Barefoot With Nature

How to Ground Yourself

Categories: Barefooting, Spiritual, Things You Should To Know

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefooting, Benefits of grounding, Earthing, Grounding, Grounding Rod, Static, Water

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Published on: April 4, 2012

In my last post I introduced the concept of physical grounding, and the benefits to being grounded. If you haven’t read my last post then you can find it here: Grounding.

How Grounding Seems To Affect Me

Since I have discovered grounding and the benefits I have been noting my general demeanour throughout the day, and when I’m grounded and when I’m not, however without the equipment to measure the charge that I am holding or the level of grounding that I have attained it is hard to know the extent that grounding actually affects me.

What I can say is that I have noted a change within me when and for several hours after I have been grounded. It does seem as though I get some sort of mystical energy boost. I do seem to have more energy I also seem to have a far greater clarity of thought and generally I feel better, more alive. But as I say without knowing the how grounded I am all the time it is hard to know how much of this I can be attributed to being grounded, but it does look as though there is some correlation.

Quick, Cheap and Easy Grounding!

As some of you may know I have a science background and education, which means that I do have a full understanding of the mechanics of grounding that said there is still more to learn, so I sort advice from an electrician friend.

Interesting Facts

My friend past on a lot of practical information about grounding or earthing yourself that I will go into more details in a minute but he also passed on other snippets of information that I thought were very interesting.

Number 1 – Barefoot and Carpet

If like me you are a barefooter at home (I know that more people walk around barefoot in their own homes than outside) and, like me, your home is carpeted, you are in fact counteracting all the grounding benefits that you get outside as soon as you walk in the house.

Let me explain, most carpets have some nylon content, unless you have 100% wool carpets! Nylon is a manmade or artificial polymer; some of its properties are its strength, durability, and the cheap cost of production, which all make it the perfect additive to carpets and floor coverings. However another property is its ability to generate static electricity and electrical charge.

Walking on carpet (which contains nylon) will almost instantly charge you up, so after that lovely barefoot walk on the bare Earth, you come home grounded and relaxed and within 5 minutes of being in the house you’re once again full of charge!

His recommendation is to wear rubber soled slippers or shoes around the house if you have carpets or rugs that have any nylon in them. (Arrrr no not shoes!!!!) Or rip the carpets up!

Number 2 – Grounding Though the Feet

The easiest and quickest way to ground yourself is to stand with your bare feet on bare soil! I even thought that walking on rocks or gravel paths or even concrete or tarmac pavements would have the same effect, but it seems that my friend knows different.

The further you are from the bare earth, and it is the bare earth that is important, the less efficient your grounding will be, to stand on MUD (barefoot) is the most efficient way to ground yourself. The pavements and roads are insulators (apart from in certain conditions) and do not ground you effectively, the same applies to gravel paths (but not sandy beaches). Grassed areas are also good for grounding and even more so when the grass is wet, which brings me to the next point my friend raised.

Number 3 – The Importance of Water

Water is a fantastic conductor of charge, which is why you never find electric sockets in bathroom in the UK, sharing a bath or shower with an electrical appliance is a recipe for death by electrocution.

This fact can help us in a number of ways; first a wet pavement or road will ground you! It’s the surface water that is carrying the charge away from you. Wet mud or wet grass are both excellent grounding conduits far better than when dry. As eluded to in the videos in the last post, you are grounded when you’re in the shower, or if you are sat in a bath with the water running, again it’s the water that is carrying the charge away.

In fact in the old days houses used to be earthed via the cold water pipes, in the days when water pipes where metal. Nowadays water pipes are plastic and don’t have the same earthing affect, they don’t have any earthing effect.

Water is also important for grounding in one of the methods that I will discuss in a moment.

Practicalities of Grounding Yourself at Home

Here I am looking at grounding yourself while you are in your house, once outside barefoot against bare earth (ideally damp earth) is the quickest way to ground ourselves.

What we need is:

1) A link between Us and the Earth

2) A connection to the Earth

3) A connection to our bare skin

Bridging the Gap between Us and the Earth

This is easy! A length of copper wire like that which is used in all house hold appliances, long enough to give you the movement that you require, the thicker the wire the more effective it will be at providing an earth.

A Connection to the Earth

The first method is via a grounding rod. A grounding rod is a metal, normally copperbonded, rod that is around 1.3 metres in length (the longer the better). This is hammered into the ground so that the majority of the rod is below ground level, ideally almost all of the rod should be hammered into the ground. This is a simple, cheap and effective way or creating an electrical earth. However in order for the grounding rod to be effective it must be hammered into mud or ideally clay, it must not be hammered into or through rubble, hardcore or anything else that is not soil or clay. To do so will effectively render it useless and a good earth will not be made. Also you must keep the rod and ground around it wet, which means that during the dry months you will have to tip a bucket of water over your grounding rod every day. If the ground around the rod becomes dry it loses its effectiveness and a good earth will not gained. It is also worth noting that when hammering the grounding rod into the ground that you make sure that you are nowhere near any of your domestic supplies, like gas, electricity or water supplies. If any of these are ruptured the consequences could be dire! Once in place, your linking wire (Bridging the Gap above) is then connected to the top of the rod and run into the house to the spot where you want to ground yourself.

