Article: Standing On My Own Two Feet by Rixie L. Dennison
My whole life, it seems, has been about learning to take responsibility for me. Learning how to “stand on my own two feet” and let go of the fantasy that “someone” was going to come along and take care of me. One of the first steps I took was last year, when I left my corporate job of many years and began new career as a Yoga Teacher and a Life Coach. This had been a dream of mine and, consciously, had been working towards it for a few years. However, on an unconscious level, for many years before, I knew I wanted --and even needed-- to discover my real potential. What continued to hold me back was that voice that said, “Why keep stepping out there and risking? Play it safe. Someone will eventually come along and take care of you.” That was the fantasy: the reality is, I am the one, the only one, who can step, leap, jump, and land on my own two feet.
Yoga was a guiding force in the opening of my body, mind, emotions and spirit. Helping me to see, feel, breathe and experience – how a balanced “being” can stand tall -- grounded, rooted, even when I felt as though my life couldn’t get any better or when everything around me starts to fall apart.
I would like to address:
1) The physical feet – what are they made of, how do they work?
2) The energetic “feet”, how to locate, explore and engage.
3) The symbolic feet – When and how do we experience and express the symbolic? How can we “tap into” or be aware of the symbolic? What if foot is not working?
Our Physical Feet
The feet literally are the foundations of the body. They are the platform upon which the total body weight rests when we stand, walk, run, skip or climb. The feet use a leverage principal to move body weight when walking running, skipping or performing other movements. Long toes, like a monkey’s would have hampered such motion and altered the leverage; consequently, evolutionary changes have caused human toes to become small and relatively stunted.
Our feet are highly functional and carry a tremendous load of pressure and pounds. By a complex inter-working of bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues, all concealed beneath the skin and nails, our feet propel our body in an amazing variety of movements, and endure the weight of our body. The efficiency and grace (and sometimes not) of nearly every movement of our body is related to the soundness of the supporting foundation provided by our feet.
Whether you have large or small feet, are tall or short, fat or thin, there are twenty-six bones in each foot. (The entire body has only 208 bones.) Each foot is held together by 112 ligaments, which are activated by twenty muscles. The bones form four arches. Two run across the foot; the other two run the length of the foot. The transverse arch accepts your weight as it comes down the leg through the heel bone. The anterior metatarsal arch flattens out when the front ends of the metatarsals bear the weight. The outer longitudinal arch receives and carries the major portion of the body’s weight. The inner longitudinal arch absorbs the natural shocks that come from walking.
Our feet cannot function without it’s twenty muscles and the muscles of the lower leg. Leg muscles raise your foot to a tiptoe position, rotate the foot and flex the ankle. The leg muscles also counterbalance the forces that develop when the body is thrown off balance; for example, when you trip as you walk, those muscles act to restore your balance.
Although we use our feet mostly for walking, they also support and carry our body when standing, running, climbing, descending, jumping or dancing. The human foot is a marvel of coordinated action and effort by each part of its structure. There is nothing else quite like them in the world. They are distinctively human as the trunk is to an elephant. Our feet allow us to walk upright in a way that no other animal can quite imitate and carry out these functions with efficiency and grace.
Just as roots are important to a plant, feet are important to human beings. The feet are our connection to the earth. They are a wonder of nature but receive little attention. In an article by Tias Little, Yoga Journal, “Our feet aren’t just foundations. Our bodies are mobile temples, and our feet are required to be flexible and adjustable . . . when the foot collapses or distorts, the strain travels up into the hip joints or lower back, and a strong pull or torque may develop, side to side or back to front.” Some foot foes would be confining footwear that can lead to tense feet. Constrictive foot wear limits the blood flowing in and out of the foot and cramps the bones of the feet together, resulting in compacted and clenched muscles not just in the foot but also on up the body. When you walk in less restrictive footwear or barefoot it requires the feet to be more responsive, agile, adjustable, and articulate. Also, when we walk on uneven terrain, it promotes small movements to the pelvis and spine that lead to a pliability throughout the body.
Asanas for the Feet
In Hatha Yoga, standing poses are the primary tools for building stability in the feet and energizing the legs to support proper alignment of the foot, leg and hip. Some asanas (poses) to begin with would be Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II pose), Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I Pose) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose). Paying particular attention to grounding through the four corners of each foot, leg and hip alignment, so that the pose feels strong, yet effortless. To warm up the feet, some preliminary exercises can help your feet come alive and respond more readily to the standing poses. Entwining the fingers and toes, ankle rolls, pointing and flexing each foot, toes bent and toes tucked are simple, easy ways to bring flexibility to the feet and toes. Seated poses such as Virasana (Hero’s Pose), Vajrasana (Sitting on Heels), Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero’s Pose), squats (while standing/balancing on the balls of the feet), lunges (lifting inner arches) help to strengthen the feet. Inversions such as Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) help to relieve pressure on the legs and feet, drain venal blood, reduce swelling, and improve circulation.
The Energetic Feet
Originating from within the ancient yoga system of India, Chakras refer to spinning vortices of energies created within us. Formed by a combination of consciousness and the physical body, Chakras are the centers of activity for the reception, assimilation and transmission of life energies. The word is from the Sanskrit language and translates to wheel or disk. You might think of them as spheres of energy that radiate from the central nerve ganglia of our spinal column. There are seven major Chakras within each of us, arranged vertically from the base of the spine to the top of the head, centered more or less, through the middle of our body.
