All Posts - Center for Barefoot Massage: FasciAshi myofascial ashiatsu training

Footnotes, Massage, Pro tips, research, Why FasciAshi? by BossladyJeni 3 days ago 0Comments

Can You Feel “Knots” During Barefoot Massage? The science behind feeling with your feet.

(This article was originally published on 6/11/2024 by Jeni Spring here, and the social media recap from Julie Marciniak was posted 4/16/2025 here and here.)

One of the questions that we Barefoot Massage therapists get asked VERY often is “Can you actually feel knots when you massage with your feet?”

Yes, we can! OF COURSE we can feel things through our feet! It’s not 100% the same as how detailed we can feel things with our hands – but that’s just biologically how humans are made.

Lets help the world better understand how feet have feelings, too!

I would hope that the public would better trust that every Barefoot Massage therapist is feeling something on some level while using their feet like hands professionally – BUT, feet are often misunderstood, trust has to be earned, and the foot-feel skill set needs to be honed. This question is easy to brush off with a short “Yep!” but it can the beginning of a great conversation and a fun experiment to use as public education.

I do want to clear up one thing though, and that thing is “Knots.“ I left that word in this posts’ title for SEO and common conversation reasons, BUT, what is a knot, really?? Massage Therapists know this answer and I want us to do better about educating our clients about the many things that a “knot” could be. I’ll save that for another post, but for now, let’s just call knots “ADHERED LAYERS OF TISSUE”, and not get tangled and tied up over it today, I’ll break it down better later 😉

What is in this message!?

Info summarized from studies and research articles on how feet feel things through haptic perception, the sensory homunculus, mechanoreceptors, proprioception & more
Activities to hone your own palpation skills
Self care tips to help your feet “see” more clearly
Research sited at the end for you to go down the rabbit hole even deeper

Anything hands can do, feet can do (better?)

I love singing this little sentence, hoping to help push my students to hone their foot skills and confidence to match up with their hands. OBVIOUSLY feet can’t do all the things hands can do, it’s just fun to try.

Our feet are meant to move us across uneven surfaces and varied textures. Think about the difference of walking in your back yards grass, walking on the paved sidewalk, walking on the beach. Even different sand densities or different distances from the water along the sand will completely change the way your feet need to work on that surface to create movement in your body. Nice plush blades of grass, or fine golf course grass, will make you walk differently than that dried up, scratchy spindly grass in the forgotten corners of the elementary school playground. Even without “movement”, standing can be harder on different surfaces, but your feet help you figure that out subconsciously.

Crazy detailed, right? A Barefoot Massage therapist is doing that kind of foot-calibration while they massage a body! We balance, sink, adjust, grip, slide, step, tilt, and mold our feet to meet the “kneads” of the anatomy underfoot based on what is felt through the sensory information gathered by feet. It’s almost like feet have sonar that penetrate into the surfaces below them – which is something that helps us work on the depths of the human body.

Our instructors Hillary and Ashley during the AMTA National Convention in Phoenix, having fun giving Barefoot Massage together.

When anyone touches an object, we receive a significant amount of information about it. This capability comes from our skin’s extensive network of nerve endings and touch receptors, which are sensitive to various kinds of stimuli. A stimulus can be any factor that activates the receptors in our skin, such as pressure, temperature, vibrations, or pain. Upon activation by a stimulus, these receptors trigger a series of nerve impulses that are transmitted to our brains. Our brains then process this information to identify the object. However, passive contact with an object is insufficient for identification. To really get a scope on its shape and details, we have to actively explore its surfaces and the object as a whole by moving it in our hands, a process known as haptic perception.

This also happens in our feet! The detail level is different – maybe not “less than hands” but definitely different. The nugget of a summary in one research article that was neat is the following little quote:

Recognition by foot was slower (7 vs. 13 seconds) and much less accurate (9% vs. 47% errors) than recognition by either one or both hands. Nevertheless, item difficulty was similar across hand and foot exploration, and there was a strong correlation between an individual’s hand and foot performance.

The foot still felt and recognized whatever they were doing to it, just at a slower and dulled rate than hands. That’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, but OK. This helps support another reason why a myofascial barefoot massage therapist will want to move as slow as a sloth: so that all parties can perceive things as best as possible. (I still swear I can feel things better with my feet – there’s my bias coming out.)

I often see a quotes floating around about there being something like 10,000 nerves in the sole of the foot, (I even found some posts stating as high as 200,000 – but no sources sited) all of which implies that number is way more than what is found in the palms of our hands… but when you look at the sensory homunculus, a map along the cerebral cortex of where each part of the body is processed, the hands and mouth show to take up a larger footprint on the brains sensory readings than feet. (Maybe that’s part of why I love Sasquatch so much: he is the homunculus I relate to.)

I was able to find a study explaining that researchers found a total of 104 cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the sole of the foot. That’s not the 10,000-nerve science I was looking for, but it was really interesting. Their findings suggest that skin receptors in the foot sole behave differently from those receptors found on the same kind of skin in our hands. I wasn’t able to find a study that listed the number of cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the palm of the hand for comparison — maybe if you find that info you can link to it in the comments below — BUT there is a higher concentration of some kinds of nerves in the sole and a higher concentration of other kinds of nerves in the palm. This may reflect the role of sole skin receptors in balance and movement control – something you can’t really get from walking on your hands, cuz it’s not like we do that every day (although it seems like it sometimes in traditional hands-on massage techniques!!!)

