A Dose of Vitamin G in Valle del Cauca.
Take Your Shoes Off: The Healing Power of Walking Barefoot
Semana Santa is here (Easter)—a week of holidays filled with fincas (country homes), BBQs, and exploring the natural beauty this land has to offer.
We were heading to the river. Surrounded by plantations of bananas and mandarins, the sun was relentlessly beating down. Ahead of us, a short walk through paddocks, fences, and muddy paths before we reached the water.
Five doctors stepped out of the Toyota—my wife and her university friends. Earlier that morning, I’d sipped coffee with them while gently debating the benefits of what they called “alternative medicine.”
Now we were in a different environment—not one infested by fluorescent light. The rules were different here.
I left my shoes in the car, immediately welcoming the warm mud beneath my feet. Instant therapy—for my feet, my body, and my nervous system.
About 100 meters in, we met our first obstacle: a shallow river crossing. With bare feet, it was easy. But I paused and watched as slight panic spread across this group of highly educated professionals, unsure how to walk three meters through shin-high water.
The dominant theme? Keep your shoes on at all times.
Wrapped in hats, scarves, and layers of 50+ sunscreen, their bright white tennis shoes quickly became soggy, brown, and camouflaged into the local ecosystem.
We kept walking. Then came the itchy grass.
No problem—I found a muddy puddle and rubbed it up my legs. The itching stopped. It felt ancient. Primal. Easy.
Finally, we reached the river. Another small crossing lay ahead. I stepped through first, barefoot and clear. My wife, also a doctor—but a barefoot one—followed.
Her friends stumbled behind, awkward and unsure. Little shrieks echoed across the rocks.
I turned to my wife and said,
“For such an intelligent bunch of people… they’re not very intelligent.”
She laughed.
What Have We Lost?
What have we done to become so disconnected from our environment—from the Earth?
When we immerse ourselves in nature, we begin to remember. We feel. We listen. We place our next step with instinct, not calculation.
Not on that rock… on this one.
That way doesn’t feel right—let’s try up here.
This grass itches—ah, here’s the medicine: mud.
It might seem like nothing. But walking barefoot in the sun with your feet in the mud... sometimes that’s all you need.
It reminds you:
You’re alive. You’re connected.
And everything is okay in your inner world.
What Science Says About Walking Barefoot:
The modern term is grounding or earthing—direct physical contact between your skin and the Earth. That includes walking barefoot on soil, sand, or grass.
And according to a growing body of research, grounding can have profound effects on your physical and emotional well-being.
A 2023 review published in the Biomedical Journal, titled “Grounding – The Universal Anti-Inflammatory Remedy,” explains how simply touching the Earth can reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, support mitochondrial function, and rebalance the nervous system. The researchers refer to grounding as “electronic nutrition”—a steady influx of free electrons from the Earth that help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Grounding is natural, effective, and completely free.
As the authors put it:
"Grounding or earthing the body is direct contact with the natural electric charge of the Earth. We believe this natural anti-inflammatory is the non-pharmaceutical therapy of choice... Our research group refers to grounding as perhaps Vitamin G or electronic nutrition."
In other words:
Walking barefoot is anti-inflammatory medicine.
It regulates cortisol, calms the nervous system, and supports your body’s natural healing processes.
And it’s always been there.
The Way Forward:
“Not that way. Don’t step on that rock. This mud helps. That one stings. Let’s try up here instead.”
In nature, we feel these things.
We make decisions from instinct, not anxiety.
From presence, not pressure.
When we walk barefoot—when we submerse ourselves in nature—we’re not just grounding our bodies.
We’re reconnecting to something much deeper.
You can bring that same feeling into your life.
Where to step.
What direction to take.
When to pause.
What to let go of.
How to move forward with grace.
This is what the Earth gives us when we return to her:
Not just healing, but direction.
Not just peace, but clarity.
Not just grounding, but a path forward.
So take your shoes off.
Touch the Earth.
Find your own graceful path through life.
Hi Bobby! I have been going barefoot when possible since last spring. I feel energized after spending time with my feet against the earth.
When I can't go barefoot, I wear Earthrunner earthing sandals, the next best thing. I love being able to feel the terrain and have moved away from thick 'support shoes' that supposedly protect our feet and joints. My feet are stronger and I feel more secure on rocky terrain. So much better and safer than the old-fashioned stiff hiking boots. And I can walk through water with them!