The second method is to use the electricity supple that comes into your home. The electric supply has an earth wire. This earth wire is a direct electrical connection to the earth and it is an effective earth. However there is also a word of caution here the electrical earth in your electric supply may not be as effective as it should be. This could be for any number reasons, so before using the earthing wire of your electric supply PLEASE HAVE YOUR EARTH WIRE CHECKED BY A COMPETENT ELECTRICIAN. To use this option all that is needed is an electrical plug, like those on any house hold appliance. REMOVE ALL WIRES FROM THE PLUG and then fit just a single wire (the link wire from above) to the earth pin (ensure that the wire does not come into contact with the other pins). If you have any doubts get it checked by an electrician.

The third option is to use the central heating system; this really is only effective for water filled heating systems. Your home’s central heating system should also be connected directly to the earth, but again this needs to be checked by a competent electrician. This time the link wire is connected to one of your central heating pipes, in order to do this the easiest way is remove a small section of the paint (if the pipes are painted) just above floor level with some sand or emery paper until the copper of the pipe is shiny, then use a jubilee clip to hold the link wire to the copper pipe.

A Connection to our Bare Skin

The best way to connect to our bare skin is to use grounding mats and/or grounding sheets, however these are not cheap, they are effective but the cost could be prohibitive. Alternatives include an anti-static band, which is a strap that can be placed around your wrist or ankle, and again is effective and far more cost efficient; although it must be in connection with your bare skin to work. An even cheap option is just a bare wire or small metal plate that you can put your foot or hand on when you want to earth yourself, for example while your sat at your computer or watching the television.

All of these methods work and are safe, it really comes down to personal preference and cost at the end of the day as which works best for you.

Before I go

Once I have had the electrical system and central heating system in my house checked for effectiveness and safety I will be trying out these various options, with intention of passing on the information to you. It won’t be in the next post but hopefully I will have explored some of these options that I have spoken about over the next month or so.

One last point, electrics can be very dangerous if you have any doubts or don’t know what you are doing please contact a professional for advice and assistance.

Grounding

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting, Things You Should To Know, With Nature

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefooting, Benefits of grounding, Earthing, Grounding, Nature, Walking, Well Being

Comments: 3 Comments

Published on: March 26, 2012

I kind of stumbled into the barefoot lifestyle, for no other reason than I really liked the feeling underfoot and that it seemed to be something that I should be doing. Both of which are reason enough for me to do anything.

Following My Feelings

Barefooting is one of those things that, once I cast aside my shoes and boots and planted my bare feet squarely on the bare Earth; I knew that it was most definitely the ‘thing’ for me. What has amazed me is that after I started barefooting I have come across web sites, video clips and articles giving more and more facts as to why I had done the right thing. You see for me I knew very few of the benefits of the barefoot lifestyle until after I had embraced it fully.

Just goes to show that I was right in following my barefoot feelings!

Grounding

Grounding is one of those benefits that I didn’t fully appreciate until I watched the series of video clips that I have included below. After I had finished watching the fifth and final clip, I really wanted to know more, so I viewed several other video clips and web sites about grounding and they are bore out the same message and the same benefits.

I’m not going to go into loads of detail about Grounding and the benefits, as the five clips below cover everything and do it far more succinctly in just over 30 minutes of video than I can in the small amount of space that I have available to me here. However I will cover off some of the major points and benefits.

What Is Grounding?

So what is grounding? Grounding is the process of physically connecting ourselves to the Earth, the plant Earth. There are several ways that this can be done; barefoot walking on the bare ground or grass is one way, as is swimming in the sea or a river. Others ways involve having a physical connection (via bare skin) to something or someone who is grounded.

We as human being are essentially complex, dense energy fields, we are pure energy; energy is the most fundamental building block from which we are made, even more basic than molecules and atoms.

As energy fields we have or can acquire an electrical charge, you’ll know this if you have ever touched something metal and received an electric shock.

If we are disconnected from the Earth, as we go about our day to day business, we will start to build up an electric charge, most of the time this is almost unnoticeable (apart from when it builds up to the point of discharging when you touch something metal).

Placing our bare skin against the bare Earth is the quickest and easiest way to remove this electrical build up. It literally earths us in much the same way that an electrical appliance is earthed, any charge that we are carrying is instantly neutralised by the planet Earth.

From a barefoot perspective it is interesting to note that the most electrically conductive parts of our bodies are the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet!

Why Ground Ourselves?

Our natural state is to be electrically neutral, having no charge whatsoever, neither positive or negative. In order for our bodies to function at an optimal efficiency it needs to have no charge, it needs to be neutral, in its natural state.

This is what grounding does for us, it neutralises any electrical charge so that our bodies can operate at peak efficiency, and when our bodies are operating at peak efficiency then so does our mind.

What Are The Benefits?

The benefits of being grounded for prolonged periods; for example while working on your computer, sitting watching the television or while sleeping, are numerous but here are just some of the benefits that have been reported.

Reduced inflammation.
Reduction of certain pain.
Increased longevity.
Separating of clumping blood cells.
Reduced stress and anxiety.
Improved sleep.
Improved creativity (increased activation of the left hemisphere of the brain).
Increased calmness.
Reduced calcification.
Stabilisation of Circadian Rhythms.

… and so the list goes on.

Is This True?

