Ayurvedic foot care with baths and oils?

Foot yoga, aroma baths, neem oil, packs and marma points!

Vitalized living feet give us much more balance and well-being than we dream of.

Movement of the toes and ankles helps to increase energy flow throughout the body and results in better grounding and relaxing the nervous system. The soles of the feet are full of marma points, which in Ayurveda are described as connecting links between our physical and spiritual bodies. Each one of them relates to an internal organ or a body process. Give your feet some extra attention, for example with foot yoga, foot massage, care, etc. You both boost your prana/life energy and get out of your head and into your body. It increases presence and gives room for reflection - a wonderful break in everyday life!

Within Ayurveda, there are many ways to give your feet extra attention. Here are a few of them:

1.

Foot yoga

Yoga poses that make toe joints flexible are, for example, "toe squad" where you are down on your knees and hands with your toes turned out and sit back and rest your buttocks on the back of your heels. Hold the pose for as long as you can without it hurting your toes too much. If you do it daily, after some time you can hold the pose longer. Stretch your arms while doing Garudasana or Gomukasana arm poses. In cobra or up-dog you can swing yourself up onto the top of your feet and roll over your toe joints - very effective! A small exercise that has a great effect is simply to hug your toes together really hard and then stretch and wiggle your toes in all directions over and over again.

2.

Recipes for delicious foot baths - and inner attention!

Take time to heal through your foot bath. Choose a time when you will not be disturbed.

First, wash your feet quickly in Neem soap. Neem leaves are widely used in Ayurveda and are available in soaps, toothpaste and pure oils. Neem soap and oil provide moisture, reduce the risk of athlete's foot, nail fungus, cracked heels, infection, redness and edema. Neem has a slightly astringent scent - but good for classic foot issues. If you don't have neem, you can use eucalyptus oil instead, which also has an antiseptic effect. Sit with your feet in water for 15-20 minutes, possibly with a warm blanket around you in a quiet place. Put on some sattvic calm music if you like. Bring all your attention down to your feet in the warm water. Feel the warmth and connect with the idea that you are receiving the healing and care that the plant oils have to offer. Feel how you become grounded and calm. The downward energy in the body is called Apana Vayu in yoga. Imagine that with each exhalation you release all negativity, fatigue and exhaustion - that it goes down and out through your feet - away from your body, and that each new breath brings renewed energy, light and strength to you. After the foot bath, you can grind your feet with a pumice stone (natural stone) and lubricate your feet with a delicious oil with a foot massage.

Aromatic foot bath that soothes sore feet and relaxes:

Tub with hot water

10 drops rosemary

5 drops eucalyptus

5 drops peppermint

5 drops neem oil

Aromatic foot bath that grounds and releases:

Tub with hot water

10 drops Patchouli

10 drops lavender

5 drops neem oil

3.

Evening care with foot massage

Every evening, apply a little sesame oil with a little lavender oil to your feet and massage them gently. Everywhere on the soles of your feet there are connections to internal organs and body processes. This provides a restful sleep and improves the connection between body and soul. Sesame oil is nourishing and grounding, lavender relaxes the nervous system.

Here you see a map of acupuncture points/connections to internal organs.

4.

Marma point massage on stones, bare toes and acupressure Walk barefoot as often as possible, both on grass, in sand and especially on stones, where you activate all the marma points under the soles of your feet. Alternatively, you can invest in a pair of cheap acupressure sandals (approx. 150,-) and walk for half an hour a day. www.helsekost-ekspres.dk/shop/frontpage.html

For the cold seasons, prefer to wear cotton and wool - avoid synthetic materials.

5.

Summer foot pack

If you want to give your feet an extra treat, you can make a pack. Mix equal parts avocado, banana,

grape, grated zucchini, plum or nectarine and approx. 5 drops of neem oil. Mix until smooth and apply both on top and under the feet, which will absorb the nutrients. If necessary, wrap the foot in a thin piece of cloth or gauze and rest the feet for 30 minutes. Wash off and apply a light oil to the feet.

Enjoy!