The Runner's Yoga Book: A Balanced Approach to Fitness

FINGERS AND TOES ENTWINED

Most foot problems are mechanical. Proper movement may be the fastest, most effective remedy. Try all of the following poses, and work often, but gently, on the ones that reveal your greatest tightnesses. Practicing the variations of the Hero Pose (Virasana) will probably bring the most benefits. This pose brings balance to the feet and ankles, str

Another way to bring health to the feet is to stretch them. When you exercise the feet you also involve your legs, knees, and hips. The arches of the feet are lifted by the muscles of the lower legs. Imbalance in these muscles can not only affect the arches of the feet, but influence the position of the ankles. Misalignment here necessitates a comp

To avoid injuring your knees, first lift your kneecaps, and then turn your feet. Keep your kneecaps lifted throughout the pose. Always keep your knees directly in line with your feet, even if your back hip moves forward. To avoid hyperextending your knees, stretch both the fronts and backs of the thighs, lifting your kneecaps high and not jamming y

When standing, feel pressure on the ball joints under your big toes. Press here as you lift the arches of the feet. To line the knees up with the feet, contract the front thigh muscles and turn the knees to face directly forward.

practice squaring the feet is to sit on the floor with the feet pressing evenly into a wall. Keep the legs straight, with the kneecaps lifted. You can lean back on your hands. Squaring your feet is easiest to accomplish when you can see them, as in the sitting poses.

If you stand on the outer edges of your feet, press down on the joints under your big toes just enough so that the tops of your feet are level. If you have collapsed arches, place your feet straight forward and turn your knees out just enough to lift the arches.

the feet face directly forward, the toes are relaxed and spread wide, the weight is distributed evenly between the outer and inner edges of the feet, and lifted arches shape the feet and support the body.

Because your feet are the base of your skeletal system it is important that they are placed correctly. (When the base is out of balance, everything above must compensate.)