Barefoot

Yoga is practiced barefoot.  Developing and strengthening the natural movement of the feet is an important part of the practice.  Off the mat, though, I had shoes of one sort or another for every occasion - athletic shoes for the gym or for running, shoes to walk to work, different shoes to walk to work on rainy days, shoes to wear at work, slippers to wear in the house, boots for when it was snowy or cold.

Sometime this past spring, I found myself wanting to leave my shoes off at work and just pad around in my socks.  I also found myself leaving the slippers at the bottom of the stairs at home and going barefoot around the main levels.

What was going on?

I think my awareness of the relationship between strong, flexible, healthy feet and the rest of the body, and being more tuned in to the sensations coming from the thousands of nerves in the feet, finally reached a tipping point.  My feet just don't like to be locked up in shoes anymore.  I feel better when my feet are free.

Our feet are made to interact with the world and to support us as we stand, walk and run.  At best, shoes diminish that natural function, and in many cases, they prevent it altogether.  This article, from 2008, does a good job explaining the issue and some other peoples' experiences:
http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

I know that shoes afford some protection to the feet, and being barefoot isn't always a great idea - like when, as a barefoot kid, I stepped on a sharp garden implement and embedded a tine into the sole of my foot.

But I'm realizing that they also aren't needed all the time, and going shoeless can feel great.  This afternoon I took a trial spin down the street and onto the park path.  There was an occasional uncomfortable twig or pebble, but I was surprised at how little discomfort I experienced with my pampered peds.  The different temperatures and textures I felt with my feet added new information to the familiar experience of a walk to the park.

So beware - I'll be barefoot more.