So far, I have talked about the importance of toes & feet.
Self care Series: ①Toes & Feet
Self care Series: ②Ankle Joint
Because human being has evolved to stand & walk on two feet, we use the reaction force from the ground through feet. This is one reason why it is important to maintain your feet.
However; if you are using/seeing your feet as a separate body unit, you cannot gain the maximum benefit from the maintenance exercises.
Good movement always begins with the core, but this is more of internal actions. It is easier and simpler to rely on external actions with outer muscles.
Many people tend to disconnect body movements from the core and rely too much on the outer muscles. This will create disharmony and put continuous stress to your body.
I will introduce some simple exercises to activate the core and to reconnect body movements to it.
The self care method introduced here works for whole body, but is especially beneficial for prevention of lower back/knee/hip joint pain, gynecological issues, postpartum recovery, lack of energy,fatigue, urological issues, and many more.
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First of all, let's check if your core is well activated or not.
When you stand naturally, how is your body weight distributed?
How is the stability?
Do you feel any tensions in your body?
Please remember the feeling.
In the East Asian medicine, generally the core area is called Dantian (in Chinese) or Tanden (in Japanese). Since I am from Japan, let me use Tanden in this context.
Generally, Tanden refers to the area below the navel (about three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel). This is where all the energy(Qi) gathers.
Exercise ① Inflating Tanden
Instructions:
-Lie on your back with your hands on Tanden area and with your leg straight.
-Inflate Tanden area as you slightly tilt your pelvis.
-Make sure to keep Tanden inflated as you breathe in and out.
※Different from abdominal breathing exercises which you release Tanden when breathing out. See the video below.
-Count ten, twenty, thirty, and forty (4 sets in total) while keeping Tanden inflated.
Exercise ② Pubic Bone Press
Instructions:
-Lie on the stomach with your hands under your forehead and your leg straight.
-Place a towel under your pubic bone.
-Press the towel with your pubic bone and hold it for 4 seconds. Repeat 20 times.
-For the last set, keep the position for 20 seconds.
Stand up and compare how you feel after the exerceses.
If your core is activated, you should feel your body weight more around the inner side of the ankle. Maybe, you feel more stable and less tension in your body.
There are acupuncture points called "Sea of Qi (気海)" below the navel and "Shining Sea (照海)" below the inner side of the ankle. These names implies the direct connection between the core & feet.
The exercises introduced here are parts of Majotore. If you are interested, please check her youtube channel (in Japanese only).