Balance stones: The benefits of a stimulating foot massage!
Author: Corina de Boer-Vreeke
Child massage and mother
If you look at the name you would think that you can only use these fun, half-round balls for balance exercises . Of course you can stand on them with one foot and see if you can stay standing. Or feel the difference between the round and the flat side.
But there are many more useful and fun game possibilities! You can read about it in this blog. 
Soft and cuddly
People love soft and cuddly. At least that is what I see around me. Fleece blankets, sheepskins, fake fur. So many fluffy and soft things around me. However, to achieve a good and complete body awareness you need variation. Variation in perception and therefore in materials. In addition to soft, softer, softest it is important to also introduce the body to e.g. warm, cold, smooth, slippery, wet, stiff and hard. You only really know what is soft when you have also felt hard or what is warm when you have also felt cold. You learn a lot from working with opposites.
This is exactly why I am so happy with these balance hedgehogs! Finally a material that stimulates the sense of touch and is not fluffy and soft. These balance hedgehogs have wonderfully sturdy spines that are easy to feel. Especially under bare feet.
Foot massage and more…
When you hear sturdy spikes for a foot massage, you probably don't immediately think of relaxation. Yet standing on the sturdy spikes of these balance hedgehogs gives a wonderfully relaxed feeling. The spikes give a somewhat deeper pressure on the muscles under the foot , which stimulates them well. The spikes also promote blood circulation, which gives you nice warm feet.
Just try it out. If the bottom of your feet is very sensitive, you can start with your slippers on. When you are used to that, try it with (thick) socks. You make the layer between the sole of your foot and the spikes thinner and thinner, until you can stand on it with bare feet. I assure you that you will also move your feet over the spikes afterwards, it feels so good! This exercise is really perfect for deep relaxation and good blood circulation.
Have you really got the hang of it? Then feel what it is like to sit or lie on a balance hedgehog. You can even make your own “nail mat” by placing a number of hedgehogs behind and next to each other. Maybe you are a real gymnast and can do a handstand with your hands on your favorite side of the hedgehog.
Course
Do you find the above exercises boring? Then make a course! You can alternately place the hedgehogs on the spiky and flat side. This way you train balance and sense of touch in one exercise.
Do you really want to make a sensory experience of your course? Then place materials with other structures or of other materials between the balance hedgehogs . Think of sensory silicone mats, a satin cushion, an artificial grass or carpet tile.
Children's feet
If you want to work with children on their sense of touch, a course is a fun way. Our children's feet often sit (just like ours) in closed shoes all day long . Feet don't really like that. They prefer to move freely and unhindered. Shoes, especially those with thick winter soles, are also not conducive to tactile development. After all, you don't feel anything of the surface you're walking on ☹. With a course on bare feet or with socks on, the feet get some freedom again and the many tactile receptors in our feet are wonderfully stimulated.
Let children choose materials themselves and make a course. This way you find out who likes soft, who likes hard, smooth, slippery etc. You can also discuss these differences with each other. In this way you are also working on mutual respect and understanding of differences.
Multifunctional and useful, aren't they, these balance hedgehogs. I would order a few if I were you 😊.
