The Barefoot Connection

In a heartfelt note one of the teachers in China wrote to me, she said:

 

"While we were fully immersed in games and laughing freely, you watched us with a soft, gentle smile, clearly savoring every moment of our joy. It felt just like a loving elder quietly observing children play carefree and happily, a pure and tender scene that touched me deeply the whole time.

 

I absolutely adore how relaxed and unbound you look teaching barefoot! This laid-back, unreserved vibe inspires me so much. I secretly hope that I can also teach my own workshops barefoot someday, just like you, and bring that same sense of ease to all my participants."

 

It was my teacher Avon who called this work “The Barefoot Connection.” He said teaching—and dancing—with shoes on was like playing piano with gloves. You miss the direct contact and connection through all the nerve-endings in the feet. If you’ve ever had a foot massage, you understand there is both deep science behind how the foot affects the whole body— and thus, the whole spirit. So yes, let’s take off our shoes!

 

Which I still do in my workshops, without a second thought about it. Now in my summer paradise on Lake Michigan, I feel again the grand pleasure and deep connection of walking barefoot in the sand, at the water’s edge, in the grass, on the dirt path that leads to the back lake. There is a great complexity to living a wholly fulfilled and soulful life, but sometimes it’s as simple as just walking barefoot on this great, green earth.