The Age of Enlightenment

In August of 2008 I decided to try going to see a chiropractor. I have had some success with seeing a chiropractor several years earlier. It wasn't a huge surprise when he told me I was a mess. I could see where my spine was twisted in two places on the x-ray. This was causing my hips to twist - one forward and one back in my bodies attempt to keep pressure off my back. My body was so tight I never felt comfortable in any position.

I wish I could say that he made one adjustment and I felt 100% but that is not what happened. After the first adjustment i did feel a lot of pressure release in my spine and neck but the muscle tightness diminished only slightly. I began to realize that in addition to adjustments I needed to seek out ways to release the tension in my body. You see, I was the one controlling these muscles but I couldn't figure where the off button was. I was so used to feeling the back pain that I had twisted my body and it did not want to go back.

I have some experience with yoga and I have also read about chi running while I was injured. So I felt that yoga might loosen me up now that my spine was straighter where as before I believe I was just twisting myself more. In addition I thought the gentleness of chi running would keep me from tensing up my body daily but still allow me to begin running again. This two prong approach led me back to the barefoot running of my youth. Slowly through the breathing concepts introduced to me during my yoga practice I was able to release the tension in my body and started to untwist the muscles (a painful and annoying process). In conjunction with the yoga I dove into the chi running form as much as my body would allow during its varying stages of improvement.

I realized for years now I have been trying to power and hold my body with my backside rather than my core and gravity. No wonder my muscles were so tight. In this era of couches, computers, and cubicles we move our bodies in a way that weakens our core and tightens/shortens the muscles that are behind us. I needed an awakening and it came through the yoga and using the principles of the chi running form. Each day I found myself drawing into my core and loosening the rest of my body. My hips were coming loose, back did not hurt, muscles were lengthening, and I just felt like I was getting younger instead of older.

Problem. During my yoga practice it was apparent that while the rest of my body was strong, my feet and ankles were very weak and lacked flexibility. How did this happen? I can remember in my youth how people marveled (actually they acted as if I was a freak but I prefer to remember differently) at how I would go barefoot everywhere all the time on any surface for hours.

Wait......in my youth I went barefoot.....there was some connections being made in my brain through this realization that was blowing my mind. I remembered reading somewhere that the chi running form had similar characteristics to the form your body will take on naturally when you attempt barefooting. Chi, Breathing, Relaxing, Core, Lengthening, Midfoot, Gravity, and Youth. Yes I had come to a conclusion and it was that barefooting would bring me closer to what I was looking for. Well maybe I mean reintroducing barefooting would bring me where I wanted to go. The loose, relaxed, easy, playful stride that comes naturally with no shoes when you are a kid.

So just like that I took off my shoes and tried to run. I wish I could tell you my stride was a thing of beauty but I would be fibbing. It was choppy, too short, rigid, and my feet hurt! Maybe I should not have started on pavement (not the smooth kind either). O.K I said to myself, you need to relax and let your core and gravity do the work. You know what happened, it worked. The looser my I could allow my body to get the better it felt (except the bottom of my feet got tender fairly quick). Barefooting forces you body to use the principles of chi running naturally. Well, my first attempt only lasted for a mile before I thought about the rule of gradual increases we all should adhere to but almost never do. So I stopped, put my shoes back on and kept running.

A barefoot runner was reborn that day. Was I enlightened or is the age of enlightenment just beginning? If you are an aspiring barefooter looking for somewhere to start or just curious about the weird guy with no shoes - keep reading. I have decided to share with you my trials as I attempt the complete transformation into a barefooter. Welcome to thebarefootproject!