A Graceful Stride in Heels

Caroline Graham Swann

Well, my darlings, this is the season for parties, and with the parties come the cocktail dresses and stilettos.  Oh, those stilettos are so hard on the feet!  To walk gracefully in them does require special knowledge of foot work.

 Evidently, we American girls have been leaning too much on our big toes. That’s right, our big toes! The trick is to use the sides of the feet more, like a rolling walk on the sides of our feet.   I knew to stand in a parallel position with both feet straight ahead, but never was I aware of using the sides of the feet for comfort and balance.  That is, until a foot reflexologist explained why European girls look so graceful walking in their stilettos, floating along with grace of an angel, while most of us from the other side of the pond want to grab a chair, side of the wall, or hang on to our escort until we can be seated.

Yamunaz Zake, a famous yoga teacher, is best known for body-rolling techniques and foot yoga, and teaches that it all comes down to training your feet to function.  It is not the shoes, it is how you are walking in them. Balancing your weight on different parts of the feet is key: the outside edge, base of the toes, heel and ball. You should slowly feel the pressure along the muscles and tendons while you balance.

Zake teaches a class in New York City and is so well-known for her technique that she is asked to many other places in the world to teach this artful balance.

For swelling of the feet, she uses a tennis ball to roll the feet over and over the ball, increasing circulation and eliminating the swelling from standing too long.  Just remember, when standing for long periods of time, balance the weight on the sides of your feet.

Perhaps, my darlings, the next time we gather for a party we shall all be gliding on 7-inch heels with the grace of angels. We can certainly hope!