Chapter 7: Hips, Legs and Feet

Tonight's Lesson

Set both feet on the floor tonight and give yourself a moment to arrive before we begin. In our last lesson we gave our attention to the spine. We rounded and arched it gently in seated cat and cow, we bent gently to each side, we turned slowly in a seated twist, and we folded forward only as far as was comfortable, coming up with the head last. Tonight we move down the body, to the hips, the legs and the feet.

These are the parts of the body that carry us through the day, and they are also the parts we tend to forget in the evening. When we feel tired, we notice our heavy eyes or our stiff neck, but we rarely think about our ankles or the soles of our feet. Yet the lower body holds a great deal of the day: hours of sitting at a desk, in a car or on a sofa, or hours of standing at a counter, walking between rooms and climbing stairs. By the evening, the legs may feel heavy, restless, cold or simply far away from our attention.

Tonight I would like to explain why the lower body deserves a little care before bed, and then show you five simple seated movements for the hips, legs and feet. We will also talk about warm feet and sleep, because this is a small habit that many people find helpful. As always, everything happens on the chair, everything goes only as far as is comfortable, and resting is always a full part of the practice.

The Lower Body After a Long Day

Let us begin with a short tour of the lower body, so that you know what we are moving. The hips are the large joints where the legs meet the pelvis, the ring of strong bones that you sit on. Each hip joint is shaped like a ball resting in a cup, so the leg can swing forward and back, open out to the side and turn a little in and out. Below the hip, the thigh leads to the knee, which mostly bends and straightens like the hinge of a door. Below the knee, the lower leg leads to the ankle, and then to the foot, with its many small bones, its arches and its toes.

Now think about how these parts spend a typical day. If you sit for many hours, your hips stay bent, the front of each hip stays short, and the backs of the thighs press against the seat. The knees stay bent too, and the ankles hardly move at all. If you stand for many hours instead, the legs carry the whole weight of the body, the feet press into hard floors, and the muscles of the calves and the soles of the feet work without a break. Neither way is wrong. But in both cases the lower body ends the day having stayed in one shape for a long time.

When a part of the body stays in one shape for a long time, it often begins to feel stiff, heavy or dull. Gentle movement reminds it of the other shapes it can take. When we lift a knee, circle an ankle or point and flex a foot, the muscles around the joint tighten and then let go, the joint moves through an easy range, and the area often feels warmer and more awake afterwards. This is not about stretching hard or becoming more flexible. It is about letting the legs move a little, slowly, so that they feel like a comfortable part of you again before you lie down.

There is also a link between the lower body and a calm mind. Restless legs in the evening, the wish to shift and fidget, often go together with a restless mind. When we give the legs some slow, careful movement and then let them rest completely, many people find that the whole body settles more easily. You may notice tonight that after moving the feet, the breath becomes a little slower without any effort on your part.

Before we go further, I want to repeat something important that I said on our first evening. If you have a long-term health condition, are in pain, or are pregnant, please talk to a doctor before you begin this practice. This matters especially for the hips, knees and ankles, because some people have had operations on these joints, live with joint pain, or have been told to avoid certain positions. If you are unsure whether a movement suits you, ask a doctor. Each movement tonight has a smaller version, and the smallest version of all, resting your feet on the floor and breathing, is always a complete practice.

Five Movements and Warm Feet

All of tonight's movements begin from the seated posture we learned in our fourth lesson, with one small change. Move your hips a little forward from the chair back, so that your thighs are still supported by the seat but your knees and lower legs are free to move. Do not sit on the very edge of the seat; you should feel safe and steady. Your feet rest flat on the floor about as wide apart as your hips, your knees are roughly above your ankles, and your hands can hold the sides of the seat whenever you would like extra support. The first movement is marching the knees. One knee at a time rises a little and returns, waking up the front of the hips, which have been bent all day.

The second and third movements are for the ankles and feet. In ankle circles, one foot rises a little from the floor, or the toes stay lightly on the floor, and the ankle draws slow circles, first one way and then the other. In pointing and flexing, the foot rests on its heel in front of you; the toes reach gently away, so that the top of the foot becomes long, and then they draw back toward the shin, so that the back of the lower leg becomes long. These are small movements, but the ankles and feet often feel noticeably lighter after them. If your foot or calf begins to tighten into a cramp while you point the toes, stop pointing, let the toes come back gently toward you, and rest.

The fourth movement is straightening one leg with the heel on the floor. One foot slides forward along the floor until the leg is nearly straight, with the heel resting on the floor and the toes pointing up toward the ceiling. The knee stays soft, which means it is not pushed back or locked. You may feel a mild, pleasant lengthening along the back of the thigh and the calf. If you feel nothing at all, that is also fine. The heel stays on the floor the whole time, so the leg is supported, and the back stays long without folding forward. After a few breaths, the knee bends and the foot slides back to where it started.

