What the heck are "Yoga Toes"?
Perhaps you have seen, or heard of them in conversation once or twice. And you may wonder why you should even care about these silicone toe "inserts" (that can feel painful at times).
My answer is this: "Pay NOW or pay LATER" for having your skeletal structure thrown off.
I like to think about the whole thing like "Architecture". If the foundation for the body is unbalanced and "off", the entire structure of the body becomes misaligned.
If you're currently looking at your toes and they indeed do seem mangled, don't worry! Know if you want to do something about it, there IS a solution: Yoga Toes!
I saw Yoga Toes in a magazine in 2000 and decided to order them. And wow, was I in for a surprise! At the time, I was working full-time in my day job as a Headhunter, and teaching rigorous Cardio Kickboxing and Spinning classes in the evenings. I was practicing Yoga as well, and had just started to notice my feet as Yogic Balancing postures definitely make your feet "wake up"!
When they arrived I could not wait to put them on. At the time, Yoga Toes were only available in the "HARD" version (now they have softer ones with which to start). I ignored the warning that said to start at 5 minutes intervals and instead proceeded to wear them for FOUR HOURS! (I got absorbed in making mix CDs for my classes and forgot I was wearing them!)
Net-net: I wore the Yoga Toes from about 6-10pm that evening, and took them off before bed. The real "Wake Up" for me, came the next morning. When I arose, I realized what had happened: my tendons and ligaments had started to open up from my TOES up to my HEAD! I was SORE all the way up my body, and could barely move my shoulders or turn my head left or right. I had not even been aware how "OFF" my body was until I discovered Yoga Toes!
Fast forward, it is now 2018 and I have been consistently wearing Yoga Toes for 18 years. The photo here is a RECENT one, and my feet have actually grown 1/2 size - or maybe they're now just allowed to be how they are supposed to (vs. how shoes make them function). I admit, it is sometimes painful to put on a pair of shoes I have not worn in a while because my feet CONTINUE to open up, even this many years later. Now I am just much more picky about the shoes I even consider wearing, and when I do find that perfect pair, usually buy it in several colors because great shoes that fit well are hard to find.
But enough about shoes. This is about Yoga Toes and how "open" feet can open up the body. I constantly assess how my outer shoulders are being affected by my little toes - puckered little toes = slouchy shoulders. In other words, you need the support of all your toes (if possible) for the best posture! And if you're missing a toe or 2, don’t worry - you can still wear the yoga toes - these are for ANY humans with feet!
If you decide to get your own pair, here are a few tips:
START SLOW - BUILD UP to longer and longer periods of wearing them - start with 5-10 minutes.
Wear them CONSISTENTLY (I keep a pair in my bathroom and put them on each time I shower or bathe).
Assess the FOOTWEAR you don and ask yourself "Are my feet able to open up and stabilize my body in this shoe?" (I always make sure my little toe has plenty of room!)
You can order them here (and NOTE: this ORIGINAL design shown is MUCH BETTER than the updated 1/2 toe design I'm seeing around the internet (not sure what they were trying to accomplish with that version - but if you have a comment about it I welcome your feedback!)
If you want to “add on” to your “Toe Opening” experience try these Yoga Sandals!
Questions? DM me: saragrace@flygirlsf.com
Happy Feet. “Toetally.”