Here's how. With bare feet and legs, take a short walk, and then come to a resting stance in front of a full-length mirror. Look down, look way down and notice how your feet are planted: your left foot in relation to your right foot; how wide apart they are, and just how parallel your feet are to each other. This is the way you are standing in and thus understanding the world.
The most common way we see people standing is with one or both feet angling outward at the toes, left foot out to the left and right foot angling out to the right.
Now with your hands on your hips, swivel your foot out and then back to parallel your other foot and feel
what that rotation does to the hip. When walking or standing with feet out this way for long periods of time it puts enormous strain on your hips, hence the huge increase in hip replacements in recent years. An online Googling of the term 'hip replacement' will instantly give you close to five MILLION hits!
The proper way to stand is to have your feet parallel - one foot-width (not length) apart. While looking in the mirror, take a look at your right leg. You should be able to follow an imaginary line from the middle of your heel, through the centre point between your anklebones through your knee (always in an unlocked position!) all the way up to the centre of the bone that goes through your hip. Witness everything lined up. The message this stance gives your body is "I support myself"
or "I stand under and under-stand my feelings and thoughts."
Picture the alignment, poise and confidence of a world-class athlete, how their minds mirror their bodies and just how their bodies mirror their minds.
Let's explore what it means when feet point out. When right (male or yang) foot points out, it signifies you are searching to the outside world for support in your analytical, and/or in your public or job-related thinking. Perhaps this wandering, or wondering is an indication of not feeling supported as a young child by a significant male figure in your life, so you are left pondering over your true mental analytical nature and seek this part of your identity solely from the outside and not within.
When the left (female or yin) foot angles out to the left, it may signify a lack of support from a maternal influence from an early age; or not feeling supported in your emotional world: thus again, can you feel or listen to what you are to emote or what you are here to express or nurture in this life? Whether or not you really had support as a child, from your parents or guardians, is not at issue here. Your body NOT FEELING the support from the ground up is what has left its mark -- no judgement, nor criticism intended. What YOU do with this new found awareness of your own body and how YOU consciously stand to support your own thinking and emoting from this point is what is important.
Now let's feel the soles of the feet, or your soul contact with the earth around you. Are there calluses? Are there hard spots to the outside edges of your foot further confirming you're relying on your outer world for support instead of listening to those inner voices of reason or purpose and your emotional expression? How about your heels? Rough edges can signify how hard you come down on your heels or how relentlessly driven you could be to get ahead.
Feet come in a myriad of complex shapes and simple forms. Observing the foot as a whole and seeing it in the following terms can have an enormous impact on how you see yourself.
- A heavy or lead foot - perhaps your over-emphasized need for grounding?
- A flat foot - difficulty taking on and containing energy?
- A grabbing foot - hmm, could you be clinging to and obsessing over every little thing?
- Long thin ethereal feet with every toe reaching out, elongated - like feelers extended, probing every little sensation in the world?
What kind of a wet footprint do you make stepping onto a canvas with painted souls? Like that of an Olympic athlete, touching down with equal pressure on the toes, ball of the foot, middle and heel? Envision yourself walking more balanced, on the balls of your feet by walking barefoot, make it part of your vision, and thus your reality. Feel the ground with the balls (or heart area) of your foot, rather than coming down so hard on your heel and jarring your whole body out of alignment with each discordant step. Practice walking lightly with purpose. Be aware of both your emotional and analytical input into your connection with the world beneath your feet for more balance from the ground up.
Let's look at how your toes make contact with the ground. Are they:
- curled up, holding on for dear life?
- burying their heads?
- turning up, hardly making contact with the ground?
- turning under, hiding from the world and forward motion?
The big toe is the Thinking Toe. Does your thinking toe touch your next toe over, or stand on its own? How long is your second toe? This is the Feeling or Relationship Toe. It is said that if it is longer than your big toe, you can be demanding in relationships. I like to think of it more like you enjoy being 'Mission Control' and having a feel for where all your 'astronauts' are, or just having a handle on where everyone is at in your life.
As you literally step into this new awareness -- along with changes to the way you perceive the world, there may be changes and adjustments experienced up through your bones and musculature that may leave you with unfamiliar aches and pains. What is your body aching for, and what pains may need to be released? Truly, there are many professionals that have in-depth knowledge of skeletal structure. Having personally visited many talented, caring and learned chiropractors, osteopaths and world-class coaches that have helped me on my quest for a more balanced body and body-mind connection, I can tell you without hesitation how each has contributed to my understanding of the worth of having my two feet planted purposefully in alignment.
Through understanding your own body-mind relationship, you can
begin to get a feel for and understand how all your thoughts and feelings, present past and future, are all connected. As you set off piloting your own body through this lifetime, don your new found awareness and enjoy the exploration. Bring to balance all you think, feel, emote and experience. Just what, I ask you, do you stand for?
Next: The Ankles - Your Support from an Early Age
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