Relaxing Foot Soak And Meditation

This detoxing and releasing practice if the ideal way to prepare for the coming festivities.

Herbal Foot Soak

For this experience, we will be exploring the element of water, specifically the practice of ritual bathing that exists in many traditions around the world. You will need to spend about 10 minutes preparing your space for this somatic practice, using herbs to create a cleansing foot bath.

You can use any kind of loose herbs for this process, but marigold (calendula) is good.

Transcript

Hi and thank you so much for tuning in and choosing to relax with me.

In the notes you'll see an invitation to create a relaxing foot bath using some herbs or herbal teas that you have.

So if that's something that you haven't done,

Just press pause on the audio and have a look at the show notes and create a lovely environment for you to listen to the rest of this meditation.

If you've done that and you're all ready,

Hopefully you're in a peaceful space,

You can light some candles and take this opportunity to just let go and relax.

Take a nice deep steady breath in through your nose,

Out through your mouth and dip your feet into the water slowly,

Savouring the warmth as it surrounds you.

Take three slow deep breaths and notice if there is any place in your body that needs softening.

Bring some breath there.

As your feet soak in the tub,

Imagine your connection with earth through this communion with the herbs.

Call in the grounding support of the soil that grew the flowers and ask for grounding and what you need for growth in your own life.

Call in brightening inspiration of the sun that brought the flowers into their full radiance.

Call in the nourishing waters of rain that helped grow the herbs to flow to the dry and arid places in your life.

Imagine that each aspect of this experience is a sacred ritual with holy wisdom to offer.

Notice how your body feels as you continue to soak,

Relax and release.

Let us spend the next 10 minutes in silent contemplation and relaxation as we rest and soak together.

Offer gratitude to your feet for all the miles that they have travelled.

And I invite you to simply press pause on the audio at this moment and spend as long as you feel called to.

Maybe it's 5 minutes,

Maybe it's 20 minutes.

And then come back.

When you are done,

Carefully dry your feet with tender care,

Holding your intentions in your heart.

Take this time to perform an anointing ritual on your feet.

Your feet faithfully carry you through the world each day and these next 15 minutes will be dedicated to showing them appreciation and thanks for their tireless efforts.

Bring your visual and sensory awareness to your feet.

Is there anything that your feet are asking you for in this moment?

Your feet are your first chariot,

Your connection to earth,

That which grounds you.

They are also a map to connect to your entire internal landscape through your nervous system.

Massaging your feet can stimulate,

Relax and energise every part of you including your bloodstream,

Nerves,

Lungs,

Vision,

Senses and mind.

Your foot is a map of your whole body,

From the big toe representing your brain to the arch of your foot representing your spine,

The heel,

The lower extremities and the ankles,

Your reproductive organs.

The left foot will stimulate the left side of the body and all its organs and the right foot will do the same for the right side.

In a comfortable seated position,

With your back supported,

Bend your right knee and draw your right ankle on top of your left knee or thigh.

With your right foot resting on your left thigh,

Pour your oil into your palm and rub it between both hands so that you may be able to slide your hands without effort over your skin.

Press and slide your thumb firmly and slowly from the inside of the heel all the way up the arch of the foot.

The pathway corresponds to your spinal vitality.

Continuing this gliding motion upwards repeatedly with loving attention and focus.

Move your thumb of your right hand closer to the centre of the sole of your foot and bring the thumb of your left hand alongside it,

Wrapping the rest of the fingers around the top of your feet as if you're holding a sandwich.

Begin to squeeze the sole of the foot between your hands,

Pulsing upwards incrementally.

Now begin circling the undersides of your foot,

Taking care to vary the pressure of your stroke and the size of your circle in accordance to what the pleasure of your feet dictates.

Notice which areas might feel more sensitive or what parts of the skin might be calling for more oil and moisture.

Take some time,

Massage the heels of your feet,

The pathway that corresponds to the lower portion of the body.

Alternate pressing the thumbs with force into the heel or gliding the palm of your hand around the butt of your feet.

