try walking barefoot

This has just come up in an episode of the In a Nutshell series, but I also felt to include it here, as something to try.

Walking barefoot has a completely different quality to walking with footwear. Suddenly, our feet are in contact with the earth; sensing the texture, the temperature, the dryness or dampness. Everything about the ground is being sensed by the sole of our feet, when we walk barefoot.

And if we bring our awareness, our attention, to those sensations as we are walking, it can be delightful. The different textures are a gift to be enjoyed: the firmness of rock; the smoothness of earth and mud; and the ticklishness of grass.

And somehow, by walking barefoot, we are more in contact with the earth, and therefore more grounded. And that gives us a sense of stability and being present, here, in the moment. Conversely, when we are wearing footwear, we cut ourselves off from the earth. And these means by which we isolate ourself restrict our spirituality.

The core of spirituality is recognising that we are not separate from anything else in existence. But, of course, our egoic mind thinks differently. And when we cut ourselves off from life, we are reinforcing that ego consciousness, that idea of being separate. Wearing footwear is just one small example of the way we do this.

So to help erode that ego mind, try this simple thing: try walking barefoot, being in contact with the earth.