Big Toes and Kaleidoscopes…
I have been struggling with my feet lately, and honestly, this is a little hard on my ego. I am a yogini, and for that matter a Pisces, we are supposed to have good strong feet. Also, I really like pretty shoes and these days if I wear them for too long, the dogs at the end of my legs start barking.
Then last week I was reading an article in Yoga Journal about the anatomy of feet. This is where it gets even harder on my sometimes delicate ego; I realized that I have been ignoring my big toe. As the article explained the muscles in your big toe are connected to the arch of your foot, so when one is weakened so is the other. If you do a big toe adjustment, imagine you are lightly pressing a button down with your big toe, you can feel the arch of your foot. I can flex my feet like nobody’s business, but apparently despite my own constant reminders of maintaining balance (aka flexibility and strength) apparently I forgot about strengthening my big toe. Who knew?
*Hello there.
It’s strange to think about the importance of toes really. Most times they just seem to be hanging out, looking pretty and suddenly you realize what an impact they can have on everything. You learn how a minor adjustment can reshape your whole basis. Just like a minor piece of information can change your whole perspective.
Have you ever had one of those kaleidoscope moments? There you are looking at something you’ve seen hundreds of times, and if you are like me perhaps with a little tunnel vision, and suddenly with one little shift, everything looks very different.
*Wait a second, what?
Maybe not just remembering your big toe is important, but learning a simple fact about someone you knew one way for a long time, and then finding out they have a whole other surprising side, like your accountant is in a punk band. Or you hear a slightly different version of a well-known story and the shift is a bit mind-blowing. Sometimes the new variation is fantastic, sometimes not so much. After years of loving the story of Cinderella, in grade 6 I decided to read the Grimm Brother’s version. This is something I do not recommend at any age.
*Wait, where are the dancing mice and the carriage made from a pumpkin?
This is where I cherish what I learn on the yoga mat, because honestly those kaleidoscope moments, good or bad, can throw me for a loop. And as the years go by, I realize I am much better at coping with life’s loops with both of my feet on the ground, or on the yoga mat. And apparently now, that will include a slight adjustment in my big toe.
*It’s hard to tell from the photo, but my big toes are pressing down lightly.