To identify an object through haptic perception, we rely on different types of receptors, each responsible for sensing various stimuli. Mechanoreceptors, for instance, detect sensations such as pressure, vibration, slip, stretch, and contact force. While thermoreceptors respond to an object’s temperature. Nociceptors, or pain receptors, detect anything that might cause skin damage, and proprioceptors sense the position of different body parts relative to each other and the surrounding environment. These receptors collectively enable us to determine an object’s shape, temperature, and surface texture through touch alone. The gathered information is then processed by our brains to facilitate object identification.

So yes – these feet are made (mainly) made for walking, but when it’s time for these feets to walk all over you, other factors come into play that can help a Barefoot Massage Therapist find and feel the adhered layers of tissue with more accuracy.

Often, a Massage Therapist who is giving a Barefoot Massage will still use their hands on the clients body at some point. Even if it’s just to apply lotion, oil, wax or other lubricant(s), or at least in the act of positioning the sheets/pillows, we’ll have a chance to touch you with our hands. These are ideal moments to double check different points of interest. We often palpate our work with hands once our feet find something curious, or the client gives feedback about sensations coming from tissues underfoot. Also, sometimes it so happens that the people we massage with our feet started out as people we massaged with our hands, so there is already a felt sense of their unique tissues that carries over into the new massage tool.

Feet can’t 100% replace hands, but they can get to deeper tissues with a broader base of pressure, usually causing less discomfort than smaller tools from the LMT’s upper limbs during the process of diving deeper. Because we are able to sink easier, our feet tend to feel underlying tension and adhesions with a bigger picture, without the tactile distraction or battle from a clients flinching muscle guarding around these restrictions.

Deepen your senses

Another element of how exactly an experienced provider of any style of Barefoot Massage Therapy can palpate, locate and seemingly disintegrate “knots” (::Cringe:: I said it. Remember that I’ll get back to explaining those adhered layers of tissues better in another post later…) anyways, the reason may be also due to things like this:

The LMT’s knowledge and ability to recognize of the shape, position, density and location of different anatomical structures in relation to each other.
The LMT’s mental and physical grounded focus in the moment.
The joint ability of both the client and Massage Therapist to connect and communicate to help paint the picture of sensations being noticed on both sides of the foot. Comparing what each person feels from that heel can refine the direction, intent and approach to how the massage is given.
The confidence, curiosity and trust that the LMT has gained in the palpation and assessment skills in their own feet from extensive training, practice, more practice, and lots of experience.

Palpation Station:

Want to practice feeling from your feet?? Anyone can try this fun exercise to explore waking up and fine-tuning their foot feelings. Protip: use this at your massage businesses next open house, or even one-on-one with those clients who show up really early to their appointments – give them something to do!

Feel something with your foot with your eyes closed. Like maybe the carpet. Then feel it with your hands, (still with your eyes closed.) Notice the differences. Notice how your hands may paint the picture better of what the carpet fibers might look like. Continue working with this idea and try it on anything you are allowed to touch! (Keyword “allowed”… Maybe don’t crawl into the Santa Barbara aquariums Sea Anemone or Sting Ray petting tank like I was tempted to do last month. I wanted to feel their little suction-y tendrils and slippery wings with my toes like a TOE-tal weirdo. I didn’t do it, don’t freak out.)

You can level up this sensory exercise and put the touchable thing underneath something. You can create a Palpation Station of your own with the following items:

A friend in the room with you (so they can laugh at you)
A sheet, blanket, sweatshirt or some kind of fabric that you can lay flat.
Have your friend collect various things from around your house or massage office, and don’t let yourself see these things before they are hidden! Have your friend find things like a flat butter knife, a rubber band, a piece of string or yarn, your dogs leash, a piece of paper or mail… lego’s if they want to be mean to you.

Seen here is a group of Massage Therapists at our Intro to Barefoot Massage class during the World Massage Festival in Las Vegas. Everyone is working on their TOE-prioception and strength by picking up marbles with their toes and dropping them into little cups.

Your friend will need to lay all those things out and then cover them with the fabric sheet/blanket etc. Then you go on a scavenger hunt to feel and identify each of the things with your feet through that fabric. The thicker the fabric doesn’t always mean it’s harder to discern the “thing!” Sometimes the volume increase from the surrounding tissue, I mean fabric in this case, actually helps you find and feel the hidden objects easier.

Use the outside edge of your foot to scan the surface lightly and feel for ripples in the fabric that lead up to a buried treasure. Use your toes to fumble around and grab things. Use the ball of your foot to see how hard or squishy each thing is, and if you can push into it without it moving or causing you pain. Visualize what you are feeling – then when everything has been found, feel each thing with your hands and look at them to re-enforce and integrate the details that your feet just experienced. Did you guess what everything was correctly?

This is how we feel bodies with our feet. If you are a new Barefoot Massage Therapist, your palpation skills will develop with practice, patience, more practice, and trust. It’s encouraged that you step down and feel things that you think you felt with your foot, and confirm it with your hands. It’s also helpful to practice your new Barefoot Massage skills on bodies that you regularly massage with your hands, so you are familiar with their own buried treasures! And of course: know your anatomy. Know the topography of the bones, and the understand directions that the waves of muscles pull like tides in different positions and movements. Anatomical awareness in every stroke is a big focus in the Continuing Education classes we teach here at the Center for Barefoot Massage.

If you have zero intention of ever massaging humans professionally with your feet, then you can still develop them into smart feelers to help enrich your nervous system and whole body. Smart feet can make for better balance, better movement, better brains and a better quality of life. Take your shoes off and go barefoot more often!

