Grounding: Ground Your Feet

Continuing my series on grounding yourself physically. You already learned about what it means to be grounded and how to loosen up your feet more to allow for more spring in your step so you can receive and send out energy more effectively. Now, let’s look at placing the foot so you can feel more grounded.

If you haven’t already, I recommend beginning with the work from the previous post. The massage really opens up the feet to receive more energy and makes the next step more powerful.

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Although Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is traditionally done with feet touching, it can be difficult to feel grounded with the feet together. There is a feeling of being off balance. So, for the purposes of this exercise, separate your feet about sit bone distance apart. Set your feet as close to parallel as you can without feeling torquing in your knees. Take a moment to feel your feet. We want to compare how they feel now versus once you have established the grounding.

We will start with your right foot. Lift the toes and stretch out the soles by walking the ball of your foot out slightly from your heal. You will only move maybe a millimeter, it is an important millimeter. Keeping the toes up, now find the inner edge of the ball of your big mound. Catch that spot on the mat, sticking it down on the mat and then broaden across the ball of your foot. With toes still lifted, stretch the toes out long and set them down one by one, lengthening them out.

Now feel the difference between your feet. My guess is the right one feels more grounded, heavier. Repeat to the left foot.

How do your feet feel now vs what you noticed before we began? I do set my feet mindfully each time I move into Tadasana. Of course, it doesn’t take very long, just a moment really, once you have done it awhile. Enjoy the grounding!

Next time we will move up the legs.

Groundedness Series:
Teaching Groundedness
Wake up Your Feet

Feet: Wake Up Your Feet

Our feet are the most powerful part of our body for creating groundedness. If you aren’t using your feet well, you can’t be truly grounded. Or, said in a more positive way, the more effectively you use your feet, the more grounded you will feel in life! The more grounded you are, the more energetic and vibrant you will be, the more authentically you will show up in your life.

The foot has 26 bones, 31 joints, and 20 intrinsic muscles (meaning the muscles start and end in the foot and do not cross the ankle). The feet are meant to be used and to have fine movements to them. For most of us, though, our feet have become relatively rigid. (For reasons beyond the scope of this post!) When our feet are rigid, we walk like a car without shocks; we land hard on the ground rather than rebounding lightly. We don’t yield to the energy with the ground.

So, the first step to becoming more grounded is loosening up the feet to bring back the bounce in your step.

Before you begin, sit briefly in Dandasana (Staff Pose). Notice how your feet feel right now. It is illuminating to compare how they feel now versus after waking them up.

Step 1: Massage the Feet

• Sit in Sukhasana (Easy, Cross-Legged Pose)
• Hold your right foot with your right hand and lace the fingers of your left hand into your toes. If you can, lace all the way to the root of your fingers. (If your toes are particularly tight, just lace the tips of your fingers. The tips are smaller than the root of your fingers.)
• 
• Hold your arch strongly with your right hand to steady the foot.
• Gently rotate your toes with your left hand. You are only rotating your toes, not the ankle so be sure your right hand is holding firmly.
• Rotate a few times in one direction and then change direction.
• Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose) and compare how your feet feel.
• Now repeat the massage to the other foot.
  

Step 2: Stretch the Toes

• Come to all fours. Tuck your toes under.
• Slowly begin to sit back on your toes, stretching your toes and the soles of your feet. If you toes are very tight, this stretch can be intense. (My students accuse me of Yoga Torture with this one!) Just sit back as far as you can and still be able to breath and enjoy the stretch. You may be able to sit all the way on your heals.
• Sit for 10 breaths then come out.
• Return to Dandasana (Staff Pose) and compare how your feet feel. Ahhhh!
  

Next time we will learn to place the feet to be more grounded in Tadasana (Mountain Pose).

Groundedness Series:
Teaching Groundedness
Grounding: Grounding Your Feet

Paschimottanasana: Part III

In the final installation of this series, we look at aligning energetically in Paschimottanasana. Aligning energetically begins with being precise in your physical alignment, fully engaging the body and, well, getting the bones aligned well. Once you are there, you can feel your energy more fully.

Once you have found the alignment and physical work I discussed in Part III, have a yoga partner aid you in these variations to help you tap into the energetic support of the pose. These variations are for the full engagement of the legs in Dandasana that will then take you into a well-supported full pose.

The first variation is subtler than the second one. Begin here and if you don’t feel anything, move to the second one.

Have a partner sit squarely to you at your feet. It is important that your partner be square to you when you are adjusting, especially when you are working on the energetic level. Once you have found your strong Dandasana pose, have your partner take her index fingers and lightly touch your heals. Can you feel your legs engage on a deeper level?



If not, here is your second variation. Have your partner place her hands on lightly on your ankles. If you still don’t feel anything, have her press harder. See if you begin to extend your legs from a level deeper than the physical.

Help Your Students Feel Their Energy

Many students, especially beginners, don’t realize they are feeling their energy when they are. They confuse the feeling of their energy with the feeling of their physical body. Here is a great series of poses that will help your students get the sense of their energy versus their physical body. In fact, some of my very beginner students who are not yet even connected to their bodies well have gotten this exercise.

Have your students begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Have them really feel the pose so they can compare how they feel now with how they will feel in a moment. You will then do a series of standing poses. You will do one pose to the right and then a different pose to the left. Then another to the right and a different one to the left. Here is the series I do. There is no magic to the order. Just be sure to remember what you did so you can repeat the series the other way when you are done to balance out your energy. What is great about this order is all the poses that may need a block are to the right so your students don’t need to move it.

Turn your feet to the right and do Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). Then turn your feet to the left and do Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose). Then to the right do Parsva Konasana (Extended Side Angle Pose). To the left do Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose). To the right, do Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose). Finally, to the left, do Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I Pose). Return to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Take a moment and ground your pose (as best you can!) Feel the imbalance? Quite significant. There is a feeling like you are tipping or twisting to one side.

We purposely created an imbalance in the body. The imbalance, though, is mostly energetic. We used all the major muscles on each side of the body so physically we are relatively balanced.

Be sure to do the series to the other side to balance your students out!

Gazing Up

I have been working quite actively in the world of manifesting and the Law of Attraction for several years now. The premise of the law is you get what you think about, whether you want it or not. So if you are feeling negative, you get more negative in your life. (The main theme in the entire Year of Living Compassionately was learning how to consciously do things to bring more positive in your life.) Feeling joyful is the key to manifesting whatever your heart desires. I have an easy process for uplifting your mood – lift your gaze.

I was in an intensive earlier this year with Jo Zucovitch, a wonderful Iyengar-style teacher based in San Diego. She gave this very simple direction throughout the weekend and I was amazed at its power. Just lifting your gaze lightens your mood, your energy, and lifts your consciousness. It is one of the reasons we so much desire to look up in Trikonasana even though it may be straining our necks. Looking up just feels good!

Try it on yourself and try it in your classes. Be sure to lift only your gaze, not your chin.