Healthy Foot and Its Impact on the Body

Yoga Poses, focused on the feet

In this article, we examine the role of this seemingly “unnoticeable” body part and explore the impact of yoga on the feet.

Weight gain during pregnancy is sensitively felt not only by the back but also by the feet. Sometimes – by the knee joints and ankles. Special exercises and poses can help relieve pain, relax, and reduce swelling.

Important! Although foot poses are generally harmless, try to consider past injuries – fractures, dislocations, etc.

Exercises for the feet help correct problems throughout the body and also prepare the legs for more serious loads.

Why do feet hurt?

In a metaphorical sense, our feet are our stability. It turns out that how firmly and confidently we stand on the ground is reflected in our psychological state and vice versa.

It would seem that in everyday life we practically do not pay attention to them. However, feet hold even greater importance for the body:

• the foundation of the entire musculoskeletal system;
• reliable ‘shock absorbers’ for the whole body;
• according to Eastern medicine, feet are a projection of the health of internal organs.

As we mentioned above, pregnant women are one of the vulnerable groups of people with ‘problematic’ feet. In addition to weight, feet also react sensitively to the lack of microelements in the body. Because of this, we suffer from pain, cramps, sometimes numbness.

That is why it is so important during the expectation of a baby to consult with a nutritionist-dietitian. To learn more in detail, sign up for the childbirth preparation program ‘MomsLab’.

Sometimes the reason is simple. For example, a mother did not notice how her foot size slightly increased during pregnancy, yet she stubbornly continues to wear her old shoes. What’s worse is shoes that were already uncomfortable for her.

If you don’t get rid of such footwear during pregnancy, you will inevitably distribute weight incorrectly across the foot. After all, what often happens? First, a toe gets rubbed, and we clench it, and so on. The arch of the foot changes its natural shape. Secondly, this can lead to worsened flatfoot, valgus deformity of the legs, and the growth of a bunion on the foot.

For this reason, we recommend including special asanas as a preventive measure on a daily basis. Just 10-15 minutes a day can help, if not quickly solve the problem, at least slow its deterioration.

Yoga for Feet: Arch Gymnastics

This kind of gymnastics is great because you don’t need to unroll a mat and carve out an hour for a workout every time. You can almost always find a minute for the necessary exercise:

• you got out of bed in the morning and sat on the bed;
• on the couch in front of the TV;
• while working at the computer, etc.

Complex No. 1

Allocate up to fifteen seconds per leg. If you feel you can do more, increase to 3 sets.

Sit on the edge of the bed/sofa, legs forward in front of you on the floor:

– stretch your toes as much as possible towards you and away from you, don’t rush – feel every movement;

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– draw a circle with your feet, without lifting them from the floor – first in one direction, then in the other;

– spread your toes with effort, hold for a few seconds, then squeeze with force.

Complex No. 2

Sitting on the bed, tuck one leg under you and straighten the other. Take an elastic yoga band, a belt, or a towel. The wider the cover, the better, to avoid pinching the foot. Place the band over the straightened foot in front of you so that it forms a ‘gentle cocoon’ around the leg. Do not pinch the foot in any case – it should not be painful.

Now pull the band with your hands and feel the resistance with your foot. Your task is to make your foot work as if pushing the band away from you.

Complex No. 3

A firm ball is good for relaxing and working on the foot. A tennis ball will do, or you can ‘borrow’ a toy ball from children or even a pet. Stand on the ball with different parts of your foot in turn – try to transfer your weight completely and feel where the ‘block’ is. This is called a trigger point. We will continue to work on it without exceeding the pain threshold.

Complex No. 4

If possible, sit down and tuck your legs under yourself. The buttocks should fix the feet, pressing them to the floor with your weight. Try lifting your knees off the surface one at a time, and then both knees at once.

Complex #5

Leaning against the wall, make sure you are standing straight. Open your chest and align your pelvis.

Perform a series of exercises:

– lift and lower your heels – to enhance the effect, you can do this outside, standing on a curb, or at home using a yoga block;

– walk from one end of the mat to the other, using the inner surface of your foot;

– now the opposite – on the outside of the foot.

The “Downward-Facing Dog” pose helps stretch the foot muscles, during which you can safely roll your feet in a circle.

Compare how you feel before and after doing the exercises. For example, do the exercise on one leg and feel how relaxed the “working” leg is and how much tension is in the other.

We wish all mothers healthy feet!