Here is my Amazon list of things to stand on for smarter feet.

Feeling dirty:

…I can’t believe that I just used that phrase here, but clean feet really do make a difference in what is felt. Although the perception aspect of your foots sensory systems work whether you have callouses or not, whether you are feeling all the earthly feels while standing ankle-deep in mud at Burning Man, or feeling through your foot onto someone’s sacrum: keep in mind that as professional Barefoot Massage Therapists, we have a responsibility to keep our feet as clean and sanitary as any other massage tool we would use (like our hands, cups, scraping tools, etc.) The body that you massage underfoot also has feelings, and they will feel your callouses, flecks of dirt, dry or rough spots, long nails, etc.

This topic is also a very frequently THOUGHT question of the public when they imagine what a Barefoot Massage Therapist does. They may not come out and actually ask you if you clean your feet: but you can bring it up in conversation to ease their mind. A portion of the public may be entirely turned away from even just the idea of Barefoot Massage because feet are perceived to be “dirty”. Be the change you wish to see in the world and have the cleanest, softest, smartest feet in town! Whatever your massage license requires for sanitization and cleanliness of your hands needs to also apply to your feet. In some countries or states this may mean that polish is not permitted.

I personally notice that as a Barefoot Massage Therapist, if my feet are too dry and rough then I can’t feel anything BUT that. Maybe that’s the neurotic part of me more than my actual nervous system. The softer, smoother and cleaner that my soles and nails are, the more I can clearly “see” through my feet and feel with more detail and less distraction.

Here are my “every day at work” foot care tips:

I use a Mr Pumice Purple pumice stone thing
My nails are as short as they can be and filed to soft edges with a glass nail file
I keep a nail brush with my office foot care baggie to scrub any exposed nail surface clean.
I use PurePro’s Peppermint Pedango foot creme on my clients feet, which gets on my feet and feels/smells great for us both (save $10 off your first order with code BAREFOOT, *or* thru June 21, 2024, use 5PEDANGO for 5% off!)
I have a glass foot file to use before each massage to keep my heel edges smoothed.

For more of a monthly/weekly whatever schedule of foot care, pedicures are an option to partake in, DIY salt or sugar scrubs are always great, and for a deeper exfoliation, many people love the “Baby Foot” chemical treatment that literally leaves layers of your foot-skin peeling off. (Ew, but neat!)

Here’s an oldie but a goodie: a video of Mary-Claire showing a good trick to know if your feet are soft enough to massage with:

So, to answer the question “Can you feel things with your feet like you can hands…”

…The short answer is along the lines of “Yes and no, but with practice and attention, I can get a different point of view on the same tissues and still treat them effectively.” The combo of skilled hands + feet offers us the chance to experience “all the feels” with multiple ways to observe and study the state of our clients tissues.

If you are a Barefoot Massage Therapist, be honest and educational with your clients so that when they go out into the world and talk about your work, they’ll have a more informed point of view. We hope to help your feet continue to learn through the barefoot work we teach at The Center for Barefoot Massage, and the info dished out in content like this!

We still believe that the future of massage is a foot!

Check out the list of references and resources below to read the research for yourself! Add your findings to the comments so we can all keep learning!!!

References

The Center for Barefoot Massage’s original post and easier answer on this topic
Kennedy PM, Inglis JT. “Distribution and behaviour of glabrous cutaneous receptors in the human foot sole.” J Physiol. 2002 Feb 1;538(Pt 3):995-1002. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2001.013087. PMID: 11826182; PMCID: PMC2290100.
Vallbo AB, Johansson RS. “Properties of cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the human hand related to touch sensation.” Hum Neurobiol. 1984;3(1):3-14. PMID: 6330008.
Ross, R.T., Randich, A. “Associative aspects of conditioned analgesia evoked by a discrete CS.” Animal Learning & Behavior 13, 419–431 (1985).
Lederman, S. J., & Klatzky, R. L. (1987). “Hand movements: A window into haptic object recognition.” Cognitive Psychology, 19(3), 342-368.
Johnson, K. O. (2001). “The roles and functions of cutaneous mechanoreceptors.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 11(4), 455-461.
A great episode from the Thinking Practitioner Podcast about the homunculus sensation map.

Footnotes by BossladyJeni 12/09/2024 0Comments

Is the Center for Barefoot Massage a Massage School?

Is the Center for Barefoot Massage a Massage School? No, we are a Continuing Education and Professional Development company.

Aspiring massage therapists entering the field looking for their foundational training to become licensed or certified massage therapists will need to look for accredited massage schools that meet your states massage licensure requirements. Programs are often 500-1000+ hours, depending on state licensing requirements, and are usually accredited through COMTA.

The Center for Barefoot Massage is set up as a Continuing Education company, and is for already-licensed massage therapists to maintain their licensure, expand skills, or specialize in advanced techniques. We specifically teach myofascial barefoot massage and barefoot matwork. Our courses range in 4-24 CE’s, or total hours, as approved by the NCBTMB.

Key Differences at a Glance

Feature	Massage School	CE Class
Purpose	Foundational training for licensure	Skills enhancement for professionals
Length	500-1000+ hours	Few hours to a few days
Accreditation	COMTA or similar	NCBTMB Approved Provider
Target Audience	Aspiring massage therapists	Licensed massage therapists

Attendees in our courses MUST be Licensed Massage Therapists who are legally eligible to provide paid, professional therapeutic massage therapy services to the public in accordance with the laws in their state. Read more here.

Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Pro tips, The Barefoot Massage Open Ashi-Challenges, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by BossladyJeni 02/15/2024 0Comments

Barefoot Massage Open Challenge 2024: coming in March!

Get ready for this years Barefoot Massage Open Challenge! This year’s topic for the “Open” is on common physical imbalances of Barefoot Massage Therapists that could result in injury. Our instructors have been talking behind the scenes A LOT about all the things that make up “body mechanics“… things like your alignment while working, as well as what movement possibilities and what common restrictions Barefoot Massage Therapists are working around. Together, we’re compiling tips and tricks, videos, exercises and food for thought content for everyone that will help your body be ready and pain free to give a long career full of barefoot massage sessions!

Make sure to subscribe to our new SubStack, which works like a blog and newsletter in one! As we post new content, it’ll show up in your inbox, too! That’s where the challenge will be posted.

We haven’t been able to consistently post an actual ANNUAL challenge, because, well, life. It all started in 2018 and coincided with the CrossFit Open – just something for Barefoot Massage Therapists to push themselves through. We’ve had 3 so far, and this will be our 4th! The goal all along with these challenges has been for you to get out of your box and try something NEW. Our main focus when teaching FasciAshi is for you to make the techniques effective because you are educated on the theory and feel the ease of its application flow through your body. Your inner wisdom shines through when you are able to contemplate WHY or HOW your massage strokes work. When that is put into action in the most physically efficient and effective way possible for your body, you can see progress in yourself, your clients, and you’ll have a seriously better chance of staying in this profession longer.

We’ve got fresh content coming weekly starting March 8th, 2024 – but in the meantime, did you know that we’ve also got an archive of challenges from previous years?! You can dive into them for the 1st time, or the 10th!

Here’s a list of past years’ Barefoot Massage Open Challenges:

(Or just go watch the YouTube Playlist if reading is TMI RN!)

2021 “reSOLEutions”

This was a 3-month long, content creating challenge that pushed you to create NEW content on specific topics that educated YOUR community: Jump in on that challenge here – it was only 1 blog post to pull you through the entire project >>>

Month 1-3: Community Education

2019 “Mobility & Massage”

This was an ambitious 2x/week 5-week challenge that had you moving and massaging in ways to create more physical endurance and mindfulness in your sessions. Jump in on any of the weeks here>>>

2018 “Ashi-Challenge”

This was our first challenge that pushed you out of the routine and encouraged you to work more creatively than robotically. Try these challenges out and see how it changes your approach.

Stay tuned to our new SubStack for what we are preparing for you in March!

Ashiatsu barefoot massage by BossladyJeni 02/03/2024 0Comments

Unlocking the Potential & Break the cycle of repetitive injury

One step at a time with Barefoot Massage

As massage therapists, we are intimately acquainted with the physical toll our profession can take on our bodies. Repetitive strain injuries, particularly in the upper extremities, are a pervasive challenge, affecting nearly 65% of therapists, with over 80% feeling vulnerability in their hands. Regardless of the injuries we treat, it’s inevitable that massage therapists will encounter their own at some point in their careers, often stemming from repetitive motion, poor body mechanics, or unknowingly acquired habits.

Barefoot and Ashiatsu practitioners are not exempt from these challenges. During a recent instructor meeting at the Center for Barefoot Massage, my colleagues and I engaged in a candid discussion about the injuries we’ve experienced and observed in our practices, staff, and classrooms. While most of our instructor team had encountered massage-related injuries in the past, the adoption of CBM’s techniques, approach to body mechanics, thinking processes during work, and the use of the strap proved transformative. Notably, not a single instructor has suffered a Barefoot Massage-related injury since making these changes – and all of our instructors maintain a full schedule of clients in addition to teaching.

However, all of our instructors observe movement restrictions or imbalances in students, particularly those previously trained in Ashiatsu before ever attending a Center for Barefoot Massage class. There are some common overcompensating movements, and translation of gravity habits that typically need tweaking. The potential for injuries if the issues were not addressed became evident. The solution? Adopting CBM’s approach to how we use our feet and body during barefoot massage sessions: utilizing tools such as straps, stacking, not pushing, pulling or lifting, and alignment ergonomics for the myofascial techniques in ways that prevent overexertion. This approach allows therapists to work smarter, enhancing service quality and contributing to better health outcomes.

In the quest for injury prevention, small adjustments to technique can make a monumental impact. Learning and practicing good body mechanics are paramount, especially when dealing with chronic repetitive motion injuries. The improved body mechanics taught in our classes were developed as a direct result of our instructors watching their staff work with their feet daily and see where the restrictions and common issues arise. By embracing newer techniques, the risk of injury can be significantly reduced. It is crucial to prioritize body care and use proper techniques to ensure a successful and enduring massage therapy career. Many of our instructors have been massage therapists for over 20 years: we attribute that to not only Barefoot Massage, but also constantly evaluating the approach to Barefoot Massage.

The Center for Barefoot Massage specializes in a unique approach to Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage through our live Continuing Education classes. We emphasize anatomy and technique, teaching professionals how to provide therapeutic relief and prevent injuries both in themselves as well as their clients.

Our philosophy centers around the “Give it weight, then wait” theory, a pivotal aspect of our barefoot massage approach, targeting the Neuromyofascial web. Our “FasciAshi” technique involves working with fascial integration, navigating muscle and bone contours, and applying broad, consistent pressure at varying angles to address the body as a functional whole. Progressing through our courses, you’ll grasp the significance of sustained pressure and anatomical specificity to impact clients’ interoception.

