Feet,Legs and Hips - Week 5
It is important to appreciate the part that our feet play in our well being. They support us and if we listen they give us feedback as to how well we are using our bodies. If we ground well with our feet and work our feet equally, giving way to gravity equally, the messages sent upwards will be one of balance. Not locking the knees and letting the joints of the ankle and knee work with space around them continues the message of balance.
The foot is stimulated by walking and if used well it helps to stimulate the rest of the body. The foot has elastic fascia rather than muscle and like all elastic it needs to be used to keep it pliable. Watch for tension in your movements and if tension creeps in then make an effort to reduce it. An interesting book on the approaches to feet by different cultures is Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, by Christopher McDougall.
Some work to do at home on the feet and legs. Repeating each action 6 to 10 times:
Sitting on the floor and starting with the right foot and left hand, interlock fingers in between the toes and work the toes back and forth, then let the toes work the fingers back and forth. With the fingers still in place use them to guide the foot in a circular motion working the ankle joint, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction. After working both feet and ankles with the fingers interlaced, then release the toes.
Toe bending
Now scrunch the toes up tight and then stretch and lengthen them out.
Ankle bending
Move the feet backwards and forwards bending from the ankle joint Ankle rotation Now circle the ankles moving in one direction, then change to the opposite direction. By popular request we must not forget windscreen wipers, moving the feet from side to side, turning from the ankle joint.
Knee bending
Follow on with supporting the upper thigh of the right leg with the hands, raise the foot until the leg is straight and then release and let the knee bend and foot drop. Repeat with the other leg.
Knee crank
Finally supporting the thigh of the right leg with the hands and the foot off the floor, circle the lower leg one way and then in the reverse direction. Again repeat with the other leg.
These are the anti rheumatic movements recommended in the book Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati See you next week.