This is one of the most underrated self-care practices.
Happy Thursday! Here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.
Anecdote: Last weekend, I planned to teach a yoga class in my basement to three dear mom friends. Our kids (one of mine, five of theirs) would watch a movie in my living room. Then we’d all have a meal celebrating the birthdays of two moms and one child. Coordinating a date took all summer. We vetted movie options. I ordered baked goods from a nut-free facility to accommodate a child with a tree nut allergy and prepared what I hoped would be a relaxing yoga sequence.
And then…
One family got sick and couldn’t come. (That included the child with the allergy.) After I had a near-meltdown navigating the television I don’t normally watch, my company had little interest in the movie. Two kids were wrestling, two wanted to be in the basement with the mothers, someone wanted to feed my dog strawberries.
As I tried to lead the two remaining moms in a box breath and neck stretches, we took turns running up the stairs to extinguish one squeal after another. Also, I was eating my heart out because my 11-year-old was performing unexpectedly well in a chess tournament — he tied for fifth place of 250 participants in his division — and I wasn’t there to see it. (My husband and my father were with him.)
I ended the yoga session feeling like I hadn’t done a very good job teaching. But we were still able to fit in a handful of my favorite therapeutic exercises. I was so grateful to get texts from both my friends the next morning saying they felt relaxed and well-stretched.
Every day, I wake up with grand plans for my own yoga practice and other forms of exercise and self-care, and every day, life gets in the way. But almost every day I fit in something, and that’s so much more than nothing — and even better in the company of friends.
Exercise: The foot sequence in this video has been a favorite of mine for nearly 20 years! I was shocked the first time I did it to notice a connection to neck tension relief. While I can’t promise the same for you, foot exercises can help with all sorts of things that wouldn’t appear related.
Here’s what to do:
Sit in a chair or on the floor. Cross one ankle on top of the opposite thigh. Interlace your fingers between your toes to the best of your ability… it’s OK if you can’t get them all at once. “Shake hands" with your foot, moving the ball of the foot back and forth, then side to side.
Release your fingers and wiggle each toe. Think This Little Piggy.
Grab the little toe mound with the one hand and the big toe mound with the other and shake back and forth.
Take the left hand to the front of the foot and pull the toes toward you, getting a stretch through the front/ankle.
Massage the sole of the foot, pausing anywhere you feel tension to give a little extra love.
Make a fist and pound!
Clap!
Point your toes and pull them toward you to stretch the top of your foot and ankle.
After you’ve done all that one the other side…
Place both feet on the floor.
Lift just the big toes.
Then keep just the big toes down as you lift the four smaller ones.
Lift just the three in the middle… advanced!
Hardest of all, lift just the pinky toes! I can only do it on one side so am using my fingers to cheat… Even that helps to activate the muscles. Keep a playful attitude!
Then stand up, notice how you feel, and if you want, let me know your experience.
Inspiration: I love this Instagram post by artist Thomas Lelu with different takes on the acronym ASAP:
As Slow As Possible
As Soft As Possible
As Soulful As Possible
As Sustainable As Possible
As Sincere As Possible
As Steady As Possible
Allow Space And Pause