The fifth movement is a gentle seated figure-four, and I offer it only if it is comfortable for you. Sitting tall, you lift one ankle and rest it on the opposite thigh, just above the knee, so that the legs make a shape like the number four. The lifted knee opens out to the side only as far as it wishes; nothing presses it down. This shape gently opens the outer side of the hip. For many beginners, lifting the leg this high is not comfortable, and for some knees and hips it is not suitable. In that case there is a simple alternative: the ankle rests on the floor in front of the other foot, so that the legs cross gently at the ankles, and the knee opens a little to the side. This version is just as valuable, and you may use it every evening.

Now a few words about warm feet. As the body prepares for sleep, its inner temperature falls a little, and part of that warmth leaves the body through the hands and the feet. When the feet are cold, many people find it less easy to feel comfortable in bed and to let go. Gentle movement of the feet and ankles helps them feel warmer, and after the practice a pair of warm, soft socks can keep that warmth while you fall asleep. Choose socks that are loose at the top and not tight around the ankle. If you become too warm in the night, it is fine to take them off.

There is one safety point about socks that is easy to miss. During the practice, smooth socks on a smooth floor can slip, especially when you slide a foot forward or press it into the floor. So I suggest practising with bare feet, or in socks with a grip on the soles, on a floor that does not slide. Keep your warm socks next to the chair and put them on at the very end, as part of closing. In this way the socks become a small signal that the day is over and bed is near.

The Thirty-Minute Practice

Before we begin, prepare your space. Place your sturdy chair, without wheels, on a non-slip floor, ideally with its back against a wall. Wear loose, comfortable clothes that let your knees bend and your legs move freely. Practise barefoot or in socks with a grip, and set a pair of warm socks and a glass of water within easy reach. Turn the lights down to a soft glow. Please remember the rule we follow every evening: if you feel pain, dizziness or shortness of breath, stop, rest and breathe normally, and come out of every movement slowly.

Minutes 1 to 3: Arriving. Sit down and let the chair hold you. Place your feet flat on the floor, about as wide apart as your hips, and rest your hands on your thighs. Let your eyes close, or let them rest softly on the floor in front of you. Notice where your body touches the chair: the back of your thighs, your sitting bones, perhaps your back against the chair back. Now notice your feet on the floor. Feel the heels, the balls of the feet and the toes. There is nothing to do yet. You have arrived, and the day can wait outside the room.

Minutes 4 to 8: Breathing. Place one hand on your belly and the other on the side of your ribs. Breathe through your nose if that is comfortable, and feel the belly and ribs move gently out as you breathe in and back as you breathe out. After a few natural breaths, begin to make the breath out a little longer than the breath in. Breathe in softly for a count of four, and out slowly for a count of six. If that is too long, breathe in for three and out for four. Never hold the breath. Continue for about ten rounds. As you breathe out, you might imagine the breath travelling down through the body, all the way to your feet. Then let the counting go and breathe naturally for the rest of this part.

Minutes 9 to 20: Moving. We begin by waking up the body with movements you already know. Rest your hands on your thighs and roll your shoulders slowly up, back and down, five times. Then take five slow rounds of seated cat and cow: as you breathe in, let the chest lift and the belly move gently forward; as you breathe out, let the back round softly and the chin come a little toward the chest. Return to an upright, easy posture. Now move your hips a little forward from the chair back, keeping your thighs supported, and hold the sides of the seat with your hands if you like.

Marching the knees. Sit tall, with both feet flat on the floor. As you breathe in, lift your right foot a little from the floor, no higher than the width of your hand, letting the knee rise. As you breathe out, lower the foot slowly and place it back on the floor. Then lift the left foot in the same way, and lower it. Continue, right and left, slowly, like walking in slow motion, for about ten lifts on each side. Keep your back long and avoid leaning back against the chair. If lifting the foot is too much, simply lift the heel and leave the toes on the floor. When you finish, rest both feet flat and take two quiet breaths.

Ankle circles and pointing and flexing. Lift your right foot a little from the floor, or keep the tips of the toes resting on the floor. Slowly draw five circles with your ankle in one direction, as if your big toe were drawing a circle in the air, and then five circles in the other direction. Place the foot down. Now slide the right foot a little forward so that it rests on its heel. Breathing out, gently point the toes away from you. Breathing in, draw the toes back toward you. Repeat five times, slowly. If the foot or calf begins to cramp, stop and let the toes come back gently toward you. Return the foot to the floor, and do the circles and the pointing and flexing with the left foot.