Our Myofascial Barefoot Massage technique transcends the ordinary – it’s a dance of pressure, broad strokes, and efficient deep tissue work that sets your practice apart. Under the guidance of our expert instructors, you will learn how to use your feet to deliver controlled deep-tissue work with minimal strain, reducing the risk of overuse injuries on your joints, and tissues. Our classes focus on balanced weight distribution, and stability, and incorporate overhead bars and a suspended overhead strap to ensure proper body mechanics, making your practice more sustainable and effective.

Integrate Barefoot Massage with traditional techniques like deep tissue and trigger point therapy or cupping, and unlock a world of possibilities. Our classes offer a refreshing perspective on traditional techniques, enhancing efficiency and effortlessness. The Center for Barefoot Massage is committed to providing education on proper body mechanics, ensuring your practice is sustainable and effective. Our Barefoot Massage technique seamlessly integrates into preventive measures, promoting better posture and reducing strain.

With Barefoot Massage, you elevate your self-care practices, boost physical resilience, and become part of a community that celebrates the power of this transformative technique. The life of a massage therapist is undoubtedly challenging but armed with the right tools, techniques, and mindset, you can overcome obstacles and flourish. Join us at The Center for Barefoot Massage and embark on a journey that promises to revolutionize your approach to massage therapy.

How can I prevent injury to myself as a Barefoot Massage Therapist?

Stay tuned for our March 2024 blog series, this year’s edition of our annual ‘Barefoot Massage Open Challenge!’

This year’s topic for the “Open” is on common physical imbalances of Barefoot Massage Therapists that could result in injury. We’ve got tips and tricks, videos, exercises and food for thought content for everyone that will help your body be ready and pain free to give a long career full of barefoot massage sessions!

missy-anderson-fritch-barefoot-massage-instructor

Written by Missy Anderson-Fritch

San Luis Obispo, California

She teaches FasciAshi Fundamentals, and the Intermediate (Supine/Sidebody) class.

https://www.slosolesbarefootmassagetraining.com/

Pro tips, Why FasciAshi? by Jeni Spring, LMT, BCSI 10/24/2023 0Comments

National Massage Therapy Awareness Week: 2023

Resources for you to use to educate your immediate circles on the benefits of Massage AND ways to help YOU be more aware within your Barefoot Massage sessions.

First off, welcome to this years National Massage Therapy Awareness Week! This long holiday is our professions chance to spend an ENTIRE DEDICATED WEEK to promote the health benefits of massage therapy and their practices.

If you need some facts to share with your local community, follow these links for great resources to pull from:

OK, now lets get to the juicy part:

Our tips to tune into your own awareness while giving a Barefoot Massage session.

Pulling from the resources listed above, we noticed that according to the national consumer survey from the AMTA, & & . It’s important to recognize here that a well-informed Barefoot Massage COULD be perfect for many elements of injury treatment & pain management – depending on the person & situation …both client & therapist.⁣

This doesn’t just automatically happen when you put a foot on someone. & strategically . FasciAshi is Myofascial, Neuromuscular & Stretch Therapy techniques meant to be individually sequenced as needed for each person underfoot. No two appointments are the same. The more you learn, the more barefoot technique vocabulary & reasoning skills you’ll have to customize for these clients: it just needs to be put into practice to elevate the outcomes.

SO how can you pull details out of your massage education resources from the Center for Barefoot Massage and work with more attention on your intention?

If you’ve attended any of our Center for Barefoot Massage classes already, review your manuals & check out some of the “Why’s” & the anatomical focus points to help pick strokes that work for each client individually this week. Don’t do every stroke you’ve ever learned: just do the ones they “knead!” Next, ⁣check into the mindfulness lists from our Intermediate, ROM and Advanced class manuals to hone in on the intent of your stroke as needed for the person.

Here’s an example for you to try this week in practice:

How can you make your movements/strokes more effortless on your body, but still have the same intent and focus of intensity and effectiveness for your client? Now, this isn’t an excuse to massage lazily: we are asking you to reevaluate all the physical effort you are putting into each stroke, and check yourself to see if it’s needed.

Can you relax your grip on the bar?
Can your foot on the table be aimed in better alignment with it’s same side knee and hip in a way to better distribute pressure through the working foot?
Are you moving with breath – and how are your movements impacting the breath of you and your client?
Can you just give it weight, and wait?

⁣There you go!

Take that much of a new perspective to try this week in your massage appointments: our experience has shown that it definitely helps!

(We hope to see you in class soon to teach you more!)

Uncategorized by Sharon Bryant 09/05/2023 0Comments

Integrating Barefoot Massage Into Your Matwork

Hey, you! Yeah, YOU! I see you down there on your mat doing all those awesome Thai and Shiatsu moves. Do your wrists hurt? Are your knees and low back feeling a little battered? Let me turn you on to another mat-based modality, one where you can sit, YES SIT, in a chair while working on your client.

Sounds weird?

Well, a lot of people still think “massage” on a mat is weird, but okay.

Here at Center for Barefoot Massage we embrace the unorthodox~~weird~~ and teach you how to do it too! If folks think your mat practice is already peculiar, why not go all in and learn some barefoot massage to really enhance and enrich their bodywork sessions? Lots of barefoot massage therapists already know it’s a great way to deliver a deep, healing massage without the wear and tear on our upper bodies and lower backs and it’s really not weird at all. It makes so much more sense than tearing up our bodies when we have the tools designed for heavier use readily available.

