Foot flexion help?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Please help! I have only been doing yoga for 3 months. I previously spent several years doing ballet and Scottish dance, both of which require CONSTANT foot extension (standing on toes, standing on point, pointing toes while foot is elevated) and hip turnout. Consequently, it is reflex for me to always want to rotate my hips outward and point my toes in everything I do.

My problem now is that almost all yoga poses require the foot to be flexed, not extended; I have so much difficulty creating a 90 degree angle between my foot and my shin because I spent so many years training my feet to bend the other way! When seated on the floor, both legs straight out in front of me, I absolutely cannot point my toes towards the ceiling. This makes it impossible to do any kind of seated folds or stretches properly.

My yoga instructor said that if your toes are pointing forward when doing a seated forward fold, that you are trying to stretch too far; but they point forward when I’m not stretching at all! Can anyone give me advice for how to re-train my feet and leg muscles? Right now I’m doing seated stretches with my feet pressed up against a wall to keep them flexed. Is there anyone else who has transitioned from ballet to yoga and found this difficult?

#2

Greetings and welcome.

It is a common AND rare thing you point to. The common part is that we all bring previous patterns to our practice. And that is a very essential part of the practice; to address these etched patterns in our consciousness that manifest in the physical body ([I]samskara[/I]). Rare because you’re coming in with a trained, rehearsed, deeply seated, mindful and aware etching It is something you did by choice, something that took time, and something you pursued (I presume) with great zeal.

And this latter part is the same process you’re now facing - in reverse. You did not build plantar-flexion in a day. Nor will you eliminate it in favor of dorsi-flexion in a day. That which is built up over decades does not go away in weeks (unless one is doing very focused, effective meditation work).

So you will have to work patiently (be kind to yourself) and diligently (daily doing) and effectively (focused work). Simply put, you have to be retrained. Great fun since you already have done this once. Surely your Self knows this path all too well?

The work at the wall is very good. It doesn’t necessarily mandate forward bends. Also helpful would be Uttanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Vanarasana, almost all standing poses, Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Viparita Karani with sandbags, and Supta Padangusthasana with a belt around the arch near the toe mounds.

But these are all things I’m sure your chosen teacher has already shared with you. My apologies for the redundancy.

gordon

#3

Thank you for the reply, Gordon! This has been the one issue keeping me from feeling fully confident in myself in my yoga practice. One of my favorite things about yoga is that no two people in the same pose have to look EXACTLY alike - this has been such a refreshing change from the grueling technicalities of dance. I don’t have to stretch as far as my neighbor, or lift my leg as high, or even flow at the same pace. It is my own personal dance.

It is, however, a personal dance that I want to do safely and accurately, and one that I want to get the most out of. I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and the years of constant fatigue and pain caused me to be physically and mentally unable to continue with my dance. I missed it so much, though; I needed the freedom of movement (and frankly, the exercise!) So, I turned to yoga, and have been hooked.

I will definitely take your suggestions to heart, and again, thank you so much for the advice!

#4

You’re welcome.

Since Yoga itself is the shift from being externally referenced to being internally referenced, it doesn’t even matter what another looks like in a pose, feels like in a pose, what color their mat is or what brand of clothing they practice in. These things are just a subset of “distractions”.

#5

How much walking do you do PiperBlue? Obviously when you come to a yoga forum you are seeking a yogic solution but you also need to consider what you do off the mat. If you could build even 15 minutes walking into each day it will help with stretching out the backs of the lower legs.

And what about footwear? Shoes with a negative heel will also help.

#6

[QUOTE=YogaPrem;74609]How much walking do you do PiperBlue? Obviously when you come to a yoga forum you are seeking a yogic solution but you also need to consider what you do off the mat. If you could build even 15 minutes walking into each day it will help with stretching out the backs of the lower legs.

And what about footwear? Shoes with a negative heel will also help.[/QUOTE]

I actually walk about 3 miles per day - I work in a hospital and I have many nights where I am sitting for only about 30 minutes out of a ten hour shift. On my days off I try to walk at least around the block, just to keep moving. I’m a fairly active person!