The honest answer is I haven’t looked fully in the research behind all these claims; however what I will say is that these claims do not just come from this series of video clips these claims are made by many different people from around the globe, over a number of years, but please research them yourself and if I’m wrong then tell me.

What I will say is this, every time I go for a walk especially if I’ve had a stressful time, within about 10 minutes of my bare feet hitting the bare earth I can physically feel my anxiety and stress levels drop, sometimes I’ve even had what can only be described as the sensation of mild euphoria when walking on the bare soil. I guess that would be the grounding!

Also there is one place in my house where I spend a large portion of time, a place where I seem to do all my best thinking, where all my best creative ideas are born, the place where I’m struck by flashes of inspiration the most. This place is in my kitchen! I have a spot in the kitchen where I sit on the worktop (I know kitchen worktops are not a place for sitting before anyone says anything). However since the day I moved in I have always sat there to ponder and think. This spot places my feet on the edge of the kitchen sink draining board. In the UK metal kitchen sinks have to be earthed by law, so in my favourite spot I sit with my feet touching an earth point, I am literally earthed when I’m sat in this spot. Could being grounded be the reason that I have most of my best ideas while sat there?

Grounding Ourselves

After I watched the first of these videos I was struck by the importance of grounding, for me there are two situations when I would want to be grounded. The first is when I’m a sleep and the second is when I’m sat in front of my computer, as I am now.

In my next post I will be explaining why I feel that it’s so important to be grounded at these two times and I will also be looking at ways to ground ourselves no matter where we are, because it really is something that feels to me as though it’s so very important, and it’s something that I believe we can do without spending a fortune on fancy gadgets and gismos.

The Video Clips

Here are the five video clips that I mentioned; David Wolfe does a very good job at introducing the subject in a manner that most can understand. There are a few anomalies in his scientific explanation and logic on some of the things he discusses but his basic principles are sound, and further more he conducts the entire lecture barefoot!

Grounding Part 1

Grounding Part 2

Grounding Part 3

Grounding Part 4

Grounding Part 5

Be-ing YOU!

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting, Spiritual

Tags: Authentic self, Be who you are, Be-ing, Being You, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Release, Letting go

Comments: No Comments

Published on: March 12, 2012

You are AWESOME; you are AMAZING; you are truly WONDERFUL.
There is no other person a live that is just like you, in fact there has never been and never will be another person just like you, you are truly unique.

This is me, being me, I am what the world sees and hears. Nothing more nothing less

So Are You Be-ing You?

No! That is a serious question, one that I ask myself often. When I do something out of my normal or say something that I wouldn’t normally say, I have to question myself am I being me? Or am I being someone else, am I being the person that others want me to be, am I being the person that society and the media want me to be. Am I trying to fit in?

Fitting in is okay, don’t get me wrong. Fitting in is just fine if that is the true you.

Do you ever question if the clothes you wear are really you or are just wearing them just they’re fashionable or because your friends and peers are wearing them? Or are you wearing them because they are you?

Do you ever think about what you say and do and question if you are doing these because that is what is expected, or because it looks and/or sounds cool, or because that’s exactly what your friends and peers do? Or are you saying and doing what you are, because that is the authentic you?

So how much of what the world sees is REALLY you?

As I said; you ARE awesome; you ARE amazing; you ARE truly wonderful. There is no other person a live that is JUST like you, in fact there has never been and never will be another person just like you, you ARE truly unique. So why are you hiding?

So why aren’t you being you?

The honest answer is I don’t know, there could be a multitude of reasons, things that you’re not letting go of, or emotions that you haven’t dealt with, a whole host of reasons.

Why Should I be Me?

There are as many reasons why you should be you as there are things stopping you. Contentment, inner peace and calm, clarity of thought are just some that jumped to mind.

Be-ing YOU!

At some point or other we all slip from be-ing our authentic selves in to being someone else, a someone else that fits in, tries to be cool, needs to be accepted, or whatever. It happens, but once we recognise that that person is not us then we can make changes so that we can become who we are; we can BE.

Fitting In Barefoot

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, barefoot lifestyle, Barefooting, Comprise, Five Finger Shoes, footwear, lifestyle choice, wearing shoes

Comments: No Comments

Published on: February 21, 2012

For many, like myself, barefoot is a lifestyle choice, it is not just a hobby, or a pastime, nor is it just something to do on a warm summer’s day. Its part of the way we live or lives, it is part of who we are at this point in time.

This weekend has taught me some important lessons about my barefoot lifestyle, and fitting in with those around me.

At the moment in the majority of the Western world barefooters are in the minority, in fact we are a very small minority. If we’re not prepared to fit in from time to time then life could become very lonely and we will become more and more alienated.

Be Diplomatic

The reason behind this lifestyle choice, for some shoefooters we meet and know, is for the most part unimportant. I know that many people just have an objection to bare feet in public, that is their choice and they have their reasons. Reasons which to us may seem just as alien or illogical as the reasons for us being barefoot are to them, we are all unique and all have different opinions, it’s a fact of life on planet Earth.

For the most part these people have formed an opinion or belief about being barefoot and barefoot in public and unfortunately we just have to accept that fact, plain and simple. If we accept that their opinion differs greatly to ours, then we have taken the first step towards getting them to accept our opinions about barefooting. (Please note that there is a difference between acceptance and agreement, we can accept their opinions without having to agree with them).

