Yoga Feet is a physical mental and spiritual exercise. It not only helps in strengthening your body but also keeps your mind and spirit healthy and calm. There are thousands of yoga asanas that can be done. Many diseases that cannot be cured by medical treatments but yoga have been an excellent remedy for all such diseases. Yoga can heal external wounds as well as help in curing internal issues. Yoga can correct physical deformities as well as heal damaged organs. There are many different types of yogasanas. Some need to be done by standing up, some need to be done by lying down. Both of them have their benefits. Several yogasanas are exclusively done for curing certain problems.
Following are some of the yogasanas that are done by making use of your feet:
- PadanguliNaman (Toe bend): It helps in enhancing your balance and relieves leg pain. It helps in soothing bulging veins.
How to do Padanguli naman?
- Sit down with your legs outstretched towards the front and keep your feet slightly apart.
- Keep your back straight with your hands slightly behind the buttocks.
- Now lean back a little, use your arms to support your back.
- Keep in mind that your back should be straight and should not be bent
- Try to keep your spine straight.
- Now move the toes of both your feet slowly backward and forward keep your ankles motionless and relaxed and do not put pressure on them and make sure your feet are upright.
- Try to hold every position for a few seconds and then relax for a few breaths
- Repeat the whole process 10 times
- If you are a beginner, you should try to hold each position for at least 1-2 minutes or until your feet and leg start feeling any discomfort.
- If you have been doing it for some time now then you can hold each position for 3-4 minutes or as long so your body allows.
- Gulf Naman (Ankle bend): It helps your feet by relieving stress. But if you try rotating your feet more than 15 degrees, you might end up hurting your feet. Thus do not push your feet beyond their capacity.
How to do Gulf Naman?
- Sit down with your back straight.
- Keep your legs overstretched and slightly apart.
- Now slowly move both your feet backward and forward, bending from the ankle joints
- Inhale as you move the toes backward. Exhale as you move them forward.
- While moving your feet, try to stretch them forward and try to touch the floor with your toes and then move it back towards your knees.
- Hold each position for a few seconds and then relax for a few breaths
- If you are a beginner, you should try holding each position for at least 1-2 minutes or until your feet and legs start feeling some discomfort.
- If you have been doing it for some time now then you can hold each position for 3-4 minutes or as long so you can.
- Maintain a constant breath while holding the pose
- Gulf chakra (ankle rotation): It will help in reducing the stiffness around the ankles and will also save you from the knee pain. It will also help in making your ankle more flexible.
- Sit straight, on the floor, with your legs straight in front of you with your feet slightly apart. You can also sit taking support from the wall.
- Keep your back straight and your hands slightly behind the buttocks
- Now, bend the ankle of your right leg toward you and slowly rotate it in a clockwise direction.
- Try doing this for about 10 times (beginner) and 15 times (advanced) while keeping your knees straight, repeat the same procedure with your foot in the counterclockwise direction.
- Repeat the same procedure with your same foot again and then bend the ankle of your left leg toward you and slowly rotate it in a clockwise direction.
- Similarly, for the right foot do this for 10 times(beginner) and 15 times(advanced)and then rotate your left foot in the counterclockwise too, Gradually, the ankles of both feet can be rotated resulting in flexible ankle joints.
- While performing gulf chakra, breathe in slowly when your feet are in the upward direction and breathe out slowly when your feet are in the downward direction.
- AdhoMukhaSvanasana (Downward facing dog): It is a very basic and simple yoga pose. It will help you in stretching hamstrings, spine, calves, hips, etc. It will help in strengthening different parts like shoulders, arms, legs, etc.
How to do Downward facing dog?
- Start from cow pose. Lift your hips toward the ceiling.
- Drop your hips down with your ears aligned with your arms and your chin touching your chest.
- You can move your body a little so that you can find a comfortable position.
- Virabhadrasana (Warrior pose): It will help in strengthening your legs and foot and also help in enhancing the balancing capability of your feet.
How to do Virabhadrasana??
- Step your feet 3-4 feet apart.
- Join both your hands like praying.
- Now slowly exhale and turn the right foot outside by an angle of 90 degrees and turn the left foot inwards slightly. Also, rotate your torso so that your hands are parallel to your right thigh.
- Now bend your thigh, so that your right thigh is now parallel to the floor.
- Your shin must be perpendicular to the floor.
- Maintain the pose for 30 seconds. Your thigh must be parallel to the floor and your left leg must always remain stretched.
- Repeat the same for the left side.
- Vakrasana (Spinal twist pose): It is a very easy asana and almost everyone can easily do it. It helps in digestion and also helps in losing belly fat. It will also help in strengthening the spine, back, and shoulders.
How to Vakrasanaana?
- Sit down and stretch your legs in front of you.
- Now bend your left and place your left foot near your right knee.
- Inhale and as you exhale, rotate your upper body to the left. Make your that your back is straight.
- Then bring your right arm towards the left foot in such a manner that outer side of the right arm is now touching the outer side your left leg;
- Now place the right hand beside the left foot.
- Take your left arm back and keep your palm on the ground so that the torso is kept erect with a proper twist.
- BaddhaKonasana (Bound angle pose): It helps in improving the flexibility of inner thighs and also helps in increasing the flexibility of your legs. It will also help in strengthening your knees.
How to do baddha konasana?
- Sit down on the mat, and stretch your legs in front of you. Make sure that your legs are straight and your back is also straight.
- Bring your feet together so that the sole of your feet touché each other and the back your feet in toward your pelvis.
- Bring your feet as inwards as you can but do not allow your knees t touch the ground.
- Hold your toes with your hands
- Now bend your body forward, and go deeper into the pose. But do not try to over-push your body.
- Hold it for 40-60 seconds.
- ViparitaKarani (Legs-up-the-wall): It regulates the blood flow and is very helpful in relieving the pain of period cramps. It also helps in strengthening your legs.
How to do viparita karani?
- Lie down near the wall with your knees bent.
- Take a big breath in, and as you exhale, raise your legs high with the help of the wall.
- When you raise your legs, make sure that your knees are not bent and also raise your hips. Do not allow your hips to touch the ground.
- Hold this pose for at least 40 seconds and repeat as many times as you find fit.
- Utkatasan(Chair pose): It is also a very easy pose and helps in strengthening thigh and leg muscles. It also helps in making your spine, back, and shoulders strong. It will also strengthen your arms.
How to do Utkatasana?
- Stand up with your back straight.
- Now raise your arms in such a manner that your arms are parallel to the ground.
- Now slowly bend your thighs. Bring your hips down, so that, your hips are now on the same height as your thighs.
- To do this pose properly, make sure that your thighs and legs are perpendicular to each other(i.e. they make a 90-degree angle)
- Hold it for at least 30 seconds.
- Repeat 3-4 times for better results.
Yoga Feet – Conclusion:
Yoga feet is a very vast concept. You can provide a yogasana for any of your problems. Doing yoga regularly is a very healthy habit and should be adopted by ever one to lead to a healthy life. But you must follow all the steps strictly. And should not try to force your body into doing difficult asanas or you might end up damaging your body.