Advertisement
Undo Stress & Tension With This 5-Minute Ritual
It's not always realistic to run yourself a #selfcare bath, especially if life is busy or if you don't have a big enough bathtub! But there is a way to get the same benefits of a bath without expending nearly as much time, effort, or resources. Enter: the foot soak.
Desiree Pais, meditation teacher, Chinese medicine student, and natural beauty expert, has shared her take on a therapeutic foot soak. Five minutes, four steps, and a few deep breaths will take your stress levels down and make you feel more connected to your body. "In Chinese medicine, salt has the energetic quality of draining downward, so after a long day of thinking, working, being on technology—which is very airy and in our heads—salted foot soaks help to bring the energy down from our heads and ground us so we can feel relaxed and rejuvenated," she said.
Here's what you'll need for setup:
- A basin or large cooking pot
- Epsom salts
- Body oil
- Essential oils of your choice
- Warm to hot water
- Body scrub
Here is a recap of the steps and product suggestions for your foot bath, shown in the video above.
- Pour warm to hot water into a basin. Make sure it's warm enough that it won't cool too quickly but tistolerable and won't burn you.
- Sprinkle salts into the basin. Desiree used Herbivore Calm Bath Salts, but you can use any Epsom salts.
- Then add a body oil to keep feet from getting too pruny or dry. Desiree used Weleda's Pampering Beauty & Body Oil. A plain jojoba or sesame body oil works just as well.
- If you so choose, drop in a few essential oils. Desiree chose lavender to feel relaxed and grounded.
- While you're letting your feet soak, use a body scrub and work it into your calves. In the video, Desiree used Herbivore Cocorose Body Scrub and discussed how to hit certain meridian points that help you feel grounded and relaxed.
- Soak and put your phone away!
- When you've had enough, remove your feet from the basin, towel off, and finish with a body oil to lock in the moisture. Desiree used Weleda's muscle massage oil, which includes arnica. Arnica, as well as minty oils like peppermint help soothe sore muscles.
Enhance your foot-soak experience by reading all about the health benefits of Epsom salts and how to DIY a foot reflexology session.
Watch Next
Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes
Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes
What Is Meditation?
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins
Box Breathing
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar
What Breathwork Can Address
Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar
The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?
Yoga | Caley Alyssa
Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips
Yoga | Caley Alyssa
How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance
Nutrition | Rich Roll
What to Eat Before a Workout
Nutrition | Rich Roll
How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life
Nutrition | Sahara Rose
Messages About Love & Relationships
Love & Relationships | Esther Perel
Love Languages
Love & Relationships | Esther Perel
What Is Meditation?
Box Breathing
What Breathwork Can Address
The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?
Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips
How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance
What to Eat Before a Workout
How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life
Messages About Love & Relationships
Love Languages
Advertisement
