I truly love the ability to be able to shed the clothes off to truly feel alive and the liberating feeling that goes with it; for me it’s another step to be a barefooter. For me, it takes it to a whole new level.
I was always barefoot at home because I can’t stand anything on my feet. It’s also more comfortable that way. My first barefoot experience was not at a campgrounds, resort, or the pool… that’s a very common place where most of us are barefoot and that does not count.
I was about 10km from home wearing my old sandals when a thunderstorm came out of nowhere, bringing heavy rain with it. The sandals I was wearing are dangerous when they are wet because it’s like walking barefoot on marble floors with oil on your feet! Not gonna happen or I’m going to hurt myself! So I decided to take them off and walk home barefoot in the rain. It was a really nice feeling on the feet with the rain and the puddles. The whole walk home I got to experience so many new sensations and textures. Walking in the running water along the sides of the streets, wet grass, dirt, mud, rocks, even the painted lines on the roads have a different feeling on the feet. My feet never felt so happy to be free from footware! When I got home I was like a wet rat but that’s when I decided to try combining my love for Naturism with barefooting.
My first all day being truly completely free of the clothes and footwear was at La Pommerie, centre naturiste et écologique. I went there with my buddy Happy Bare one year and decided to spend the whole day naked and barefoot. While there are people there with sandals on their feet (and that’s fine) I wanted to be more in tune with nature by Earthing. (“When we make direct contact with the surface of the Earth our bodies receive a charge of energy that makes us feel better, fast.”) My favorite place over there to truly feel connected to nature was in the forest with the leafs, mud, and running streams. Oh there were some bridges to get over some of these streams, but I took the road — I mean stream less traveled on and walk across the stream, rather than taking the bridge.
Since that day, I find myself going barefoot a lot more back home in the city. However, there are more things to be cautious about when barefooting/earthing in the city. Watch out for sharp objects and other various foot hazards. My favorite place is talking a nice long walk along the water front (River in my case) I really don’t mind if my feet get dirty because I know after that I can clean them. Also, I always carry a pair of emergency sandals where I go.
Of course, if you’re new to barefooting/earthing, your feet will take some time getting use to rough surfaces. With time your feet will adjust and get used to it. I highly recommend barefooting/earthing for all ages! You’ll thank me later when you experience the feeling or sensation of being connected to the earth.
In Germany, where there are many manufacturers of "barefoot shoes", there's lots of research on how barefooted gait mechanics reduce foot injuries. There are also lots of barefoot trails, but you will need to be, er, clothed… http://www.barfusspark.info/en/park.htm. If someone knows of a nude one, please tell us about it.
I'm surprised that you have to be clothed on trails in the home of FKK culture. What would happen to someone who went FKK on the trails?
“When we make direct contact with the surface of the Earth our bodies receive a charge of energy that makes us feel better, fast.” that's truly well said . I knew when I us to visit my native place which is a small village in south of india the villagers never wore sandals or shoes they use to walk barefoot and they had so much energy that even in hot sun they use to walk very normally . they use to work in farm barefoot for hours and hours . I felt that energy when I went for a hike barefoot .
I haven't tried barefooting out in the streets but around our home & garden I usually do go 100% naked, 'Toes-To-Nose' as I always say!
I can't imagine that I will actually go barefoot on city streets now, because of my disability I can't walk much than a few yards anytime. So go for it all you guys, tell me how you get along and tell me when you go fully naked 'Toes-To-Nose'
In our area there is this upscale (yuppie) food store called "Huckleberries Natural Market." They specialize in all the off brand expensive food products that "health nuts" like to buy. They have a section of the store where they sell high priced vitamins and supplements called "Natural Living." My wife likes to shop there.
One day I was standing around barefoot in their Natural Living section of their Natural Market when the manager came over and told me that bare (natural) feet aren't allowed in their store. WTF? He gave me the usual nonsense about fictitious "health codes" and "insurance," both of which are as untrue as calling artificial supplements "Natural Living." I left.
My wife keeps going there so a couple of months later I went back in. Nobody has thrown me out again.
I keep seeing & hearing more and more about earthing. I did hike barefoot for a little bit and it was wonderful. I'm hoping to increase my barefoot time. 🙂
I'm just passed my first year going barefoot everywhere. I haven't had a single cut so far. I really enjoy all the sensations, temperatures, and textures. There are some roads and parking lots that I still have to walk gingerly on, but they're getting fewer.
I do keep a pair of flip-flops handy for those very few places that require shoes.
For years I had gout and had to take pills every day. I started getting bunions. Getting old, I thought. But I began doing more reading about bare feet. All those and other foot problems are caused by or exacerbated by shoes. Gout was long thought to be the "Rich man's disease" or caused by "rich food" because "rich" men wore shoes and the shoes caused gout.
My feet were too tender from a lifetime of shoes to go barefoot on my land. I began wearing "barefoot" sandals, thin rubber soles with strings. Like Scott, one day I was hiking east of Albuquerque when the string on my sandal wore through. Rather than hobble with one I took them both off and haven't worn sandals or shoes since. I quit taking gout pills and haven't had an attack since I ditched the shoes. I go to banks, restaurants, stores, everywhere barefoot. Only in the worst part of winter I wear large "moon" boots outside and take them off in stores.
It took me 3 full years of going barefoot for my feet to regain the natural strength and ability that normal human feet have. Shoes are crippling devices that take away natural ability and cause a long list of health problems. We are much better off without them.
What a great story! I'm happy you feel better now! =)
One of the most painful injuries is to cut your foot.
I've been barefoot full time for going on 6 years. I have not had that problem. Bare feet become sort of leatherish and don't get cut easily.
Gout, bunions, plantar fasciitis, and knee or hip injuries caused by years of shoe wearing can be horribly painful. I'd rather have a small cut.