Dear Neesha,

My feet tend to hurt when I am in Hero pose.  I also find it is difficult for me to to leave one foot tucked under and move the other one out. Is there anything I can do to make this easier?  - Mindy, TX

Dear Mindy,

My question to you is this:  do the bones of your feet hurt from the pressure of your feet on the hard floor or are the muscles being overstretched?  Either way is common because the extreme plantar flexion of the foot is not usual for your body unless you do a lot of yoga.  It sounds like in either case, you could benefit from a small folded blanket under your sitting bones to decrease pressure and learn more action in the feet.  If your discomfort is more the former, try unfolding a big blanket to place under your entire form before you come into the pose to pad your foot bones.  For either discomfort, press your toenails downward fiercely into the mat more so that your feet actually lift away from the floor some, decreasing the stretch and pressure.  This muscle energy in the feet should help as well as lift the pressure so that you can transition.  Have fun getting stronger feet, you are worth it!

Neesha