As temperatures heat up in Atlanta and everyone is preparing for the sweltering summer months, our feet might start to get more attention. A pedicure here, a salt scrub there: sandal weather can have us taking better care of the way our feet look. But especially because the hotter weather means many wear footwear that doesn’t offer support—think flip-flops, strappy sandals or no shoes at all—the summer months can bring a combination of lower-limb swelling and discomfort. For those living with certain conditions, such as plantar fasciitis— an inflammation of the connective tissues of the foot and ankle area—that lack of support can cause the condition to worsen, and pain develops in the feet.

While symptoms of plantar fasciitis can vary widely from person to person, it is perhaps the most common way that non-medical people learn the term “fascia.”

Generally speaking, fascia is a type of connective tissue consisting of fibers, cells and fluid, but, depending on its form and function, it varies in structure and classification. For example, the tissue covering the outside of bones has one composition and name, while fascia just under the skin has a slightly different makeup to support a different role, and is therefore classified differently.

Fascia is considered to be something of an information super-highway in the body, as its job is to conduct messages, assist movement and act as a structural 3D casing for every organ, muscle, bone and nerve in the body. It functions at its best when it is sufficiently hydrated and exposed to a variety of movement practices. However, if the body is limited to repetitive movements and positions, the fascia will become stiff and won’t function at its best.

Think about professional soccer players, for example, whose feet are stuck in cleats all the time. If pre-match warmups and post-match cool-downs don’t include a variety of foot movements and positions, they won’t have the flexibility and mobility they need to perform their best. That’s because of the condition of the fascia in their feet, ankles or lower limbs.

This is true for all fascia in the body. For example, too much screen time and a forward head position will stiffen the fascia and cause tightness and restricted movement in the neck, mid- and upper-back and between the shoulder blades. That rigidity can affect shoulder mobility, which in turn might affect strength-training goals or the ability to deepen yoga positions such as downward facing dog.

Hydration also affects the fascia; without it, the fascia will stiffen as well. If dehydrated, people will experience a range of sensations, from tightness to pain, to something as extreme as the restriction of organ and muscle function, such as breathing.

Yoga For Fascial Health

As interest in fascial health has grown in recent years, yoga has become a key avenue for improvement. With its relative lack of stress and gentle pressure patterns, yoga improves fascial fluidity, and when yoga is combined with gentle fascial manipulation through the use of balls, mats and rollers, a range of positive outcomes are noted, including improved range of motion and athletic performance, according to a 2024 study in the Journal of Morphology and Kinesiology.

Ashley Hall, owner of Pure Motion Yoga and Polaris Sports & Fitness in Atlanta, believes that fascial health is fundamental to the strength training and wellness goals his clients bring to their movement practices. Having received training in fascial release through the National Academy of Sport Medicine (NASM) and with additional NASM accreditations and yoga certifications to his name, Hall emphasizes the long-term benefits of combining the two practices with his clients.

Hall says releasing tension and holding patterns through fascial release can lay the foundation for strength training and mobility goals. “Where we’re deeply releasing the tissues with the yoga and the rolling, we’re working at the ground level of the fascia network. The combination of rolling and yoga—we’re really elongating some of those locked-up tissues. We’re then picking up some of the release, some of the new environment, and opening up into the joints.”

“Tight fascia basically acts like a shrink wrap, a vacuum seal,” he tells his clients. “So, once it’s sealed around a muscle, you’re losing some of that contractile activity. You’re not actually burning as many calories—you’re not using up as much energy because you have limited tissue that is actually able to contract.” His weekly classes, such as “Fascia Friday” and his dedicated workshops on “self myo-fascial release,” are some of the ways he emphasizes fascial health with his clients.

Gentle fascial release, he points out, fosters a compassionate relationship with one’s own body, reflecting the yogic principles of non-harming, friendliness and acceptance. “A lot of it is about down-regulating the nervous system, softening your body so you’re not holding on to tension. You’re not living in these areas of anger, non-trust or non-caring,” he says.

Hall finds that feeling safe and grounded in the body leads to a shift on a deeper psychological level. “So much of that shift is feeling safe and grounded in the body … as we get into the deeper layers of tissue, maybe the ego shows up and says, ‘Hey, what are you doing? It looks like you’re sort of changing over here, and I’m not quite ready for some of this.’” His approach is to invite a slowing down—to come in and out of the practice with ease and breath, and to take space to sense and feel first both the physiological and then also the psycho-emotional change.

Fascial Release for Happy Feet

This simple yoga-based practice to release the fascia of the foot and ankle can improve your plantar fasciitis during sandal weather. It might also help you stand tall, feel more grounded and begin your day with confidence.

Preparation

Prepare your foot by rolling out the bottom with a tennis ball or other small ball. You can do this standing, using a wall to help with balance or seated in a chair. Spend time on all areas of the foot, including the creases of the toes and the outer and inner arches. If you want to, you can stand on the ball, bringing pressure to the center of the heel or ball of the foot.

All Fours Flow

• Tuck your toes under and lean back into the center of your heel—you’ll feel the bottom of your feet stretch. Breathe into the arches of your feet as you rock forward into cow pose. Spread the shoulders wide and feel centered in both palms.
• Exhale and allow the toes to untuck—the tops of your feet will press against the Earth. Take the tops of the feet to the Earth, and the hips may shift back towards your heels further. You might now become aware of the top of the foot and the front of the ankle as they lengthen, compressed against the Earth.
• Inhale, returning to cow pose, tucking the toes under once more.
• Exhale into downward facing dog. Linger here for a few breaths, pedaling through each leg. Consider the benefit you’re looking for in your targeted fascial release. As you bend first one knee and then the other, notice several things: the openness of both calves, the connection to the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle and any sensation in the heel and underfoot. Breathe into these sensations and any others, as inhalation itself has been shown in physiological mapping to lengthen muscle tissues.
• Return the knees to the Earth and begin again. Rock the hips back slightly—once more, opening the arches and underside of the foot—and then inhale to cow pose.
• Exhale, driving hips all the way back toward the heels with the tops of the feet on the Earth.
• Inhale, return to cow pose, toes tucked under.
• Exhale into downward facing dog. Linger here again.
• Aim for three to five repetitions of this movement cycle, while continuing to focus awareness on the fascial target area and the surrounding connections.

Finally, try this challenge: Do things differently on a different day. Don’t roll out the foot and ankle, and try the same yoga practice. What do you notice? On another day, roll only one foot and not the other. What do you notice? ❧

Patricia Schmidt, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is a certified yoga therapist specializing in pelvic health, accessible yoga and yoga for cancer support. She is a Franklin Method trainer, Roll Model method teacher and somatic movement specialist. To learn more, visit PLSYoga.com.