Is thinking that rest is lazy, or not for you or that you don’t have time, holding you back from trying out a deep rest yoga nidra class with me in Oxford? What if I told you that rest offers power? That resting give you a chance to pause and think about what you really want. What you really want to say. What you really want to do. What choices you make, for yourself and others. What food you nourish your body with. What words and phrases you choose to speak or write, and the tone you use. And the words and tone you choose not to use…
Rest is not lazy. Rest offers you the ultimate in soft power. A chance to pause and make considered choices. What difference might that make to your day, your weekend or week ahead?What difference would a rested version of you make to how you feel about yourself?
Join me for a beautifully relaxing, deeply restful experience where you’ll be nurtured and nourished, enabling you to emerge radiant and replenished – able to make choices of how to use your time, your words and actions as the best version of you, the rested version of you. Join a small group of women in a deep rest class in Oxford – all the dates and booking details are here. Give yourself permission to rest and replenish. Read all about deep rest in Oxford here and testimonials here.
Receiving a foot massage must be one of the loveliest experiences. Giving a foot massage is an act of love – either to yourself, or as a gift to someone else. It’s so simple, can be done in two minutes and can improve sleep, rest, relaxation, a sense of gratitude and bonding.
You can do this for yourself or ask a partner. No oil is needed but if you want to use some, any kind will do, olive oil, coconut oil or any other moisturiser. I often massage my own feet as part of a my bedtime routine – blog on this coming soon – and it makes a huge difference to how relaxed I feel and how quickly I fall asleep.
Set yourself up in a comfortable, supported seated position, in bed or on a comfortable sofa/chair. Take a quick body scan and note if you’re holding tension anywhere in the body. Inhale noticing, exhale releasing each part of the body below:
Rub the hands gently together to create warmth. Take some deep breaths and bring your awareness into the sensations in your feet. Notice how the feet feel – their temperature, quality of the skin, if they feel achy or a bit puffy from standing all day? Relax your shoulders and bring one foot into your hands in whatever way feels comfortable for you to do this. You might want to support yourself with more pillows/cushions behind your back, under your knee, anywhere that needs support.
Begin by cupping your hands around the forefoot – the part in front of the toes – and stroking upwards towards the knee. You can pause at the ankle and take some circles.
Taking hold of the fore foot, gently curl and uncurl the sides of the foot towards and away from the midline of the foot, if this feels good for you.
Bring your hands to the underside of the forefoot and massage in a circular motion using your thumbs, into the fleshy pads under the toes.
Coming to the mid-foot, thumbs one on each side of the sole and stroke gently along the arch. I like to stroke towards the toes using the side of my thumb but find what feels good for you. Remember to relax your shoulders and soften your whole body.
Taking both hands to the outside of the foot, use fingers and thumbs to knead up the side of the foot. Again you can stroke/gently pull the flesh towards the outside of the foot.
Cup the heel in the palm of your hand, and using either the palm and fingers of that hand, or fingers of the other hand (or both), knead into the underside of the heel. You can work up to the ankle and around the ankle joints.
Notice how the massaged foot feels compared to the other. Repeat on the other side.
For more on massage in Oxford for women, deep rest and relaxation classes in Oxford, nutrition, lifestyle tips and resources, send me your email to be added to my mailing list. All the details here.
