Foot massage or reflexology boasts with a five thousand years long history. Originally it comes from China, but it was also often used in the ancient Egypt for therapeutic purposes.
At the beginning of the 20th century, this great health practice was rediscovered. William Fitzgerald, a US doctor was the first to begin to use foot massage. Very soon, he found out what the Chinese have known for more than 1,000 years: the sole of the foot is in fact the map of the body. There are 10 reflex zones on the soles, through which the body’s energy is activated during the foot massage. Massage dissolves energy blockages that prevent the flow; thereby it cures the organs threatened by disease.
It is rather difficult to determine what massage is all about. It is a kind of “art”, as a purely technical knowledge is not enough, if not coupled with love towards the person who is massaged. It also means a unique and unrepeatable relationship that is created in two people’s lives in a specific moment, and it activates hidden skills and potential energies. The person receiving the massage and the one who gives the massage can both experience the joy of an energy-rich dialogue, which definitely brings them both into a gratifying state.
Massage not only restores physical and mental balance, but it is also an expression of deep emotions, and it creates an opportunity for intuition and understanding, as well as taking into account the needs of others. Massage makes us become aware of our tenseness, and it is one of the most direct and authentic forms of communication between two people, which goes way beyond verbal communication.
The two legs form a union between the two sides of the body. Reflex points of the paired organs are present on both soles, with the reflex points of the innermost organs at the inside of the soles. During the foot massage, organs can be stimulated through energy channels when specific points on the sole are massaged. It is very effective to induce the flow of energy by massaging the soles when the internal organs are functioning poorly. Reflexology is often used to treat heart, respiratory tract and kidney problems as well as skin diseases. An increased energy flow enhances the body’s resistance, and it also reduces tension, so foot massage is often used to relieve stress. The nerve supply of the soles consists of seventy thousand nerve endings, and this is the reason why this area of the body is the most suitable to treat the whole body. In fact, the soles are viewed as a mirror image of the entire body. A trained reflexologist knows very well which point connects to which part of the body, so they are able to improve the health of the organs, increase the blood flow to these organs, increase the flow of other body fluids, such as lymph, and accelerate metabolic processes by foot massage.