Abstract: A foot and ankle strengthening device is an apparatus used to provide stimulus to muscles typically weakened in people who suffer from various foot and ankle problems, particularly plantar fasciitis. A pair of angled surfaces is used to reinforce healthy foot arches. The apparatus comprises a first foot-bracing platform, a second foot-bracing platform, a textured roller, and an elongated balance block. The first foot-bracing platform is a surface against which a user may place a foot for support and appropriate positioning. Similarly, the second foot-bracing platform provides a surface for the user's opposite foot. The textured roller is a generally cylindrical device that enables the user to apply targeted pressure to specific pieces of the user's foot or ankle. The elongated balance block is a generally rectangular prism-shaped protrusion that, in the preferred usage of the apparatus, provides the contact point with the ground.

Abstract: The invention includes an exercise mat that provides intuitive tactile feedback allowing a user to determine body placement using the sense of touch. The invention enables visually impaired users to determine location and/or direction on the mat. The invention includes devices to assist a user in correct foot and hand placements during a yoga posture sequence, an exercise program, a dance routine, and so forth. Tactile markers for hand and foot placement enable discerning a reference marker as either intended for hand or foot, right side or left side, and forward or backward. The invention makes yoga more accessible to the visually impaired and enables a user to participate in mainstream yoga communities. The invention can be used for the practice of yoga in a class setting in schools for the blind, in public or private studios, or at home. The mat can be used in a yoga class to follow instructions with more ease and independence.