Fingers race across keyboards in a frantic attempt to convey more and more information, and feet pound pavement in a relentlessly accelerating rhythm as we struggle against the curse of the clock.
Sometimes we become caught up in the adrenaline-pumping thrill of it all, and other times we can feel like a puppet of some larger machine, like Pinocchio on amphetamines.
It’s at those times that I want to put up my sore and tired feet—but not in the usual way.
This week I had my first reflexology treatment—a healing practice that involves applying pressure to points on the feet, which are thought to correspond to specific parts of the body and produce reflexive responses in them. I had never gone for treatment before. Maybe because it was tough swallowing the idea that a foot massage could have an effect elsewhere in the body. After all, what’s a massage without the prized “back rub?” Finally, though, curiosity overrode skepticism, and I dialed up Ginger, a reflexology practitioner who came highly recommended.
Profound relaxation is one of the most noticeable results of a reflexology treatment. And in a society where stress is the norm, the value of any practice that tempers it is not to be understated. At first, my feet – purveyors of swiftness that they are – could not comprehend the slowness and deliberation of her movements. In defiance of the laws of efficiency that govern our prepackaged, microwaveable lives, she would linger for what felt like hours on a minuscule spot of an undeserving toe.
My feet became a vast and intricate landscape in Ginger’s hands as her fingers traced each hill and valley, holding and applying pressure in hundreds of areas. Pleasantly surprised that these humble appendages were capable of so much sensation, I found myself entering total relaxation. So much so that my usually motoring mouth was soon hanging wide open, threatening to spill its salivary contents onto my unsuspecting sweater.
My experience, I learned, was not at all unusual. Profound relaxation is one of the most noticeable results of a reflexology treatment. And in a society where stress is the norm, the value of any practice that tempers it is not to be understated. Stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and shortens our lives. But according to the theory of reflexology, the benefits of a one-hour session go beyond that. Practitioners and teachers of this art maintain that reflexology helps our bodies maintain homeostasis, or a state of balance, by clearing energy blockages and revitalizing organs.
They have even described a detailed map of the foot, where every organ from the gargantuan liver to the diminutive pineal gland, is represented. Applying pressure to the area of the foot that corresponds to its respective organ will directly stimulate the organ. These maps are based on the work of Eunice Ingham, a healer whose revolutionary ideas emerged from her work with hundreds of ailing patients – and their feet – in the early 1900’s, and who is now known as the mother of modern reflexology. Since then, this system has been used worldwide to formulate treatments for a range of illnesses both chronic and acute, reportedly with some success. In Denmark, China, and the United Kingdom, reflexology has gained so much popularity during the last few decades that research is underway to substantiate its claims.
The scientific community in the U.S. might be slower to warm up than its European or Asian counterparts. But, Americans are scurrying in ever-increasing numbers to these practitioners as we continue our quest for new ways not only to cure what ails us, but also to live happier and more satisfying lives. Reflexology promises to help us do just that, if only by giving our feet the ultimate treat. The sole truth of it is – you too could benefit from a visit to your local reflexologist. To find one near you, stop running, take a breath, and contact the Reflexology Association of America at www.reflexology-usa.org.
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