Straightening one leg with the heel on the floor. Sit tall, with your hands resting on your thighs. Slide your right foot forward along the floor until the right leg is nearly straight. The heel stays on the floor, the toes point up toward the ceiling, and the knee stays soft. Keep your back long and your shoulders relaxed. Stay here for five slow breaths, feeling the back of the right leg. You do not need to lean forward; sitting tall is enough. Then bend the knee and slide the foot back until it rests flat on the floor. Take one breath, and repeat with the left leg for five slow breaths. Bring the left foot back and rest.

The figure-four, or the ankle cross. Move back a little so that you sit comfortably on the seat. If the full shape suits you, hold your right shin with both hands, lift the right ankle and rest it on the left thigh just above the knee. Let the right knee open out to the side only as far as it wants; do not press it down. Sit tall and breathe slowly for five breaths. To come out, hold the right shin with your hands, lift the ankle off the thigh and place the foot back on the floor. If the full shape is not comfortable, choose the ankle cross: place your right ankle on the floor in front of your left foot, let the right knee open a little to the side, and breathe for five breaths. Return the foot, then repeat either version on the left side. Finish by moving back to rest against the chair back, with both feet flat and your hands on your thighs.

Minutes 21 to 27: Stillness. Sit back so that the chair back supports you. Place your feet flat, hands resting on your thighs, and let your eyes close or rest softly on the floor. Breathe naturally. Bring your attention down to your feet. Notice the heels, the soles, the balls of the feet and each of the toes. You may feel warmth, a light tingling, the texture of the floor, or very little at all; whatever you notice is fine. Then let your attention rise slowly to the ankles, the lower legs, the knees, the thighs and the hips, and let them feel heavy and supported. When your mind wanders to the day or to tomorrow, gently bring it back to the soles of your feet. With each breath out, let the legs become a little softer. Stay here, quietly, until the end of this part.

Minutes 28 to 30: Closing. Let the breath become a little fuller. Gently wiggle your toes and move your fingers. Open your eyes slowly and look around the soft light of the room. Reach for your warm socks and put them on, one foot at a time, without hurrying. Take a sip of water. When you are ready, place your hands on your thighs, lean forward a little and stand up slowly, staying still for a moment until you feel steady. Walk to your bed. When you lie down, notice your warm feet once more, and let them rest.

Common Questions

A common question is: "My knees or hips make a small clicking sound when I move them. Should I stop?" Small sounds from the joints, without pain, are common and usually nothing to worry about. Move slowly and keep the movements small. If a sound comes with pain, or if a joint is swollen or hurts afterwards, stop that movement and choose rest instead. If you are unsure whether a movement suits you, ask a doctor.

Another question I often hear is: "One side feels much stiffer than the other. Should I do more on the stiff side?" It is completely normal for the two sides of the body to feel different, because we all use one side more than the other. Please do the same number of breaths and movements on both sides, and let each side be as it is tonight. We are not trying to make the two sides equal. We are simply giving both sides the same kind attention.

Some of you have asked what to do if your feet do not reach the floor comfortably. As we discussed in earlier lessons, place a folded blanket or a firm block under your feet, so that both feet rest flat and your thighs are supported. This matters even more tonight, because the leg movements start from steady feet. If the chair is too low, so that your knees are higher than your hips, a firm cushion on the seat can help.

Finally, people ask: "My feet ache after a long day of standing. What can I do if I only have a few minutes?" On such evenings, a short version is perfectly fine. Sit on your chair, take a few slow breaths with a longer breath out, do ankle circles and pointing and flexing with each foot, and then sit quietly for a few minutes with your attention on the soles of your feet. Put on your warm socks and go to bed. A few gentle minutes are always better than skipping the evening altogether.

Summary

The hips, legs and feet carry us through the day and often stay in one shape for many hours, whether we sit or stand. Gentle movement in the evening helps them feel lighter, warmer and part of us again.

Tonight we learned five seated movements: marching the knees, ankle circles, pointing and flexing the feet, straightening one leg with the heel on the floor, and a gentle seated figure-four.

The figure-four is offered only if it is comfortable. The ankle cross, with one ankle resting on the floor in front of the other foot, is a full and valuable alternative.

If you have a long-term health condition, are in pain, or are pregnant, please talk to a doctor before you begin this practice. Every movement can be made smaller, and resting with the feet on the floor is always enough.

As the body gets ready for sleep, some warmth leaves through the hands and feet. Practise barefoot or in socks with a grip, and put on loose, warm socks at the end, as a small signal that bed is near.

The stillness tonight rests on the feet: feeling the heels, the soles and the toes, and returning there kindly whenever the mind wanders.