One thing yoga does well is make you really conscious about your feet. Not only do you get to parade them around naked for the class, but you get to look at them with every Sun Salutation. Taking care of your feet is a good thing. You don’t want to scare your classmates and you don’t want them to look like gnarly yellow claws when you’re older. The thing I’ve discovered is that feet *can* be improved after ignoring them for a long time and that doesn’t mean $40 pedicures or a lot of time.

Here’s a 10 minute fix for an evening at home:

1. Remove any nail polish
2. Fill a sink with warm water, jump up onto the counter and dunk your feet. Mmmmmm.
3. Lather up some mild soap, rub it on your foot and give the rough bits a good scrub with a pumice stone or one of those pedicure paddle thingies. If you’re low on equipment grab a handful of salt and rub that in. Repeat on the other side.
4. Push down your cuticles so you can see your toenails.
5. Blot your feet damp dry, sit down and rub in something uber-moisturizing. Body lotion is not enough here. Expensive spa-stuff is nice but for inexpensive options try Palmer’s Cocoa Butter . It smells like chocolate - just rub it between your hands to get it soft first. Other good options you’re likely to have around are Vaseline or oil. Really rub your heels and any calloused spots so that the skin gets warm and can absorb more. Don’t forget your nails and toes.
6. Put on some soft cotton socks so the good stuff really sinks in and you don’t leave footprints. Leave the socks on overnight if you can.

In the a.m. your feet will be attention-ready for every Sun Salutation.