Post by Barefoot Traveller on Aug 17, 2005 9:46:59 GMT -5
They separate us from Mother Earth: Shoes! A surprising thought – maybe! But true: Which part of our body would be in DIRECT touch with our environment throughout the day, 95% of the time we spend awake? Of course: Our feet! If things were normal, they would provide us with incredible sensual experiences wherever we go. IF… But most of us opt for a rather cruel alternative: Confining our feet to little – and almost always somehow ill-fitting – prisons made of the skin of dead animals or questionable synthetic materials. Wearing gloves all-year-round, even in the midst of summer, never being able to actually feel what we touch – how horrible would that be! But that’s exactly what we do with our feet, thus separating our soles from the surface of the planet which happens to be our home! How cruel, indeed! Energy can’t flow freely… And soon, deformation starts! The alternative? Living barefoot! I’m doing it for many years now, 365 days a year, and it’s truly a joyful experience!
It was a winter morning back in 2000, just after Christmas: I was ready to board my flight to India. My feet were already bare while I was waiting for the train which would take me to the airport. The air was a bit chilly, and I noticed a couple of people, staring at my feet, obviously unable to believe what they saw: A pair of bare feet, decorated with a leather-anklet and a shiny little toering… I didn’t know that I was about to leave Europe for good, returning only occasionally for short visits. But I was ready for the big adventure: Spending many month on the road, exploring almost every nook and corner of India on my bare soles – from Kanyakumari to Gangtok and from Gujarat to West Bengal… It was SO much fun! I didn’t even carry any shoes in my backpack, and soon, my soles were tough as leather! Finally, the unexpected happened: I managed to settle down in India! I’ve been able to live my life barefoot ever since…
I soon realized: India is a place where I hardly need shoes at all. I was surprised how many people are barefoot all the time, not only in rural areas and villages but also in town! And it’s obvious that living barefoot isn’t a privileged of the poor, especially in the South.
Walking barefoot is AMAZING!!! Why? Well, first of all: You can FEEL the ground! Would you wear gloves all-year-round? Nopes! So: Why shoes? Being in touch with Mother Earth, letting the energy flow freely isn’t that bad, after all… Right? Plus: It’s very refreshing and stimulating (ever heard about the reflex zones in our feet?)! Join me for a rather longish hike, preferably in the mountains, and let’s see who gets tired first! Walking barefoot is stimulating: In every sense! There’s more: The ecological impact is far less dramatic (erosion!) if you’re hiking in a natural environment (ever thought about what your heavy hiking boots do to the ecosystem?). It’s also communicative to a degree you wouldn’t expect: Travelling a lot I’ve made more than one friend explaining WHY I’m roaming around barefoot! Somehow you’re more defensive, less aggressive if barefoot… There are many aspects, but what really counts is the sensual factor: The “barefoot feeling”! It’s not only about feeling the ground beneath our soles, every change in texture or temperature, the difference between lawn and concrete, tar and marble, but also about feeling free – in many ways! If you don’t know what I mean: Leave your shoes at home and experience the freedom, the freshness, the air touching every inch of your feet… Try it once and you’ll never want to wear those “little prisons” again!
Keep ‘em bare!
Barefoot Traveller
barefootingindia@yahoo.co.in
Please visit my Yahoo-Group “The Barefoot Traveller’s Tepee”!
groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/
It was a winter morning back in 2000, just after Christmas: I was ready to board my flight to India. My feet were already bare while I was waiting for the train which would take me to the airport. The air was a bit chilly, and I noticed a couple of people, staring at my feet, obviously unable to believe what they saw: A pair of bare feet, decorated with a leather-anklet and a shiny little toering… I didn’t know that I was about to leave Europe for good, returning only occasionally for short visits. But I was ready for the big adventure: Spending many month on the road, exploring almost every nook and corner of India on my bare soles – from Kanyakumari to Gangtok and from Gujarat to West Bengal… It was SO much fun! I didn’t even carry any shoes in my backpack, and soon, my soles were tough as leather! Finally, the unexpected happened: I managed to settle down in India! I’ve been able to live my life barefoot ever since…
I soon realized: India is a place where I hardly need shoes at all. I was surprised how many people are barefoot all the time, not only in rural areas and villages but also in town! And it’s obvious that living barefoot isn’t a privileged of the poor, especially in the South.
Walking barefoot is AMAZING!!! Why? Well, first of all: You can FEEL the ground! Would you wear gloves all-year-round? Nopes! So: Why shoes? Being in touch with Mother Earth, letting the energy flow freely isn’t that bad, after all… Right? Plus: It’s very refreshing and stimulating (ever heard about the reflex zones in our feet?)! Join me for a rather longish hike, preferably in the mountains, and let’s see who gets tired first! Walking barefoot is stimulating: In every sense! There’s more: The ecological impact is far less dramatic (erosion!) if you’re hiking in a natural environment (ever thought about what your heavy hiking boots do to the ecosystem?). It’s also communicative to a degree you wouldn’t expect: Travelling a lot I’ve made more than one friend explaining WHY I’m roaming around barefoot! Somehow you’re more defensive, less aggressive if barefoot… There are many aspects, but what really counts is the sensual factor: The “barefoot feeling”! It’s not only about feeling the ground beneath our soles, every change in texture or temperature, the difference between lawn and concrete, tar and marble, but also about feeling free – in many ways! If you don’t know what I mean: Leave your shoes at home and experience the freedom, the freshness, the air touching every inch of your feet… Try it once and you’ll never want to wear those “little prisons” again!
Keep ‘em bare!
Barefoot Traveller
barefootingindia@yahoo.co.in
Please visit my Yahoo-Group “The Barefoot Traveller’s Tepee”!
groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/
