Dr. Seuss illustration from The Foot Book with the captions His feet, Her feet and Fuzzy fur feet

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Stop Foot, Go Foot

Dr. Suess’s “The FOOT Book” is a delightful tribute to the diverse and multifaceted world of feet. In honor of his fun Dr. Seuss illustration from The Foot Book with the captions His feet, Her feet and Fuzzy fur feetand quirky rhymes, I have put my best foot forward here, in a whimsical approach to show how to work your feet. When you keep your feet in line, you will stay in line. Clearly listen to your feet and discover where they tend to go. Do they turn out or in?  Are they crooked? Do you tend to have low back pain or knee pain? Often this can be traced to your feet.
When you have clarity in your feet, your life will be sweet.
As Abraham Lincoln said “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

Make your feet parallel. Press down on the four corners of each foot.
Connect your sitting bones to the center of your heels to your forth and fifth toes. That’s your stability line, the bottom shelf, your foundation.
Connect your inner thighs*  to your top ankle to your inner three toes. That’s your mobility line, the slide, that rocks you forward. Squeeze your inner thighs together for more balance.
Practice with standing poses, balancing poses and your day to day postures you find yourself in.

*It’s actually your inner pubis. I love how Dr. Suess made up words when he needed to. The word pubis contracts many folks, particularly teens. So, I’m asking you, dear Grounded Ones to come up with a nonsense word for pubis.

stop foot, stop footA Dr. Seuss character standing on one leg, with the bones of the raised foot drawn in
go foot, go
sitting bones to heel
to forth and fifth toe
stable foot, stable foot,
free foot, free
inner thigh to ankle
to toes one, two three
hip foot, thigh foot,
low foot, high foot
bottom foot top foot
go foot stop foot
heel foot ankle foot
feet, feet, feet
how much balance can you greet?
slow feet, quick feet.
still feet, slide feet
bide, feet, glide feet
shelf feet, shined feet
Here comes aligned feet.
His feet, her feet
Fuzzy fur feet
On the mat and on the street
how much balance can you greet?
Up in the air feet
over a chair feet
mystery unwraps feet
no more collapsed feet
create  more integrity in your feet!
here comes more and more and more clear feet!
Stop foot. Go foot.
Feet. feet. feet.
Oh, how balanced you will greet.
.

More to Explore

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    It’s true that meditation helps children to feel better, know better and do better. That’s because meditators are in touch with their best self. If we’ve neglected to stay in touch with that part of ourselves, then how can we introduce that self to others? When access to our best self is as close as our next inhalation and expressing our best self is as easy as the next exhalation, then showing up to school, tests, parties, conversations, and even to do your chores as your best self feels natural. If your best self feels like a stranger, this meditation will help you tune in to your goodness and integrate that energy into your being

  • Rock Paper Scissors

    In the business of life, we tend to get contracted, even with our yoga practice. We want to be aligned, with good form and practice these principles in sequential order. At times, all of those details can bog us down. Bring playfulness into your yoga practice and think of it like a game. See what part of you is winning in certain poses. Steadiness, Spacious Breath, Hugging the Midline? The directions for Warrior 1 Up are here, but don’t stop there. Think Rock, Papers with each pose and notice what becomes more clear.

