Namaste

I have walked barefoot on the Island all winter, morning, afternoon and at night. Here is what I have learned

- I like it. A lot.

-It feels good and that makes me happy

-I feel centred and balanced, way less stumbling and tripping on stuff. By nature I am a clumsy being but being barefoot makes you more aware of what is on the ground.

-I am more aware of my surroundings, I walk slower, so it feels like my eyes have been opened wider.

- Though you tend to walk slower you do feel quicker on your feet, almost bouncy and your feet just want to dance (gasp).

-Your foot feels danger before you actually put all your weight down on it thus preventing you from cutting or scraping your foot on anything. I haven't had one injury.

-The sensors on the bottom of your foot have better memory that your brain, so your foot remembers the "lay of the land" also preventing injury and keep you from stepping into a pot hole or from forgetting about that little drop.  

- It's easier to wash your foot than your shoes or flip flops, you can wash and dry and be on the road again in 2 minutes or less.

-You notice the different textures and how it feels on the bottom of your foot. Sometimes I am just walking along and all of a sudden I will  think "ohhh I like how this place feels".

- You notice the temperature of the ground, while the sand had gotten hot at times this winter it has never been unbearable. You notice when you are stepping on shaded areas and then back to warm areas, you do become more mindful of all your surroundings and the temperature.

-I have not once stepped in gum or dog shit or horse shit or anything unpleasant.

- It feels so gooood to wash your feet, it`s almost ceremonial, even if you wash your feel 5 times a day, it feels amazing every time. 

-Did I mention it feels good.

When I go to Mazatlan I do wear flip flops (reluctantly) I went to Mazatlan one evening with a friend and he as barefoot but I was wearing flip flops. At one point that sidewalk was made up of a different brick, one that is a little less common, little square ones with a different texture and just as I was thinking "I wish I was barefoot, I bet this would feel good" he says "ohhh you would like this, this feels good". I was annoyed at myself that I felt I couldn't go barefoot in the city and a bit jealous of him, he's been doing it longer than me, I'll get there yet. It's a mind and head thing...nothing more. It's hard to wash your brain again after it's been washed by society. Society has very strong soap.

The downside of all this, it will really hurt when I have to put my shoes on in the other country. It will be cold when I first get there so barefoot isn't even an option, going to work barefoot is not an option either, going into a store or restaurant barefoot there is not an option either. 

Here is what MindBodyGreen has to say about going barefoot, full article here 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17779/the-importance-of-going-barefoot-how-to-reclaim-your-feet.html

How often do you take your shoes off just to feel the grass between your toes, walk around the house barefoot because you can? My guess is probably not often enough ... 

Your feet are incredibly important and were designed to be mobile, otherwise you wouldn't have 26 bones in such a small body part. But feet that sit in shoes all day long (particularly high heels, steel-capped boots or any heavy, high-ankle or thick-soled shoe) are not happy feet. They need to breathe and have the freedom of movement.

Because of the amount of nerve endings found in the feet (more per square centimeter than any other part of the body) , they're your gateway to proprioception or, the awareness of where your body is in space. So imagine if your feet were stuck in thick-soled, flat shoes all day, not knowing if there was a need to alter your movement due to uneven ground, inclines, declines or changes in temperature. These are all important messages that should be received through your feet, but when they're constricted within shoes, the brain doesn't receive the feedback.

Furthermore, issues with and stiffness in your feet can eventually affect muscles and joints higher up in the kinetic chain, like ankles, knees, hips and spine. Paying attention to and exercising your feet can change pain experiences in other areas of your body ... never underestimate the importance of happy, healthy feet! Here are three things you can do to reclaim your feet.

And then there is all these.......

I believe........