Happy Feet!

Written By Jo Ellison

Here is a mindful 10 minute daily to improve mobility, strength and stability in your feet and ankles.


You’ll flow through 8 exercises, using mindful control and Pilates breathing. No equipment needed (optional: resistance band + towel).

🌿 10-Minute Pilates Foot & Ankle Routine

🔹 Setup

  • Time: ~10 minutes

  • Equipment: Mat, optional band/towel

  • Position: Begin seated tall on sit bones, feet flat, parallel hip-width apart.

  • Breath: Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, engaging your core.

1️⃣ Toe Articulation — Warm-Up Mobilizer

Time: 1 minute
How:

  • Lift all toes while keeping the balls of your feet down.

  • Lower toes one at a time (big toe to little toe), then reverse.

  • Focus on slow, articulate movement.
    Cue: “Spread your toes like rays of the sun, then place them down like dominos.”

2️⃣ Foot Doming — Arch Activation

Time: 1 minute
How:

  • Draw the ball of the foot toward your heel to lift your arch (don’t curl the toes).

  • Hold 3–5 seconds, then release.
    Cue: “Imagine suctioning your arch gently off the mat.”
    Progression: Try standing for added challenge.

3️⃣ Ankle Circles — Joint Mobility

Time: 1 minute (30 sec each way per foot)
How:

  • Extend one leg, point the toes, and make smooth, controlled circles.

  • Reverse direction.
    Cue: “Keep the leg still, move only from the ankle — draw perfect circles with your toes.”

4️⃣ Point & Flex — Dynamic Range and Strength

Time: 1 minute
How:

  • Point your toes fully (plantar flex), then flex them back (dorsiflex).

  • Maintain energy through the legs.
    Cue: “Press through the ball of the foot, lengthen through the heel.”
    Option: Use a resistance band for added work.

5️⃣ Heel Raises (Relevés) — Calf and Ankle Strength

Time: 2 minutes
How:

  • Stand tall, feet parallel.

  • Inhale to prepare, exhale as you rise onto the balls of your feet.

  • Lower slowly with control.

  • Option: Progress to single-leg or Pilates “V.”
    Cue: “Lift up and lengthen — think elevator, not escalator.”

6️⃣ Pronation–Supination Rockers — Controlled Mobility

Time: 1 minute
How:

  • Rock gently between the inner (pronation) and outer (supination) edges of your feet.

  • Keep knees soft and aligned over toes.
    Cue: “Roll evenly through the tripod of your foot — heel, big toe, little toe.”

7️⃣ Towel Scrunches or Marble Pickups — Intrinsic Strength

Time: 1 minute
How:

  • Place a towel flat under your feet.

  • Use your toes to scrunch and release it, keeping the ankle stable.
    Cue: “Grip the towel as if picking it up with your toes, but stay calm through your arch.”

8️⃣ Theraband Ankle Series — All-Directional Strength

Time: 2 minutes (30 sec per direction x both feet)
How:

  • Sit tall, band around foot.

  • Do slow, controlled movements in each direction:

    • Point (plantarflexion)

    • Flex (dorsiflexion)

    • Inward (inversion)

    • Outward (eversion)
      Cue: “Move with control — resist both the push and the pull.”

🌬️ Cool Down (Optional, 30 sec)

  • Stand tall, gently rock forward and back from heel to toe.

  • Wiggle your toes and sense grounded balance.
    Cue: “Feel your feet rooting into the floor, your spine growing tall.”


Jo Ellison
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