13 Aug Bunions, misaligned toes, and hammertoes. (Yoga in Heston & Hounslow)
Bunions, misaligned toes, and hammertoes are a familiar consequence of the shoes we wear. At Sefali’s Yoga we include exercises specifically designed to undo all the ill effects of wearing shoes. I will give an example at the end of this post that Sefali used to cure her bunions a few years ago.
The following is an edited extract from Daniel E. Lieberman’s brilliant book “The Story of the Human Body”. If you have time I highly recommend reading it. If you have issues with your feet hopefully this will help you understand why.
“How often do you wear uncomfortable shoes because they look good? Millions, maybe even billions of people wear shoes with narrow toe boxes or high heels. Such shoes may be stylish, but they are unhealthy.
Narrow toe boxes unnaturally scrunch the front of the foot and contribute to common problems such as bunions, misaligned toes, and hammertoes. High heels show off a person’s calves, but they disrupt normal posture, permanently shorten the calf muscles, and subject the ball of the foot, the arch, and even the knee to abnormal forces that cause injury.
Encasing feet all day in leather or plastic is commonly considered hygienic but actually creates a sweaty, warm, oxygen-free environment that is heaven for many fungus and bacteria that cause irritating infections, such as athlete’s foot.”
Practising an art like Yoga or Tai Ch gives us a chance to kick our shoes and socks off and recover the natural strength and movement our feet have lost. We encourage everyone who can to practice barefoot in our Heston classes.
As stated earlier at Sefali’s Yoga we include exercises specifically designed to undo all the ill effects of wearing shoes.
A good example is with bunions. Place a towel on the floor and pick it up over and over again using your feet. You will find that over time your toes will be become properly aligned with the rest of your foot again. No more bunions!
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