Immunity Boosting Toolkit: Toe Tapping

As the basis of Asian medicine, energy circulation is important for maintaining health and immunity. Ideally, energy flows through its channels throughout the body without stopping. Its flow is even and balanced. Warmer energy concentrates in the lower part of the body while cooler energy concentrates in the upper part (Water Up, Fire Down). When energy cannot circulate in this way, the body has less resilience against physical, mental, or emotional challenges and disease can result.

Often, smooth and active energy flow corresponds with the flow of fluids in the body such as blood, lymph, and interstitial fluid. All of these depend on adequate body movement because they cannot completely circulate on their own. And all of them are important for our immunity, for they are involved in immune cell production, storage, and transport.

Hand-in-hand with adequate circulation is body temperature. Immune activity is higher when body temperature is at the higher end of the normal range. Movement and circulation are necessary for keeping the body warm.

The final exercise in my Immunity Boosting Toolkit, Toe Tapping, is ideal for creating healthy circulation, even while lying down. Toe Tapping involves shaking the legs in a way that can relax the mind and the whole body. It slows down brain waves and sends blood in the legs back to the heart while pulling down any warm energy that may be stuck in the upper body.

Toe Tapping can be done sitting or lying down, but it’s the most effective when done lying down.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Lying with your back on the floor, scan your body and consciously and gradually release the tension from it.
2. Stretch out your legs, with your heels touching and your ankles lightly flexed. It’s alright if there’s a little bit of space between the lower back and the floor. Rest your arms comfortably at your sides, palms facing up.
3. Using your heels as the pivot points, repeatedly bring both feet to the center until your big toes touch.
4. Then move your toes apart. Touch your little toes to the floor if you are flexible enough. Move your entire legs, not only your feet.
5. As you repeat this back-and-forth motion for several minutes, keep your upper body relaxed. If you feel sharp or significant pain in your hip joints or legs, rest for a minute or two and then start again.

Follow along with this video to see Toe Tapping in action:

Toe Tapping not only boosts your immunity; it is ideal for helping you fall asleep. Do gentle Toe Tapping while lying in bed until you start to feel sleepy. Without too much energy concentrated in your head, your sleep may be deeper and more revitalizing as well. Getting enough sleep, as you probably know, is also important for your health and immunity.

You can learn more about Toe Tapping in my book, The Solar Body: The Secret to Natural Healing.

This exercise is the last in my Immunity Boosting Toolkit. You can learn more exercises that warm your body, calm your mind, and improve your circulation in my previous blog posts.