Massage therapy is an amazing art that brings peace and healing to the body, mind, and soul. Through proper massage technique, therapists can help bodies relax, release and expel toxins, and increase circulation. If you have chronic pain, injuries, tension, or have never had a massage before, consider setting an appointment with a reputable massage center like Happy Hour Foot Spa.
The Most Useful Massages
When it comes to massage, few areas of the body are as important or as influential as the feet. While everyone loves a good foot rub, there is much more to your feet than you probably thought. Based in Eastern medicine, foot zoning and foot reflexology not only feel good on your feet but can correct ailments in other parts of your body as well.
What to Expect
According to the theory behind foot zoning, the feet are full of nerve endings that, when stimulated, signal the brain to affect change in a certain part of the body. Foot zoning can affect bones, muscles, organs, and even entire systems when done properly. The basic idea is that the brain can tell cells to begin regenerating from their current, unnatural, state to their natural and healthy state. When you go in for foot zoning, you can expect the environment to be quiet and peaceful. Your therapist will discuss your needs and what you want to accomplish from the foot zoning and then begin working on you. Foot zoning relies on a pattern of strokes along all areas of the feet. Sometimes your therapist will work down one side and up another. The direction in which your therapist works is determined by the natural flow of blood and lymph in the body. During your session, you may or may not feel pain, depending on how open your feet are. Feet which are experiencing closed signals will hurt more than feet which are open. Chances are there will be certain areas of your feet that will hurt and others that will not. No matter what you experience during the foot zone, you can count on feeling relaxed and balanced after it is over.
The Art of Foot Reflexology
Foot reflexology is based on ancient Chinese medicine that believes there are acupressure points located throughout the feet that, when activated, cause reflexive movement in corresponding parts of the body. According to Chinese thought, there are three ways in which foot reflexology can create health and balance in the body: blood circulation, nerve and humoral regulation, and channel and collateral regulation. Blood circulation is something with which most people are familiar. Reflexology assumes that toxins get trapped in the feet, causing the circulation to slow down and the brain, muscles, and organs to become malnourished. By practicing reflexology, the toxin deposits are broken up and moved to the waste system while the speed and efficiency of circulation increases.
Connection and Communication
When it comes to regulating your nerve and humoral systems, reflexology works by decreasing disease-induced inflammation in various parts of the body. If a certain area of the body is experiencing problems, the corresponding area of the feet usually have problems as well. By having that area of the foot massaged, the body will decrease the amount of inflammation to the other body part and increased circulation will clean out the pathogens that were causing the problem. Channel regulation refers to the fact that your body has many interconnecting channels which can become blocked. Reflexology unblocks those channels and allows your body to properly communicate with itself. For more information on how reflexology can help you, consult with professional therapists like those found at Happy Hour Foot Spa.