If you’re adding to your existing mat work, it blends right in with the addition of a chair and a face cradle keeping the needed equipment light. You can add in the FasciAshi Strap (read more about it over here) if you already have it, but it’s not required. And because no oils or creams are used in Fijian Barefoot Massage, clients remain clothed during the session. This barefoot massage style is the perfect adjunct to an existing matwork practice.

Is being on the mat getting uncomfortable?

Fijian Barefoot Massage is easier on the therapist’s body, especially if your body is finding discomfort while on the mat with clients. After so much palming and finger work, crouching and crawling around, sometimes your body needs a break. Switching to some seated or standing Fijian Barefoot Massage techniques can offer the relief you’re looking for while still being able to work. Not to mention, what happens when you have an actual injury to your upper body that needs to rest in order to recover? Barefoot Massage gives you the opportunity to let your injuries rest and recover while still seeing clients!

What will my clients think?

Clients LOVE it! While we don’t teach stretching techniques on the mat (we save those for our ROM classes), there’s no reason you can’t blend these mat-based barefoot massage techniques into the stretching you’re currently doing with your clients. The deep, jostling, compressions, and pinpoint trigger point work we teach you to do with your feet combined with your current toolkit will bring a whole new flavor to your client’s experience.

Isn’t this just Ashiatsu?

Nope! Fijian Barefoot Massage is a creation by Lolita Knight. Her experiences with massage while living in Fiji inspired her to create a version of their massage practices using the feet. Check out this article from our Dallas instructor, Hillary Arietta, that covers the differences between Fijian Barefoot Massage and our FasciAshi myofascial ashiatsu barefoot massage.

And while you’re at it this article from our co-founder, Jeni Spring, talks about a bunch of different styles of barefoot massage (only one of which is called ashiatsu). Sara Newberry also addresses key differences between Fijian Barefoot Massage and our Hot Ashi class in this article.

But HOW is it different from Thai and Shiatsu?

Well, the biggest difference is that we address prone, side-lying, and anterior body with our feet exclusively. (Look, Ma! No Hands!) Thai and Shiatsu work with the meridians of the body, which follows an eastern approach to health and wellness. Fijian Barefoot Massage is anatomy-based, addressing individual muscles and muscle groups while being aware of neighboring bony structures and joints and how our work affects them.

Center for Barefoot Massage is committed to helping preserve a method that was in danger of fading from our knowledge base. We have worked with the creator, Lolita Knight, to bring Fijian Barefoot Massage to a wider audience and have received her blessing as we integrate a more anatomically-focused, myofascial aspect to the work.

Fijian Barefoot Massage is a perfect adjunct to existing matwork or for a completely new service offering. Read more about our Fijian/Matwork 1 Barefoot Massage class here. Classes are taught year-round at locations all over the country and we’d love to see you in a class soon!

Today’s post is by our Alabama instructor, Sharon Bryant, LMT

Sharon has an eclectic range of interests and hobbies outside of work. She answers to dog mom, bookworm, computer nerd, herbal medicine enthusiast, terrible ukulele player, aspiring polyglot, and photogenic pirate, among other things.

In her bodywork business, she specializes in deep tissue, barefoot massage therapy, lymphatic drainage with a focus on scar work, and is currently teaching community self-care classes that feature mindfulness, self-massage, breathwork, and vibrational therapy.

Footnotes by Jeni Spring, LMT, BCSI 09/03/2023 0Comments

Can I do Barefoot Massage on a mat? Or does it have to be on a table?!

This is a frequently asked question – especially if you have low ceilings that may be difficult to build bars in, if you are very tall with low ceilings and are considering dropping your table to the floor, and/or if you are already offering Thai/Shiatsu/Breema/Rossiter Matwork on the ground and want more footwork.

The style of Myofascial Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage that we teach does actually require the massage table to be elevated up off the floor – as techniques learned in our Fundamentals, Intermediate, Range of Motion and Advanced courses all “dangle” the clients limbs off the edge of the table and need that gravitational drop and hang in the joint. Westernized Ashiatsu in itself needs the trifecta of the overhead bars, on an elevated table and needs to be using some kind of lubricant to glide on the skin. So putting Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage down on the floor would take away from this potential and would not be true to the name or lineage.

…HOWEVER:

Our Fijian/Matwork Barefoot Massage class is meant to be on the floor! Ok, not literally on the floor: we teach on skinny mats, not even as wide as a typical massage table, but Fijian can also be done on your yoga mat with a BodyCushion system on top, on a massage table flattened to the floor, and/or on Thai and Shiatsu mats! No bars are needed to be installed for the Fijian/Matwork techniques, either!

You can install the strap to make your life easier and to assure that you aren’t pushing through your wrists/hands on a support crutch – like the back of a chair, a cane/walker, or ballet bars (none of which are things we would ever recommend: underhand support is not your friend if you are trying to save your hands for a longer massage career.) In a Fijian Barefoot Massage, you can use the strap to lean into, or sit in a chair, or sit in a floor chair lie a Back-Jack, while using your feet to do the work. Read the many blog posts below that are related to Fijian Barefoot Matwork to better understand it’s rad potential – and read the Fijian/Matwork 1 class page to read the course description!

Read more about how Fijian Barefoot Matwork is different than our table-top Myofascial Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage

Fijian massage in action - the LMT is sitting on a chair working on the clients lumbosacral area — 16 CE hours | Two days in class | *$500 tuition

Ashiatsu barefoot massage by saranewberry 09/01/2023 0Comments

Differences between Fijian Barefoot Massage & Hot Ashi

Barefoot massage encompasses many techniques you may not be aware of, this post is here to help you discover the differences in Fijian Barefoot Massage & Hot Ashi.

