Most people give very little thought to their feet until something starts to feel uncomfortable. Yet the feet are involved in almost everything we do. Standing, walking, climbing stairs, balancing, exercising and moving through everyday life all begin with the way our feet meet the ground.
After many years teaching Pilates and specialising in corrective exercise and foot mechanics, I have become used to looking at gait, posture and alignment and putting the different pieces of the movement puzzle together. When I watch someone move, I often find myself looking at their feet first.
The reason is simple. The feet form the foundation of the body in standing movement. They influence balance, weight distribution and the way movement travels upwards through the ankles, knees, hips and spine. When we slow movement down, those relationships become much easier to see and feel.
This is one of the reasons I pay so much attention to the feet in my classes. Whether we are working with Pilates, balance exercises, mobility work or Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi, slower and more controlled movement gives the body time to reveal its habits. The feet tend to report back fairly honestly.
You may notice that you regularly put more weight through one side. You may grip the floor with your toes when you balance. One foot may roll inwards or outwards more than the other. One leg may feel much more secure. These are small details, but they can tell us a great deal about how the body is organising itself.
The human foot is an extraordinary structure. Each foot contains 26 bones and 33 joints, along with muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues that all work together to support movement. Every time you stand up, take a step, walk up a hill or balance on one leg to put on a shoe, your feet are responding to changes in pressure, load and position.
Strong, responsive feet help create a stable base for the rest of the body. They also provide sensory information about the ground beneath us, which plays an important role in balance. The muscles of the feet and lower legs are constantly making small adjustments that help us remain upright and move efficiently.
Because the feet work quietly in the background, it is easy to overlook just how much they are doing.
Footwear also plays a part in this.
Our feet spend a considerable amount of time inside shoes, and different types of footwear create different conditions for movement. Sole thickness, flexibility, width, cushioning, heel height and support can all change the way the foot interacts with the ground.
I find this an interesting area to explore because people often become much more aware of their feet once they start comparing how they feel in different shoes. A flexible trainer can feel completely different from a heavy walking boot. A narrow shoe changes the space available to the toes. A raised heel changes the position of the ankle and shifts weight through the body.
The useful question is how your own body responds.
Can your toes move comfortably? Can the foot bend? Where do you feel your weight? Does your balance change from one pair of shoes to another? Does walking feel different?
These observations build awareness, and awareness gives us useful information about our own movement.
Standing posture matters too.
How we organise the feet when we are standing influences what happens when we begin to move. The direction of the feet, the distribution of weight and the relationship between the feet, knees and hips all contribute to the way movement travels through the body.
A common pattern is for the feet to turn outwards. For some people, a degree of turnout is simply part of their natural structure. Hip shape, mobility, previous injury and long-established habits can all influence how the feet sit.
What matters to me as a movement teacher is how the whole body works from that position.
Do the knees and feet move comfortably together? Is the weight spread evenly? Are you sitting back into your heels? Are the toes gripping? Does one side carry more weight?
These patterns are often much easier to notice in class because movement slows down and attention becomes more focused. They also exist outside the class.
Standing in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle, brushing your teeth, walking upstairs or carrying shopping all give you information about how you use your body.
That is one of the things I enjoy most about teaching movement. The useful part does not stay within the hour you spend in class. Greater awareness begins to carry into everyday life.
You start to notice how you stand.
You notice where your weight goes.
You notice how your feet meet the floor.
You may even notice that one shoe feels completely different from another or that one leg always seems to do more work.
The feet are easy to ignore because they are so familiar, yet they play a central role in posture, balance and movement.
Every step begins there.
And once you start paying attention to them, they have quite a lot to tell you.
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