Some of you may have heard me talk about my chronically sprained ankles. When I was a teenager, about once a year I’d sprain one of my ankles badly enough that I’d have to ice it and wear an ace bandage for about 4 weeks (often in the summertime – boo!). Every morning I’d wake up and my ankle would be so stiff and swollen, and I’d wonder if it would ever be back to normal.
One of the worst times this happened was in Israel, where I studied abroad in college. I was really getting into yoga at the time, and practicing a lot on my own. I sensed that working with yoga might help my ankles feel better over time.
And I was right! The last time I sprained my ankle was the next summer. By then, I was committed to yoga, and was taking my first teacher training. I remember spending every morning practicing slow sun salutes, and working on kneeling and downward dog back and forth. My ankles quickly grew strong and they’ve never had a problem since! I credit yoga with it.
Recently, the NYTimes Well blog featured an article about sprained ankles, and the importance on balance (thanks for the tip, Angela!). I read it today and really got excited by the fact that my love of balances probably really helped my ankles all those years ago!
Today I taught a leg practice in yoga class – lots of strengthening of the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and gluteal muscles. We did a few foot and ankle strengthening postures as well, and I mentioned the NYTimes article.
After class, a relatively new yoga student approached me and told me that since he’s been practicing, he hasn’t noticed his chronically sprained ankle feeling stiff at all. He mentioned that when he went to physical therapy for his ankles, primarily he received balancing postures similar to yoga postures that we practice in class. He credits his regular yoga practice over the last few months with helping him “fix” his sprained ankle once and for all.
Yoga’s the best J
So, enjoy the wobbling next time you practice balance postures like Tree, Eagle, Dancer and Half Moon. All that wobbling is helping your feet and ankles stay strong and balanced, so that you are less likely to sprain your ankles. And check out this mini-article from Body and Soul and this larger article from Yoga Journal about strengthening and stretching the feet.
Barrett
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