Orthotics by Day, Barefeet by Yoga
If you wear orthotics, or need to wear orthotics but don’t (the category I belonged to of late), you may be like me and wonder: how do I bridge the gap between the day-to-day support of my orthotics and my barefoot yoga practice?
If our practice on the yoga mat mirrors our life off the mat, is fluctuating between these two extremes adding an element of non-ahimsa to our lives? Do we need to rebalance ourselves before we begin to see the results of this discord or is this simply a fact of yoga?
Ahimsa is one of the five Yamas, the first of eight limbs of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga (from the Yoga Sutras, 200 BC). Ahimsa means non-injury and entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, including ourselves, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand, according to Swami Sivananda of Sivananda Yoga.
Our posture is the positioning of our bones. If there are any imbalances in the biomechanical make-up that we are born with, our muscles may be affected and either overworked or under-utilized. Over time, we will develop ways of compensating that can result in injuries and repetitive stress.
When we need to look for answers to our questions, a good place to start is on the yoga mat. This is the place where we are to notice the little things about ourselves. It is a place where we are to be non-judgmental and non-competitive, a place where we have no expectations and accept things as they are, and a place where we can be free to be ourselves.
How then can we practice so differently on and off the mat, as related to our bare feet and then our orthotics? Let’s consider the following:
As we all have different biomechanics, we all have different levels of yoga practice. It is the combination of these that will have the greatest effect on the gap between orthotics and bare feet. If you are practicing one or two hours a week at a yoga class, you may notice that going without your orthotics for 1 or 2 hours a weeks will not cause you much trouble. However, if you are practicing and walking around barefoot for 2-3 hours a day, like I find myself doing, you may need to take corrective action before you end up in the physiotherapist’s office, within a matter of time.
Check with your sports physician, physio or athletic therapist before you end up with pain or injury. If you are very active and becoming more aware of your body, as happens with regular yoga practice, perhaps you need to find a good professional in your area. I go to Athlete’s Care at King and Yonge in downtown Toronto. http://www.athletescare.com/athletescaremain.html.
I encourage you to practice ahimsa for your feet. It has been common practice for most of the population over the years to suffer through foot pain. We stuff our feet into ill-fitting, yet fashionable shoes and carry on with our busy days and nights. We complain and moan for our feet yet we seldom stop and really listen to them, let alone take corrective action. This must stop now, whether you have a hammertoe, or are getting a bunion, whether you pronate, supinate, have weakness in your ankles or simply have sore and tired feet.
Even though we may have a strong yoga practice and we encourage use of proper muscular action in the postures we practice, we may still need the help of orthotics. There are many schools of thought and differences of opinions on the subject of orthotics. Perhaps your opinions of them may even change over the years.
I was prescribed my first pair over 20 years ago. I was diagnosed with patella-femoral syndrome after a horse-riding accident. Orthotics help this condition by helping to correct the positioning of the patella (knee-cap) to glide properly in the grove. Over the years of proper positioning, my muscles became strong enough to support the patella properly and now I wear orthotics for different reasons (pronation and tired feet). Orthotics may also help with many other problems you may experience. Plantar fasciitis is a common one, as are bunions, arthritis, pain in ball or heel, arch strain, spurs, tendonitis and simply tired feet. You may even want to try insoles from the drug store, if you don’t have medical coverage. Custom orthotics can cost around $450, custom shoes $650 and custom sandals for summer, $500.
If you feel like you are in the beginning stages of a bunion, you may feel pressure and pain on the inner edge of the ball of the foot (one or both feet can be affected). You can try a toe spacer here, between your big toe and second toe, to relieve the pressure and keep the big toe in its proper alignment, not pointing towards the other toes on the same foot. These cost $8.99 for a pair and they have them at Shoppers Drug Mart in the Eaton Centre.
Another example that may help your feet is simply cutting down on your high-impact training. I know this is a though decision to accept-giving up that step class or no more running or jogging. Remember ahimsa at these times; your feet will show you how much this means to them by causing you less suffering.
There is hope for us orthotic-wearing yoga practitioners. The good news is (if you need to bridge the gap between your orthotics by day and your bare feet by yoga) there are new straps available. Dancers and gymnasts who require that gap bridged as well wear them. They are called, PSC (pronation/spring control) by Fabrifoam™. They can be used for pronation, plantar fasciitis, shin splints and heel spurs, to prevent and to treat pain. The price is approximately $40 for one. I would suggest you wear one on each foot. Another option is taping your feet for arch support. Your physio/athletic therapist could tell you more whether this would be a good option for you and you would need to have them teach you the taping technique.
Practice and be good to your feet. Remember ahimsa. If your feet feel good, that will go a long way to helping the rest of your body feel good too. And treat yourself to a pedicure, whenever you can (men too)!
