Out at the Heel, Yoga Theraputics part 1

                Here is the first of the fruits of a marvelous class by Sianna Sherman, given the last week in February 2012 at Shine Yoga Studio, Cincinnati, Ohio.

                Starting from the ground up, let’s begin with a great way to get your feet in alignment.  In tadasana (i.e. standing, or more properly, mountain pose), we are taught to stand feet hip distance apart, second toe in line with the midline of the heel.  For many of us, it feels a bit pigeon-toed at first.  This is because the hip rotators, which help rotate the leg out (or externally) are so strong, they have taken over some of the role of the hip flexors (which lift the leg forward, as in walking).  You can discover if this is true for you by taking a little test.  Walk around a bit, and then come to standing.  Without moving your feet look down.  If one or the other (or both) of your feet are pointing out (even just a little bit), learning how to tame the hip rotators is the lesson for you.

                When instructed to come into tadasana, we are often told to look down at the feet to make sure they are parallel through the midline.  Should this not be the case, we are told to bring them into alignment.  Since my big fall on the ice 5 years ago, I have never once looked down to find this alignment though I have practiced hard to rediscover it.  This weekend I learned a good step to repatterning this area of the body.

                First, let’s experience the feelings of different kinds of motion. Starting from your standing position (tadasana), turn one foot out to the side.  Lift the toes and turn the foot into alignment with the other.  Which muscles move the foot when you move the toes?  For me, I notice most of the sensation in the quadriceps (front of the thigh).  Turn the same foot out to the side.   Now, lift the heel (rather than the toes) and move it outward to bring the foot into parallel.  As the heel moves out feel how the lower back opens, freeing the tailbone and decompressing the piriformis muscle.

                To expand on this idea, apply it to many other areas.  When stepping the feet wide for standing poses, always finish by widening from the heel. As you step forward to utanasana (standing forward bend) from lunge in your sun salutation, widen the heels slightly.  After this class, I noticed that my right leg turned out when operating the gas pedal in my car, so I have begun to periodically check and move the heel out when necessary.  Look when you wash dishes, brush your teeth, stand in church.  All times are fair game to teach your body divine alignment.