There are 33 joints in the feet! All of them should be somewhat mobile. However, most of our shoes and man-made surfaces over which we walk limit the movement of the feet themselves. As a result, the joints of the feet become stiff and "sticky". The mobility of the feet can affect both how we use the parts above them (knees, hips, etc) and how well we balance and adapt while walking on uneven surfaces. In this class we run through numerous exercises designed to mobilize the joints of the feet and develop better coordination for balance. Enjoy!
This is a full class exploring the alignment of the feet. When the feet tend to splay outwards, it can cause dysfunctional compensation patterns all the way up the body. This class explores some of the reasons why the feet splay out, what the "ideal" alignment should be, and how to restore the function not only of your feet but of the whole body.
Finding Parallel feet or getting your feet to point forward is a way to find better hip engagement, and to decrease stress on the ankles and knees. In this class we explore how to measured neutral alignment of the feet and how to coax your feet back toward that alignment especially if you've spent years adapting toward other positions.
Using an everyday household item such as a broomstick, dowel rod or your favorite walking stick, we'll explore moving all our parts: from shoulder mobility, to balance exercises, hip work, and foot exercises.
Learning to stand and walk with the ankles at pelvis width apart is an important alignment marker that will help us to find better hip strength. Developing this as your neutral stance will keep the feet, ankles, and knees healthier as well. It also helps to load the bones of the legs for better bone strength.
Let's play with how mobilizing the parts from our trunk to our feet can help with balance. When feet turn out, thighs rotate in, and the trunk gets too stiff, it's easy to be pulled off balance. We'll work on finding neutral alignment and stabilizing our body from there.
Equipment: chair, block, half dome, strap, tennis ball (optional). The ability to balance can be affected by overly tense (or shortened) areas of your body. This class is an exploration of stretching and mobilizing your feet, shins, thighs, hips and then learning how to stabilize your balance.
A look at how alignment can help us move more of our body in our physical activities. This class will focus on the common yoga pose, downward dog. We'll see how limitations in our ranges of motion are causing us to avoid moving certain joints and how using alignment markers can help us get more movement and strength overall.
