Feet & Lower Leg | yogawithjames

The Feet, Ankles & Lower Leg

Beginning with our anatomical look at the body we will begin with local concepts, starting with the feet & ankles. The feet are our roots. The design of the foot has arches that provide support for the entire body. The alignment of the feet affects everything above it. It is here in standing postures, where we learn the actions necessary to make other postures safe and effective.

Its also important to remember a general rule of movement: whatever is below affects what is above. The position of our foot affects our knees. Our knees impact our hips and so on. So its important to get acquainted with your feet, as a stronger relationship here will open up new opportunities throughout the rest of the body.

So lets first talk about movements of the foot. There are two movements of the foot, and they are known as eversion/pronation, which isn't done much in an asana practice & inversion/supination, which we do often in our practice. These are typically thought of to be movements of the ankle, but they are of the foot. Inversion/supination: the leg is inward relative to the foot, and the opposite is true for eversion/pronation.

The ankle joint is primarily a hinge joint, where the tibia and fibula both connect to the talus like a wrench. It only moves in the direction of flexion and extension. This is why its fairly easy to sprain your ankle, being that the ankle was not meant to move laterally.

The ankle has special names for its movement. They are dorsiflexion, and plantarflexion. Dorsiflexion is when you lift the front of the foot toward the knee, where the top of the foot contracts. The tibialis anterior is the muscle that initiates this movement along with inversion/supination of the foot, which will be discussed in a moment. The opposite position is known as plantarflexion. An action where the front of the foot moves away from the knee. This is primarily done with the gastrocnemius (calf muscle)

The foot in general has a lot of joints in it, and so it is able to move in all sorts of direction, and while it appears those movements are happening at the ankle, they are really taking place elsewhere.

A major element of our foot is the arch. Arches are seen in a lot of architecture because they are great at supporting weight above. The foot has many arches, but the primary two worth noting here are the medial (inner line of foot) and lateral (outer line) arches. Both arches are formed by bones and supported by ligaments and tendons. The medial arch (big toe side) is relatively taller. It has more bones which form together and thus make it more elastic than the lateral arch. The two images to the right show a difference one can have in their arch when relaxed versus being engaged.

The movements of our foot originate in our calf. The muscles that initiate these movements also act together to lift the arches of our feet. In my personal experience over the years, my body has lost its arches, and this loss of arch support is fairly common. Flat feet in an adult relates to a insufficient engagement of the Tibialis Anterior muscle. And because this affects what is above, compensation patterns throughout the chain of my legs and hips can begin to cultivate. The principle action of the Tibialis Anterior is to supinate the foot (inner arch lifting), with additional action of foot adduction and flexion of the ankle. It is an important midfoot stabilizer when the heel has lifted while walking. So learning how to engage this muscle in our asana practice will bring a cultivation of lifting a fallen arch.

How can we best do that? With awareness in our standing postures!

In standing poses like Triangle, noticing the foot in our back leg is key. Reach and press the outer edge of the foot into your mat. This will engage our Tibialis Posterior. Then while holding this, find the ball of your big and pinky toe. Pressing these two points into the floor, begin to draw them back toward the heel. Both of these actions create a strong inner arch that can then cultivate positive actions elsewhere in the body.

So next time you are practicing standing postures, notice carefully what is happening with that back foot. How much has our back foot & arch relaxed?

With just a little time you'll be amazed

There is a fantastic and simple exercise that can develop the connection needed between our brain and our foot, if there is room for imporovement. We can do this by simply engaging movement in our toes. Practice this: Standing up, begin to fold softly over the legs, bending the knees as much as you need to so that either the fingertips or hands can support some of your weight (you can also practice this sitting in a chair). Now as you are folded in this position, begin to lift all 10 toes off the ground and hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Notice any sensation you feel in your feet. Drop the toes down, maybe shake them out for a moment and take rest. Lets do this again, lift all your toes off the ground, now can you drop your 4 little toes down, but keep the 2 big toes lifted? Lifting all of your toes again, go the other way, drop the 2 big toes down, leave the 4 little ones lifted. See if you can go back and forth a few times. I couldn't do this for the life of me the first time I tried, but it gets better with practice, I promise!

Now when you really want to start training the foot, ones the first two engagements are fairly easy, try to replicate the 3rd picture on the right. Dropping the big and pinky toes down, leaving the 3 middle toes lifted. For me this taught me how to press down through the first and 5th metatarsal (the balls of the big and pinky toe).

The overall pattern we're looking to create is buoyancy and stability. After playing with the actions above, begin to practice stamping the base of the big and pinky toe into the floor, and then draw those two points towards the heel. Try not to scrunch the toes as you create this action. This action of drawing the balls of your feet towards the heel pronounces the arch of the foot. Try to be aware of your arches as you are in different standing asana, if you see or feel the arches collapsing, engage with the muscles of your lower leg to create lift.