To find out more about the proper positioning of the feet, click on the link below:
http://asyoga.blogspot.com/2005/11/feet-in-equal-standing-lets-start-in.html
If you wear orthotics, or need to wear orthotics but don’t (the category I belonged to of late), you may be like me and wonder: how do I bridge the gap between the day-to-day support of my orthotics and my barefoot yoga practice?
If our practice on the yoga mat mirrors our life off the mat, is fluctuating between these two extremes adding an element of non-ahimsa to our lives? Do we need to rebalance ourselves before we begin to see the results of this discord or is this simply a fact of yoga?
Ahimsa is one of the five Yamas, the first of eight limbs of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga (from the Yoga Sutras, 200 BC). Ahimsa means non-injury and entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, including ourselves, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand, according to Swami Sivananda of Sivananda Yoga.
Our posture is the positioning of our bones. If there are any imbalances in the biomechanical make-up that we are born with, our muscles may be affected and either overworked or under-utilized. Over time, we will develop ways of compensating that can result in injuries and repetitive stress.
When we need to look for answers to our questions, a good place to start is on the yoga mat. This is the place where we are to notice the little things about ourselves. It is a place where we are to be non-judgmental and non-competitive, a place where we have no expectations and accept things as they are, and a place where we can be free to be ourselves.
How then can we practice so differently on and off the mat, as related to our bare feet and then our orthotics? Let’s consider the following:
As we all have different biomechanics, we all have different levels of yoga practice. It is the combination of these that will have the greatest effect on the gap between orthotics and bare feet. If you are practicing one or two hours a week at a yoga class, you may notice that going without your orthotics for 1 or 2 hours a weeks will not cause you much trouble. However, if you are practicing and walking around barefoot for 2-3 hours a day, like I find myself doing, you may need to take corrective action before you end up in the physiotherapist’s office, within a matter of time.
Check with your sports physician, physio or athletic therapist before you end up with pain or injury. If you are very active and becoming more aware of your body, as happens with regular yoga practice, perhaps you need to find a good professional in your area. I go to Athlete’s Care at King and Yonge in downtown Toronto. http://www.athletescare.com/athletescaremain.html.
I encourage you to practice ahimsa for your feet. It has been common practice for most of the population over the years to suffer through foot pain. We stuff our feet into ill-fitting, yet fashionable shoes and carry on with our busy days and nights. We complain and moan for our feet yet we seldom stop and really listen to them, let alone take corrective action. This must stop now, whether you have a hammertoe, or are getting a bunion, whether you pronate, supinate, have weakness in your ankles or simply have sore and tired feet.
Even though we may have a strong yoga practice and we encourage use of proper muscular action in the postures we practice, we may still need the help of orthotics. There are many schools of thought and differences of opinions on the subject of orthotics. Perhaps your opinions of them may even change over the years.
I was prescribed my first pair over 20 years ago. I was diagnosed with patella-femoral syndrome after a horse-riding accident. Orthotics help this condition by helping to correct the positioning of the patella (knee-cap) to glide properly in the grove. Over the years of proper positioning, my muscles became strong enough to support the patella properly and now I wear orthotics for different reasons (pronation and tired feet). Orthotics may also help with many other problems you may experience. Plantar fasciitis is a common one, as are bunions, arthritis, pain in ball or heel, arch strain, spurs, tendonitis and simply tired feet. You may even want to try insoles from the drug store, if you don’t have medical coverage. Custom orthotics can cost around $450, custom shoes $650 and custom sandals for summer, $500.
If you feel like you are in the beginning stages of a bunion, you may feel pressure and pain on the inner edge of the ball of the foot (one or both feet can be affected). You can try a toe spacer here, between your big toe and second toe, to relieve the pressure and keep the big toe in its proper alignment, not pointing towards the other toes on the same foot. These cost $8.99 for a pair and they have them at Shoppers Drug Mart in the Eaton Centre.
Another example that may help your feet is simply cutting down on your high-impact training. I know this is a though decision to accept-giving up that step class or no more running or jogging. Remember ahimsa at these times; your feet will show you how much this means to them by causing you less suffering.
There is hope for us orthotic-wearing yoga practitioners. The good news is (if you need to bridge the gap between your orthotics by day and your bare feet by yoga) there are new straps available. Dancers and gymnasts who require that gap bridged as well wear them. They are called, PSC (pronation/spring control) by Fabrifoam™. They can be used for pronation, plantar fasciitis, shin splints and heel spurs, to prevent and to treat pain. The price is approximately $40 for one. I would suggest you wear one on each foot. Another option is taping your feet for arch support. Your physio/athletic therapist could tell you more whether this would be a good option for you and you would need to have them teach you the taping technique.
Practice and be good to your feet. Remember ahimsa. If your feet feel good, that will go a long way to helping the rest of your body feel good too. And treat yourself to a pedicure, whenever you can (men too)!
To find out more about the proper positioning of the feet, click on the link below:
http://asyoga.blogspot.com/2005/11/feet-in-equal-standing-lets-start-in.html
posted by Andrea at 4:57 PM
4 comments
