Imagine life without feet, that would be a challenge. Think of all the things the feet do in a day.They take us everywhere we need and want to go. They assist so we can stand for long hours at a time. The most important roll of the foot is to connect the energy from the earth up to the hips into the body and then back down the legs back to the earth. Why is that so important? 

We cram our feet into tight shoes, high shoes, and shoes that make our feet look great but not feel so good. Tired feet make the body feel tired, sore feet makes the body ache. Can it be that easy, to make the feet happy the body will be happy? 

Have there been times in a yoga class when you just forgot about the feet? Think of it this way, when the feet are not working the energy efficiently then the knees have to compensate, or the hips have to take over and in the end exhaustion will strike. What does it mean to use the feet? In Tadasana, start out by finding the foot connection into the ground. Pick up the toes and feel the heel and ball of the foot push into the ground. One should then feel the lift in the body moving the head towards the ceiling with little effort. This not only moves the energy but also aligns the body from foot to head. Next try parsvakonasana, if one doesn’t make the connection with the floor through the feet to the hips, then it becomes difficult to tilt the pelvis up in order to make room so one can open the chest to the ceiling. It takes concentrated effort to think and respond to the areas of the body that need to be turned on. Also, in the pose if one uses the outside of the back foot the inner arch and outer arch lifts and the adductors of the leg strengthen in order to keep the lift in the groin area. 

A good practice for stretching the foot muscles, is in your next Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) push down on the balls of your feet and lift the heels up. Additional stretch can be found by bending the knees. Another suggestions would be to sit on your feet (heels) knees together feet are curled under onto the balls of the feet. Sit in this pose for about 4 minutes and then reverse the stretch by placing the top of the foot on the ground and sitting on the heel. 

When the foot makes the connection to the ground and transfers the energy properly throughout the body, the feet become more open, as well as the hips and shoulders. The chronic pain from ankles, knees, hips and lower back may disappear. The objective is to obtain efficiency within your practice, along with happy feet happy body. 

So don’t forget to bring your feet the next time you come to a yoga class!