January 10 ~  First the Touch Foot Massage

"We are what we are, the spirit afterwards, but first the touch." ~ Charlotte Mew

Reflexology

How about unleashing your personal power with a foot massage?

Besides an amazing 250,000 sweat glands, our fabulous foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles. "The feet are a perfect microcosm or mini map of the whole body," explained massage expert Laura Norman. "Even the inside curve of the foot corresponds to the natural curves in the spine."

The treatment of foot massage in healing is an ancient science. Hieroglyphics and paintings suggest that the therapy was performed in ancient Egypt, China, and India.

The ancient art of Reflexology is based on the belief that the body has points related to other parts of the body. By pressing on these reflex points, called meridians, the body's own natural healing powers can be triggered.

As ancient Greek physician Hippocrates once said, "Natural forces within us are the healers of disease."

The meridians channel qi or chi (life energy) and blood throughout the body. For example, massaging the heels helps the lower back. Stimulating the big toes benefits the head and the little toe controls the sinuses. The ankle corresponds to the pelvis and reproductive organs.

"Hands are made for healing," said Ann Gillanders, Principal of the British School of Reflexology. "And the healing power of touch lies at all our fingertips. You only have to use it!"

This holistic treatment of the foot is one way to integrate body, mind, and spirit... Pressure applied to points on the foot can reduce stress, relieve pain, revitalize energy, improve circulation, and eliminate toxins.

"If you push hard on the world, the world pushes back on you," said conceptual physicist Paul G. Hewitt. "If you touch the world gently, the world will touch you gently in return."

Touch is the landscape of possibilities.