Spiritual Practice - Walking Barefoot Meditation

Photo by Merri J on Unsplash

It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in Seattle inviting us with pleasant, moderate temperatures, on the East coast however, threatening people with blistering heat that could be life threatening to some.

The moment the temperature warms up I itch to get out in bare feet and walk around the yard savoring the feel of the grass between my toes and the ground beneath my feet. I wrote about this last year in my Spiritual Practice - Walking barefoot, and mentioned it in my Getting Ready for Summer Spirituality post in May. Since then however I have read more, not just about barefoot walking but about barefoot walking meditation and plan to practice it this next week when the weather warms back up into the 70s.

Barefoot walking meditation, also known as earthing meditation or grounding, involves walking without shoes to connect with the earth and promote physical and spiritual well-being. Some people will, I know, freak out at this suggestion as it can sounds very pagan to some, however I am increasingly convinced that connecting to the earth, which is part of what being stewards of the earth implies, in whatever ways we can is good for our physical and mental well being.

Barefoot meditations can help reduce stress, improve sleep and increase mindfulness by engaging the senses and fostering a connection with nature. It’s benefits are like forest walking but in your own backyard. Add this to the benefits for balance and body alignment, increased muscle strength, and brain development which I talked about in my previous post, and I think it is pretty obvious that God intends us to walk barefoot at times.

Walking Barefoot Meditation

1. Find a place. - This is an exercise that requires, a safe place where we are not likely to tread on glass, bindi eyes, or dog poop. Our own backyards are great even if they are small. Otherwise a local park or beach are ideal. Even a newly turned field where we can rest in the warm soil can work.

2. Before You Begin. To centre your mind on the meditation you are about to enter into you might like to begin by reading a scripture that speaks about our connection to the earth. Psalm 65 is my favourite though Moses taking of his shoes in front of the burning bush is another great one. (Exodus 3:1-6). This morning I read it in the Message translation. It provided a powerful start to the day and to this meditation.

3. Start Slowly and Mindfully. Stand still, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay attention to the sensation of your feet making contact with the ground. Notice the surface on which you stand. Notice its texture, temperature and its contours.

4. Engage Your Senses. Now begin to move around your space. Notice the feel of the grass or sand or soil between your toes and how it changes as you walk. Pay attention to the rhythm of your steps and the subtle movements of your body as you walk.

5. Be Present. You will probably be distracted by the sounds around you - the birds in the trees, the buzz of bees on flowers, even the sound of aeroplanes overhead while shatter your attention, but when your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to the sensations of your feet and your breath.

6. Reflect on your experience. Take a moment at the edge of our your walk to appreciate the connection you have made with the earth and the sense of grounding you have gained. Take time to journal about your experience.

Is there another response you feel God is prompting you to make? This morning I read Gerald Manley Hopkin’s poem God’s Grandeur, and spent time reflecting on the verse: the soil, Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

There is something very spiritual about being able to touch the soil with our feet and I wonder what we have lost because we rarely perform practices like this.

Enjoy and please do let me know what your experience of this meditation is.