WELLNESS // AYURVEDA
5 Practices
to Support Healthy Feet
by Jenn Tarrant
Photograph by David Young-wolff
- Daily Foot Massage
For the massage, Ayurveda recommends
sesame oil combined with your essential oil of
choice. You can also choose a nurturing herb-
infused option such as Bhajan Body and Face
Oil from Yogi Bath and Beauty.
Wiggle each toe. Massage with oil across
the ball of the foot. Then massage down the
arch of your foot from the ball of big toe
to the heel. Next massage down the arch of
the foot from the ball of the pinky toe to the
heel. Then, mas-sage the heel itself. After this
sequence, interlace your fingers with your
toes and wiggle the toes back and forth a few
times. With the fingers still interlaced be-tween
the toes, rotate the ankle about 10 times in
each direction. Switch feet and repeat.
Note: Use just enough oil to nourish the
skin and make it easy to give yourself a mas-
sage. You can put socks on after the massage
or do this in bed before you go to sleep. Be
careful of slipping and sliding if you walk
around after the mas-sage. You can also
towel off your feet with a warm damp
towel (think at-home spa treatment).
Bringing some attention and intention to
our daily practices can help us have a better
relationship with our feet. After all, for many
of us, they are our point of contact with
the earth. These are some of the practices I
share with my students. They can strengthen
our ability to maintain balance in our feet—
and in all areas of our lives.