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• In a standing position, place one foot in front of the other as if you are about to take a step forward. • Balance most of your body weight onto your front foot. • Begin to peel the back foot off the ground, slowly moving as though you are taking a step forward. • Pause your movement at the toe tips just before your foot leaves the ground. Keep your middle toe in line with your heel as you roll from heel to toe tips. You may feel a gentle stretch in your toes. • Roll the back foot down. While keeping the vast majority of body weight on the front foot, repeat this gentle rocking forward and backward several times or until you feel an awakening and a shift in sensation in the back foot and lower limb. Level 2: ROM, Coordination, and Flexibility Toes up, foot up. Another oldie but goodie from the repatterning coaching of structural integration, this healing move may be performed while sitting with your legs stretched out in front of you. • Begin in plantar flexion, with feet and toes pointed away from you. Inhale and lift only your toes. Then, lift your entire foot into dorsiflexion. • Exhale and press the ball of your foot away from you, but keep all the toes lifted. Then, point your toes all the way down into plantar flexion. • Repeat several times. This is a gentle way to bathe the foot and ankle in synovial fluid while letting go of asymmetrical compensations, allowing the nervous system to relearn proper synergistic movement between toes, foot, ankle, and lower crus. Level 3: Strengthening Foot grabs. This healing move generates strength and foot dexterity while reinforcing strength and flexibility of the foot arches. When the muscles and nerves in our feet are communicating and coordinating smoothly, we create more stability around our ankles, knees, and hips and greater support for our lower back. • Sit or stand. • Place a towel or blanket flat on the floor. • Use your toes to crumple and gather the fabric into as small of a ball as possible. • Then, unwrap the crumpled ball back to the original flattened position. Repeat several times daily for best results. Level 4: Stretching and Strengthening Kneeling tucked toes. • Begin in a kneeling position with your hands on the floor in front of you to support your body weight. • While kneeling, curl and tuck all your toes under your feet and, if it feels safe for your knees, begin to lift up into a kneeling position so your hips come directly above your heels. • Keep your hands on the floor in front of you for support until you are able to rest your hands on your knees (this is a Level 3 modification). This may take some time and may not be for everyone. • Be patient and kind with yourself as you slowly open into your plantar fascia. Sustain the stretch for 30 seconds and work up to 3–5 minutes to help rebuild your arches and heal foot projects like plantar fasciitis, hammer toes, and pronation. Practicing your favorite healing moves for five minutes daily will often provide better results than practicing for an hour every other day. Committing daily to a little self-care and TLC for your feet generates a strong foundation, a launchpad for a healthy spine, and a clear mind from the ground up. And, by regularly directing loving attention to all our parts, we build and fortify a conscious architecture of inner reliance, trust, and sure-footedness in our body and mind. Heath and Nicole Reed are co-founders of Living Metta (living "loving kindness") and want everyone in the world to enjoy the experience of befriending their body. The Reeds lead workshops and retreats across the country and overseas, including Thailand, Hawaii, and France, and have been team-teaching touch and movement therapy for 18 years. In addition to live classes, the Reeds offer massage therapy and self-care videos, DVDs, and online trainings, which can be found at www.livingmetta.com. Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 21 Watch "Foot Fitness Exercises" Heath's Foot Story In middle school, my pediatrician alerted me that my left foot's arch was collapsing. "Nothing to worry about," he said, just a change he noticed during that year's annual physical. Later in my early 20s, I began to notice my toes were beginning to take the shape of what I later learned were hammer toes, much like my pop pop's misshapen and crookedly arranged toes. Though there was no pain associated with this, I figured I needed my feet to be happy at least another 60–80 years. So I chose to get proactive. My experiential and anatomical study of the human body began, with particular emphasis on the structure of the feet. I began to use my left foot as the laboratory, experimenting with all forms of movement, including yoga, medical qigong, myofascial, and chiropractic repatterning exercises. I hypothesized that I could actually regrow my arches and straighten my toes. And I did! After six years of patiently and diligently giving my feet my curious attention, I started to see results.