Thinking on my Feet

I caught the end of a programme about Touch on Radio 4 this week and will tune in later this week to catch up on all of it. The aspect of touch that I was reminded of was that of massage and connection. My first role as a massage therapist was in a day centre for elderly people who hadn’t been touched for many years and were overwhelmed by the experience and benefits of massage and the feelings that this invoked. I too was deeply moved by this and as I age, I come to appreciate my body more and remember in detail some of the conversations and feelings that I experienced throughout my time there.

“I spend so much time on my feet and I feel more energised as a result of the focus and time I have paid to my toes this week.”

Rachel Podger

In light of both of these experiences, I have been drawn to my feet and in particular my toes. This week, I have made a conscious effort to connect with them when I walk and pay attention to how I feel when I put cream on them. I pause to pay attention to each of my toes and how I feel when I take time to be with each of them. I urge everyone to try this, I have found it so healing and I can feel myself release tension.

In addition, I have also become more conscious of toe-curling moments when I am under pressure and I have noticed that if I breath into my toes in these moments, I find myself relax and my toes straighten and I I grow taller as my whole body can then relax. I spend so much time on my feet and I feel more energised as a result of the focus and time I have paid to my toes this week. I can feel a smile of appreciation throughout my whole body as a consequence of this and I feel so grateful for the time that I shared with people in the later stage of their lives. This helps me now as I embrace my ageing body and in particular my feet and toes!