Barefoot Massage is the umbrella term that encompasses a type of therapeutic application using a foot (or feet) as the tool.

Many Americans used to believe there was only one way. And that way was a style of sliding, unclothed massage called Ashiatsu which roughly translated to mean “foot pressure.” We now know there was a lot of problems with that translation/understanding.

At the Center for Barefoot Massage, we specifically call our style and approach to this work Myofascial Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage, or FasciAshi for short. (Follow this link to review the differences between styles of Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage.)

Understand that all westernized Ashiatsu styles as they are generally known across the American massage industry includes a massage table, overhead bar system, and usually involve an unclothed, lubricated session that is styled similar to Swedish massage. The gravity of our foot & body weight lend itself to the experience of a “deep Swedish” session.

However, there are various other types of massage using feet as the therapeutic tool that do not include Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage.

In this message, we’ll discuss the differences in Fijian Barefoot Massage & Hot Ashi.

Fijian Barefoot Massage is the adaption of the ancient medicine system in Fiji brought to the United States by Lolita Knight. The Center for Barefoot Massage felt this work was important to continue as Lolita began retiring her work. CBM has received Lolita’s guidance and blessings to continue her work while adding the fundamental principles of Myofascial Barefoot massage.

This floor based class continues the understanding of the Fijian people that a deep and fast paced connection with the skin and nervous system would increase healing possibility. They developed a series of specific movements that Lolita adapted to become footwork instead of handwork, and we teach that approach in our course. The receiving person will remain clothed and there is no use of lubricant.

Hot Ashi is the course designed by Center for Barefoot Massage instructor and author of this post, Sara Newberry. After many years working with a mentor and creator of the Mother Earth Pillows, I began to understand the deep healing of heat combined with pressure. Hot Ashi used shearing gliding that requires the therapist to have control and finesse using their legs and feet. In our course, the therapist is taught the foundation to thermal therapy and nervous system health along with many ways to incorporate the pillows into what they are already offering. The client is clothed and the focus is not to allow lubricant to come in contact with the pillow.

Thermal therapy can be activating for some clients with a history of trauma but for most, heat can be a transformative for the down regulation into their parasympathetic nervous system where the healing can occur.

Fijian Barefoot Massage & Hot Ashi Comparison:

Both techniques keep the client clothed

Both techniques use zero lubricant

Both techniques require specific use of your foot/leg

Both could be great travel options for marketing assuming you have the correct set up

Fijian & Hot Ashi Differences:

Fijian is on the floor

Hot Ashi is on a massage table

Hot Ashi should be soothing and PNS in nature

Fijian is energizing and uplifting

Hot ashi uses the overhead bars

Fijian uses the floor, a chair, & the FasciAshi Strap

To finish up, one technique is not better than another but instead different for different applications. Both courses will challenge your feet in new ways and what I often encourage as “cross training your feet.” Either of these classes will inform your other Barefoot Massage applications even if it’s not directly a stroke difference, instead another way to move.

Sign up today and your clients will begin to notice the more nuanced and dynamic way you move your feet right away. They will feel you respond to their tissue that’s specific to that day and time rather than simply moving through the motions.

Ashiatsu barefoot massage by Jeni Spring, LMT, BCSI 08/31/2023 0Comments

Recap from the Phoenix 2023 AMTA National Massage Convention

Myself and four of our instructors just got back home after sharing Fijian Barefoot Massage in Phoenix at the AMTA national massage convention! We set up a booth in the exhibit hall, provided about 45 Barefoot Matwork sample sessions, and talked to many of the 1,500+ Massage Therapists in the conventions attendance that visted us!

Meet the feet: We had such a powerhouse of instructors present at this event – I’m not even sure if the visitors to our booth knew the extent of our team’s history and experience in the profession. Myself (Jeni Spring) from Central Texas, Sara from Missouri, Hillary from North Texas, Ashley from Southern California, and Dawn from upstate New York. (Click each name to be taken to their instructor profile pages!)

Center for Barefoot Massage instructors at the AMTA National Massage Convention

Each one of these Barefoot Massage Barbies have been using their feet as massage tools for ~at least~ 10 years – double that in some cases! Dawn Dotson is our FasciAshi Range Of Motion instructor who designed the portable bar system that you can strap into and use with a portable, electric, hydraulic table or a mat. Sara Newberry is an author of the 1st ever Hot-Ashi Barefoot Massage class and has been on many podcasts talking about our Barefoot work. Hillary Arrieta is a published author with her own massage book and is our lead Fijian/Matwork 1 class instructor trainer. Ashley Shears is a Fundamentals class instructor who is making waves with her approach to myofascial barefoot work on the table and on the mat. (Ashley also roadtripped to Phoenix with a knife that came in very handy in the booth all weekend because we forgot to pack scissors!) I was there, too, and I’ve also done cool things. 😉

It was great for this section of our instructor team to meet other leaders and forward thinkers in the industry, to find old friends, to share selfies with AMTA royalty and instructor buddies, to get our feet on the pulse of as many people as we could to share Barefoot Massage with, and to talk with the masses of LMTs in attendance to see what they have questions about. (There were so many people there!!!)

I want to tell y’all all about this experience, from beginning to end: read on and enjoy our journey to the desert!

Ashiatsu barefoot massage, FAQ, Pro tips by Jeni Spring, LMT, BCSI 06/29/2023 0Comments

Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and cultural appropriation

When we talk about what we do, our instructor team at the Center for Barefoot Massage has been working very hard to deepen the use and understanding of the phrase “Barefoot Massage” rather than using the single A-word, ashiatsu. We see that word in play a lot, especially used alone on its own as a massage service across the nation or in casual conversation.