Chakra one, the root Chakra (Muladhara), involves the feet, legs, base of the spine and the large intestine. First Chakra issues would include; survival, the earth, grounding, our body, the physical plane, home, family, roots, discipline, foundation, and stillness.
Just as our houses are homes for our bodies, our body is home for our spirit. The first Chakra is ultimately about understanding and healing the body. Learning to accept our body, feel it, validate it and love it.
One of the keys to taking care of the body is self-nuturance. Resting when we need rest, eating well, exercising and giving the body pleasure help keep the first Chakra happy. Massages, hot baths, good food, and exercise are ways of nuturing ourselves and healing the mind/body split. Eating – the ingestion of solid matter into our bodies – is a first Chakra activity. It grounds us, nourishes us and maintains our physical structure. Through food, we take into ourselves the fruits of the Earth, the first Chakra Element. The food we digest is the matter we transform to energy. Eating nourishing food is a first step for establishing a healthy foundation in the first Chakra.
The first Chakra consciousness is oriented toward survival. From an instinctual level, we are concerned with hunger, fear, warmth and shelter. In order to consolidate our energy in the first Chakra, we must first see that our survival needs are met. To ignore these needs is to be constantly pulled back into survival consciousness, making it difficult to “get off the ground.” When our survival is threatened, we experience fear, and fear is the demon of the first Chakra. Facing our fears can help the first Chakra wake-up. Some questions you might ask yourself: How often do you go for a walk in the woods, park, or make contact with nature? How often do you exercise consciously? How would you rate your physical health? How is your relationship to money and work? Do you consider yourself well grounded? Do you love your body? Do you feel you have a right to be here?
While mechanically our feet may touch the ground with every step, this contact is empty if we are cut off from the feeling in our legs and feet. Without grounding we are unstable; we lose our center, fly off the handle, “get swept off our feet” or daydream in a fantasy world. We lose our ability to contain, to have, or to hold.
In Anodea Judith’s book, “Wheels of Life,” she recommends the following for stimulating and releasing energy from the Muladhara Chakra: Knee to Chest (Apanasana), Bridge Pose ( Setu Bhandasana), Half and Full Locust (Salambhasana), Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana) and Svasana (Corpse Pose). I would also recommend Sun Salutes each morning to open up the Root Chakra.
Through our roots, we gain nourishment, power, stability and growth. Without a connection to nature we are cut off from our source, we lose our path. Many people who cannot find their true path in life have simply not yet found their ground. When we are grounded, we are humble and close to the Earth. We live simply. We can embrace stillness. We are in a state of grace.
Symbolic
There are many different ways to “tap into” the symbolic. In our dreams, meditations, guided visualizations, we can look for symbols and archetypes to explore our unconscious and the inner Self. The archetype for the root Chakra is Mother Earth. Walking with feet firmly planted on the earth provides a sense of inner security. I remember for the first time walking on the beach and looking behind and really seeing my own footprints in the sand. I then looked down and was so struck by the beauty of my own two feet and what my life would be like if I didn’t have feet. With no feet, we have nothing to stand on. Nothing to balance our being. No anchor, nothing to plug us into the energy rising from the Mother Earth. We’d lose our ground and without a connection to the Earth we can lose our path. It was then that I really became aware of how important it was to walk in nature and feel the earth. I then drew a beautiful Mandala of my feet traveling across the Earth symbolizing my intent to stay connected to my source and on my own path. The Mandala then became my logo for my coaching and yoga business.
Dreams can also help “tap into” the symbolic. I had a dream where I could only see my right foot. My left foot was invisible. I was walking along a wooded path that was taking me toward a bright shimmering light. And, it was taking a very long time hobbling along on just one foot. I kept asking in the dream: Where was my other foot? Where was my other foot? If I had two feet, I could get to the shimmering light, the other side, the goal, the mountain so much faster. What I learned from the dream, was that there was a part of me that was just not ready. I needed to slow down, let that part of me grow a bit more, so that I would be ready for my next “step” in my journey.
Reflections
When people begin Yoga, it is common for them to discover they have lost connection with their feet. The practice of yoga can transform our relationship with our feet. Practicing barefoot, we develop greater feel for the ground below and our connection to the earth. As we become more intimate with our feet, they also become stronger and more mobile. Healthy feet lead to more poise, a sense of stability and rootedness, so important in the unforgiving pace of today’s culture. As we free up our feet, we can tap into a reservoir of potential energy. We are standing on a wellspring of life force that has been blocked by years of constrictive footwear and lack of use.
I have fallen down, been knocked down, crawled, and lost my balance many times in this life. On my journey, especially, through the practice of yoga, I have been able to pick myself up, brush myself off and stand own my own two feet. For that I am grateful.
Bibliography
Wheels of Life, A User’s Guide to the Chakra System, Anodea Judith, Ph.D.
Eastern Body, Western Mind, Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self, Anodea Judith.
The Sevenfold Journey, Reclaiming Mind, Body & Spirit Through the Chakras, Anodea Judith & Selene Vega.
Sun & Moon Yoga Studio Teacher Certification Program Manual and Workbook, JJ Gormley and Alexandra Spaith.
Yoga Journal, “From the Ground Up,” Tias Little
Foot Reflexology, Jurgen Jora
The Complete Foot Book, First Aid for Your Feet, Dr. Donald S. Pritt and Dr. Morton Walker