Barefoot Walking: Questions, Techniques and a Lesson

Several comments surfaced from readers about walking barefoot on the bare earth since my last postings.  I have included a short walking lesson at the bottom of this post.

What about dog poop? cow poop?  motor oil, glass, etc.?  Stubbing your toes?

There is definitely more risk in these areas, however, barefoot walking demands attention– out of survival.  It’s up to you to be careful, to look what is up ahead and feel with your feet before committing your weight.  In the Feldenkrais Method®, the ability to reverse a movement is important for survival.  Like Winnie the Pooh, who forced his way through a hole too small, Continue reading

Barefoot Walking Benefits – 5 Tips and Insights

As summer winds down in the Northwest, as you may have read from the previous post, I decided to walk barefoot outdoors as much as possible.  Research on the effects of barefoot walking show that many foot problems and joint injuries are relieved from walking barefoot outside, on the earth.  However, even with my Feldenkrais training, martial arts, meditation and other physical training, my feet got pretty sore in the past weeks from walking barefoot too far, too fast.  Getting back to barefoot walking takes patience, curiosity
and skin conditioning to develop the new coordination and dexterity.  Here’s what I’ve learned from research and practice on how to begin the process of walking barefoot outside: Continue reading

Feldenkrais Foot Lesson- Arch and Ankle Stability (5 minutes)

Many people use stretching to help with stiff feet or inflexibility.  From my experience, stretching may be helpful but can sometimes result in more inflammation.  As an alternative to stretching, I recommend a short movement lesson using a tennis ball under the foot.  This Feldenkrais lesson will help with ankle support and agility as well.

Stand near a wall and place the ball under the ankle so it is positioned right in front of the heel (calcareous) bone.   Continue reading

Beginning barefoot lesson for healing foot problems

To begin with healing and vitalization for the foot, it’s important to feel a sense of support in your bones.  Without skeletal support, the muscles and tendons get overworked.  Bunions, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, arthritis, foot pain and other problems may arise.

Where do you carry your weight while standing?  On your heels or the balls of your feet?  If you answered “ball,” you may have been working extra hard with your

Continue reading

Fruits and Roots: Evolving our Hands and Feet in human development

Foot pain can put a damper on running, walking, dancing and exercise in general.  I’ve noticed a rash of both repetitive use injuries with hands and foot complaints in the past few years. Why so many injuries these days?   Is it because of our sedentary and focused lifestyles with computers?  More and more clients ask recommendations for footwear for bunions, plantar fasciitis, neuromas, and other foot discomfort.

I have some basic suggestions for people when it comes to feet.  (I’ll get to hands, later.) Continue reading