In yoga asanas, sometimes minor adjustments that seem insignificant can make a significant difference, making you feel more comfortable and stable.
For example, your big toe.
You may feel that they are particularly disobedient, that is, they have not yet been sent there, especially when used as a single leg standing balance.
However, where to bring more focus and awareness, and constantly adjust, your big toe will bring about a revolution in your alignment and balance, feeling a sense of grounded stability and grip.
The next time you’re doing a standing forward bend, pay attention to how your weight feels on your feet.
Most of us move our hips back and focus on our heels.
This can cause misalignment of your bones, affect your stability, and cause tension in the back of your thighs and pelvis.
However, a simple, focused big toe adjustment can create stability in bones, ligaments, and muscles, strengthen physical and mental connectivity, and create a safe foundation and comfortable, stable posture for you.
Let’s take a look at Yoga Honey, what’s it like anatomically? The muscles of your big toe support the ligaments and bones that create the arch of your sole plate.
A healthy arch of the foot (as opposed to a collapsed arch) acts as a buffer, transmitting kinetic energy up through the ankle, to the knee, and to the entire body’s kinetic energy chain, affecting alignment, joint health, and muscle strength.
Weak flexors of the big toe (muscles used to bend the toes) can change the strength and effectiveness of the gluteus maximus muscle.
The gluteus maximus is important in most asanas.
“If the muscles of the big toe work well, they can protect your body from impact and instability.
They need dynamic stability, which means they should respond and cooperate with changes in movement, center of gravity, and balance.”.
The good news is that your big toe muscles can be exercised.
Just like bending forward while standing, evenly press the flesh of your big toe onto the mat.
Instead of trying to control your big toe, imagine gently pressing a button with your big toe.
Pressing this button will strengthen the flexor of the big toe, awaken the kinetic energy chain of the muscles behind the thigh, and bring the ankle and hips into alignment.
After strengthening the flexor muscles of the big toe, you may want to stretch them in a pose like a four pillar brace, or in a downward dog pose.
Both can stretch and enhance the dynamic stability of the toes.
Growing familiarity with the anatomical structure of the sole of your foot, also known as the sole surface, will help improve your consciousness, understanding, and using how to activate the big toe.
Your big toe consists of two joints: one is formed by two phalangeal bones, and the second is formed by the phalangeal and metatarsal bones.
Joint capsules and ligaments wrap around both joints to provide stability.
Finally, let’s take a look at how these two joints move.
Bending your big toe is controlled by two muscles: the flexor pollicis longus and the flexor pollicis brevis.
They are assisted by adductor and abductor flexors of the foot.
The flexor pollicis longus extends to the deepest point below the lower back of the lower leg, connecting the tendons of the foot to the interdigital joint.
The flexor brevis muscle controls the metatarsophalangeal joint.
All these muscles support your arch.
Gently press down to maintain the stability of the metatarsophalangeal joint, activating the kinetic energy chain of the muscles, from the soleplate to the back of the thigh and then to the hips.
“When you cannot consciously change ligaments, joint capsules, and bones, you need to consciously control muscles and build strength and stability in a standing balance posture.”.
Four poses to strengthen the muscles of the toes (power of the big toe) ↓↓↓ Try the following poses to establish the strength and mobility of the muscles of the big toe, and then feel the changes in awareness of the foundation and balance.
1.
The variant of standing forward bending starts in Mountain Pose, inhaling to extend the spine, and then exhaling to fold from the crotch.
(In yoga classes, when a student’s hips lean back, the teacher usually comes over and gently adjusts the student’s legs to be perpendicular to the ground.
When the teacher walks away, the pelvis leans back.) You need to use your own strength to correct it.
Gently pressing the fleshy portion of your big toe against the mat can help you lift the thigh bone up to the top of your ankle.
Official account yoga honeyed words then press both sides of the sole of your foot equally to the mat to activate your arch.
You should feel rooted at this time.
Hold 5-10 breaths before returning to Mountain Pose.
2.
Phantom chair style with big toes together and heels slightly open.
Inhale, extend your arms along your ears, bend your knees, and sink your hips into the phantom chair position.
Press down on the flesh of the big toe, then lower both sides of the foot equally, activating the arch of the foot.
Start your entire body, knees together, and start your hips.
At this point, notice the link between the big toe and the core, which is connected through the kinetic energy chain of muscles and fascia, or connective tissue, from the sole of the foot to the back of the thigh.
Maintain 5 breaths.
3.
Stand in Mountain Pose with your hands on your big toes and balance.
Balance your feet and lift your knees.
Grasp the right big toe with the index and middle fingers, activate the big toe muscles, confront the fingers, and slowly straighten the upper leg.
Bring awareness to the connection between the right big toe heel and the lower right thigh.
This pose activates strength and stretches the big toe muscles.
Hold at least 5 breaths, then switch sides.
4.
Four Pillar Support Pose This is a reverse posture that stretches the flexors of the toes, especially the flexors brevis.
Arrive at the break, then slowly lower down, making sure your elbows are above your wrists, your forearms are parallel to the ground, and your shoulders are not lower than your elbows.
Push your heels back, making sure they are directly above your toes.
Then press the big toe towards the ground and stretch the flexor brevis.
Maintain 5 breaths.
You and a yoga master are just one big toe away.
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