Yoga for Feet to Help Relieve Tension

Practicing yoga for feet doesn’t mean that your flow is limited to your tootsies alone. It’s about focusing on stretching and engaging your feet in everyday poses and exploring how tension transmits through them to the legs and upper body. Poses such as Downward-Facing Dog, Cat and Cow, even Lizard Pose can provide opportunities to loosen up any long-held tension through toe stretches, curls, and taps that ease undue strain. Consider the entire practice a mindful foot massage.

As your move through these simple, connected stretches, allow yourself to notice how good it feels to tend to your foundation.

11-Minute Yoga for Feet

You’ll need a couple  blocks, or block-like props, for this practice.

Kneeling Toe Curl

Come onto your hands and knees and tuck your toes. Reach back and adjust your toes with your hands if need be, making sure all ten toes are pressing against the mat. Start here in a Tabletop-like position and gently shift your sit bones closer toward your heels.

You can also sit upright and use blocks underneath your hands.

The more you sit upright and walk your hands up your legs, working toward your shoulders stacking over your hips, the more intensity you will find in the stretch.

Breath down into your feet and stay here for around 1 minute or however long feels best.

Foot Taps

Move your blocks to the side and come back to hands and knees. Gently tap the tops of your feet into the mat for a quick release.

Foot Press

When you’re ready, come to sit back on your heels. Bring your hands back behind you, fingers pointing toward the front of the mat, bringing blocks beneath your hands if it feels more comfortable. Lean slightly backward to stretch the tops of your feet.

If available to you, lift your knees up from the ground. The farther you lift and lean back, the more intensity you’ll find in this stretch. Stay here for around 1 minute.

Cow Pose

Move your blocks to the side, return to hands and knees, and inhale through Cow Pose, lowering your belly and lifting your chin.

Cat Pose

Exhale into Cat Pose, rounding your back and tucking your chin.

Move through 4 sets of Cat and Cow, moving with the pace of your own breath and pushing into your toes.

Downward-Facing Dog

With your next exhalation, press your hips up and back into Downward-Facing Dog.

Peddle out your legs here or rise high up on your toes and then dynamically drop your heels toward the ground. Stay here for 5 cycles of breath.

Toe Stretch

Bring your knees back down to the mat in hands and knees. Lengthen your right left behind you, tucking your toes. As you inhale, rock your weight forward, moving your shoulders past your wrists, and as you exhale shift your weight back, pushing the ball of your foot into the mat.

Repeat this back-and-forth motion 4 times.

Thread the Needle

With your next exhalation, sweep your right leg straight out to the side, toes facing forward. Inhale your left arm up toward the sky, and exhale as you reach beneath you and bring your left shoulder to the mat in Thread the Needle. Send your left fingertips toward your right toes.

Stay here for 5 cycles of breath.

Press into your right hand and lift your left arm back toward the sky before bringing both hands back to the mat.

Dynamic Lizard Pose

Slide your right foot forward to the outside of your right hand and lunge forward into Lizard Pose. Begin to rock from side to side, dipping your hips to the left and right.

Roll onto the outer edge of your right foot as you move. Repeat this dynamic movement 5 times.

Head to Knee Pose

Come back through center and come to a seated position with your left knee bent and your left foot against your inner right thigh in Head to Knee Pose. Point and flex your right foot. Stay here for 7 cycles of breath.

Walk your hands all the way back so you’re sitting upright. Return to hands and knees and repeat this series of movements—including Toe Stretch, Thread the Needle, Lizard Pose, and Head to Knee Pose—on the opposite side.

Bound Angle Pose

When you’re ready, bring the soles of your feet together in Bound Angle Pose. Give yourself a little foot massage, using your thumbs to draw circles along your heels and the balls of your feet. Stay here for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Supported Savasana

Before you lie down in Savasana, bring your blocks beneath your mid-calf for a gentle inversion. Stay here for 3-5 minutes or as long as you’d like.

Closing

To come out of Savasana, reach through your fingers and toes. Roll onto your right side in a fetal position, pausing before pressing yourself up into a comfortable seat. Hands meet at heart center. Bow your head and thank yourself for showing up on your mat today.

(Your feet will thank you, too!)