Donald Moyer - Yoga for Healthy Feet: Practice from the Ground Up

Shambhala Publications, Inc.
4720 Walnut Street
Boulder, Colorado 80301
www.shambhala.com

Yoga for Healthy Feet: Practice from the Ground Up

copyright 2016 by Donald Moyer.

Cover and model photo copyright 2016 by Brian McDonnell, bmacstudio.com. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN-13: 978-1-930485-86-0

Editors: Holly Hammond, Linda Cogozzo

Cover and Model Photo: Brian McDonnell

Author Photo: David Martinez Studio

Asana Illustrations: Gopa Campbell

Anatomy Illustrations: Lauren Keswick

Asana Model: Ada Lusardi

Table of Contents

Contents

I AM DEEPLY grateful to Ada Lusardi, Vicky Palmer, Barbara Papini, Jennifer Sadugor, Candace Satlak, Joseph Satlak, Shari Ser, and Sandy Zirulnik for reading my manuscript with such diligent care and offering such helpful suggestions.

Special thanks to Ada Lusardi for her patience and good humor in modeling for both the inside and cover of this book, and to Gopa Campbell for bringing the poses to life with her skillful yoga illustrations.

This book has benefited at every stage of its development from the vision and expertise of Linda Cogozzo, my copublisher.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to my students of the past forty-plus years for encouraging me to grow and evolve as a teacher, and to my fellow teachers at The Yoga Room in Berkeley, CA, for their continuing support.

OUR FEET SERVE two basic functions. They must be flexible enough to allow the intricate movements required for walking, running, and otherwise adapting to a changing terrain, yet strong enough to support the entire body in an upright position.

When our feet are encased in shoes, we tend to lose our awareness of the inner workings of the feet, in particular, the fanlike action of the metatarsals and the special function of each individual toe. Instead, we treat the feet like monolithic blocks, inert and dull.

The practice of yoga, especially the standing poses, allows us the freedom to go barefoot and make direct contact with the ground beneath us. For me, there is nothing as revitalizing to my nervous system as standing in Mountain Pose on a hardwood floor. Even using a nonskid mat feels like a degree of separation.

The chief aim of this book is to help you develop a kinesthetic awareness of your feet by familiarizing you with some basic anatomical landmarks, exploring the use of props such as wedges, blocks, and straps, and finding the optimum balance between strength and flexibility in your practice with the feet.

How to Use This Book

Yoga for Healthy Feet is divided into three parts. Part 1: Anatomy and Alignment describes the most important anatomical features of the feet from a yogic perspective: the toes and metatarsals, the balls of the feet, the inner and outer arches, the tarsal bones of the mid-foot, and the heels and ankles ().

In reading part 1, you will become more aware of the uniqueness of your own feetthe shape and habitual placement of your feet, how your toes align with your metatarsals, whether you have high or low arches, whether or not your ankle joints are flexible.

Part 1 also gives an overview of some of the most common problems affecting the feet, such as curled or hammer toes, bunions, high arches, low and fallen arches, sprained ankles, foot cramps, and plantar fasciitis. It includes guidelines on how to manage or alleviate each of these conditions through the practice of yoga.

The main emphasis in part 1, however, is not on therapeutic techniques as such, but on bringing the bones, muscles, and joints of the feet into balance, and maintaining that balance as the feet respond to a variety of circumstances. For optimum health, the foot should be properly aligned in all three dimensionsthe inner foot balancing the outer foot, the balls of the foot balancing the heel, the top of the foot balancing the sole.

Please take your time in reading part 1. A great deal of information is packed into this section, so you may need to read it more than once, or refer back to certain sections when questions arise in the future.

Part 2: The Learning Poses presents mainly standing poses, because they teach us the most about the feet in particular, about alignment in general, and about balance overall. In addition to the standing poses, part 2 includes some basic sitting poses that are especially challenging for the feet and ankles.

Practice the poses in part 2 in the order presented. You may need more than one practice session to cover all the poses in the sequence. Work slowly and carefully to develop your awareness. Paying attention can be quite arduous, so when you begin to feel tired or lose concentration, end with a long Relaxation Pose and continue with the sequence in your next practice session.

The description for each pose includes:

the name of the pose in English and Sanskrit

the special benefits of the pose as practised in this book

cautions about practicing the pose

recommended and optional props

instructions for practicing the pose with emphasis on the feet

Practice Notes giving further suggestions

Try the recommended props for each pose, and note which ones are effective for you. Some of the props should be used every time you practice a particular pose, some can be used occasionally, while others may not be at all suited for your particular body. For example, if your feet cramp whenever you practice Hero Pose, using a support under your ankles at all times is advisable. If your feet dont cramp, but the pose feels better when your ankles are supported, use the prop only occasionally, such as on days when you feel stiffer than usual. If the prop makes no discernible difference, or makes you feel worse, then dispense with it altogether. There is no point in using a prop unless it helps you feel better in the pose. Consider it a favorable sign when a prop relieves pain or discomfort, allows greater movement, improves strength and balance, creates space in the joints, makes breathing easier, releases tension, or just plain feels good.