Anyone who has taken class with me this week knows that I’ve been a little foot focused. Since the focus of the month at the studio has been vrksasana (tree pose), I’ve been making sure to incorporate some foot stretching and strengthening work into my classes. But I’ve been a bit more hoof centric this week because I’m currently enrolled in the amazing Jenny Otto’s therapeutic Body Balance program at Willow Street Yoga, and we just spent a weekend focused on, you guessed it, feet.
Jenny, along with one of my other yoga inspirations, Doug Keller, has a knack clearly spelling out the connections between the strength and suppleness of the foot and the rest of the body, via the fascia, muscles, and bones.
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating–your feet are your foundation! If you’ve got issues with your knees, your hips, or your back (or just about anything, really), chances are there’s something going on with your feet. Pronated? There’s a good chance your lower back isn’t feeling so great. Supinated? Maybe you’re feeling things in your sacroiliac. Is the transverse arch of your foot week? Chances are your pelvic floor is not very toned. Didn’t know you had a transverse arch? (Oh… your poor pelvic floor!)
Doug Keller provides an overview of the energetic and physical connections between our feet and the rest of the body in his article Sole Support — The Feet, which you can read at his web page or at Yoga + Joyful Living. For more in depth reading, check out his Yoga as Therapy books.
In the mean time, you can do your feet and the rest of your body a favor with a few simple exercises to unstick tight fascia and strengthen weak muscles. These are exercises that I’ve learned from Doug, Jenny and fellow Flow teacher Megan Davis, except where otherwise noted.
Foot care basics:
Yogi hand/toe shake – sit with legs extended in front of you or in a chair. Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh. Interlace the fingers of your opposite hand between your toes. Wiggle them around to stretch out the space between your toes. With fingers between toes, take a few gentle ankle circles in each direction.
Massage – slide your fingers out. Gently press your toes back toward your foot (flex the foot) and then draw them toward the sole of the foot (point the foot). Thoroughly massage the bottom of your foot, from heel to toes, along inside and outside edges and the midline of the foot.
Toe calisthenics – uncross your leg and place the sole of the foot on the floor.
• Lift all toes off the floor (keep the ball of the foot down), and spread them apart as much as possible (yes, even the pinky toe!). Set them all down.
• Lift all the toes again. Try to lengthen through the big toe and set just that one down. Now do the same with the little toe. Now try to press the big and little toes to the floor and keep the middle three lifted (this one will really work the transverse arch of the foot). Go ahead—use your fingers to tell the toes what to do!
• Set all the toes down. Try to lift just the big toe. Lift only the little toe. Now try lifting the big toe and the little toe, while keeping the other three down. Breaking a sweat yet?
Other ways to help your feet:
Yamuna Foot Wakers have helped me when I’ve had plantar fasciitis flare ups. The knobby bits feel really good on tight, sore tissue. Try starting at the ball of the foot and putting pressure there as you alternately lift your toes away from and then curl them down around the Foot Waker. Work your way down the foot this way. You can also rock the foot forward and back at each spot along the way to get deeper into the tissue.
Dr. Andrew Weil describes a particularly effective stretch for plantar fasciitis: Sit down and cross the affected leg over the other. With legs crossed, extend your top leg and reach for the toes (use a belt if you have to). Stretch the foot by gently flexing the toes back. Hold for 10 seconds. Stop. Repeat 10 times. Do this stretch first thing in the morning and repeat at mid day and evening.
