The feet are the foundation of the body and are probably the body part most taken for granted. We never think about them until they are hurting or you see some weird physical change going on. Improperly fitted shoes and mile high stilettos are usually the main culprit.
When your feet are not doing well that can cause issues in other areas of the body. You can end up with knee pain,lower back pain, problems with the pelvis and legs. Even if you do not end up with any of those symptoms improperly fitted shoes could cause a number of foot conditions. Common issues are flat feet, hammer toes,bunions,and claw toes.
Flat Feet have fallen arches causing shoulder,hip, back and knee pain. Bunions are a bump caused by an enlarged bone at the base of the big toe. The joint will angle inward also. A hammer toe is when the first toes joint is overly bent. When the second joint of the toe is bent that is called a claw toe.
Yoga helps your body and that includes the feet. Any balance pose in general will help. When standing in mountain pose or in any balance pose pay attention to your feet. Are you centered and are the toes spread out naturally? Or are you putting more pressure on the ball of your foot as compared to the heal or vice versa? Are you on the inner or outer part of your foot? Are your toes clinched? Once you know how you are standing on your feet you can figure out what to work on.
Here are some non-balance poses that have also helped people:
Hero pose stretches the top of the foot and ankle. It also tones the sole of the foot.
Thunderbolt pose has many of the same benefits of hero pose but also helps fallen arches and to maintain arches.
Cobbler pose presses the feet together while drawing the toes away from each other.This strengthens the muscles and activates the arches.
Downward facing dog stretches the soles.
Wide legged forward fold helps the arches.
Legs up the wall (one of my favorites) reverses the fluid in the legs. It also restores energy and oxygen to legs. It can also help legs that are in pain after a long day.
I hope this helps remind you to think about your feet sometimes.They need love too!
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JTM Yoga LLC 