Ayurvedic Foot Massage: Gain a Foothold On Your Health.
Updated: 3 days ago
There are many points on the feet that connect to almost every part of the body. Foot massage is a simple, Ayurvedic self-treatment to unwind and ground your energy at the end of the day. Serious medical conditions may also be detected by paying attention to your feet. Gain a foothold on your health.
Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blog and website to watch.
According to the American Podiatric Medical Association , “Your feet mirror your general health. Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet—so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.”
In addition to providing information about serious medical conditions, Ayurvedic foot massage (Padabhyanga), performed consistently, may support soft, supple skin, shiny hair, and even a sharper memory according to Ayurveda.
Padabhyanga (पादाभ्यंग) is a Sanskrit term which is made using two words:
Pada (पद) : Foot
Abhyanga (अभ्यंग) : Massage
Our feet connect us to the earth and ground us. They work hard for us many hours of the day, decade after decade. They need our loving attention. Where would we be without our feet? Not only do they connect and transport us, the feet contain pressure points that connect to nearly every organ in the body, the immune system, and the nervous system.
Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 7,000 nerves. How many hours in a day are your feet carrying the full weight of your body around? How many hours in a lifetime? In the ancient Vedic texts, feet are referred to as organs of action and feet are in need of attention and respect.
Ayurvedic foot massage is a way of massaging the whole body, relaxing the entire body and mind.
If you don't have time to do a full Ayurvedic massage (abhyanga), there's always a few minutes each day for Ayurvedic foot massage.
To learn about Ayurvedic self-oil massage: Abhyanga Massage - How to Do Ayurveda Self-Massage at Home
Benefits of Ayurvedic Foot Massage:
It feels deeply relaxing for the whole body and mind
Gently stimulates the body's organs and tissues (picture an organ map on the bottom of your foot.)
Supports circulation
Supports quality sleep
Makes the feet feel happy
Reduces that "my dogs are tired" or, "my dogs are barking" at the end of the day
Relieves dry skin
How To Do Ayurvedic Foot Massage: Padabhyanga
Place an old towel under your feet.
Warm your oil to a comfortable temperature.
If you like, add dosha balancing essential oils to your base oil. Vata: warm, sweet, grounding, soothing aromas. This includes lavender, vetiver, cedarwood, clove, patchouli, sweet orange, geranium rose, ylang/ylang, frankincense, and vanilla. Pitta: sweet and cooling. This includes sandalwood, rose, honeysuckle, and fennel. Kapha: warm, spicy, and invigorating. This includes camphor, juniper, eucalyptus, marjoram, grapefruit, bergamot, rosemary, sage, cedar, pine, musk, patchouli, and clove.
Apply oil all over your foot. Vigorously massage the front of the foot with both hands. Do long strokes on the long bones, top and bottom. Remember your ankles too. Massage in long strokes on the long foot bones, and round strokes around the ankles. When massaging the top of the foot, press into the spaces between each of the bones.
On the soles, use firm circular strokes.
If you find a spot that feels tighter, hang out there a little bit longer, but don't over do it.
Remember all your toes. Starting with the big toe, press in a the base of the nail from the top of the toe and under using your index finger and thumb.
Massage from the base of the toe where it's joined to the foot, up to the tip. Love up each toe this way.
Repeat the process for the other foot.
Cover your feet with socks if doing the massage before bedtime.
Use rubber soled slippers, shoes, or sandals if you get up. Oil is slippery on wood and tiled floors, even through socks.
Which Oil Is Best for Ayurvedic Foot Massage?
Depending on specific imbalances, different oils are used as determined by an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner. Fatigue, exhaustion, migraines, eye issues, and so forth require different oils. In general, these three oils are used for Ayurvedic foot massage.
Use sesame oil for your Ayurvedic foot massage during the cooler, or colder parts of the year. In cold climates during winter, mustard oil may be used.
Use coconut oil for your Ayurvedic foot massage during the warm, or hot parts of the year.
You can use ghee for your Ayurvedic foot massage during the warm, or hot parts of the year.
Sore Feet?
Try our MahaBalm (Pain relieving balm). $20. Not only is this balm amazing for Ayurvedic foot massage, use it anywhere you're sore. "The mahabalm is amazing! It should go viral!" --Saumya client, New Mexico
Tonight, try Padabhyanga — it just might help you sleep like a baby.
