Another gift of yoga is the awakening of our feet. In our daily lives, our feet are viewed as lowly, humble servants. However, in yoga the feet are recognized as the important foundation of the temple of the body. If our feet are collapsed or tilted, the repurcussions are felt all along the body. Thousands (and hundreds) of years ago, we walked barefoot on uneven surfaces rolling the soles and ankle regularly, which then led to the mobility of the knees, hips, pelvis, back, etc. Nowadays, are feet are trapped in shoes (some are more "trapped" than others) and we walk on hard, even surfaces. Not good for the rest of the body. Look at the soles of your shoes. Does the inside or the outside of the heel look more worn down? If so, there is likely extra strain on the knee, hip, or low back.
So, how do we wake up our feet? Start with the arches. Arches are the trampoline of the body and we create strong arches by extending the foot, making space in the skin, between the bones, and within the muscles. Tias Little (a fantastic yoga teacher in New Mexico) says, "By plugging down the front of the heel, the root of the little toe, and the root of the big toe, we create a triangular base that vaults the inner arch of the foot upward." We also need to lift the muscles of the lower leg that attach to the arch, which feels like a lift from the inner arch along the outer shin up to the knee an dthen up the inner thigh, all the way up to the pelvic floor.
Don't forget your toes. Try to move each individually while in mountain pose. Also, when feet are off the floor while either seated or with feet in the air try to be sure the big toe is about the same distance from the knee as the pinkie toe. Play with your toes, even intertwining your fingers between your toes. Or, wear pedicure pads between your toes.
Quote for tonight's class: "What is true for today is all we need to work on today. - Aadil Pahlkivala.
This is only part one of our foot practice - part 2 is coming next Monday!
By popular request, we worked some more on our core tonight - concentrating on our waist, ribs, and oblique abdominals. It's especially important to work along the ribs and side body as our breathing muscles and organs attach along the ribs. More movement = more breath! The photo above shows some of the poses we worked on, including forward fold, backbend, reed, and extended mountain. Check out the length of their side bodies - awesome!
The quote from tonight's class was from Alexander Pope: "A man should never be ashamed to own he has been wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." Namaste.
More fun with our feet! Above is a drawing of plantar fasciitis - often caused by pronation (rolling the ankles in), wearing the wrong shoes (high heels), and general lack of foot exercise. Take a look at http://www.plantar-fasciitis.org/ for more information. The poses we practiced tonight (as well as last Monday) were chosen specifically for healing and conditioning our feet.
The quote from tonight's class was: "Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong." -Canadian Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker 
Another gift of yoga is the awakening of our feet. In our daily lives, our feet are viewed as lowly, humble servants. However, in yoga the feet are recognized as the important foundation of the temple of the body. If our feet are collapsed or tilted, the repurcussions are felt all along the body. Thousands (and hundreds) of years ago, we walked barefoot on uneven surfaces rolling the soles and ankle regularly, which then led to the mobility of the knees, hips, pelvis, back, etc. Nowadays, are feet are trapped in shoes (some are more "trapped" than others) and we walk on hard, even surfaces. Not good for the rest of the body. Look at the soles of your shoes. Does the inside or the outside of the heel look more worn down? If so, there is likely extra strain on the knee, hip, or low back.
If I had a nickel for each time I've heard, "I can't do yoga because my legs are just too tight!" ...
See, this is what happens when the yoga instructor can't decide on which part of the body to focus on, or even which pose to explore! We worked through a vinyasa flow class - so all our parts were treated to some lovin' kindness. "Vinyasa" just means a series of poses linked together with the breath - like the Sun Salutations. Remember to move at the speed of your breath, not the speed of your mind. If you start to become short of breath, back off the poses until the breath normalizes.
