We’re having a much-needed break from decluttering and boxing and sorting out our house back in Dorset. Some slow time in the sun to restore and reset. No lists of must-do chores (although the weedy garden and olive grove are hard to ignore). No schedules or planned days, bliss! The only routine that’s emerged is a daily morning walk and swim.
These walks have been a bit different this time. Rather than the usual dirt-track loop around olive groves and broome-‘n-thistle-fields, we’ve been walking the beach. Barefoot instead of trainers.
I’m noticing a difference. My feet are looser, more flexible, as are my hips and back. My hunched up computer-shoulders are back where they belong (until I spend another few hours online with a client or webinar!)
I’ve always had a thing about foot health, am a fan of the Foot Collective, and have various bits of their kit. One of my very favourite pilates classes with Theresa Cooper nearly a decade ago was an hour devoted just to feet. Floating on air is the best way to describe the rest of my day after that class.
Most of us don’t spend enough time looking after our feet, and I’m not just talking emolients or unguents or polished toenails although there’s a place for them naturally 🙂
Walking barefoot
When we walk barefoot all the small tendons, muscles and ligaments in our feet have to work harder. They’re adjusting to the ground’s changing surface and texture. Feet and toes grip, move and wriggle very differently to when they’re locked in shoes. Grounding us in the truest sense.
And when our feet work better, everything upstream does too. Knees, hips and core are stronger and balance becomes better. The neuro receptors in our soles are activated and this improves reflexes and our awareness of our place in space, our proprioception. We’re more in control of directional change, movement and flow. We’re also tapping into mindfulness. Walking slowly and with intention is important when walking barefoot. Being in the moment becomes a necessity.
There’s something else too. Many beaches, especially here on the island, are a mix of sand and pebbles. Luckily no glass or broken bottles or needles here, at least not by the shore where we’re walking.
Pebble walking is a thing!
We often find a metre-wide track of tiny pebbles hugging the waterline, polished smooth by the constant wash and backwash of waves. Walking barefoot on them is like having a fabulous foot massage.
To my surprise, there is in fact a name for this. Reflexology walking or Stone stepping. It’s an ancient practice in many eastern countries. Not on beaches, but using pebbled pathways, often in places like public gardens. You can have a read about it near the end of this article in Prime
What is reflexology anyway?
If you’re not familiar with reflexology, it’s a gentle therapy where pressure is applied to various points on our sole and foot, on ‘reflex zones’ that correspond to specific organs and systems in our body. By ‘thumb-walking’ or ‘inch worming’ around our toes, soles, upper feet and ankles a reflexologist stimulates certain nerve endings. Our feet have c.7000 major nerve branches but around 200,000 individual sensory receptors! The stimulation of specific nerve endings helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, increase the production of endorphins (our natural painkillers) and much more.
Walking barefoot on these tiny pebbles is in effect a self-administered reflexology treatment. Admittedly less targeted pressure points, and only on the foot soles and not the whole foot and ankle. However, as this article states, simply walking on bumpy things can improve your well being and mental health.
This type of stone stepping won’t be for everyone. Some feet are more sensitive to the ‘push’ of a pebble even when it’s polished smooth. Or more sensitive skin might feel it’s walking on shards of glass. So if walking on pebbles is not your barefoot thing, stick to the soft sand, but do give reflexology a go in a holistic clinic setting. It might be interesting for you to see how you feel after a treatment, if you notice any changes. It’s a gentle and safe therapy, definitely worth a try. I’ve been loving reflexology treatments for decades which no doubt explains why I’m also loving these bumpy beach walks.
If you’re good with pebbles, or see it as a fun challenge – and are well aware you can side-step onto soft sand any time you want 🙂 I hope all the above strengthening, balancing, healing, calming benefits of both barefoot and reflexology walking will give you reason to do much more.
Enjoy the walk and let me know how it goes!
A note of caution:
Not all pebbles are created equal. Not all beaches are either.
As mentioned above, there are sadly too many beaches with broken glass, needles or sharp plastic bits. Walk carefully or wear shoes, and book a reflexology treatment in the controlled environs of a clinic setting so you don’t miss out!