Traditional Foot Massage
Overview
Although massage has been practiced for thousands of years, several traditional foot massage traditions have recently been made known to the world massage therapy community. It is interesting to note that while massage practitioners have the opportunity to attend training classes to learn how to apply these therapies to their patients, most of the traditional foot massage systems also place a strong emphasis on people learning how to use these techniques on themselves at home.
What Constitutes Foot Massage and Why is Some Considered Traditional?
Foot massage is the practice of touching or rubbing the feet to enhance health and well being. It is usually done for the purpose of increasing circulation to the feet, aiding the lymphatic system to remove waste products from that area, relaxing tight muscles, loosening scar tissue adhesions or bringing balance to the energetic systems of the body that serve the feet. In addition, reflexology also works with the nerve endings in the feet to affect organs and tissues in distant areas of the body.
Traditional styles of massage are those that have been practiced in a way similar to their current form for hundreds or thousands of years. In many isolated areas of the world, these unique styles remained unchanged and unknown to outsiders until recently. They are based on anecdotal experience rather than scientific documentation.
Thai Foot Massage
Khun Margaret, in her publication "Welcome to Chiangmai-Chaingrai," in her overview of Thai foot massage, points out that these techniques have been unchanged for centuries but can be traced back to ancient Indian origins. Thai foot massage includes some physical aspects such as stretching and stroking, but also incorporates elements of Chinese energy work to affect the chi, or life force. Instruction for this specialized form of foot massage was carved into the walls of Bangkok's Wat Poh temple hundreds of years ago to prevent it from being lost.
Kansa Vakti Indian Foot Massage
Mr. Narendra Mehta, physical therapist and principal of London's Centre of Indian Champissage, says that the Indian form of foot massage known as Kansa Vakti is related to the 5,000-year-old Aryuvedic tradition, the oldest known healing system. Ghee, or clarified butter, or sesame oil are traditionally used for this foot massage, which sometimes entails stroking the surface of the foot with small bowls made of various types of metal. In addition to the foot area, Kansa Vakti also often incorporates massage of the lower leg.
Shiasu, Japanese Reflexology Foot Massage
This style of traditional foot massage requires static pressure from the tip of the thumb or finger along specific energy meridians to restore balance to the body's energetic forces and to correct blockages and imbalances of this energy. It is based on a combination of Japanese teate, or medical treatments, and Chinese acupuncture techniques, which came together approximately 1,000 years ago in Japan. Modern Shiatsu massage also includes various Western techniques and is regulated as a licensed medical therapy by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The foot portion of Shiatsu massage has many similarities to the reflexology style of massage that is practiced today.
Reflexology
Kevin and Barbara Kunz, reflexology experts and publishers of the "Journal of Reflexology Research," teach that reflexology has roots in ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese styles of foot massage. However, it did not become known in the West until the 1800s. Reflexology foot massage is based on the concept of the relationship of the thousands of nerve ending in the feet to corresponding organs and tissues throughout the rest of the body. Applying stimulation to a particular spot on the foot will affect the other area of the body also. While reflexology affects the feet directly, the primary focus is on the full body, not just the foot region.
Next：History of Thai Foot Massage