No matter how much ranting and raving or shouting and screaming you do at these people, face the fact, you are NOT going to change their opinion. In fact, all you’ll end up doing is getting angry and frustrated, and even worse than that you’ll be labelled as a barefoot trouble maker, and another person or group of people will start alienating barefooters.

There are times to stand up and be counted and there times to walk away silently, choose wisely because how you act could determine how this person approaches other barefooters (or yourself) in the future.

Educated Don’t Segregate

Now not every shoefooter falls into this opinionated camp, in fact I would say that most don’t, but we do have to be aware of those who have very strong or ingrained opinions. Many shoefooters will simply be curious want to know more, want to know the reasons why, and so on.

These people may have an opinion but are more open-minded or they may not have an opinion or may not care one way or the other, but these people are the ones that we can educate. They most often will ask questions, they even make a flippant comment like “Where’s your shoes Mister?”

Personally I receive these sorts of flippant comments quite regularly and sometimes they even seem quite aggressive. But I’ve come to the opinion that most of the time these comments, no matter how they are delivered, are actually genuine enquires.

Many people, especially teenagers, don’t have the confidence to approach a stranger and say “Excuse me but I couldn’t help noticing that you’re wearing no shoes….” instead they’ll shout across the street “Where’s your shoes Mister?”

It also worth remembering that some of the shoefooters who fall into this group, could be the restaurant worker who turns you away for not having shoes on, or the supermarket security guard who stops you at the doors because of your bare feet. These people are doing the job that they are paid to do, if the opportunity to educate is there then educate and walk away, you won’t win a battle with someone who is just doing their job.

Don’t Flaunt It

It’s obvious to the normally observant person that you have bare feet! There is no need to show them! Some people will make certain lifestyle choices and then flaunt it to all and sundry in order to get a reaction. Unfortunately the majority of these reactions will just reinforce those opposing opinions that people have about being barefoot.

Don’t Make Assumptions

Just because people see us barefoot doesn’t mean that they know or understand that being barefoot is a lifestyle choice! They don’t know that the only footwear you own is an old pair of scandals somewhere at the back of the wardrobe. They won’t understand that you are reluctant to put on a pair of shoes, let alone the reasons why. Not unless you tell them.

Consider that most people (in our society) wear shoes, consider also that these people assume that everyone has at least one pair of shoes; they assume this because that is the case for them, that is what they consider normal. Unless you tell them otherwise that is what they’ll assume about you.

We often assume that because we’re barefoot all the time that people will instantly know that it’s a lifestyle choice, they don’t.

Believe me when I say that this just doesn’t apply to strangers we meet in the street, this applies to family and friends, especially if you’re relatively new to barefooting.

Comprise is best

If we want people to make comprises for our lifestyle choices then we have to make comprises for their lifestyle choices, and this could include putting on some footwear, I’m sorry to have to say this but if we want others to comprise then we may have to make the first step.

If barefooting is to be accepted as a ‘normal’ part of society then on occasions we’ll have to meet society halfway, it’s foolish of us to think that others will always comprise for us, it’s a two way street and comprise comes from both directions.

There are times, for example formal functions like a Wedding or a Funeral, where society is under the general belief that shoes should be worn, whether you agree or not, if you want to attend then you’ll have to make the sacrifice required (at least for part of the time), and that is putting on some footwear. Of cause you could just decline such invitations, but that will bring up the question why and if mentioned that you’re not prepared to comprise then all you’re doing is flaunting the fact you’re a barefooter and reinforcing those opposing opinions, you’ll also miss out on the function.

It’s a Fine Line

There is a fine line that we must walk barefoot along, on one side is acceptance and the other alienation, how we act determines the future for all barefooters.

I Can See With My Feet!

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefoot Senses, Barefooting, Meassage, Refexology, See with your feet, Walking

Comments: 2 Comments

Published on: February 14, 2012

I have mentioned in several other posts that sometimes, especially in The Woods at night that I feel that I can see with my feet. That my feet guide me as to whether or not I am on the path and heading the right direction, I have referred to this as seeing with my feet, although I don’t actually see with my feet, the sensory input that I gain from being barefoot tells me an awful lot about the ground over which I am walking.

200,000 Nerve Endings!

The human foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles and over 200,000 nerve endings! Just think about that for a minute. The majority of these nerve endings are also on the sole of the foot, the human foot is designed to have one of the body’s richest concentrations of sensory neurons.

With so many sensory neurons in the soles of our feet, it’s hardly surprising that so many people have ticklish feet!

Reflexology

The practice of reflexology involves applying subtle pressures to various points on the sole of the feet (as well as other parts of the foot, the hands and the ears). It has been shown that various parts of the foot correspond to different parts or areas of the body. Applying pressure to specific parts of the foot creates a physical change in the corresponding part of the body.

There is a reasonable amount of evidence that massaging the feet does release tension and stimulate physical changes within specific parts of the body. The exact reasoning behind this mechanism is unclear, but as reflexology has been around for several millennia, and based on its longevity it cannot be dismissed instantly out of hand.

Bearing in mind the number of nerve ending in the foot, it is hardly surprising that stimulating them has a direct affect of the corresponding part of the body.

