Look at yoga mats, plates mats, foam mats and professional fitness mats and you’ll notice something they all have in common: they’re flat. So why would anyone want a mat with raised bumps all over it? Well, maybe because walking on these bumps can strengthen your immunity, relieve body aches and chronic pain, ease muscle fatigue, improve your circulation, regulate your digestive system and make your sore feet feel better—all through the power of an ancient healing art called foot reflexology.
What’s foot reflexology?
Like acupuncture, reflexology is based on the theory that parts of the human body are connected by energy channels, known as meridians. Points on the feet are mapped to specific internal organs, glands, and systems. When practitioners use pressure and massage at the right spots, nerve impulses are activated, circulating energy (known as chi or qi) optimally within the body, and rejuvenating the corresponding body part.
Our ancestors knew what they were doing.
People all over the world have been practicing reflexology for thousands of years. It’s said to have originated in China. But pictographs found on a physician’s tomb wall between 2500-2300 BC show the man receiving a foot massage—indicating that the Egyptians practiced it, too. There’s also an element of reflexology in Native American traditions.
No matter where it began, reflexology landed in the Western world in the 20th century, and because of its positive effect on pain, psychological stress, immunity and overall wellness, it’s here to stay.
Does it really work?
Doctors and physical therapists often recommend reflexology as a complementary therapy for a variety of medical conditions, and patients report great results. Many yoga instructors feel that it helps release tension, balance the body, and deepen the practice overall.
So, what if you could access the benefits of reflexology in your own home? As a product developer in the health and wellness field, Tiffany Montanti was intrigued by this idea.
“I wanted to make it easy for people to have reflexology therapy as part of their regular wellness care. We’re all so busy, we can’t go out for treatments every day,” she says. “So, I worked with experts in the field to create a mat that uses the principles of reflexology to stimulate the feet, remove toxins and get the energy flowing, to generate positive effects in the body.”
The PURECODE Reflexology Foot Massage Acupressure Mat is the result of this creative thinking. You can simply stand on the footprints, which have bumps placed strategically to activate the appropriate points on the feet. You can walk along the mat for more dynamic stimulation. Some people like to lie down on the mat and feel the pressure of the bumps over the entire body.
Fitness professional Daria Georgiyeva uses this mat to amplify the positive effects of her practice, and she has developed sequences of yoga poses specifically for use on the reflexology acupressure mat.
“PURECODE Reflexology Foot Massage Acupressure Mat not only helps to release muscular tension, it also quiets and calms your mind and helps to relieve stress”
With a mat like this available at the affordable price of $25.99 on amazon.com, there’s really no reason not to step up now, and start experiencing the healthy, pain-free and energetic feeling you deserve.