[wpcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””] Soaking your feet in salty water is a great way to clear yourself of stress from the day, improve your health, and deepen the quality of your meditations. Do this after work or before bed, especially if you feel drained or find it difficult to fall asleep.

What you need:
~ A footsoaking bowl:  Get a plastic or metal bowl you can use only for soaking your feet. It should be deep enough so you can put your feet flat in it and cover them with water, and if you can cover your ankles too, that’s even better (since the ankles represent the visshuddhi, #5 chakra).

~ Salt:  Any cheap salt will do, it doesn’t need to be sea salt. Do not use rock (ice cream) salt because it takes a long time to dissolve, nor epsom salt.  For each footsoak you need a few tablespoons of salt.  Actually how much salt you put in is not important, but the water should be salty, since the salt helps to absorb our imbalances.

~ A pitcher or container you can use to pour clean water on your feet when finished, and a towell to dry them afterwards.

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Water temperature: Experiment with the water temperature. If you’ve been very busy and can’t stop thinking (right sided) cool to cold water is better. If you are really tired or a bit down (left sided) warm to hot water is better.  But be comfortable, otherwise you won’t be able to meditate.

Doing the footsoak:  Fill the tub with water and salt and soak your feet in it for 15 minutes or so. If you are feeling especially stressed or unwell you can change the water and footsoak again, or add more salt. Most people discover it’s much easier to meditate during their footsoak, or afterwards.  After footsoaking rinse your feet with fresh water, dry them (so you don’t slip) and flush the footsoak water down the toilet. Wash your hands. You may also want to rinse your feet again to be sure you’ve removed all the salt.

Similar treatments: Footsoaking in the sea is also very cleansing.  You can also soak in a salt water bath, and follow it with a shower.  Sitting or walking barefoot on the mother earth can also be quite balancing, as the earth is like a magnet, absorbing imbalanced energy from us, and helping to reduce the tension of stress. [/wpcol_1half_end]