on the side of the foot is the arm and shoulder. Pinch with your thumb and the side of your index finger to massage your arm and shoulder.
Below the ball of the foot where the color changes is the diaphragm area. Let’s massage your diaphragm. Since it’s used for breathing let’s inhale to expand the lungs and exhale to collapse the lungs. Now I’m making happy diaphragm.
3. Middle of Sole
The middle of the foot corresponds to the upper abdomen.
Right under the diaphragm is the liver area. Just like the diaphragm the liver goes all the way to the side. All the organs in your body is important but the liver is super important because it has more than 500 functions. Give lots of thanks and send good energy to your liver. Liver is much bigger on the right side of your body and it gets smaller on the left side of your body. So you don’t have to massage the entire area on the left foot but there is no harm in doing so. I’m sure your feet will be happier.
Under the liver is stomach especially on the left foot. Like the heart the stomach is located on the left side of your body. Some reflexology charts don’t show stomach on the right foot. Glide your thumbs downward to promote healthy digestion. Overlap your thumbs and glide down in the direction of the food.
Below the liver is pancreas. Pancreas is an important organ because it produces hormones and enzymes for digestion and regulates the blood sugar level. Thank you pancreas.
Right in the middle of the foot is kidney. Kidney removes the waste from the blood and regulates fluid levels in your body. Very important for detox process. Let’s make the kidney happy.
4. Bottom and Inside Edge of the Foot
The bottom of the foot corresponds to the lower abdomen and the inside edge of the foot corresponds to the spine.
The bottom half of the foot corresponds to small intestine and large intestine. That’s where the digested food is absorbed into the system. The digestion happens in the clock-wise motion because your long intestines are placed in clock-wise direction in your lower abdomen. Massage this area with your thumbs or finger joints in clock-wise motion.
On one foot you are only massaging that side of your intestine. When you switch the foot, continue on with the rest of the intestine.
The kidney is located right in the middle of the foot. The kidney produces urine which is carried in the ureter down to the bladder. The bladder area sits right above the heel on the inner edge of the foot. The bladder then holds the urine until you decide to release it hopefully in the bathroom. Let’s make the urinary tract happy and the bladder strong without any blockage or infections.
Lastly the inside edge of the foot corresponds to the spine. Use the base of the thumb to circle down the inside edge. Imagine you’re releasing every single vertebrae of your spine. Then press with your thumb as you pull the toes towards you using the other hand. Or press with overlapped thumbs.
Make sure you massage the other foot so the other foot doesn’t get jealous. Trust me your body parts have feelings and they do get jealous.
5. Top of Foot (Top Half)
The top half of the top of foot corresponds to the upper body.
Let’s start with the big toe. The inner corner of the big toe corresponds to the temple on the side of your forehead. And the outer edge of the big toe corresponds to sinus by the nose. Squeeze this area with your thumb and the side of your index finger. Or cup it from underneath and just massage both sides of the big toe.
Divide the big toe into three sections. The first area that’s closest to the big toenail is the upper jaw and the teeth. And the middle section is the lower jaw and the teeth. And the bottom section is the neck and throat. Some charts show the other toes correspond to head, face, sinus, and neck. Massage your head, face, sinus, and neck one by one.
The bottom of the toes are the top of the shoulders. Massage your top of the shoulder by walking your thumb. I’m holding the bottom of the foot to stabilize and moving my thumb by just using the first joint. It looks like a worm. This is called thumb walk.
The area below the pinky corresponds to shoulder and arm. Massage your shoulder and arm by squeezing with the side of your index finger and the thumb. This area corresponds to chest and breast and upper back between the shoulder blades. Let’s massage your upper back, chest and breast area by massaging with straight fingers. When you do this rock your torso so you’re not just using your fingers. Or to be more specific, use your thumbs. Follow your thumbs and trench the valley between the extension of the toe bones.
The area below the big toe corresponds thymus gland. Thymus gland is very important for the immune system. So massage this area to strengthen the immune system.
6. Top of Foot (Bottom Half)
The bottom half of top of the foot corresponds to the lower body. Think of the midline as waist line. Top half is upper body and bottom half is lower body. You can do these by sitting on the floor or sitting on the chair.
The area between the midline and the ankle corresponds to the lower back and hip area. Massage this area with the flat part of your fists like this. Or to be more specific alternate your thumbs or two thumbs together. Whenever you use your thumbs, move your entire hands to move your thumbs instead of just circling the straight thumbs because your thumbs will get tired very quickly this way and will not last for a long time.
Let’s move to the outer side. The area below the ankle bone corresponds to knee, leg and hip. Massage this area with your thumb by cupping the heel. Again, move the entire hand to move your thumb and the side of your index finger.
Right under the ankle bones correspond to the hip joints. Under the outer ankle bone is outer hip joint and under the inner ankle bone is inner hip joint. Anchor with your thumbs on the Achilles and glide the side of your index fingers around the ankle bones.
Between the ankle bone and the heel on the outside of the foot is the reproductive organ: ovary for women and testicle for men. Between the ankle bone and the heel on the inside is uterus for women and prostate for men.
So the outside is the production center where ovary produces eggs and testicle produces sperms and inside is the container where uterus holds fetus and prostate holds prostatic fluid. Massage these areas with the side of the index fingers with your thumbs anchored on the Achilles.
The top of the ankle corresponds to the lymphatic system in the groin area and also the duct in the reproductive organ: fallopian tube for women and vas deferens for men. Loosen up this area by circling the side of your index fingers and glide your thumbs from the center to the sides.
The heel corresponds to the tail bone or coccyx. Pinch with your thumb and index finger or use the side of the index fingers. Both sides of the Achilles is the sciatic nerve. Glide up next to the Achilles to the calf muscles with the side of your index fingers.
Do these on the other foot.
Here’s a bonus. I did this in the foot massage for bunions. It’s not really a Reflexology but it feels good to stretch. So here we go.
Spread apart each toe and hold for count of five. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. After all four spaces are done, spread each toe up and down. Lift one up as you push one down for a count of 5. Do it for all the toes. Then grab the outer two toes and spread apart leaving a middle toe for 5. Then spread the big toe and pinky apart for a count of five.
Click the link to see the rest of the foot massage for bunions.
So these were the ways to give yourself a foot massage using Reflexology concepts and techniques but there are more to it. I hope your feet are very happy and so are different organs that you stimulated through the reflexes.
If you have a partner who loves a foot massage, or if you love a foot massage and want your partner to learn or improve their foot massaging skills, I have an online program on home Reflexology so you can enjoy giving and/or receiving the ultimate foot massage with each other at home. You can download a free massage guide from the link here.
Massage Monday #513 How to Massage Your Own Feet Reflexology http://bit.ly/mm-513