Ah, our feet, they sure take a beating. Not only do we jam our feet into shoes most days, but we also use our feet a lot. I like to think of my feet as the employee who is constantly asked to do overtime and seldom compensated for this time, overused and under appreciated. When we continue to use and overuse our feet without stretching them out and circulating them, we can end up with difficulties such as plantar fasciitis, toe tension, stiffness and tightness in the feet and nearby joints like the ankles, I would like to take a moment to go through some issues that can happen to our feet as a result of our daily lives. Some may sound familiar to you,

the good old toe jam as a result of our feet being in shoes. So often, what happens is that our toes can be pushed or compressed together. As a result of what I like to call toe jamming, toes and foot pain can result and sometimes we can develop bunions, by nets, and even hammer toes where our toes start to curl. All of these conditions can be associated with pain and discomfort.

ankle pain, our ankles take a beating and can become stiff and tight very easily. If you look at the size of the ankle compared to the leg, it is relatively small and has to carry the weight of the leg which is no small feat. You see what I did there. Ankles along with feet often get jammed into boots, leaving them with little space to move. And this can result in tight ankle joints. Having shoes that aren't our friends.

Yes, I am referring to high heels which put a lot of pressure onto the balls of our feet. The design of these look good only shoes puts all of the weight and pressure into one part of the foot and it's too much for that area to bear. It also shortens the foot which can cause a lot of pain and stress in the feet, ankles and also the legs and lower back to some extent. I mean, I can go on and on and on. I think you get my point. Stretching out our feet is essential, especially considering what we put our tender tootsies through on the daily. Today, we will explore some simple and easy Foot and Ankle stretches that you can do sitting on a chair or even the sofa or edge of the bed if it's been that kind of day.

Once you have found a comfortable seat and have made sure you're sitting comfortably and securely extend your right leg out in front of you placing the heel onto the ground and begin to gently point and flex the right foot. Continue to do this at your own pace for 10 breaths. Now, pause with the foot in neutral heel on the ground. Imagine you were trying to bring some space between your toes. As you inhale, try to move the toes apart and then back together. Continue. They may not move too far apart, but just finding a little bit of space between your toes will assist in this action. Let's do this for 10 breaths.

Bring your right foot back in bending that leg and pause. As you pause with both feet flat onto the floor. Take a moment to notice any differences you may feel between the two feet. It can be interesting to see if one foot feels a bit more alive and free after these stretches. Let's move to the second side. Stretch your left leg out in front of you with the heel onto the ground with the left leg extended. Begin to point and flex that foot at your own pace for 10 breaths taking a pause and bringing the left foot into neutral, bring space between the toes of your left foot. Slowly taking the toes apart and then bringing them together. Let's do this for 10 breaths. Bring the soul of your left foot to the floor and now have both legs bent with the feet resting into the floor. Both feet may feel a bit more alive and relaxed.

You may want to take a short walk around just noticing any changes you feel. Whether you would like to end our session with or without shavasana make sure to take a few deep breaths to let go of your practice and move to the next part of your day. Hopefully, with some happier feet and ankles. Until next time