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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Yoga for Flat Feet

Hi, lovelies!  It's snowing today!  I keep looking out my window in disbelief.  I was beginning to give up on the possibility of snow this year, so it's very exciting to even just have some flurries.
Speaking of exciting, I saw an article yesterday about yoga stretches for unhappy arches.  I have very flat feet (my arches aren't so much arches as they are suction cups, LOL) and my knees turn in, and I'm starting to recognize now how important it is to maintain foot health because foot problems tend to only get worse as time goes on.
Now, I'm not by any means a "yogi" when it comes to flexibility and all that admirable stuff.  I love dancing (yay, music!) and have done Pilates, and I've tried to do yoga, but I'm just not very bendy.  That said, I think yoga has a lot of benefits for foot health.
According to the Art of Yoga site, prasarita padottanasana can help to strength the tibialis posterior, which, when weak, can cause the foot to turn in the wrong direction (both inwards and outwards). I found this pose to be very helpful for me, and I could really feel it in my feet (in a good way).  Get into a wide-legged squat and bend the knees slightly, sort of like a football player at the scrimmage line (or at least that's what the article said, LOL--I'm not a sports person).  Turn your feet to lift the arches. This will cause your knees to turn straight if they tend to turn inwards.


According to Yoga Journal, other poses that can help strengthen feet include Tree Pose, Downward Dog, Chair Pose, and Bound Angle Pose. Be really careful when trying any of these positions and do your best to maintain proper form so that you don't injure yourself.  Some of them may look "easy," but they really involve a lot of focus with regard to stance and breathing so that you aren't rolling or pulling too much. Over time, flexibility will increase and you'll be able to do more. Hopefully your feet will get better, too.  Remember that it's all a process!

Yogapedia Dec 14 Tree Pose Vrksasana


Downward facing dog pose_450x450
Nov 14 Home Practice Utkatasana Chair Pose

Bound angle pose

<3 Frances


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