I’ve become a real lover of walking barefoot whenever I can. This is saying something because my feet are not exactly built for it. They’re soft, sensitive, quick to get cold; the kind of feet that have historically been tucked inside socks, then thicker socks, then boots, as soon as there’s a chill in the air. My brain has always found a dozen reasons to keep them protected.
The first time I really tried it, the sun was warm on the grass, lighting up each blade under my feet. There was something about feeling the light above me and the earth beneath me at the same time that made everything in between fall quiet.
But lately I keep hearing people talk about the benefits of walking barefoot and how literally grounding it is. Eileen McKusick, founder of BioField Tuning, speaks of it as an act of electrical health... a way to discharge the static and stress we accumulate and receive the Earth’s steadying electrons in return. Through this simple act, she says, we restore balance to our body’s natural circuitry, our biofield, and rejoin the living current of the planet itself.
Science is beginning to catch up with what indigenous and earth-based traditions have always known. Research into earthing (or grounding) shows that direct contact with the ground may help regulate inflammation, sleep, and stress by allowing negatively charged electrons to flow into the body, creating a kind of natural antioxidant exchange. Studies also show barefoot walking strengthens the intrinsic muscles of the feet, improves balance, and enhances sensory awareness. In other words, it’s good for both your nervous system and your posture.
From a shamanic perspective, barefoot walking is pure ceremony. When skin meets soil, we’re not just touching the ground; we’re communing with the Earth element itself, entering her frequency. The hum beneath our feet is alive. Each step is a prayer of belonging, a reminder that we’re not separate from this vast living system but made of it.
I’m still getting my feet wet with all of this... literally. Right now, I’m easing in by walking on the well-kept grass of the local high school’s soccer field. It’s soft and safe for my tender little feet. I’m excited to keep exploring as the air turns cooler; maybe walking the sand barefoot at the beach this fall and winter, feeling what it’s like to be in direct contact with the living planet, even for just a minute at a time.
So here’s my invitation: slip off your shoes and socks. Step outside. If you don’t have access to grass or sand, stand on the concrete; it’s still connected to the Earth beneath it. Feel what happens when you reconnect in this simple, elemental way. That direct contact, that merging with what we are made of, is the living experience of non-separation. It’s nonduality made tangible... right under your feet.