Now bring your attention to the toes.

Glide your oils in the forgotten spaces between while experimenting with separating and stretching each toe from one another.

Appreciate these digits for providing us with balance within our journey on earth.

Gripping onto the top side of the foot with the four fingers,

Press each toe backwards and towards the ankle.

Now stretch all the toes downward towards the sole of the foot.

Experiment with a slight elongation of the joints by grabbing and pulling from the place where the toes connect to the feet.

Now anoint the ankle in a circular motion with the pad of the thumbs,

Taking notice of the many varying textures around the ankle,

Some soft and sensitive,

Some hard.

Spend the next few minutes giving your feet exactly what they need,

Uncovering strokes,

Touches and pressure that feel pleasant to you.

Before you place this right foot down to the earth,

Recognize its daily service and performance as you walk your earthly journey in this vessel.

Thank it for walking the truth.

Thank it for balance and righteousness.

Now draw the left foot upwards onto the thigh or knee or anywhere that you can reach it with your hands.

Take a moment to bring your sensory and visual awareness to your left foot.

The foot is an incredibly dynamic part of the body.

The small part of the foot contains 26 bones,

33 joints and more than 100 muscles,

Tendons and ligaments.

Once again,

Generously applying anointing oils to the palm of the hands,

Press and slide your thumb firmly and slowly from the inside of the heel all the way up the arch of the foot.

With each gliding motion upward,

Give thanks to the long arch of your feet for providing a flexibility as you bear weight,

For the ability to adjust to whatever terrain that you are providing within your journey.

Again,

Wrap both hands around the feet with thumbs in the middle of the soles of the feet and the fingers resting on the top sides of the feet.

Begin to squeeze the sole of the foot between the hands,

Pulsing upward in steps.

Appreciate the section of your feet for its ability to expand and stretch,

To soften and widen.

Now once again,

Begin circling the undersides of your foot,

Taking care to vary the pressure of your stroke and the size of your circle in accordance to what feels most desirable for you.

Notice the possibility of creating convexity and concavity along the sole of the foot.

Take some time,

Massage the heels of your foot.

Alternate pressing the thumbs with force into the heel or gliding the palm of your hand around the butt of your feet.

Appreciating the heel for initiating the cycle of your gait,

Striking the ground first as you walk,

Taking all your attention to your toes.

Glide your oils into the forgotten spaces between each of those toes.

Play with separating and stretching each toe from one another,

Feeling that space that you rarely get to touch.

Appreciate the toes for their support in providing us with the ability to move forward.

The way that they balance our walk,

Help stabilize our gait.

Gripping onto the top side of the foot with the four fingers,

Press each toe backwards and towards the ankle.

Now stretch all the toes downwards towards the sole of the foot.

Experiment with a slight elongation of the joints by grabbing and pulling from the place where the toes connect to the feet.

Now anoint the ankle in a circular motion with the pad of the thumbs,

Taking notice of the many varying textures of the ankle.

Appreciate this ankle as a crucial base for our balance and stability.

Take the next few moments to give your feet exactly what they need.

Before you place this left foot back down to the earth,

Recognize its daily service and performance as you walk your earthly journey.

I will walk in full respect of life.

As you come to the end of your meditation and you prepare to pour the water from your foot soak away,

Take a moment before you do to connect to the intention that the prayers that are carried in this water can reach every shore and offer your prayers to the earth,

To Pachamama as you flow and glide into the day or into your sweet slumber.

Take in this moment to offer your intentions into the water.

Feel that by sending away this water,

You can wash away the day,

Leaving behind what's been and allowing you just to move into your sweet slumber.

If you're doing this in the morning,

Maybe you have an intention to wash away everything from the night and begin your day afresh.

Having a deep breath in,

Releasing through your mouth and making your way to release the water from your foot bath.

Thank you for choosing to listen to this meditation,

For choosing to share your time with me.

I wish you a wonderful sleep or a pleasant day.

Thank you.

Good night.