  • Seuss Sutra 1-1: Big Picture Play of Consciousness

    Look at me!
    Look at me!
    Look at me NOW!
    It is fun to have fun
    But you have to know how.
    The enlightened sage, Dr. Seuss, in the revered text The Cat and The Hat, teaches us how to tune into our Highest Self, listen to our small, limited, fears and even invite them out to play with each other. My intention and desire is for us to value and understand this text in the highest spiritual sense. May this process lead us to a higher capacity for insight, for revelation, for learning at a deeper level, so clarity about our Self become possible.
    Cat in the Hat begins on a cold and wet day at the house of two sad children stuck inside with nothing to do, until the Cat in a Hat shows up, transforming the dull day into an adventure. As he steps in on the mat, we can relate the action metaphorically to Yoga Sutra 1.1. Now, the teachings of yoga. As he begins to express his philosophy to the children, their pet fish begins to express his hesitation and fears. The Cat reassures him with a simple “Now! Now!” That answer is an important teaching in the whole text, because it teaches us to let go of our old social order, and enter the present, which is new. “Now” in Sanskrit is “atha”, signaling the value of what you are about to dive into. “Atha” is also the first spoken word of Yoga Sutra 1.1, its entirety being~
    1.1 Ātha Yogānuśāsanam The teachings of yoga, have been presented. You don’t need to wait until the sun comes out, an authority figure is watching, or your fear is gone. All that it (Yoga) requires of you is a YES. In essence, then, The Cat in the Hat, just like Patanjali ,is telling his students to get ready to receive the knowledge on the subject of “yoga”.
    The fish in the tiny bowl represents our limited, concealed self, and our karma mala. He is fear, limiting our ability to act. The cat is a wise trickster. He questions authority, encourages enthusiasm, seeks new experiences, while destroying our old way of thinking. He is our Big-Picture Play of Consciousness. He is our Highest Self. Your higher self is consciousness. Your higher self is the real you. Your higher self is the more complete you.
    Shiva Sutra 1-1 Chaitanyam ātmā. Consciousness is the self.
    The children were still able to recognize, the fish’s concern. Fear is natural; it’s an adaptive instinct. Don’t try to squelch it down or ignore it. Without fear, we wouldn’t have courage. Without courage we wouldn’t be brave. The Cat in the Hat was able to listen to the fish, listen to his fears, and playfully act upon them.
    “Have no fear!” said the cat
    “I will not let you fall
    I will hold you up high…”
    Introducing three Tricks to greet your Higher Consciousness (HC)…ie Cat in the Hat and Small Fish (SF) i.e Karma Mala, Fear.
    1.Listen
    Close your eyes. Breathe in through your heart and out through your third eye. Continue to follow your breath. Listen to your heart. Sometimes HC sounds like the whisper of a wise old man. Sometimes HC sounds like a voice you recognize that is playful, friendly, and compassionate.
    The voice of your SF is usually scared or angry. It’s probably much louder.
    2. Look
    Invite C to sit with you and have a conversation. Ask questions. When the answers sound wiser or more knowledgeable than usual, you’re probably talking to your C. Just keep talking to this manifestation of your higher self until it feels like you’re talking to someone else and the answers you’re getting don’t seem like they’re coming from your own head. What does C look like? Invite F to the table as well. What do you see?
    3. Feel
    The cat in the hat starts at your spine and goes up to the crown of your head and beyond! Feel your cat getting taller with each breath.
    Sit!
    Sit!
    Sit!
    Sit!
    Root your left sitting bone to your left heel and your right sitting bone to your right heel. Thing 1 begins in the lowest part of your left belly. Thing two resides in the lowest part of your right belly. Lift Thing one and Thing Two, both lowest bellies, up like a kite. Most everything conspires to drop low abs. The trick is to keep lifting thing one and thing two) The game is don’t spill energy, must be a conscious effort to Feel!
    A Thing is defined as some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit.
    things, matters; affairs: a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs so the trick is to LIFT Your Things! Lift your entity, being, matter, act, deed, event, material object, body, being, assembly, council, suit, matter, suit, plea, concern while keeping your sitting bones rooted to your heels. Try this in different shapes~standing, forward folds, backbends, twists, supine..Notice the difference.
    Reponses received from kids~
    “Thing 1 and Thing 2 teach me I can do it!” Ella, age 7
    “My little baby tiny weeny self is in my head. My Huge, humungous ,, big giant Self is in my heart and body.” Claire, age 9
    “My High Cat knows I can do big things” Madeline, age 5
    “My Highest Self stands up for the world. My small Fish gets angry at myself and others.” Lauren, age 6
    “My High Self is beautiful and colorful.” Emily, age 6
    “My Highest Self tells me my gift is seeing the future in my sleep.” Hunter, age 7
    “My Fear is in my foot. My Highest Self is upside down now. It’s telling me to pay attention.” Dodge, age 9
    “Higher Self is standing up for myself. My Little Self is always looking around at others.” Amelia, age 8
    “My Fear is sliding down a pole. I see that picture (of the pole) any time I get scared.” Sarah, age 9
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    Please share how it goes. Now~ You’ve got to have fun, but you have to know HOW!

  • when something horrible happens

    how do you teach yoga to teens? you start by teaching Truth. speak to the highest in them. they will get it when you tell them that they are a spiritual being in a physical body and that they are immeasurably powerful. when they root their feet into their mat, into the earth in Mountain pose they will feel steady and strong; a steadiness they themselves create becomes a thing they can rely upon. when their feet are rooted into the earth, they will become rooted in their integrity. when they are faced with difficult situations they can breathe into steadiness, root into their integrity and make grounded choices.