Just thinking about the contention between reflexology and being barefoot, it would seem to me that with every barefoot step that I take I am receiving a mini reflexology session. This calming or relaxing affect that stimulating the foot neurons by barefoot walking, is something that I can personally testify to.

Barefooting

The sheer number of nerve endings in the sole of the foot would imply that the foot has evolved, partly, to transmit information from and about our environment to our brains, as well as providing us with a way to get from A to B!

Modern shoes pretty much act as a blindfold for your feet, providing a sensory barrier between your foot and your environment. Effectively ‘blinding’ you to the ground on which you walk, yet just another good reason to go barefoot!

Foot design by Morgan -

Barefooting – The Benefits

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefoot benefits, Barefooting, Nature, Shamanic, The Woods, Walking

Comments: 8 Comments

Published on: January 6, 2012

I have spoken about the dangers of going barefoot in ‘Barefooting – The Dangers’, I now want to have a look at the benefits of going barefoot. I discussed the dangers first as this seems to be the most commonly asked questions when strangers approach me.

The Benefits

The dangers of going barefoot are factual, sharp stones, glass, cold etc. the benefits or reasons why people go barefoot however are far more subjective. There are probably as many reasons why people go barefoot as there are people without shoes (discounting third world countries).

Lower Back and Leg Pain

I know many people wander into barefooting for medical reasons. The most common conditions or irritations are back and lower limb joint pain of one sort or another; these people are normally but not exclusively runners.

We are all unique individuals with a unique make-up and design, we all walk differently, distribute our weight differently and move differently and there is no shoe designer that can accommodate every possible configuration and shape of the human body. This means that any shoe (unless you are extremely lucky) will cause you to alter your natural gait slightly, this can be seen in the way different people wear down the soles of their shoes differently. Going barefoot allows you to move naturally the way you were designed to, with altering your gait, this means that there is no unnatural pressure on the lower body, result no pain!

Balance

One benefit that is often reported is improved balance.

Here’s a little experiment for shoe wearers (it will need two people); With shoes on stand on one foot, without any support get a (trusted) friend to gently sway you side to side or back to front and notice how difficult or easy it is to maintain your balance. Now take your shoes (and socks off) and try again. This time you’ll find that with bare feet you’ll be able to keep your balance far better.

Walking barefoot increases both the flexibility and strength of the muscles in your feet (something that shoes have previously done for you). This increased strength is what gives you that additional balance. Have you have wondered why gymnasts compete barefoot?

Verrucas, Athletes Foot, Corns and Other Nastiness

Most complaints of this nature come from having your feet in warm, damp conditions for prolonged periods. Obviously being barefoot allows the foot to naturally condition itself and provides an environment where these conditions cannot survive let alone thrive.

Not all conditions of this nature are caused by the warm damp conditions in a shoe, some are caused by the shoe itself, especially if you have unusually shaped feet that don’t fit into shoes. The shoe can and does apply pressure to certain parts of the foot resulting in corns and bunions. No shoe, no corns!

Also it is recognised that being barefoot helps those with flat foot, due to the strengthening of the foot muscles from being shoeless.

Spiritual

The reason why I started barefooting was a more spiritual reason. To cut a long story short I went on week’s Shamanic retreat where the Apache trained Shaman actively encouraged us to go barefoot for the week… and I just never put shoes back on! The primary reason why we were encouraged to go barefoot was so that we could feel the ground beneath our feet, so that we could walk with Nature with the minimum amount of disturbance. It is almost impossible to walk through a wood with complete anonymity with any form of footwear on.

Being barefoot, especially in Nature, does give you a direct and physical connection to the Earth and Nature. It literally grounds and in some cases energies you. Remaining grounded, which is quite literally that, achieving an energetic or electrically neutral state, is I believe a most fundamental part of our overall well-being.

There are any number of Spiritual practices that recommend being barefoot, and I have spoken of one on here before; Sun Gazing.

It’s Natural

Shoes have often been seen as a symbol of civilisation. However if you look at the majority of the Earth’s indigenous cultures they are all barefoot! Some of these indigenous cultures are anything but uncivilised; take the Ancient Egyptians although they had sandals they were reserved for special occasions only. There are still cultures in the modern world where barefooting is a part of everyday life; New Zealand and Australia are prime examples.

It is a perfectly natural state to be in, and before anyone says “so is being naked!” a bare foot is more socially acceptable than a bare backside!

I Like It!

Finally, we come to the reason cited by most; they just plain like the feeling of the ground beneath a bare sole.

Being barefoot does allow you to feel, or as the Shaman told us, see with your feet (this is true if you walk through a wood at night under a New Moon with no artificial light, the only way you can stay on the tracks is by seeing with your bare feet!)

The change in texture and temperature under foot as you move through any terrain be it a city street or a remote forest is one of the most amazing feelings that you can have, try it you might be surprised

Are You Barefoot?

Before I finish I must say that I am NOT a medical person and as such some of my comments relating foot pathology and physiology are all from the research that I done and I cannot testify to them being medically correct.

So are you a barefooter? If so please tell us why you started out on the barefoot lifestyle.

Barefoot Yule 2011

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefoot Yule, Barefooting, Yule

Comments: 3 Comments

Published on: December 23, 2011

Part of being barefoot, for me, is the experience of the changing underfoot conditions as the seasons change. Winter brings with it a whole new barefoot experience.

