It’s easy to disregard the feet, but healthy feet affect so many other parts of our practice. We need strong feet to balance. The health of our feet even changes the way we use our knees, hips and spine.
Another big benefit of working with the feet is in the brain. Our feet are the farthest body part from our brain, and often the first that we lose contact with. While some of these positions are tricky, if we work on them we can improve our brains’ connection with our feet.
Our feet are controlled by many different muscles. Like any muscle in the body, they can get weak. Since we often rely on shoes to “support” our feet, the muscles weaken to an even greater degree. These exercises will strengthen muscles around your ankles and bottoms of the feet. This will make your balance better and help if you have any foot pain.
It’s very normal to cramp in the bottom of your feet while you do these exercises. While this is uncomfortable, it is very beneficial. Cramping in this case means that the muscles are waking up and attempting to contract more than they can at that moment.
While these might seem challenging at first, they will get better! Practice these exercises on a regular basis and watch your balance improve!
