The idea of being barefoot has always been appealing to me. I enjoy taking my shoes off and feeling the ground, feeling the space between my toes and not having any restrictions on my feet. I was recently inspired to purchase a pair of Vibram Five Fingers shoes. Having been around the paleo community for a few years now, I've known about these shoes for a while but haven't quite been ready to take the plunge. Recent research into the science behind barefooting was what convinced me that I should finally make this purchase. So far, I am really enjoying them. My first hike wearing the Vibrams, despite a few pesky ticks, was fantastic.
I began researching barefooting, particularly, barefoot running after discussing the topic with my yoga teacher. I was intrigued to look further into the topic because many students in my classes (particularly the Hips and Hams students) are avid runners. I wanted to know if there was something I could bring into their practice that might help them reduce their risk of injury or lessen the strain and tightness they seem to experience during training.
I found myself checking out Barefoot Ted's Adventures. I had heard about Barefoot Ted on Marks Daily Apple and had always intended on checking out his blog. I found this Google Talk by Barefoot Ted and became intrigued and inspired by this man who obviously has a deep passion for running, in particular, running barefoot.
"You are looking at a paradigm shift in what it means to be human, and what it means to run"
"Barefooting forces you to become present, you are mindful of what you are doing, you are not longer the disconnected robotic runner who, from their footwear to their headgear are no longer even connected to their body, not connected to the incredibly sophisticated systems that we've inherited that are mostly pre conscious but that require the ability to feel the world"
"Instead of having hard edges in the way you run, you begin starting to have a bit of flow... "
What struck me the most about this Google Talk was the language. While never specifically referencing yoga, Barefoot Ted is talking about yoga. The language is yoga. Being present, being mindful, connecting, feeling, flowing.
It was here that I realized that running, true joyful, present, running can be yoga. I also thought that perhaps a yoga practice can not only stretch out tight hips & hamstrings but it can also teach runners how to be present in their bodies. As a result, their running can become more fluid and graceful and they might also reduce their risk of injury.
Feet are pretty amazing things. Barefoot Ted talks a bit about the feet being little bio feedback mechanisms. I agree, our feet give us valuable information about our surroundings, our bodies & as a result allow us to make the many small and large adjustments required to maintain balance, fluidity and flow in our practice (whatever that may be). The following is a practice designed to strengthen the feet, bring awareness to the role our feet play in balance, and give us a sense of moment to moment awareness and encourages flow in our practice.
Tadasana - close your eyes and focus your attention on your feet, move foreward and back, side to side and notice how your feet make adjustments to keep you from falling over.
Suyra Namaskar - move through your favorite sun salutation sequence as quietly and gently as you can. Focus your attention on soft, graceful, fluid movements as though you were dancing. Do as many sun salutations as you feel inclined to do.
Vrksasana - focus your attention again on the foot. See if you can influence balance or a sense of stability in the foot by grounding the through the bones of the feet and lifting through the arch, engaging the legs & core.
Trikonasana into Ardha Chandrasana - focusing on moment to moment awareness of the transition from one pose to the other. Go slowly and pay close attention to the feet, legs, glutes, and core.
Virabhadrasana 1 with feet placed one directly in front of the other using the boards on a hardwood floor or the edge of your yoga mat as a reference point. Both feet should be facing foreward, and you should be able to ground through the back heel. This will not be a deep lunge, but rather focus on the feet, legs, core - find stability then raise your arms alongside your ears, find stability again then take your gaze between your hands. Notice the micro adjustments your feet are making to keep you balanced.
Parsvottanasana - Keep feet in the same alignment you used for Virabhadrasana 1, this time fold foreward and look at your feet. Notice those little adjustments.
Virabhadrasana 1 into Virabhadrasana 3 (hands to block) into Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana - again focusing on the same moment to moment awareness you used in Trikonasana/Ardha Chandrasana.
Savasana
If you are a runner, next time you run - see if you can extend that feeling of moment to moment awareness and graceful flow into your practice of running. Ditch the music, and pay close attention to the feelings you experience while running - emotional, spiritual and physical. Try running on hiking trails rather than pavement and consider ditching your shoes for bare feet or a minimalist shoe like the Five Fingers.
If you are not a runner, I'd encourage you to spend some time walking in nature with bare feet or a minimalist shoe.
For more information on Barefooting, check out the following links:
Marks Daily Apple - Barefooting
Daniel Lieberman - Harvard University
Barefoot Ted
Born to Run