This simple practice is easy to integrate in your Ayurvedic lifestyle. It doesn't take long, you can do it even if you travel, and it only takes a few minutes.
Ayurvedic foot massage balances Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Doing padabhyanga before bed, is especially calming to Vata doshas and promotes sound sleep.
Pair your Ayurveda foot massage with our sleep tips: Sleep Soundly: 11 Ayurvedic Tips to Help You Drift Off into Dreamland
How Do I Know If I Have a Dosha Imbalance?
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances.
As we are all comprised of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
“Intuitive and supportive practitioner rooted in the deep understanding of Ayurveda. Veena is very easy to work with and has a lot in her toolbox to help with specific issues.”
--L. A,, South Carolina
“Feeling unbalanced, fearful, gut in constant upheaval? Any one of those in this time of uncertainty and you need to have a consultation with Veena. Regardless of your current or chronic health issues, Veena is an amazing healer with solutions for your dis-ease. With over 5,000 years of Ayurveda tools in her healing toolbox, Veena can lead you from blah to vibrant!
She is knowledgeable, intuitive, compassionate, and highly skilled—and she does it all with a marvelous sense of humor. Book a consultation now and return to wellness and wellbeing.”
-L.P., USA
“Working with Veena was so helpful for me on my healing journey. She is very knowledgeable and works with you from a compassionate perspective. If she suggests a certain practice or change to routine, she makes sure it is doable for you without adding more stress.
I was new to Ayurveda and now it’s part of my daily life and I’m very grateful. I feel more balanced and the health issues I was having are now resolved or improving. I highly recommend working with Veena.” --Elizabeth Albers, Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Ayurvedic Foot Massage: Gain a Foothold On Your Health. Give it a try tonight.
There is a saying, "The mind is more in the body, than the body is in the mind." The Saumya 3 step meditation process shifts us from fight-flight-freeze mode, to rest-restore-relax mode. Give it a try for forty days and observe the changes. The more grounded and relaxed we are, the smoother life flows.
"The breath is the connection between the mind and body, so by training the breath, we become calm, focused, and grounded, we slow down the aging process by decreasing stress. These practices are so simple and easy to have as part of our daily life. We actually feel and look younger."
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we re-learn to breath diaphragmatically, we move from the flight-fight-freeze mode, to rest, restore, relaxation mode from where we want and need to live.
2. Free Daily Guided Practices: 11 minutes in the morning and in the evening, as anchors of your daily Ayurveda routine.
3. Ayurveda Daily Routines: Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day 10 Ayurvedic Evening Rituals for a Calming Night
"Choose a couple of practices from the routines that provide you with the greatest support. Perform them while applying our two minute meditation technique and your mundane tasks, just transformed into a mellifluous meditation. This is meditation applied to daily life." - Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
"Veena was able to help me regain my energy in just a few months and I’m feeling like my “young” self again! I love the food plan she designed for me, and all the supporting practices (am/pm routines, breathing techniques, herbs, and spice mixes) are so enjoyable to incorporate into my day. I highly recommend Saumya Ayurveda if you want to feel better and have more vitality.”
-Molly Rossini, Minnesota
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
Discover the Saumya Ayurveda Way
We all want to be heard, understood, and cared for as whole beings, not a set of isolated symptoms. True health is more than the absence of disease, which is why Western medicine so often leaves us feeling hopeless and unseen.
Deep down, you already know what you’re searching for: a new framework for living – one that brings your entire being back into balance. With Saumya Ayurveda, you’ll receive individualized guidance to create the physically, mentally, and spiritually vibrant life you crave.
Saumya Ayurveda provides concierge, top-notch, award-winning Ayurveda care. We strive to keep it simple, so you can focus on you! Opt for virtual consultations and we'll come to you.
Our practice model is client focused, we’re not in the retail herb business. We’ll guide you where to order herbs directly online. Our top-shelf Ayurveda oils and herbalized ghees are the best in the land and we’ll ship your care package right to your doorstep.
Our effective multi-appointment consultation packages provide you with experienced Ayurveda care, enthusiastic guidance, and inspiring support.
Explore our personalized services and book your FREE discovery call today. Psst! Our clients say it best – so read and watch our client's stories.
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.