Ankles and toes is one of my favorite exercises—especially when the ankles are belted.
Everything I do and teach is with an eye towards ageing gracefully. It is a project that needs to begin when we are young and the feet and ankles are an intrinsic piece of the ageing process. Balance, dexterity and grace all begin at the base and the mobility or lack thereof in our feet and ankles determines a great deal about how we use the rest of our body.
The quest for a happy body is a search for the balance of flexion and extension. This exercise offers a lot of information about your bodies imbalances. One stage is usually a lot easier than the other.
They should both be equally easy.
Ankles and Toes 1st stage-
- Point your feet bringing the heels as close together as possible. You can belt the ankles together to make it more exact.
- The idea is to get the heels to be inside of the sit bones so they can spread slightly opening the space of the pelvic floor.
- Sit up as tall as possible. Don’t suffer. If this seems impossible, either come into it and out of it repeatedly or put a blanket between your calves and hamstrings to cushion the intensity.
- Spread the toes open as much as possible, trying to touch all toes to the floor. Spread your effort evenly between the inner and outer foot.
2nd stage-
- Tuck your toes under and sit up on your heels.
- Try to stretch the toes so much that the ball of the foot touches  the floor.
- If it is too intense come in and out of the pose as often as needed.
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