Do your feet hurt? Try these yoga poses

Simple Yoga Poses for Overcoming Foot Pain

Everyone experiences sore feet at some point during our busy lives. Here are a few simple yoga poses that you can do almost anywhere to relieve the pain of sore feet during the busy holiday season - or anytime for that matter!

Mountain Pose

Become aware of your feet and how you distribute your weight across them.

1. Begin in standing.
2. Parallel the feet, toes pointed forward, hips directly under the sitting bones.
3. Lift the toes and spread them as widely as possible. Keeping the toes spread, place each toe on the mat.
4. Rock your body side to side, then back and forth, and come to a standstill with your weight distributed evenly across both feet, across the heels and toes of both feet.

Plantar Fascia Stretch Over Yoga Block

1. Begin standing.
2. Place a yoga block on the lowest height setting on the yoga mat.
3. Keeping your heel on the ground, place the toe ball mound of one foot onto the top surface of the mat.
4. Slowly shift the weight of the body towards the foot on the block, feel the stretch in the bottom on the foot and the calf. Hold for 30 sec-1 minute. Switch sides. Repeat stretch 2-3x on each side.

Toe Stretch Over Yoga Block

1. Begin standing.
2. Place a yoga block on the lowest height setting on the yoga mat.
3. Place the toes and the ball of the foot to the center of the block
4. Lift the heel (like you are wearing high heeled shoes)
5. Slowly shift the weight of the body towards the foot on the block, feel the stretch in the bottom on the foor and toes. Hold for 30 sec-1 minute. Switch sides. Repeat stretch 2-3x on each side.

Broken Toe Pose

This pose will help release the plantar fascia.

1. Begin on your hands and knees in quadraped. Bring your legs together with inner thighs touching. Tuck your toes under.
2. Keeping your toes tucked, walk the hands back towards the knees while sitting back onto the heels.
3. Walk your hands up onto the upper thighs and sit upright. Breathe and hold for 1-2 minutes.

Downward Facing Dog

This classic pose stretches the hamstrings, calves, and the plantar fascia.

1. Start quadraped with the wrists under the shoulders. Spread the palms and fingers wide and make contact with the mat with the entire palm, knuckles, and fingers.
2. Tuck the toes, press into your palms to lift your hips up towards the sky. Begin to straighten out your legs, making an upside down V-shape with your body.
3. Keep the knees slightly bent with the back straight. Begin to sink your heels towards the mat. You should feel a stretch in the hamstrings, calves, ankles, and feet. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

Malasana

This pose stretches the hips and pelvic floor while releasing the plantar fascia.

1. Begin in standing.
2. Place the feet wider than hip-width, externally rotate the legs until the toes point out at 45 degrees.
3. Bring hands to heart center, inhale, and on an exhale brace the belly to the spine and slightly engage the pelvic floor.
4. Bend your knees and lower your hips towards the ground, coming into a squat position.
5. Try to keep both feet firmly rooted into the mat and breathe. You may traction a stretch in your inner thighs deeper by moving the arm bones and elbows into the inner thigh muscles. Hold for 5-10 breaths.