Why does yoga always emphasize toe opening?

In yoga class, have you ever heard such an "unconscious" password:

Open your toes.

Maybe you have to spread your toes, which will definitely increase the area where your feet touch the mat.

This will have a stable foundation.

However, for the inverted posture,

Yoga people will still try their best to open their toes.

Question?

Open your toes in yoga. Why?

Answer: Opening your toes requires activating the muscles of your calf.

As a result, if the toes are opened and activated, the leg can become "energetic" instead of a "dead" leg without vitality; This is very important in arm balance and handstand.

When you wake up your toes in the inverted pose, your legs can be activated and become very light, and this awakened vitality and muscle conduction will always affect the activation of your core. In this way, we can find the "lightness" of horizontal or inverted legs and the whole lower body in the arm balance pose.

But separating your toes is not as easy as we thought.

Many times, we separate our toes too hard, and this movement of "separating" our toes occurs on the foot surface, which leads to the rigidity of the muscles on the foot surface and the protrusion of the metatarsal bone.

And we will rely too much on the little toe. In order to increase the width of the foot surface, we use the little toe to pull out. This makes the muscles on the surface of the foot look tense, forming several grooves on the surface of the foot.

Just like the picture below ↓

But the correct way is to "separate" and the width should mainly occur at the sole of the foot, so that the foot surface and ankle can still remain soft. The right foot should look like the following ↓

We can simply look at the foot anatomy related to this action: each toe has metatarsal support, and the first metatarsal corresponds to the big toe; The fifth metatarsal corresponds to the little toe.

How come?

Technique of separating toes

Imagine that 1-4 metatarsal rotates on its own axis, and the fifth metatarsal rotates outward. It's like opening a five-bone fan. The big toe stretches forward and pulls the inner foot (the first metatarsal) backwards, while the fifth metatarsal moves forward.

Together, these actions can strengthen the ankle and support the tightening of the leg; This effect can rise to the crotch and lower abdomen, creating strength and stability. Extending the big toe forward can stabilize and anchor the movement of the metatarsal, so that the foot will not turn inward.

Sometimes we go to the root of the big toe for massage.

But the correct way is to press the toe belly and toe root at the same time, gently and firmly; Instead of pressing the toe root hard. You can lift your feet and feel it in the dog pose as shown below. Let both ends of the arch land firmly.

/Down to the dog/

Arch activation: if the two endpoints in the picture are really pressing on the ground instead of empty, the ankle can be better balanced. So two endpoints are very important, one is under the toe root of the big toe, and the other is above the heel, firmly on the ground. If you are not sure whether you are doing it correctly, you can touch these two parts with your fingers when standing forward and bending over, and at the same time you can better activate the correct arch consciousness.

skill

What about "I can't separate my toes"?

Many people wear high-heeled shoes all the year round, or the shoes are too narrow and too small to fit, so the small muscle groups inside the foot that control toe abduction and adduction are weak and even morbid. Therefore, if you want to restore the flexibility of your feet, you need to do more foot exercises.

We can use walls and yoga bricks for auxiliary exercises to help exercise the flexibility of the feet and cultivate the awareness of toe separation. There are even special five-finger socks and toe-splitting gadgets that can be used as an aid in this regard.

Also, when practicing on weekdays, you can often move your toes to make them active: lift them up, put them down, and twist them one toe at a time. With these awareness and habits, not only will your feet feel healthier in planing, but your nervous system will also be optimized.

How to separate your toes?

Stand forward, bend over

When we practice standing forward, the toe belly and toe root of the big toe press down at the same time, lightly and forcefully, instead of pressing the heel of the big toe hard. For beginners, you can bend your knees to practice.

Down dog style

When practicing the dog-toe, we should also pay attention to the simultaneous pressing of the toe belly and toe root, relax the body and concentrate all our attention on the feet. Hold 1 min. You can practice in cycles.

Toe first style

Standing on a high mountain. Lift your right foot to the root of your left thigh. Inhale, put your hands together to the top of your head, open your chest and stretch your body upward. Exhale, bend your torso forward from your waist and touch the ground with your hands. Put your weight on your palm and left foot. Lower your hips, lift your left heel and let your hips sit on the heel. Balance your fingers with the sole of your left foot. When you feel balanced, slowly leave your hands off the ground, put them on your chest and cross your hands. Hold 10~30 seconds and breathe evenly. Before putting your hands on your body, inhale, slowly support your body, put down your right leg, relax your body, and stand backwards in a mountain style. Repeat this pose on the other side.

Toe magic chair type

Stand with your legs together, inhale, stretch your arms up, exhale, tighten your abdomen, bend your knees and keep your back straight. Slowly lift your heels, keep your balance, and your hands can be closed in advance. Keep breathing for 3~6 times, slowly put down your heels and stand up straight.

Grab the ground with your feet.

You can practice this anytime, anywhere. You can scratch the ground or sole for about five minutes at a time. You can do it separately or at the same time, 2~3 times a day.

Toe divider

Nothing, you know. If you don't have a toe divider, you can also make your own. There are good homemade methods, welcome to share with Bian Xiao, such as manual toe divider.

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It's easy to open your toes.

This is not an exercise, this is a game.

It's not exercise, it's awakening.

Play games with your toes.

Cultivate the consciousness and consciousness of each toe.