Yamuna Zake - The foot fix 4 weeks to healthier, happier feet

The Foot Fix
Yamuna Zake
CO-WRITER: Stephanie Golden

First published in the UK and USA in 2021 by

Watkins, an imprint of Watkins Media Limited

Unit 11, Shepperton House, 8393 Shepperton Road

London N1 3DF

Text copyright Yamuna Zake 2021

Design and typography copyright Watkins Media Limited 2021

Artwork copyright Watkins Media Limited 2021

Photography copyright Watkins Media Limited 2021

The right of Yamuna Zake to be identified as the Author of this text has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

COMMISSIONING EDITOR: Fiona Robertson
COPYEDITOR: Becky Miles
HEAD OF DESIGN: Glen Wilkins
DESIGNER: Luise Roberts
PRODUCTION: Uzma Taj
COMMISSIONED PHOTOGRAPHY: Chae Kihn
MODELS: Lloyd Knight and Sarah Payne
COMMISSIONED ARTWORK: Luise Roberts

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78678-453-7 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-78678-474-2 (eBook)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Typeset in Brandon Grotesque and Black Diamond

Printed in Turkey

Publishers note: The information in this book is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice and treatment. If you are pregnant or are suffering from any medical conditions or health problems, it is recommended that you consult a medical professional before following any of the advice or practice suggested in this book. Watkins Media Limited, or any other persons who have been involved in working on this publication, cannot accept responsibility for any injuries or damage incurred as a result of following the information, exercises or therapeutic techniques contained in this book.

www.watkinspublishing.com

CONTENTS

Introduction

Im a body educator and therapist, and Im passionate about feet. My mission in this book is to show you how to prevent and relieve foot pain yourself and its easy . Foot Fix, a four-week program I created, is simple to learn and practice because its based on something you already do: walking.

Over 40 years of helping people relieve pain and improve their bodies, I learned that when the feet are fully functional, every other part of the body starts improving. Aches and pains that people couldnt get rid of suddenly were gone once I showed them how to properly align the parts of their feet and get each part doing its job.

I am dedicated to demystifying the body and providing simple, powerful tools that make lifelong fitness and well-being a reality for everyone. My work had its origin in 1979, when my daughters birth injured my left hip and I couldnt find any effective treatment. Chiropractic, acupuncture, orthopedics nothing worked. I was a yoga teacher and wound up healing my hip myself using my yogic knowledge. Out of this experience I created Yamuna Body Logic, a hands-on therapy that became a full-time healing practice. Ive treated a great range of body problems, including back pain, knee, hip and shoulder injuries, sciatica and the six foot conditions described in .

My original impetus for developing my foot programs was watching my mother struggle with her extremely narrow feet and their eventual aging process. She found it almost impossible to get shoes that fit, so was forced to shove her feet into shoes that cramped her toes. While I was growing up she always had hammertoes (see ) as a result of these illfitting shoes, but they didnt bother her so she never complained. It wasnt until she was in her sixties that I looked at her feet and noticed that all her toes were crossing over each other. Id had no idea that hammertoes could become disabling, but at that point she began to lose her balance and became less and less stable walking. Realizing that I, too, could easily develop hammertoes, I began to create more and more footwork to ensure that Id never repeat her pattern. Then, the year I hit 52, I woke up one morning, looked down, and saw that every single toe, except for my big toes, was a hammertoe. It was a shock. I was at that menopausal age when, due to hormonal changes, the bones begin to manifest rapid signs of aging, which show up quickly in the feet.

I worked on my toes and straightened them out but the next morning they were bent again. So I realized that if I wanted to break the pattern when it was just beginning, I had to focus even more on my feet. Foot fitness became a daily practice that I continued until most of my toes stayed straight. That was over ten years ago, and my feet never became like my mothers.

This book promises that once you complete the Foot Fix program, your entire body will feel better. You will see that working on your feet can transform not only your physical body but how you think and feel. Your whole mental outlook will be brighter as you learn to stand fully on your foundation and feel supported from the ground up.

Chapter 1

Build a Foot Foundation that Supports You for Life

This chapter explains why its so important to take care of your feet and build a solid foundation that supports you for your whole life. Youll learn how your feet may be involved in any ache or pain you have in another part of your body. Once you start paying attention to your feet, the awareness you build helps increase your awareness of the rest of your body, enhancing your wellness and helping you identify any issues at an early stage.

Barbara, a woman in her mid-fifties who came to one of my foot classes, is an inspiring example of just how fast and effective Foot Fix is.

Barbara showed up for class on a walker. A long history of severe ankle sprains had left her ankles weak, and her feet flat, so they couldnt hold her up any more. She used the walker because she was terrified of falling, and as a result was hunched way over. And being so dependent on the walker only increased her risk of falling if she tried to do without it.

The class began with a basic practice I call the Walking Test (youll begin with it too). Since it required taking several steps across the floor, Barbara was unable to do it. She did do the second basic practice, the Power Stance, by standing and holding on to a barre. As we went on to work the four parts of the feet, she was able to do most of the routines.

Watching her, I couldnt tell whether she was really getting what I was teaching, but she was trying. At the end of the class we repeated the Walking Test, as a way to measure everyones improvement. I was thrilled to see that though Barbara was a little shaky, she did the test without the walker and without the barre!

Afterward Barbara told me she had always thought of the foot as a single unit, but the class had made her realize it had different parts, each with its own job to do, and that she could feel and work with each part separately to teach it how to do that job. Now she knew she could get her feet stable and working again all by herself, in a simple step-by-step process. She left the class full of hope.