Photo courtesy of Bobby Beaulieu and flickr
I really need a massage.
Of course, I’ve never had a professional one before. They’re pretty expensive, and I have this weird thing about people seeing me less than fully clothed. (For those that would point out that I wouldn’t be revealing more skin than I would in a bathing suit, I’m nervous about that, too.) Both of those things don’t exactly bode well in my quest for relaxation, but it seems that I may have found the next best thing.
I first about reflexology in one of my mom’s alternative health books, but I didn’t give it much credence at the time. It sounded like a lot of pseudoscience – how could points on your feet correspond to different parts of the body? It didn’t make a lot of sense, and I never paid it much attention. In fact, I only gave it serious consideration a couple of weeks ago after noticing that my shoulders were unusually stiff. I figured it was stress, so I thought that I could give myself a foot massage to compensate for my inability to give my shoulders a rubdown. Unsure of how to start, I turned to YouTube for some tips and tricks and stumbled upon some reflexology videos that walked me through the process. After just one session, I was hooked.
So, does reflexology work? I can’t say for sure. I haven’t noticed any miraculous changes in my body as a whole, but I do know that I feel a lot calmer after working on my feet for a while. All in all, it’s not a bad way to get some cheap relaxation, and I do notice that my shoulders feel a little less tense when I’m through. Have you ever had any reflexology done, either by someone or by yourself? What were your experiences? Do you have any tips? If so, I’d love to hear them!
I only know a bit of the basic stuff…. Headaches, cramps, upset tummy. But it really works amazingly well. If my memory serves me right, it’s works a lot like acupuncture in correcting energy flows. But beyond that, I have no clue.