We all know what big feet mean. . . Big Shoes. Actually, in the case of my family, it’s more of a “wide feet mean that most shoes don’t fit well, but wide shoes are harder to find so you just deal with it.” I think all three of my siblings and I struggle with wide feet. Most of the time we just deal with it, or we buy shoes a size too big to make sure we can jam our very un-Cinderella-like feet in. My problem ends up being that my feet are narrow at my heels but wide at the ball of my foot, so I just buy average width shoes, otherwise my heels are always rubbing up and down on my shoes and I get blisters.
We thank our dad for the wide feet, and the strength of this genetic trait has made its way to the next generation. Abby has been excited for her foot size to catch up to Kim’s so that she can borrow shoes. Unfortunately, she has my wide feet, so she doesn’t quite fit in Kim’s more slender shoes (or she is accused of stretching them out when she does wear them…).
But as we discussed our odd feet the other day, we found a silver lining. Wide feet are exceptionally good for balancing on. No narrow little edges for us. When our feet grip the ground, it is solid. And I realized that it’s probably why I have pretty good balance in yoga when we get to standing poses. I can stand on one foot forever in tree pose, and airplane, warrior 3, and half moon all came more easily to me than some other challenging yoga poses that require flexibility rather than just a large foundation. And it doesn’t stop with yoga: wide feet are great for digging. There is lots of contact with the shovel for efficient, fast digging.
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Maybe that’s why I love putting the two together in the form of Yoga in the Garden! This Saturday, Kristen from Keystone Yoga will lead the monthly yoga session at the nursery, and I’ll be sure to ask her to fill it with standing poses so that you can test the limits of your feet! (Tickets available here.) Afterwards, we know those feet are going to want to get out in the garden, so you can take a stroll on the boardwalk and check out all the new arrivals as we begin to exit our winter season and eagerly anticipate spring. Subscribe to our email newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for exciting ways to embrace the coming season. No matter what shape your feet are, we’ll see you on the mat and in the garden.