Q: I have a lot of trouble with Tree pose, which I know I need to do to help my balance. I find that I have problems with my feet feeling wobbly and insecure, not the rest of me, my feet, like I can’t get them flat and in solid contact with the floor. I usually wear custom orthotics because of my knees/arches, so I wondered about this being a factor in my feet feeling so weird (I love being barefoot but find it is harder on my knees). So I tried Tree pose with my shoes on, and found I could do it much, much better. Just felt so much more solidly rooted. However, I don’t really want to do yoga with my shoes on for part of it. I think many of us have trouble with our feet, and I am wondering if there is anything I can do to just help my sorry feet when doing Tree pose. I do try to do “yoga toes” first, making sure my toes are spread out, etc. I suspect others may also have feet problems, of various sorts.

A: If you wear orthotics in my mind it might be good to explore in yoga wearing them in some type of non-skid sock so your toes can still feel the floor when you are practicing your balancing poses. It sounds like you have very high arches so to contact the floor without your orthotics will be difficult. I might suggest that you explore doing the balancing poses (such as Tree pose) with your orthotics and non-skid socks, then take them off and try in your bare feet directly afterwards. Sometimes this can work to build muscle memory to teach your feet what to do. I wouldn’t push your feet to hurt your knees though. Be patient and kind to yourself when you try this. — Shari Ser

A: Interestingly, I had a woman in my workshop on Saturday in Petaluma who also wears orthotics, and is now using a special pair that she wears when not in shoes in her yoga classes. She can get away with not using them at times, and in fact did the workshop with out them. 

As a balance exercise, instead of Tree pose, we did the Tadasana (Mountain pose) to Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Arms) dynamic series, where you lift the heels of both feet off the floor as you swing your arms up, and then lower your heels down as you exhale your arms down. The idea is to keep the ball of your foot even on the floor as you lift and lower your heels, as folks with stiff, high arches or flat, collapsed arches tend to roll in or out. This can also strengthen the foot muscle that associated with a healthy arch. In addition, I find that keeping the ball of the foot grounded and lifting the toes off the ground can encourage strengthening of the medial and lateral arches of the foot, so I recommended students with flat feet to do this in their standing poses. —Baxter Bell 

Q: Can you tell me how to leave a comment on a blog post? (I can’t quite figure it out.)

A: Don’t feel bad—it’s not particularly obvious. Here are the basic steps:

  1. Find the post you want to comment on. 
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The comment will not appear immediately on the blog. Email will be sent to the moderator (that would be me, Nina), who will then approve the comment. (I have chosen to moderate the comments in order to screen them. So far, I’m happy to say, I have not needed to censor anything.)

After the comment is approved by the moderator, it will appear on the blog. If you want to see if there are any responses to your comment, check back by viewing the comments at a later time. (It’s possible to have an entire back and forth conversation in the comments.)

Now you know! I look forward to reading your comments, everyone.

—Nina

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