The cold of the pavement adds a whole new feel to the hardness of the tarmac. The crunch of the frozen grass and the prickle of the snow bring my feet alive. The wet of the rain soaked land, the coldness of the puddles of water and of course the sensation of having mud oozing between your toes (don’t knock it you haven’t experienced it!).

In an effort to try and get people to have a winter barefoot experience I asked a number of people if they would be prepared to cast their shoes aside for five minutes and pose for some barefoot photographs on Yule (21 December) and here are the photos that I got back.

Not the bare feet I was thinking of but certainly very welcome at the Yule gathering!

Me and with two pairs of bare feet!

Michelle Harwood… Still with Doc-Martins in hand… but not on foot!

Richard ‘Pilch’ Wise embracing the Yule barefoot experience

Yours truly.

Melanie Banks

Sammy Banks

Mel, Sammy and myself

My feet warming by the Yule fire

Richard ‘Pilch’ Wise… believe me he didn’t step in the Yule fire… not on this occasion

I will be doing the same for the Vernal Equinox, the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox, so keep an eye out for future posts if you want to be added to the barefoot gallery

Blissfully Barefoot

Chris

Barefooting – The Dangers

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefooting, Challenges, Cold, Common Sense, Expanding Awareness, Five Finger Shoes, Vibram

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Published on: December 19, 2011

Isn’t It Dangerous Being Barefoot?

This is normally the opening statement that I am presented with whenever anyone approaches me to talk about why I have no shoes on. Because this does seem to be the main concern that stops people going barefoot I thought that this would be a good place to start when talking about barefooting.

Both the city and the country have a number of different challenges when being barefoot but at the end of the day if you apply a little common sense then you’ll be fine. Here are some of the concerns that have been raised to me, and my usual replies.

Unhygienic

It’s true you don’t know what germs and bacteria are lurking around on the pavement or the floor of the wood. However the skin on your feet WILL protect you from these nasties. That’s provided you don’t have any open cuts or sores – use common sense, if you have a cut or a sore then it’ll probably be best to put something on your feet.

This is more of a city issue than a country issue, in the country the main problem is animal faeces, especially those left by inconsiderate dog owners (a pet peeve of mine). Leaf mould and grass are both astringents and both mildly antiseptic, and there are a host of other plants that you can use to clean your feet off should you wish.

Generally speaking I’ll wash my feet off when I return home, and if I do happen to step in something unsavoury then there is nearly always some water somewhere (or plants, leaves and grass) that can be used to clean your feet.

Obviously going barefoot and chewing you toe nails is NOT a good combination

Disease and Parasites

I have had people ask about parasites, from what I have found it would seem that Hook Worm is the main culprit here. In countries with good sanitation Hook Worm is NOT be a problem (I am referring to human Hook Worm).

Hook Worm does invade the host by burrowing through the skin on the feet to enter the blood stream and believe that you can feel this happening. For those who are constantly barefoot the skin on the sole of your feet would be too thick and tough for the larva to penetrate, they can however burrow in through the skin between your toes.

In order for the Hook Worm larva to reach the point where they start needing a new host they require very specific conditions to grow, mainly warm moist environments (the cold, heat and dry or very wet will kill the larva) and they take around 5 days to mature from being past out of the host. They also ONLY come from human faeces!

So, unless you’re standing still on a spot where an infected person defecated within the last 5 days, you’re safe. Modern sanitary conditions have all but eliminated human Hook Worm; it is no longer considered an issue in the majority of the world.

As regards diseases, most diseases of the foot are as a result of wearing either poorly fitting or inappropriate shoes! And most, like Athletes Foot, only thrive in the warm damp conditions provided by socks and shoes.

I would say if you are a regular barefooter (or even if you’re not) then it’s not a bad idea to keep your Tetanus shots up to date.

Sharp Stones and Glass

Sharp stones are more of an issue in the country and broken glass more of an issue in the city, but both can have the same affect!

Personally I have found neither to be too much of a problem. One of the things that you develop as a regular barefooter is a more tuned in awareness. An awareness of where you’re going and what is on the floor in front of you. I have often found myself unconsciously wandering around a patch of broken glass or exposed sharp stones.

Also the more you walk barefoot the harder or more durable the soles of your feet become, offering some protection against glass and sharp stones. I wouldn’t purposefully walk over broken glass, but I have accidentally walked through a patch of broken glass with no adverse effects, but it’s not something that I would consciously try again!

I have only had two shards of glass stick into my feet; the first time was in the first month of going barefoot when my soles were still soft. This didn’t hurt and was easily pulled out with my finger nails, no bleeding and no pain. The second time was more recently and the only thing that alerted me to the fact that I had something stuck in the bottom of my foot was that feeling of walking with a small stone in your shoe. This was a little trickier to remove, but again it was pulled out with my finger nails and no bleeding and no pain. Interestingly both times I have had a glass encounter it has been in the arch of my foot where the skin is thinner and not so tough.

Cuts and Bruises

Cuts and bruises generally come from being careless or not considering your feet.

