Our feet are an area of the body that gets overlooked in our practice.
Whenever I ask yoga practitioners if there is a body part that they want to focus on during the practice, I never hear: “feet please!”. I usually get requests for the more exciting body parts like the shoulders and hips.
This month deserves some foot snacks then!
Working on foot control can increase our brain-foot connection.
Better connection means better movement up to our knees and hips.
Specific footwork can also keep the plantar connective tissues healthy.
Taking Ayurveda to the Mat
In addition to creating better movement in our daily lives, I find that bringing our awareness to our feet during the transition from summer to fall lends us a sense of grounding and stability, which will benefit us tremendously during the windy season.
Here is why:
According to Ayurveda, the fall season is a time of the year when the wind is picking up and the air is becoming drier. These changes can leave us feeling a little raw, empty, and scattered.
Choosing practices that counter such feelings is key in keeping the body and mind balanced during the seasonal transition. So footwork, here we go!
This dynamic balasana-vajrasana sequence below asks us to add some variable loading for the toes, ankles, and knees.
We move these joints into angles that we normally don’t see when we are too focused on right angles and straight lines in our yoga practice! With that, our joints get more resilient. We feel strong and firmly grounded on our own two feet.
Until next time… keep moving!
For more footwork, check the Living Yoga & Ayurveda Library
