Best Yoga Poses to Fix Heel Pain - Benefits and Results

Yoga is beneficial for the entire body, but it also aids heel pain by:

1. Helping the Achilles tendon (the tendon connecting calf muscle to heel) and calf muscles to remain loose and flexible
2. Strengthening the weaker muscles of the feet
3. Releasing stress and strain on the feet

Practising yoga may benefit a person as it:

1. Strengthen the heels and legs
2. Alleviates stress
3. Clears and relaxes the mind 
4. Reduces heel pain

Yoga may help you get rid of your heel pain, but it’s essential to know the right asanas that target specific muscles and ligaments. Some of the yoga poses for heel pain include:

1. Tadasana
2. Utkatasana
3. Adho mukha svanasana
4. Vajrasana
5. Virbhadrasana
6. Bandhakoasana

Tadasana (Mountain pose)

The mountain pose rejuvenates and activates the entire body. It increases mobility and strength in the feet, ankles, thigh, and hip area. To do tadasana: 

1. Stand straight on your feet
2. Keep your toes and heels together
3. Join your palms in front of your chest and raise your arms them straight above your head
4. Keep your hands in line with your forehead
5. Hold this posture for ten seconds and release
6. Repeat this posture three to six times. 

Utkatasana (Chair pose)

Utkatasana strengthens the ankle, calf, knee, and hip joint muscles. It also tones the neck, shoulder, lower back, and buttocks muscles and nerves. To do utkatasana:

1. Stand straight 
2. Join your hands and raise them over your head
3. Bend your knee like you are about to sit on a chair and go down till you reach a little above your knee height
4. Stay in this position for three to ten counts. 
5. Get back to the starting position
6. You can repeat this posture three to six times. 

Adho mukha svanasana (Downward dog pose)

This posture builds strength throughout the body, especially the legs, feet, arms, and shoulders. The pose rejuvenates and energizes the entire body. To do downward dog pose:

1. Take a position as if you are a tabletop by going down on your knees and hands.
2. The feet should be hip-width apart, and the hands should be shoulder-width apart. 
3. Gently raise your hip, straighten your knees and arms, and form an inverted V-shaped posture.
4. Hold this posture and inhale deeply.
5. Exhale, bend the knees and return back to the table pose and relax. 

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)

Vajrasana strengthens the nerves of the legs and makes the ankle and knee joints flexible. Vajrasana can be done in the following steps:

1. Sit on the ground with folded knees touching each other
2. Sit back on the cavity formed between the soles of your feet, but avoid sitting on the heels
3. Join your palms in front of your chest or place your hands on your thighs. 
4. Keep your back and head straight and erect. 

Virbhadrasana (warrior pose)

This posture tones and strengthens the legs, lower back, and arms and improves the balance of our body. Virbhadrasana can be done in the following steps: 

1. Stand tall with legs wide apart (at least three to four feet)
2. Raise and extend both arms to shoulder height 
3. Turn the right foot out at 90 degrees and the left foot in at 15 degrees
4. Bend your right knee and turn your head to the right
5. Breath in and hold this posture
6. Breathe out and bring down your hands
7. Repeat this posture on the left side 

Bandhakoasana (Butterfly pose)

This posture provides a good stretch to the knees, thighs, and groins. It improves the flexibility of the hip region and lowers fatigue from long hours of walking and standing. To do butterfly pose:

1. Sit on a mat with your back straight
2. Spread your legs straight in front of you 
3. Bend your knees so that the soles of your feet touch each other
4. Grab both feet with your hands and breathe in
5. Now, breathe out and gently press your knees and thighs downwards towards the mat to straigthen them out and start flapping both legs up and down as if you are imitating the wings of a butterfly
6. Flap your thighs and knees as fast as you can comfortably. Pace down and stop.
7. Breathe in and as you breathe out, bend forward, keeping your spine erect and chin up
8. Press the elbows on your thigh and take deep breaths and relax your muscles
9. Breathe in and bring your torso up
10. Now, breathe out, and gently come back to the starting position and relax.

Try one or more of these yoga poses to slowly terminate your heel pain naturally, without any medications. Get ready to wear your favourite high heels or go for a run in the morning because doing yoga will not only reduce your heel pain but also make them stronger. Also, if you have been looking for ‘yoga for plantar fasciitis’ over the internet, these are the ones that are the most beneficial ones for your sole pain. Ensure you consult a skilled yoga professional; it is important to practice and learn yoga under the supervision of an expert. 

If you do not experience relief with these yoga poses, then surgery might be the solution. The expert team at Hexahealth can help you answer all your queries and guide you at every step right from the diagnosis to post-surgery recovery period. You can also learn yoga poses for other conditions on our website Hexahealth. Feel free to contact us. We are always happy to help!