Yes, that is my right foot that you are looking at! You need to know that my right foot is well known!Twenty years ago, when I graduated from college, I worked for a small TV station in Pennsylvania. I was a young soul transplanted 5 hours away from my hometown near Washington, D.C.
There were not a lot of dating opportunities in the city where I lived and worked. We called it a place of “newlyweds and nearly deads!” To entertain ourselves, a gaggle of girlfriends would venture to nearby lakes to windsurf and water ski.
One perfect summer evening, when stepping on my friend’s ski boat, a young man on-board, who I did not know, called me by name. I was shocked!
“How do you know my name?” I queried.
He replied, “I paid your brothers a quarter to see your webbed toes at a swim team meet in Maryland.”
Yes, my older brothers did make a profit off of me! And now, despite my ego and with grace, I am carefully placing this same foot into cyberspace!
To walk with Grace, to be in Grace requires some strength and balance. In our physical bodies, strength and balance originates in our feet. Our ability to create a firm foundation with the Earth is what allows us to walk upright. From our foundation, we rise tall!
To help us connect to our feet, I love to share these simple exercises. Students have raved about the difference in their feet in just a few weeks! If some of this is challenging for you, just stay with it. Know that you are building new pathways in your body.
If you’ve been in class, you know these exercises.
Feel welcome to share them with a friend or loved one.
Roll foot on some type of ball preferably one of our awesome Peanuts that we use for neuromyofascial tissue release work.
Put fingers between each toe. Massage foot. Remove fingers.
Lightly wiggle and jiggle each toe - kind of like “this little piggy....”
Use your hand to manually point and flex your foot.
With the 4 corners of your foot rooted, lift and spread all toes.
With toes lifted and spread, put big toe only down (inner arch).
With toes lifted and spread, put baby toe only down (outer arch).
With toes lifted and spread, put big toe and baby toe down (transverse arch). Other toes in middle lifted and spread.
Notice alignment of your feet throughout your day (frontal hipbone, knee cap, 2nd toe).
Throughout your day, notice equal pressure on all 4 corners of your feet.
When we pay attention to our feet, we walk with sensitivity and we tread more carefully both physically and mentally.
So, go ahead, step forward - boldly and with Grace.
first published online at www.LongLisa.com copyright 2006 Lisa A. Long