Bruising is normally an issue in the early days of barefooting or after a very long walk on a hard surface. The bruising is caused by continual heavy foot falls, as your feet harden off bruising becomes less of a problem, the muscles and flesh of your feet and lower legs become used to the impact from being barefoot. Remember that your shoes cushion the bottom of your feet, so when starting out take it easy and build up slowly.

Also trying to walk toe to heel instead of heel to toe, it takes some getting used to, but it does lessen the impact of being barefoot on both your feet and legs and will help reduce bruising.

Chilblains or Frost-bite

I do love to be barefoot, and do try to be barefoot as much as possible. BUT when I can’t feel my toes I know that’s time to put on my Vibrams. It’s just common sense!

Is It Against The Law?

There are no laws prohibiting being barefoot in public in the USA or UK, and this includes driving. Obviously this doesn’t apply to the work place; there are certain work places that require employees to wear shoes or boots of one sort or another.

There are also no general laws that prohibit barefooters from going into restaurants or other shops and stores, however each individual premises or company is entitled to refuse admission based on the their own dress code or barefoot policy, this does give them the right to stop you going in but it doesn’t make being barefoot illegal.

The Barefoot Lifestyle

The barefoot life style is no more dangerous than any other life style so long as you apply common sense. If you walk around with a gapping cut on the bottom of your foot it will most likely get infected. If you run head long through a bramble patch you will most likely get thorns in your feet. If you walk around for hours in sub-zero temperature you most likely will get frost-bite.

I tend to carry my Vibrams around with me if I’m going on a long walk or a major excursion into the city, only just in case… you never really know what you’ll encounter… but that’s part of the fun!

If you have anything to add please feel free to use the comments below, or if you feel that I’ve missed something out, or just to let me know how you’ve got on being barefoot.

Barefoot… The Start

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefooting, Scandals, Shamanic, Sore Feet, The Woods, Walking

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Published on: December 5, 2011

I know that going barefoot isn’t everyone’s taste or thing; however I personally would recommend that you try it for a while before you make up your mind.

The reasons for going barefoot are different for everyone; I have talked about the reasons why I go barefoot, for me it started out as a more Spiritual way of being and has slow has become more of a way of life. I now realise that I don’t want to go back to wearing to shoes or boots… barefoot is the only way forward for me.

Starting Off

I want to tell you how I went about starting to become a barefooter.

It all started on a week’s Shamanic retreat, on the South Downs, in England. For that week we were encouraged to go barefoot for the whole week. The entire week was spent in the woods, and although there was plenty of leaf-cover on the ground the woods are also home to a number of Holly trees and Sweet Chestnut trees!

Holly leaves are very unpleasant and at times painful to walk or stand on, but they have nothing on the Sweet Chestnut shells that are scattered around the floor of the woods! The husks from the Beech nuts are also objectionable to bare feet!

With so many potentially sharp things to stick into our feet the first thing that we were shown is how to walk ‘properly’ barefoot in the woods, but it can be applied to general walking as well.

The Walk

It’s really very simple, instead of walking heel to toe, you walk toe to heel. As you put your foot to the ground, the ball of your foot closest to your little toe makes contact first; you then bring down the rest of the ball of the foot, so that you can bare weight on the foot. Then finally you bring your heel down to the ground.

At first this does seem like a very strange way to walk, but it’s something that I would recommend that you practice as it’s a method of walking that has got me out of some potentially painful pavement spots. Walking like this is not a quick way to walk, but then ‘route marching’ barefoot isn’t something that I would recommend anyway!

There are two advantages to walking this way; the first is that you can feel underfoot anything that is sharp or uncomfortable before you bare your full weight onto it, giving you the chance to adjust where you put your foot. The Second advantage is that walking in this way is also far gentler on your joints. Shoes and boots cushion the impact of you foot falls on your leg joints, in the early days of barefooting I found that walking normally especially on tarmac and concrete was jarring my knees.

Use Common Sense

For me, I started slowly, introducing my feet and lower legs to the idea of being barefoot. To start with I would wear scandals while walking on tarmac and concrete and as soon as I was in an area where I could walk predominantly on grass, soil or leaves my scandals would come off. It did mean lots of on and off with the scandals but I found this was best for me.

I then slowly started to introduce longer walks on concrete and tarmac, until I found that I could leave the house barefoot, walk into town and back again, without the need for scandals. Because I was introducing the barefooting slowly I would always carry my scandals with me as a precaution.

It really is common sense, if your feet start getting sore or painful but on some scandals or flip flops!

Dealing With Sore Feet

At some point you are going to get sore feet, I still get sore feet especially if I have been walking on concrete or tarmac for several hours, admittedly nowhere near as bad as when I first started, but it still happens every now again.

There are two methods of dealing with sore feet, and hardening your feet off that I am aware of, one I have tried the other I haven’t.

Now this is most definitely not going to be to everyone’s taste, and no doubt there will be a number of people of turn their noses up at the idea but the method that I have tried, and it has been very successful for me, especially in that first week in the woods. Is to urinate on the soles of your feet!

Yes you did read that correctly, this is something that I was told about by an ‘Old School’ Sergeant in the Army, and it’s something that he recommended to all his new recruits, and IT WORKS! Urine as it leaves the body is sterile so there is no concern about infecting any small cuts or abrasions, obviously larger cuts should be treated with more conventional methods. Also something in the urine hardens of the skin as well as stopping or slowing down the formation of blisters.

