The Benefits of Yoga for your Feet

Proper foot care is important to the overall health of your body. The feet hold a lot of responsibility. Feet bear the weight of the entire body, propel the body during walking and running, and help the body balance during movement. The body lines up over the feet. When your foot goes out of alignment, it can throw off your ankle, knee, pelvis and back.

Yoga is a great way to practice proper alignment of the feet while strengthening and lengthening muscles and increasing flexibility. If feet are in proper alignment, the rest of the body will follow. Feet and toes play a significant role in yoga. As the foundation of the body, feet need to be strong so the rest of the body can be strong. Yoga can help to increase circulation, reduce leg cramps, reduce swelling, and increase balance. 

One easy yoga pose to try at home is the squat with toe stretch. Kneel down with toes tucked under. This is a great way to stretch the bottom of the feet and break up tension in the sole of the foot. 

Image by Taro Taylor. Bondi Beach Yoga. (2008). Flickr.