Full Article Here: https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/why-is-everyone-lifting-their-heels-in-yoga-poses/#_

Why is Everyone Lifting Their Heels in Yoga Poses? 

In ballet, it’s referred to as “relevé.” When you’re attempting to walk quietly, it’s called “tiptoeing.” And when you’re heading out on the town, it’s the shape you make when you slip into your stilettos.

Heel lifting may have been around since forever, although it rarely makes an appearance in yoga aside from Goddess or the occasional transition into an arm balance. Lately, however, Instagram influencers as well as anatomy-minded yoga teachers are suddenly relevéing everywhere—Low Lunge, Wheel, Chair, you name it.

So why, exactly, is it recently fashionable to lift your heel during your practice?

What lifting your heel in yoga can teach you

The explanation for the movement in ballet can be traced back to its elegant and sloping lines. Ballet is, after all, an art form.  Yoga and ballet each emphasize movement that is mindful and intentional, although the goal of yoga isn’t to create a look with our bodies but rather to experience a feeling and an awareness within ourselves.

That doesn’t mean we need to cast aspersion on the variation simply because it bears a pleasing aesthetic. There are actual biomechanical advantages to lifting your heel in various yoga poses, and the recent emphasis on functional movement, which attempts to help you become more aware of how you move in yoga and in everyday life, may be responsible for the inclusion of an occasional heel lift.

You may find that by incorporating this element to certain postures, you experience the poses—and your body—in an entirely different and beneficial way.

Keep Reading Here: https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/why-is-everyone-lifting-their-heels-in-yoga-poses/#_