Our feet are our body’s foundation, our connection to the earth. They keep us mobile, aligned and balanced, yet they are often one of the most neglected and abused parts of the body. How often do we actually stop and think about our feet and what we put them through EVERY DAY? Probably only when they start aching after standing or wearing uncomfortable shoes all day.
Our body reflects everything we do with our feet. When our feet are tired, our whole body is tired. When our feet hurt, even the simplest of tasks might be hard. Whether we realize it or not, because of the way we treat our feet, most of us have feet and ankles that are no longer in balance. Because of the misalignment of our feet, our body now has to make adjustments in order to keep its balance. This means that our overall posture changes. When our posture changes to compensate for foot problems, our joints become misaligned which in turn, can lead to chronic joint inflammation in addition to other health related problem.
The good news is that practicing yoga can help. Several studies show how yoga helps bring flexibility and strength to our feet, toes and ankles, leading to overall better alignment and health of the body.
You can use our Search Feature to search through all of our Yoga for Feet classes on your own. To get you started without searching, we’re highlighting six feet classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that will be sure to help us learn to navigate mobility and stability through the foundation of the feet.
- Foot Alignment Tutorial with Tiffany Cruikshank: This class is more of a tutorial on foot alignment and how it applies to our practice of asanas. We’ll look at the foot alignment in standing, seated and supine poses and how it applies to the pelvis and the rest of the body. This is an important practice for beginners and advanced students alike to take with you into your other classes.
- Happy & Strong Feet with Jo Tastula: Worshiping feet is considered a very selfless act of service in many cultures. Today, we worship our own feet as a form of deep self care! Our modern day foot has been squashed, stifled and weakened by shoes and walking on predictable terrain (i.e. horizontal flat surfaces) so this class focuses on gaining full mobility and range of motion in the feet as well as strengthening and toning exercises. Props: Warm Towel
- Relearn Your Feet with Tara Judelle: Relearn the feet – Class focusing on standing balancing poses introducing the concept of “heel foot” and “ankle foot”. Using meticulous instruction around the mechanics of the foot we learn to navigate mobility and stability through the foundation of the feet. Includes Garudasana (Eagle pose), Warrior III, Padagustasana (Hand to foot pose), and Sirsasana (headstand).
- Yoga for Your Calves & Feet with Jason Crandell: It’s easy to forget about your calves and feet—especially with the constant focus on hips, hamstrings, shoulders and spine in yoga class. The feet and calves, however, need some serious TLC since they both become tense quite easily. This practice will open the calves and articulate the feet in essential, satisfying ways. This practice also shows you exactly what it means to “lift your inner-arches” and how to create this vital action in your standing poses. (You will need a belt for this practice).
- On Your Feet All Day with Felicia Tomasko: Do you stand on your feet all day? Nurses, teachers, doctors, firefighters, restaurant workers, vetrenarians, flight attendants, retail salespeople? This is the yin practice for you. Get grounded and rebalance the body with this slow yet powerful yin practice. We begin on the earth, supine, on our backs, with a sequence that works with flexibility and mobility of the feet, legs, and hips. The second part of this practice involves some seated feet stretches, cat stretch variations on our hands and knees and then ends with a pigeon pose to continue to allow ourselves to release the tension stored in the body after standing all day. By the time we get to savasana, we’ll be ready to stand up again.
- Healing Feet Practice with Elena Brower: Such a sweet, healing practice to end a long day on your feet. Standing poses and balances, vinyasa flows with variations for your feet, some nice stretches for the tops and soles of your feet, with reminders to keep your foundation – and your face – spacious and soft.
