The Movement Challenge – Day 3: Sitting on the Edge of Feet In the Grass.
And so as we move onto Day 3 of the challenge, 
, have you noticed that the last 2 days have focused on 2 extremities? The Head and the feet. How did you get on with the second on Day 2 question?
Did you find that you walk on the inside edge of your feet or the outside edge of your feet.
Do your feet and toes face forward or do your feet and toes face outwards? I will be very interested to read your answers.
A few morning’s ago, I was up very early taking some pictures outside my studio and decided to walk on the grass – needless to say it was freezing and though I tiptoed and jumped, it was so refreshing to put my bare feet down on the grass – on the earth and recognise my connection to nature.
Our head’s are a third of our body weight right? So our feet are ….. well, they carry one and a half times of our body weight through each foot when walking. That’s quite a lot for 2 rather small or big feet, depending on how you see things.
As far as anatomy goes, you have 26 bones in each foot and of course all the tendons and ligament attachments, make this part of the body such an intricate web of fascination for me. There is also the wonderful nerve supply that connects to higher up in the body – L5, S1,S2, S3 (lumbar and sacro-iliac spinal bones). In essence what I’m divulging is that sometimes problems in the foot can come from further up the chain such as the lumbar spine and/or the sacrum. The spinal nerves, web and sub divide to all parts of the body and the information that is picked up, is sent back to the brain within nano-seconds. So that twinge of pain in your heal or your ankle is immediately registered as pain. 
In understanding this beautiful structure and of course, being kind to your feet through some gentle nurturing, amazing things start to happen.
I picked up a lovely habit, when I travelled and lived in Thailand for a short while back in 2007. In South East Asia, leaving the shoes outside the door and cleaning off the dirt of the day, before entering someone’s home is a ritual. The taps or hoses on the outside of homes (especially in Thailand and India) are specifically for washing the feet before going into a home or place of study.
When I have been walking about, leafletting visiting potential clients or doing my daily run-a-round, I love to come in, place my shoes on the shoe rack in the hallway and head for the bathroom to shower my feet. A gentle foot massage in the evening is a real treat to give myself. Offering this to your partners as a ‘foot spa bundle’ lolx is a good way to release tension and encourage the conversation that perhaps, you may have avoided for a while.
So 2 tips to add to your growing ‘movement challenge’ catalogue then, …..
Tip 1
After a busy day at work, wash your feet in the bath or shower with some warm water.
Why?
It’s such a nice way for tired and sweaty feet to get some gentle nurturing and soothing.
Tip 2
Place your feet in a bowl of warm water with a spoonful of salt or 2 drops of peppermint essential oil and relax for 10-15 minutes. Gorgeous isn’t it? If you have a foot spa, even better.
Why?
Apart from the therapeutic relaxation that your feet get, your whole body inadvertently gets a pampering. In eastern practices, points on the sole of the foot represent organs in the body and reflexology is widely practiced the world over as an alternative to improving health in the body.
So moving on to today’s question….
Question 3:
How do you sit down? What I’m asking you about, is how you move your legs and hips and in what direction do your legs/knees go as well as your hips.
Enjoy researching and discovering the choices we all make in movement.
Many Blessings.x
“In the world’s audience hall, the simple blade of grass sits on the same carpet with the sunbeams, and the stars of midnight”
Rabindranath Tagore