I was finding myself ‘peeing’ on my feet at least once a day while in the woods and by the end of the week the skin on the soles of my feet were considerably tough than that on the feet of other members of the group.

The second method, and this was passed on to me more recently is to use a foot wash of potassium permanganate and surgical spirit, which apparently has the same effect as urine, and is considered more socially acceptable! Please Note that POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE IS TOXIC, so please research or seek advice before using.

Two Months Later

Using common sense and slowly getting my feet used to being barefoot, it took me about two months before I could happily wander into and around town for several hours barefoot without the need to use scandals or shoes.

Perhaps the winter months are not the best time to introduce your feet to the idea of going barefoot, but it really is something that I would suggest you try.

Blissfully Barefoot

Five Finger Shoes – The Test Walk

by Chris

Categories: Barefooting

Tags: Bare foot, Barefeet, Barefooting, Challenges, Cold, Five Finger Shoes, Frost Bite, Moccasins, Nature, The Woods, Walking

Comments: No Comments

Published on: November 25, 2011

This is a follow on or review from this post

I have invested in these to protect my feet against the cold (frost bite etc) primarily when walking on concrete or tarmac. (I nearly said when walking the streets but that would just bring up the wrong imagines!) Concrete and tarmac has a considerably lower temperature in the winter than the grass, soil, and the leaf beds of the wood floor. When walking in nature I will remain barefoot, unless the temperatures drop right down low and then I will be wearing the Moccasins that I had in the summer.

I would prefer to be barefoot all the time but in the interests of staying out of hospital and not losing any toes I felt that these were a good halfway house between barefoot and shoes for use on concrete and tarmac surfaces.

The Design

This design (there are several different designs, for different purposes made by Vibram) is the FLOW Five Finger Shoe, they are designed for trekking, walking, running, water sports, climbing; basically they are designed for the active outdoor person in cold weather.

The upper is 1.2 mm think Neoprene with two Hypalon straps with Velcro fasteners, one round the back of the foot and one across the top and the sole is 2mm Vibram TC-1 performance rubber with an antimicrobial microfiber foot-bed.

The Fit

They fit like gloves! Which is what they are meant to do, the whole shoe wraps around your foot, the sole is moulded in the general shape of your sole, including fitting into the arch of your foot. The upper it a tight fit, not unlike that of a wetsuit (the uppers are made from the same material).

They do require a ‘knack’ to get them on; they are most definitely not the type of shoe to just slip on! Fortunately a side-effect of walking barefoot is that your feet and toes spread which makes putting the Five Finger Shoe on a little easier. The only way that I can describe putting them on is like putting tight gloves on your feet.

The Feel

These ‘foot gloves’ are generally very comfortable once you get over the initial feeling of having your toes separated! The moulded sole fits perfectly around the sole of the foot and the two Velcro straps hold the shoe firmly in place. Although they really aren’t needed because the overall fit is so snug but I should imagine that as they wear in they could become looser.

Once on, with your toes in their individual ‘sleeves’ you have all the natural movement you would have with bare feet. You can move and wiggle your toes, bend and flex your foot, pretty much the shoe moves with the foot, which does look a little strange, especially with the metallic appearance (This design also comes in black if you don’t want to look like Metal Micky!) Despite the tight fit I didn’t find that they rubbed or became uncomfortable in anyway, in fact the tight fit makes them more a part of your own foot.

The Walking Experience

The thin soles do mean that you get much of the same sensation as walking barefoot. You can feel the ground beneath your feet, the change in textures, the change in the type of surface (you can feel the difference between concrete and tarmac and grass and soil). You also get all the sensations of what you are walking on, especially stepping on small stones and pebbles; you can even feel the cracks in the pavement!

The rubber sole and foot bed do provide some insulation against the cold of the ground. However these shoes are designed for active outdoor use and not just sitting or standing around. I found that when I was sat around (outside) that my feet did start to get cold but once I started moving my feet soon warmed up.

Although the soles do offer a level of thermal insulation I found that I could still feel the temperature change when moving from tarmac to grass and back again. My feet didn’t get cold but there was a noticeable temperature change.

The Neoprene upper is not waterproof so walking through water or wet grass does get your feet wet. On the plus side they then start acting more like a wetsuit and once the body temperature warms the water held in the Neoprene they keep your feet toasty warm!

Energetically the rubber soles do insulate you from the Earth, which does mean that you have less of the transfer of energy between you and the Planet. That said they are considerably better than wearing walking boots but not a good as my Moccasins (I will talk about my Moccasins at some point).

The Conclusion

Overall the Five Finger Shoes are really well made, they are comfortable and warm, they are a good alternative to being barefoot when the temperatures drop below freezing and are especially good for walking around town, on concrete or tarmac (surfaces that would destroy my Moccasins). Walking in The Woods and with Nature I feel that Moccasins are a better alternative purely based on the energetic transfer, however if this isn’t an issue for you then a pair of Five Finger shoes would be a great all round shoe.

One of the things that I like is that Vibram have a number of different designs in different colours, each tailored to a specific use so spending a little time looking at their website and you’ll find a pair that fits your need. So much so I many invest in another pair (they do a pair that are wool lined) for those times in the winter months when I’m sat around outside enjoying the company of others.

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