Keeping our mind still and free from chatter and negative thoughts is challenging for everyone. Quieting my mind and centering myself are two reasons why I practice yoga, and although each day is different, lately I've been struggling with my balance. The foundational strength of our standing balance poses are linked to a number of physical, physiological and emotional factors e.g. tight hamstrings, an unstable pelvis, sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression. A consistent practice with careful attention to moving within our pain-free range of motion will undoubtedly improve our balancing poses, however; a little extra TLC such as toe yoga can go a long way too.
Come into Tadasana (Mountain Pose), stand tall, relax and a let your arms hang by your side. Ground the three corners of each foot equally into the earth. (The big and pinky toe pads as well as the centre of the heel represent the three corners of the foot.) Close your eyes, and imagine
inhaling length into your spine and exhaling into the space between each vertebra. With each full breathe ground your feet into the earth. If it helps, imagine there are roots growing from your feet deep into the ground. Stay in Tadasana for 5-10 breathes with the intention of grounding and balance starting with your feet, moving up your legs to your spine and core. Your arms, shoulders, neck and crown are relaxed and your mind is quiet. Inhale calm, exhale ease. Inhale smile, exhale release.
When you are ready, quietly come out of Tadasana and sit in a chair or on the floor, take your left foot into your lap, and give yourself a mini foot rub/reflexology session. I'd recommend using your favourite foot lotion, I like The Body Shop's Cooling Peppermint Foot Lotion. It feels good and you deserve it!! After a few minutes take your right hand and place a finger in between each toe. Spread your fingers separating the toes. Relax your fingers and spread them out again. Repeat these actions a couple of times and then use your hand to rotate your toes in circles. Makes sure to change directions after a short while. (Use your own discretion (intuition, desire etc) to determine how manyrotations you think your tootsies need.) Keep the rest of your foot relaxed
and ankle still. Once you have circled your toes in both directions, use your hand to rotate the entire foot starting with the ankle. You can do this with your fingers between your toes or with your hand. Before you switch and repeat these exercises on your right foot, feel free to massage your foot a few minutes more. Ahh... true bliss.
When you have performed foot yoga for both feet, come back into Tadasana. Take a few minutes to settle into this pose and take note of any differences you feel. Are you more aware of your feet on the ground? Do you feel more balanced? And even if you don't feel any differences, don't sweat it, nothing bad comes from foot rubs!
