Lush green grass softly caressing the soles of your bare feet and moist earth squishing between your toes might bring to mind your carefree childhood, or; perhaps you have never felt your bare feet against the Earth for fear of getting dirty.

There is something almost defiant about being barefoot outdoors that inspires a sense of exhilaration. So seldom do we witness the barefooted state, that the act of taking off ones shoes and socks, to walk barefoot has become a rebellious act. Barefoot walking is the domain of hippies and wild, unruly children; one might believe. Despite the bad reputation that barefooted-ness has gotten over the years, recent science is revealing that taking off your shoes and walking barefoot on the Natural earth has surprising benefits which may cause one to reconsider the standard.

Taking off your shoes and walking on a natural surface creates a sensual sense of delight. Having your bare soles kneaded by the rugged ground can be as pleasurable as getting a professional foot massage. There are reflexology points in your feet which connect to every organ in the body. Walking barefoot on natural terrain, which is uneven; stimulates pressure points in the feet. At first some of these points can hurt, which often indicates an imbalance in the body, but; over time these sensitive spots will receive the healing required and effectively remedy some of the corresponding health issues.

Furthermore, it is impossible to have a natural gait when wearing shoes. While shoes can protect our feet as we walk in the city and over sharp objects, they are no substitute for the precise shape of the soles of our feet. The unnatural shape of our shoes, over time; throws our body out of its natural alignment. While for some people, this causes no major concerns, for others, it can cause problems such as hip and back pain which have no conventionally diagnosable origin.

Walking barefoot allows for a natural gait giving the body a chance to align itself and move freely. Walking barefoot for a period of time each day, frees up tension stored in the muscles from shoe wearing and allows the body to move naturally and freely improving posture and reducing stress build up from malalignment.

Walking barefoot also literally grounds of the human body. Human beings are electrical in nature and electrons in the body have a charge. When our bodies have a predominantly positive charge, we feel stressed and can experience dis-ease. Positively charged ions or ‘free radicals’ are responsible for health problems ranging from aging to inflammation. Free radicals occur in the body as a result of exposure to un-natural environments, electronic equipment like computers and the consumption of unhealthy foods.

Grounding barefoot allows free radicals to move through our feet to be discharged into the earth which is charged with negative ions. As the unhealthy positive ions are leaving the body, the beneficial negative ions from the Earth travel up through our feet into our bodies. This cannot occur when wearing shoes which have rubber soles that effectively insulate us against this electric energy, in the same manner that electrical wires are insulated with plastic or rubber.

When we have more negative ions in the body, we feel relaxed and happy. Negative ions in the body have been associated with a reduction in inflammation and dis-ease.

The benefits of walking barefoot are far too extensive to write about here. If this intrigues you, feel free to do more research and you will find that it is a growing trend. Only something like 20 percent of humans on this planet wear shoes. So next time you have the opportunity, why not take off your shoes or lie on the Earth and experience the benefits for yourself.

Written by: Christa Barette

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