......bare feet

Yogis,

It is officially time!!  The time to remove those shoes and begin to go barefoot on a consistent basis!

My feet wait all winter for this. When the ground finally warms, and I take off those confining, dark, constricting things we call footwear, my feet shriek with delight!  Free at last……free at last.  Hallelujah!! (as the chorus of angels sings in the background)

Everything begins with the feet………

I read a book recently about a doctor who works with older patients. The first thing he asks them to do is to remove their shoes.  He says he can read their story by looking at their feet.  What story do your feet tell?

Feet are not meant to be smashed into shoes and held in one position for twelve hours a day.  They are our second set of eyes.  Their job is to feel and send us messages about where we are and where we are headed.  When you look down and see your feet….. there you are.  They ground us. They make us present.

Our feet absorb the earth energy.  The energy of relaxation, steadiness and calm. When there is a constant layer of rubber between them and the dirt, they can no longer do their job. Why take medications when you can simply step on the dirt?

They are also supposed to be spread. Space between the toes and wide across the ball. A lifted arch in the center that becomes strong and defined through rooting down through the four corners of the feet and activating the inner calves and thighs. The arch is home to an important energy center– Pada Bandha. Through this center we make a direct connection to the pelvic floor. Wake up the feet, wake up the body!

Being barefoot is now coined ‘earthing’ and science has gotten involved. Studies finding that going shoeless may reduce inflammation in the body, strengthen the immune system and improve heart health. All I know is it it feels fantastic.

If you always have your shoes on, try going barefoot in the house first.  Have a basket or mat inside the front door to remind you to set those toes free. Then try the grass. The dirt. Step in a puddle and practice picking up sticks with your toes. It’s the old ‘use it or lose it’ to keep the feet strong, toned and alive. By the end of the summer with practice you may be able to walk on gravel!

My feet have a permanent ‘earth stain’ on them which can’t be removed with soap.  I wear it as a badge of honor.  I am hoping many of you have one soon.

Freedom,

SARAH