Cinderella (shoes part 1)

So due to my work as a reflexologist I will be attacking shoes a lot in this blog. Please do not take offense and understand that from where I sit, at your feet, it is my job to tell you how damaging shoes are to you so that you can go forward in life and make a decision based on fact and fashion.

In the last post I was going on about this book Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman's Life and I needed to address the Cinderella shoe thing. If for no other reason then it made me look at shoes from a totally new perspective.

In the book she described the sexual relation to shoes and how for women it is a role reversal of sorts. The shoe becomes the vagina enclosing the foot. She makes a connection between the power women often surrender in daily life and how one simple action makes them dominate over something, slipping your foot into a shoe gives an illusion of control. AHH HA! I have finally got the reason for shoe fetishes. Now I am not Freud so I won't be analyzing you at our next session or in conversation, I just found it a fascinating way to think. This from a woman who currently owns 5 pairs of shoes. I never got why anyone would want to make their feet fit in the art pieces that are supposed to act as foot protection. Shoes as art I get, but please put them on display in your bookshelf and stop trying to walk in them.

I find it also interesting that the author points out the prince running around the country side putting shoes on all these women trying to find his mate. Naughty *grin* And in the original Grimm's fairy tale version the step-sisters actually carve up their feet to get their shoes to fit. *ugh* The scary thing is it's happening now as well, removal of the 5th toe is becoming a trend. Self mutilation to fit in. Wow.

So really this post has no point except to say that shoes that scream disfunctional, sex, grab me I can't run away, are truly serving their purpose and should therefore only be used in situations where the aforementioned is desired. Otherwise treat your feet and your body a bit kinder and where the clunky old shoes that provide comfort, support, and good running advantage.

Sleep

So I am reading this book entitled Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman's Life and there is a section on sleep. Basically the book links the transformations of a woman's life and relates them to different fairy tales. In the section about sleeping beauty she talks a lot about how we as a culture avoid sleep because it isn't "doing something".

Here are some of the physiological thing that actually occur in your body when sleeping. In REM the inner organs wake up and start working at full steam. The blood flow to the brain increase by 40%, the heart speeds up and slows with no apparent reason, and your metabolism increases.

In deep sleep or slow wave, the lightest time of sleeping where no dreams occur, very important things happen. This is the time when links are forged in your brain. The short-term memory talks to the long-term memory and associations and connections are forged. In this period of sleep consolidation of significant memories is completed and the information is becomes available to you in a more accessible form.

So in fact hard work is NOT enough. *phew* I can stop running around like a chicken with it's head cut off in the attempt to do more. The author Joan Gould makes this great point that Sleeping Beauty goes to sleep a girl and wakes into a woman. Instead of suffering through the pain and agony of growing up she simply slept and let her mind and body sort things out. So on those days when life really is too hard to get out of bed for, maybe we shouldn't. Maybe it'd be ok to let ourselves dream our way out of the depression we are caught in.

Also when I say to my beginning students to sleep on the material and it will be easier in the morning there is some scientifically documented proof that this is true.

Triangles

I just recently finished teaching a class on the structure of the foot. It is fascinating to me how much abuse the feet can take. We daily demand that they carry us through our lives and rarely do we thank them with a reflexology session, a foot rub, or even a good soaking.

After class I realized I had left out some vital information. Education on the triangles of the feet.

If you place your foot down on the ground you will notice a peculiar thing. Your foot should be shaped like a triangle with the heel (calcaneus) being the peak and the toes the base. Now put any standard pair of woman's or men's dress shoes near by and notice. Hum the triangle goes in the opposite direction with the peak being at the front. Who designed this? And what were they thinking? Now we can go into all sorts of theories with the predominate one being sex but I'm not going to open that can of worms in this post.

There are three bones that all students of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong are familiar with. These bones form your triangle of support and balance. They are the calcaneus (heel), the base of the 5th metatarsal (ball of foot under pinky toe), and the base of the 1st metatarsal (ball of the foot under great toe). When you are standing still you should be giving equal weight to all these bones with compensations for balance being made between the 1st and 5th. If this triangle is compromised due to foot deformities caused by shoes or injuries a person will most likely feel unbalanced while standing and walking at all times. This, in my opinion, will further lead them to feel unbalance in their whole life.

To strengthen both the feet and to correct issues that are forming here is a great exercise:
Stand with feet as close together as possible (ideally medial arches almost touching) If this is not possible due to feelings of instability place the feet in alignment with the hips or the shoulders and move them in as strength is gained. Now when you have found your balance in this pose (called mountain in yoga) lift all your toes off the ground. This will show you where that triangle of support is as you will be forced to stand only on it. Hold toes up for at least 30seconds. When you place your toes back down try to place them one at a time, focusing on creating space between the toes. If two toes are sticking together gently reach down and separate them. Rest in mountain pose to feel this new balanced place. Eventually try doing this exercise one foot at a time.

Foot Baths

I truly believe that if everyone came home at the end of a long hard day and stuck their feet in warm water the world would right itself and all would be well. In short a foot bath can save the planet.

Here are the benefits:
* warming to the whole body
* warmth helps release tension in the whole body
* purifying
* cleansing
* the addition of epsom salts can facilitate toxin release
* helps release any adhesions in the foot through heat and relaxation

Here are some ways to make it fun with additions:
* flower petals bring color, joy, and add a sense of luxury
* salts (sea salt, epsom salt, dead sea salts) not recommended if you have high blood pressure
* baking soda
* bubble bath or liquid soap
* essential oils
* make a strong cup of tea and add that for smell and toxin releasing or calming properties (chamomile, ginger and other herbal teas are the best to use)
* light a candle to soak by

Here is a lovely little book with other wonderful goodies.

Reflexology Paths

It is almost reflexology awareness week here in Washington, September 23th-30th. If you are in the Seattle area next Saturday September 30th, the Washington Reflexology Association is having and event at the Bastyr University reflexology path from 1pm-5pm. I will be doing free 15 minute reflexology sessions from 1-3pm. Come walk, participate in activities, and enjoy some free reflexology.

Here are some pictures of reflexology paths in Asia: http://www.reflexology-research.com/virtualpathasia.html

If you want to create a path in your back yard here is a website that can get you started:
http://www.reflexology-research.com/howtoreflexpath.htm

This is an article on the Bastyr reflexology path, the address is also listed if you'd like to participate in Saturday's event:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/192053_hcenter23.html