Keep your foot sole flexible and strong by regularly rolling it over a ball.
Short Practice - ball rolling
know your body, respect your limits, modify where needed - a key yoga practice
Find a tennis ball or similar.
Can be done standing holding a counter or sitting.
Simply just roll the ball around under your foot for about a minute or two on each foot.
Always begin with light and gentle pressure. More pressure can be added later.
Explore the Movement
In the centre and middle of each foot sole is a point called the Kidney Reflexology Point known as Root of Life in Chinese Reflexology. 1 To take advantage of this important point while rolling out your foot soles, see an Extended Practice in the footnotes. 2
What various sensations did you feel while rolling out your feet? Note, all sensations have equal value when it comes to noticing, just some are more comfortable than others.
Explore different props. See picture below. Try something stationary like a bar of soap (dove bar has a nice shape). Chickpeas in a baggie secured with elastics allows the foot to wrap around easier. Need something quick? Roll up some old dishcloths which works the entire width of the foot. Hard balls and rollers are also good but be mindful of the pressure.
Everyday Living
Walk barefoot! Walk on a variety of different surfaces. Carpet, tile, grass, concrete, whatever is close by you.
Really free your feet from shoes, socks and slippers for awhile. Set your feet free.
Yoga Practice
Yoga as a general rule is practiced barefoot. It is a great way to receive and send constant feedback from the feet to the brain and back to the feet.
Discover Amazing
The foot sole is anatomically called plantar fascia. Plantar in latin means sole. Fascia is connective tissue (like the white stuff you cut off meat) found throughout the body. The function of the plantar fascia is to assist with lifting the arches and also acts to keep the foot bones together.
Think of the plantar fascia like the bottom of a knitted sock. If your plantar fascia is stiff, it is like the fascia fibres are matted wool. If your plantar fascia is flexible, it is like having an in-built support stocking. Rolling out your plantar fascia regularly will aid in returning flexibility and increasing support of arches in your bottom foot.
More Amazing
Our body is more interconnected than we consciously realize. The plantar fascia is part of a long continuous piece of fascia that travels up our back body, over the skull and ends at our eyebrows. See picture in footnotes below. 3
Take a moment to allow yourself to feel connected from toe to head. Bring your mind’s eye to the bottom of each foot just below toes - the start of the plantar fascia. From this point, trace a line down the middle of each foot sole to the heel. Bring line around heels and keep moving up the calves, hamstrings and buttocks. At the lower back, the leg lines join together and continue up the spine to the neck, over the skull and end at the eyebrows.
Next time when rolling out your feet, I invite you to consider that not only is this working your foot soles but also right up your backside to the eyebrows. Then pause, smile, and take in this amazing total body connection.
Keep Moving — health is movement and movement is health
Namaste, the Light in me honors the Light in you
Disclaimer: Be safe and move wisely without causing harm. Information provided in this newsletter is for you to explore and discover how your body works. It is not to diagnose any medical condition. Please consult with a physician or physiotherapist if you have concerns.
The Chinese Kidney Reflexology Point is your Root of Life shares Holly Tse from www.ChineseFootReflexlogoy.com. It is understood your life energy is stored here like a battery. If the point is sensitive, your battery is weak. Recharge your battery by drinking water, resting, sleeping well, and treating yourself kindly. Don’t over stimulate this point to recharge but gently stimulate it on a regular basis. Trust your body’s internal wisdom rather than over stimulating - less is more. If the point is not sensitive, you have great energy. Be grateful.
Best to avoid this point if pregnant. Use caution, be super light and don’t over stimulate if you have medical concerns like heart issues, cancer, diabetes and/or compromised immune system.
Extended Practice:
The Root of Life - Kidney Reflex point is the starting and ending point. As well, to provide repeated stimulation and promotion of awesome life energy, we will pass through this point like one passes through neutral when shifting gears in a car.
See below picture for road map.
Make frequent stops every 1 cm or so. Allow foot to rest a moment, wiggle toes, then roll on.
Interesting stop is Kidney 1 called Bubbling Springs in the Chinese meridian system. Chinese medicine places a very large importance on the kidneys.
Enjoy the ride!
More Amazing: The technical term for this fascial line is called Superficial (near the surface) Back Line. See below picture. This information comes from Tom Myers who wrote Anatomy Trains. He is considered a pioneer and leader in fascial systems and chains. I also found a PDF with a picture of a cadaver dissection of a continuous Superficial Fascia Back Line: https://cdn.anatomytrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dissection.pdf So cool!