Mindful Yoga Foot Foundation Did you know that with 26 bones, 33 muscles, 31 joints and over 100 ligaments per foot, our feet contain a quarter of all the bones of your body? With 250,000 sweat glands in each pair of feet releasing almost one cup of sweat per day, we have more sweat glands per inch of our feet than anywhere else in the body! Our feet are our body's foundation as well as the tools of our mobility. Feet can be the root cause of leg, pelvis and back problems. A fallen arch, or flat foot, can cause knee, hip, back and shoulder misalignment and pain. Adult bad posture and back pain can be traced back to lack of muscle tone or misalignment in the feet. Hips, Knee, and Ankle joints are closely linked, so pay attention to opening the hips as we explored in our class today. The key to happy knees is to keep them strong and healthy by lengthening and strengthening the leg muscles surrounding your thigh and lower leg. Always have awareness and attention to where your knees are and how they are feeling, especially during asanas that require the knee to be flexed. Lengthen and strengthen the surrounding thigh and calf muscles Stretch and strengthen your inner and outer quadriceps Engage hamstrings, calves, and ankles with sustaining poses Eventually, with regular and conscious practice, your hips will feel more open, your knees stronger, feet better aligned and your body moving more freely than you thought possible. As always, be mindful of your stretches, engage the Ujjaji breath, and stay in each posture/asana for at least five to ten deep breaths. A-U-M Warm-ups: Start with three A-U-M breaths to help center your mind and bring your awareness and attention to the present moment. Do some simple shoulder and hip stretches Toe strengtheners: These stretches can be done seated on the floor, chair or standing. Point and Flex Foot: Start with Dandasana (Staff pose) Point the toes away from the body Flex the foot as you draw the toes towards you Repeat five times as you breathe deeply Ankle Rotations: Slowly rotate ankle clockwise five times Repeat five times in the anti-clockwise direction
Interlace Fingers between Toes: Interlace fingers between your toes to flex, point toes and rotate ankle in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions This help create space and stretch the muscles of the toes Tennis ball roll: Gently roll a tennis ball along the sole of the foot to help massage and release any tension in the feet Gripping a towel or picking up marbles/large beads: Press the pads of your toes to pick up marbles or gather the towel under the arch of your foot with your toes Toe Lifts: Keeping the feet flat on the floor, lift and spread your toes. Repeat 10 times. Alternatively try lifting only the big toe and each toe one at a time (use your hands to assist in the beginning). Repeat each of these10 times. Benefits: Increases flexibility, muscle tone and control of the toes. Knee Flex & Extension: Starting from Staff (Dandasana), lift one leg about one foot away from the floor Holding on to the back of the knee with both hands, flex and extend the knee to feel a gentle stretch in the calf muscle and hamstring Start with five repetitions and work up to 25 on each side Benefits: Arthritis of the knee as this helps loosen the synovial fluid and keeping the cartilage moist. Can be done supine, seated on a chair or even standing.
Squat with Toe Stretch (knees on floor): Start in all fours and turn the toes under Walk your hands close to the knees as you sit on your heels Benefits: Stretches the bottom of the feet and releases tension in the toes and soles of the feet Squat with knees up, heels on floor (Malasana): From the above stretch, slowly drop your heels down as you lift the knees. Shift the weight slightly into your heels as relax the shoulders and lift your torso Palms in prayer position and press the elbows along the inside of your knees Benefits: Malasana stretches the ankles, hips, thighs, groin, and torso. It tones the abdominal muscles and improves the function of the colon to help with elimination Hero Pose (Virasana): From a kneeling position place a block between your feet Slowly bring your hips down to the block sitting comfortable between your feet Benefits: Stretches the top of the foot and ankle. Helps with flat foot and recreates the arches. Caution: Avoid if have knee or ankle injury Half Plank (Uttihita Chaturanga Dandasana): Start in all fours with hands under the shoulders Extend right leg to the back as you press out through the heel Keep the spine straight from the neck to the hips Hold for 5-10 deep breaths and switch sides Benefits: Gently stretches the calf muscle and hamstring. Caution: If you have wrist injury, avoid this posture or modify by bringing the hands into fists.
Lunge (Anjeneyasan): Starting from all fours, swing the right foot forward into a lunge Place the hands on the right knee and gently press the back thigh down to feel the deep psoas stretch in the back thigh Switch and repeat sides Variation: Supine/Supta Anjeneyasan Holding on to the right foot from the outside gently press the knee towards the chest or use a strap. Pigeon (Kapotasan): Starting from all fours, swing the right knee forward Rest by resting the forearms down or rest the forehead down, keeping the hips level For support place a folded blanket under the right hip Switch and repeat sides Variation: Supine/Supta Kapotasan Mountain Pose (Tadasan): Stand with feet hip width apart, toes pointing forward Lift your toes as you ground evenly on all four corners of both feet Drop the tailbone, widen the collar bones and lift through the crown of the head To strengthen the ankles and Benefits: Improves posture, strengthens thighs and is a foundation for many of the standing and inverted poses Beginners: Practice the pose with your back to the wall so you can feel the alignment.
Wall Chair (Utkatasana): Start with your back against the wall, bend your knees and slowly walk your feet forward Keep the feet hip width apart and knees over your ankles Relax your shoulders and rest the hands over your knees Stay for at least 5-10 deep breaths Benefits: Strengthens the quads Quadriceps Stretch focuses on the front-thigh muscles. Hold on to a chair or a wall for balance and avoid locking knee of the standing leg. Start in Tadasan close to a wall Shift your weight to the left as you bend your right leg, bringing the heel towards your hip Hold your right foot with your right hand and gently pull the heel toward the sitz bone Variation: Lying on your side, bend the top knee ad bring the heel toward your buttocks Caution: Be gentle if you are prone to knee pain Triangle (Trikonasana): Stand in Tadasan close to a wall As you exhale step 3 feet apart and raise your arms to shoulder level, palms facing down Turn your right foot 90 degrees to the right and left foot about 45 degrees Align the heels (heel-to-arch or heel-to-heel for balance) Bending from the hip joint, extend your torso directly over the plane of the right leg (keeping the knee soft) Stack your shoulders and hips, ground through the outside of the back left foot, and rest your right hand on your shin, ankle or the floor outside of the right foot Stay for 5-10 deep breaths and repeat on the other side Benefits: Strengthens the legs, hamstrings, hips, and opens
the chest and shoulders Warrior II (Veerabhadrasana II): From Trikonasan with arms parallel to the floor bend your right knee directly over the ankle Reach out through the finger tips as you gaze over the right hand Stay for 5-10 deep breaths and repeat on the left side Caution: Avoid letting your bent knee roll forward, strongly pressing the back heel into the floor Benefits: Strengthens the quads, hamstrings, hips, and opens the chest and shoulders Extended Side Angle Pose (Parsvakonasana): From Warrior II drop and rest the elbow over the bent knee Extend the opposite arm up toward the ceiling, and eventually over the head, close to your ear with palm facing down Stretch through the back heel to the fingertips of the extended arm If possible, turn your head to look at the extended arm Stay for 5-10 deep breaths and repeat on the other side Caution: Avoid letting your bent knee or the top shoulder roll forward Benefits: Strengthens your quads, hips, knees, and ankles. Stretches the spine, shoulders, and waist Pranayam Shavasana/Meditation Practice Brahmari, Anulom Vilom, Kapalabhati and AUM for 3-5 minutes each. Mindful relaxation for 5-10 minutes.