There are verbs which you will almost exclusively use in a reflexive context. Other's may be used either reflexively or not, such as, e.g.:
J'appelle le chien. -- I'm calling the dog.
Je m'appelle Chris. -- My name is Chris.
Il arrête le moteur. -- He stops the engine.
Il s'arrête devant une vitrine. -- He stops (himself) in front of a shop window.
Marie attend son mari. -- Marie is waiting for her husband.
Marie s'attend à ce que son mari ne vienne plus. -- Marie expects that her husband won't come anymore.
Reflexive just means that the object and the subject of a verb are the same, meaning that the verb's action is performed on the subject itself. In this sense, you can make most verbs reflexive. In English one would often use "each other" or "oneself" in such a context.
Toi et moi nous parlons à notre professeur. -- You and I speak to our professor.
Il faut que nous nous parlions. -- We need to speak to each other.
I hope that helps to clarify matters somewhat.