So today we’d like to offer a gentle nudge and reminder on considering how to refer to the massage work we all love to do!

In the mid-90’s when “Westernized ashiatsu” first came on the scene, it went through a long phase of trying to find its voice, name, identity, and place in the profession. In the massage industry the work became more easily recognized as just “ashiatsu” or “ashi,” but in the early days it went through phases of also being known as “ashiatsu oriental bar therapy“, “ashiatsu bar therapy” or “ashiatsu barefootbar therapy” and others. It really is so hard to define our work sometimes, and it’s been a struggle for so many of us to get it worded right.

Although the attempts at changing its name at the time had more to do with branding than anything, the issue surrounding the name overall is the A-word itself: it’s really not ours to use in the first place.

The traditional practice of Ashiatsu has its roots in traditional Asian forms of bodywork, particularly in Japan and China. Over time, it has been adapted and modified in various ways to suit the preferences and needs of Western practitioners and clients. The traditional practice is not on an elevated massage table, and there aren’t overhead bars or straps in play like we use today. It could cause confusion, therefore, to anyone specifically looking for the traditional work only to find the 2023 version. It’s all wonderful, beautiful bodywork, but let’s be careful to call it what it is.

While there may be concerns about cultural appropriation in certain cases, it’s essential to approach the topic with nuance and respect for different perspectives.

Here are a few points to consider:

1. Cultural exchange vs. appropriation: Cultural exchange occurs when two cultures engage in a respectful and mutually beneficial sharing of practices, ideas, and knowledge. Appropriation, on the other hand, involves taking elements of a culture without understanding or respecting their original context. Whether Westernized Ashiatsu falls under cultural exchange or appropriation can depend on how it’s practiced and presented.

2. Modification for local needs: When a practice like traditional Ashiatsu is introduced in a different cultural context, some modifications may occur to accommodate local preferences, regulations, and safety standards. These modifications can range from adjusting techniques, integrating different massage styles, or using specific equipment. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge and respect the origins of the practice and give credit to its traditional roots without calling it what it’s not.

3. Respect for cultural origins: Practitioners of Westernized Ashiatsu should strive to educate themselves about the cultural origins and traditions of the practice. They should honor and acknowledge the historical background and the cultures that developed and nurtured our modern-day approach of Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage. This includes recognizing and crediting the sources of knowledge and techniques, and including “barefoot massage” at the end of the name to show its different approach.

4. Collaboration and inclusivity: Encouraging collaboration between practitioners from different cultural backgrounds can foster a better understanding and appreciation of the original practice. Inclusivity involves creating spaces that embrace diversity and ensure that practitioners from different cultures have a voice and are respected within the traditional Ashiatsu community.

5. Ethical considerations: It’s important to consider the potential commercialization and commodification of cultural practices. Practitioners should be mindful of offering Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage in a way that respects the integrity and sacredness of the original practice. This can involve engaging in fair trade practices, supporting practitioners from the cultural origin, and avoiding misrepresentation or trivialization of the practice.

Ultimately, the issue of appropriation is complex and can vary from case to case. It’s essential to approach the adaptation and practice of traditional Ashiatsu and Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage with cultural sensitivity, respect, and an understanding of its historical and cultural significance.

The future of massage is afoot…

One of our pursuits is to help define Barefoot Massage as an umbrella term for any massage therapy technique that uses feet as tools, rather than hands. If “Barefoot Massage” is the overall approach, then “Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage” signifies one style under that umbrella term, and our specific lineage of “Myofascial Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage” just further specifies the style we teach. It really is so much easier to just say ~ashiatsu~, we completely understand and we occasionally find ourselves slipping back into the ease of that word, too. What we are doing with our feet is not a true representation of that traditional work anymore. So to best represent the truth in advertising and respect for our collective roots, you could generalize and call your westernized work “Barefoot Massage”… but if you’ve just gotta use the word Ashiatsu, be sure to put the extra qualifying descriptive words in when defining and referring to your massage services. 😉

We are currently working on transitioning away from using the phrase “Fijian Massage” for our courses continued on from Lolita Knights lineage. Although she did originally learn and develop the technique directly from her experiences while living in Fiji, continuing to call the work itself Fijian after all the evolutions it’s come through is not true to its traditional form, and we’d like to respect that. You’ll start seeing us refer to this class and body of work as Barefoot Matwork as we step forward.

What’s in a name? For a dive as deep as you can massage with your feet on this topic, we have blog posts discussing “Is Ashiatsu The Same As Barefoot Massage?” and another diving into the differences between “Myofascial Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage vrs Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage” Check those out!!! Also be sure to read Types of barefoot massage throughout the world, including Chavutti, Thai, Lomilomi, barefoot shiatsu, and more. (barefootmassagecenter.com) to get a quick overview on many different styles and approaches to barefoot massage (many are not referred to by the “A-word” BTW!)

(Which, sidenote, by the way, if you are an old-school practitioner trained prior to 2017 still using the full phrase "ashiatsu oriental bar therapy": please consider working to transition away from that! Check with the company/school that trained you in the work to see what your specific lineage is now referred to as, because they have been calling it something else for quite a few years! Consider adapting to that new name. The "O" word in AOBT is outdated, and its continued use is perceived as being politically incorrect, derogatory, and even insulting. Representation matters, and a recognized name change is a step to take that shows respect.)