Apologies to Action JoJo if she ever reads this, but my topic today is FEET!
We had a little group therapy session after Bikram yoga class tonight, sharing about issues with our feet. Feet are also discussed at my senior citizens' gentle yoga classes. Our feet do a lot of work for us, and we often ignore them completely unless they start complaining.
I am reminded of a memoir I read long ago: The author's widowed mother used to come home from long hard days of work and soak her feet in a basin with epsom salts. Then she would dry them off and give them a good massage, saying, "Thank you, Feet, for carrying me through another day."
In the fitness and gentle yoga classes for seniors/elders that I teach, I find that many older people have really very literally lost touch with their feet. If injuries or arthritis cause stiffness or pain, some folks become increasingly inactive and immobile. If bending or reaching down to tie a shoe becomes difficult, they try to avoid it as much as possible. Flexing and pointing the foot, or rotating the ankle is often a challenge for otherwise fit seniors. I've been noticing how many people--not just the elderly--walk with stiff ankles or slap an entire foot down instead of letting the ankles and feet use some of their range of motion.
It's heart-breaking to see how much balance and quality of life can suffer from having problems with one's feet. Balance is so important. One of the top fears that elders have is the fear of falling down and getting hurt. We work on range of motion all over the body, but balancing exercises (not quite as challenging as the ones in Bikram's series) are a central part of the classes. Just as Bikram always says, "It's never too late, you're never too old..." A good sense of balance can be regained, improved, developed--no matter how old or unsteady you are. I've seen it with my own eyes; balance can be improved very quickly.
People don't always feel comfortable doing this, because many are just uncomfortable with their feet, but I also have students in my classes try a sort of modified, seated half-lotus, and I ask them to wiggle their toes, flex the foot, and then give it a good massage. Sedentary people usually need better circulation in their feet, and massage is good for that. Plus, feet just deserve a little attention and thanks.
Several fellow Bikram yoga students and I have all been experiencing cramping in our feet lately. We all have our own theories about the causes, but I think for most of us it is a combination of a bit of mineral depletion and a lot of realignment happening. We are all people who practice 5 or more times/week, and I think that regular practice gradually pulls every single bit of us closer to perfect alignment.
The bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the feet are kind of intricate, really, and just think of all that they do, carrying the entire weight of our bodies every time we stand or walk or run. In our standing series, in order to balance properly, our feet do some hard work. Sonya (my 101 Challenge buddy) has had fallen arches forever, but distributing the weight evenly all over the standing foot is starting to make those arches lift right up. They want to be where they're supposed to be! My bunion foot cramps around the toes because my big toe is gradually moving back to its rightful, original place, and the muscles of the rest of the toes are working differently to compensate. My arches feel a twinge when I try to pull my heels together in half-tortoise.
Cramps in your feet can be very painful, and they are no fun at all, but I'm really happy to be experiencing them, because it's part of the process of improving alignment, helping me build a firm foundation. I'm going to take pains to try to keep my body supplied with enough minerals and stay well-hydrated to try to prevent cramping as much as I can, give myself a little foot massage from time to time, and I think it'll all work itself out. There's usually at least a tiny twinge of pain with any worthwhile change. And I'm gonna thank my feet for carrying me through another day and another Bikram yoga class.
Go Back and Look Again
9 years ago
Nice! I like that you post about the very specific progress you see. I also have fallen arches (makes 2nd set of Half moon and all of Awkward PAINFUL). The progress seems to be peaks and valleys.
ReplyDeleteI read this big article about geriatric medicine in the New Yorker a couple of years ago, and there are geriatric doctors who think you can judge a patient's health simply by looking at their feet. Toes trimmed? Good color? All signs of overall bodily health.
Yes, you are right, we don't pay attention to our feet until they "bark". Same with the back. You don't realize how much the back does for you until it hurts. Then every single thing you do hurts. Sitting, standing, laying down, breathing...it all hurts.
ReplyDeleteThe foot cramps are frustrating. I used to get them all of the time. I would fall out of triangle due to a huge foot cramp. I drink one emergen-c packet per day and have a banana everyday and they are finally gone. Me, who was foot cramp prone! I'm finally cramp free. I wouldn't be surprised if they came back though. They can be sneaky and get you even when your mineral balance is good!
There is a shout out to me at the beginning of this post?!?!?!!!! LOL!! Hahaha! Thanks Sisya for thinking about me. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely right that we don't think anything of our bodies until they give us pain or trouble. And our feet do a lot of heavy work every day: just carrying our own weight is a lot. I notice when I cramp in my feet during awkward, eagle, and standing head to knee, it's because I am dehydrated.
I think you make a good connection between old people and losing touch with their feet. I hope that we will be limber and touching our toes in our old age thanks to the yoga we will be doing.
On a totally funny note, have you seen the movie Boomerang with Eddier Murphy? His character is obsessed with feet and he checks out the feet of women he is attracted to because he believes their state says a lot about the women. He's very picky and will scoff at even chipped toenail polish. If you want, check out a funny clip on youtube by searching "hammer time feet boomerang". Hilarious!