Need advice

Submitted by margaretJessie on Jan 24, 2010 - 9:26pm

I have been practicing Ashtanga Yoga for over a year and it really bothers me that I can't get my left heel down when I'm in Warrior One pose.

My whole left side from my hip all the way down is quite mis-aligned and very weak.
I'm noticing lately that my calf muscle feels really tight. After I've been sitting for awhile, when I go to stand up, I can't touch my heel to the floor right away. It's almost painful.

Is this a sign that my practice is doing a good thing here or am I pushing too hard? One instructor told me that one day my foot will come all the way down.

What Can I do to achieve this goal?

Thanks everyone

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Re: Need advice

Submitted by HalcyonHealth on Jan 31, 2010 - 5:44pm.

A common painful condition in the heel that presents when standing after a period of rest is called Plantar Fasciitis. "Plantar" means the bottom surface of your foot. "Fascia" is connective tissue, and the suffix "-itis" means inflammation. So, inflammation of the connective tissue of the sole of the foot (usually painful at the heel). This is a fairly common issue for all of us concrete-walkers, for those of us with tight calf muscles, flat feet, or previous injury to the foot. If this is going on for you, it is very treatable, you may wish to consult a massage therapist, chiropractor or physiotherapist.

Bodywork and yoga are excellent companions. You may wish to augment your Astanga practice with a type of yoga that is slower, like Iyengar, so you can spend extra time with poses that can re-align you over time. Fascial alignment bodywork, like Rolfing or Myofascial Release, are also excellent augmentations to yoga practice when there are misalignments in the body (which is most of us!).

Good luck!

Tiina Veer
Halcyon Health