By Jackie Lai
Ready to give your feet some love after all the miles you put on the pavement?
If you have heard of toe squat you will already know how beneficial it is for your toes and feet. If you haven’t, you are missing out! We put our feet through a lot of stress the instant we roll out of bed (more if you are eager to get up and jump out).
Throughout the day, your feet take all the weight of your body. They bring your entire body weight from one place to another. Now, you are no ordinary person — you are an athlete! This means you put even more stress on your feet to train and get across that finish line.
Our bodies need to be both strong and flexible.
Try this simple toe squat to give your feet and toes some much-needed length and space. If you do this pose daily, it will also help prevent plantar fasciitis (which is not fun to have).
HOW TO DO IT:
- Come onto hands and knees (Bring a pillow under the knees if needed)
- Bring the thighs to touch
- Tuck your toes under (don’t forget to bring that little piggy toe under as well)
- Feel the stretch in the toes and maybe even the bottom of the feet
- Stay for a minimum of 30 seconds
OPTIONAL
If you are not feeling much, bring hands onto your thigh and sit tall (as pictured above).
MOSTLY IMPORTANTLY — LESS IS MORE.
As long as you feel something, perfect! No need to force our bodies to go deeper. You will end up hurting yourself more than anything else. Injured body = no training = sad athlete
Remember that our bodies are different, so your pose might look different than mine, and that’s totally cool! Both of the poses pictured above are awesome for releasing those toes and feet.
P.S. Join me every Sunday for your FREE 30-minute Zoom Yoga Reset! Register at jackielai.ca/zoom-class-schedule
Jackie Lai is a registered yoga instructor, certified yoga sport coach and triathlon coach based in Saskatoon. Learn more at jackielai.ca.
