Hello, and welcome to the self foot massage
designed specifically to help you
relieve pain and fight fatigue.
Now make sure you stick around to the end
because I'm gonna reveal two simple acupressure points
in your feet that you can press any time
to help you boost energy quickly.
My name is Ann Swanson
and I am a licensed massage therapist.
And if you haven't already, click subscribe below now
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about my videos coming out
every Wednesday on Wellness Wednesday.
And all you're gonna need today is a chair to sit on.
And maybe your favorite massage balm or lotion,
or just an oil from the kitchen
like coconut oil or olive oil, if you'd like.
So if it's comfortable, as you sit,
I want you to go ahead and grab your foot and bring it up
to your thigh in this figure four like position.
Now, if grabbing your foot like this is not accessible,
you can try the version of this massage
that doesn't require this,
and it actually creatively uses a wine cork.
So make sure to put that below as an option to go to.
But if you can grab it, I'd like to start with a foot shake.
It's kind of like a handshake,
but it feels a little strange, a little surreal.
So go ahead and try that out.
Holding your foot like holding hands.
It feels quite intimate and just get your fingers in there
the best you can as far as you can.
Once you grab it, go ahead and start with some circles.
We'll do three circles in each direction,
and I want you to try to relax your foot
and really use your hand to make this action happen.
When you're done with those three circles in each direction,
go ahead and pull your toes, releasing your hand
and grab your foot on either side,
pinching it with your thumb and fingers
and turn the foot in and out.
So you're manipulating the foot
into this position inward and outward.
This can be really helpful
for maintaining stability and agility,
so you can catch yourself gracefully before you fall.
And then we're gonna go
into mobilization of your metatarsals.
So you're gonna wet your fingers and thumbs
between your metatarsals.
These are these long thin bones here.
I'm gonna go in between my big toe and my pointer toe,
and you just kind of wiggle there.
Can use one hand or both.
And then I'm gonna move in between these two toes
and I'm gonna do a little wiggle
and I'm gonna move down wiggle.
This can help you spread your toes better
if that was an issue for you, which is great for balance.
And then between the last toe here,
so we've got four places that we are wiggling.
We're gonna call this The Metatarsal Wiggle.
So next, if you wanna put some lotion,
go ahead and put that on your hands
and begin to rub it into the foot.
You're gonna be kneading.
You can start with your thumbs, just doing an overview,
trying to get all of your foot
and find where feels good to you.
Also try using your knuckles, which can be really helpful
if your thumbs are sore or get tired.
So a soft fist going up and down the sole of your foot,
maybe stopping in certain areas
to give it some extra attention.
Using whatever technique works for you
just to get the whole sole of the foot,
we're basically covering all those acupressure points.
And, now we're gonna go up to the ankle,
really important to get around your ankle here,
improving circulation, and then go ahead and just grab
and squeeze up your calf several times.
To improve circulation now we'll do several big strokes
toward the heart all the way up your leg.
Now let's try those energy boosting fatigue,
fighting acupressure points on a one foot.
So the first point is the pituitary point.
So on your big toe, you're gonna go into
the center of the pad of the big toe, and then slightly up,
slightly up here, press down with the tip of your finger
or your fingernail, or even your knuckle
and pressing down and then back a little bit.
So it's almost like you're
digging a shovel in and pulling it.
As you press here, notice if it's tender,
take a few deep breaths,
being open to more energy, balanced energy.
The second point is the adrenal point.
So we have the kidney point right here about
in the center of the arch and right on top of the kidneys,
we have our adrenal glands
which are responsible for some of our stress hormones.
So we're gonna go ahead and press on that top area
of the kidney points and press firmly down
and directly into the foot and then towards you.
So it's almost like you're digging in and back.
Pressing here for a few deep breaths.
Pausing, notice if it's tender,
and cultivating a sense of openness to increase energy.
Take another deep breath and then releasing your foot down,
feeling both feet, feeling the results
as you press your feet firmly into the ground
and sit a little bit taller.
Notice the difference between
the foot you just did and the other one,
which might be jealous right now,
might feel kind of dull in comparison to that glow
you have around the one you just gave that attention to.
Notice, and then go ahead and grab that jealous foot.
Let's bring it up and start with our foot shake.
Three circles in each direction,
trying to imagine somebody else's doing this to you.
So your foot is relaxed, the arm is doing the movement.
When you're done with those three circles,
you can pull your toes and release.
Grab your foot on either side and turn the foot in and out,
mobilizing the foot and the ankle.
And notice your posture as you're doing this.
Sit tall, try not to slouch forward
or have your head forward,
and let's do that metatarsal wiggle.
So put your finger and thumb in between your big toe
and your first toe, wiggle there, and then moving over
wiggling between the next two toes, and then the next,
feeling in between those metatarsals.
The last right next to your pinky toe, do the wiggle.
Want you to wiggle and then
you can put whatever lotion on you'd like
and just begin to massage the sole of your foot.
Feel free to use your thumbs, find what feels good,
feel free to use your knuckles or the side of your hand.
Try to get a little bit of everywhere,
but then if you find an area that needs
some extra attention, go ahead and go for it.
Listen to your body.
Notice your posture, sit tall, relax your shoulders and jaw,
and then move that massage up to your ankle.
Check in with your ankle. Actually it is a lot of
acupressure points around your ankle.
You might find some areas that need some extra attention
or feel interesting to experiment with.
And then we'll go ahead up the calf
with a few big squeezes to encourage circulation
and then a few strokes toward the heart.
And let's get those acupressure points,
that reflexology on your foot.
So go ahead and go to your big toe, the center of the mound,
go up a bit and press deep down and then towards you.
Notice the sensations, readjust your posture,
feel your head floating up
and feel whatever effects are from this.
Sometimes we feel it kind of referring to another area
or an opening, notice what you feel.
And then we'll move over and down
a little bit to our adrenals.
So here in the arch, pressing down and toward you.
Notice the effects.
Notice my little toe starts to react in this one.
So what is happening for you?
The body is infinitely interesting when you pay attention.
And then release, go ahead and put your foot down,
sitting tall, spreading your toes,
placing them down and notice your feet.
Maybe notice the rest of your body.
Is there some relief in other areas?
Is there a new sense of awareness, embodiment.
And take a moment to simply thank your feet.
Thank your feet for all the places they take you,
all the silly shoes you put them in.
Thank your feet for all they do for you.
Take a nice deep breath in, release it out
and thank you so much for joining me.
And please comment below.
Let me know how you feel,
and if you have any questions at all.
And make sure you click subscribe
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to hear about my upcoming videos,
including massage, yoga, Tai chi, meditation,
all to help you relieve pain and feel better.
(soft upbeat music)