Barefoot Shoes đź‘Ł
I started my barefoot shoe journey very randomly.. I just woke up one day and decided that I could never wear normal shoes again. If you know me you know I am OBSESSED with yoga, so I do spend a lot of time without shoes on and decided from that point forward I could not contort my feet into “normal shoes” ever again.
Straight away I experienced so many benefits:
Feeling more grounded: what does that mean really? The best way I can describe it I went from looking for something to do whether I was waiting to cross the street or sitting on the tube - I maybe was even just shifting my weight to one leg or looking at my phone - now I just be. I don’t feel the need to get rid of the excess energy built up as it is going into the ground and in turn I feel much more present and never anxious.
Better mobility, balance, alignment: Having the natural movement of your foot (which has the majority of the bones in your body btw) is a hugely beneficial. I can stand on the tube without holding onto anything and of course the balance helps with my yoga practice. Since switching to barefoot shoes my body has been realigning itself, normal shoes change the structure of your foot which in turn follows up through your entire body (goodbye back pain).
Prettier feet: I always though I had such ugly feet and was very self-conscious about them for a time. I hated having to wear sandals as my big toe always had a bump on the side and most sandals made it look even bigger. Now after switching to barefoot shoes for 6 months my feet look “normal”. I even had a second toe that was longer than my big toe, but now that my feet are naturally aligned my big toe is bigger.
The brands I have tried are:
Vivo has become my favourite brand due to the variety of options and styles. They still feel and look more like normal shoes than other brands and are a certified B-corp.
Styles I’ve tried:
After lots of research this was the first brand I tried (also less expensive than vivo). I like that the shoes are made from hemp and have a real barefoot feel (they are like wearing paper). Very easy to wash as you can just throw them in the machine. These look less like normal shoes but are my go to summer option for a full barefoot experience. They are also a certified B-corp.
