Walk the path of health, as Sadhguru sheds light on the tangible benefits of going barefoot. Learn how this act can do more than just ground you; it can possibly extend your vitality and connect you to the earth, with an extra surge of energies on days like Shivratri and Amavasya. Kick off your shoes and embrace a practice that’s as practical as it is empowering.
Question: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. What is the significance of walking barefoot? Also, are there additional physical and spiritual benefits of walking barefoot on Amavasya and Shivratri days?
Sadhguru: In an interview with the artist M. F. Husain[1] that was taken just a few months before his death at the age of 95 in London, the interviewer asked him what the secret of his longevity, energy, and health was. He remained very active and energetic till the last day.
He said just two things: “Eat less. Walk barefoot.”
He had many controversies where he was not allowed into certain elite clubs barefoot, but he has always insisted on walking barefoot.
What is the significance of being barefoot? If you are not connected with either the heaven or the earth, you are heading for trouble. If you are connected with at least one of the two, some things will be taken care of for you. If you are not connected with either, you are asking for trouble.
For one who is on spiritual sadhana, particularly on Shivratri, Amavasya, and the following day, what is available on the planet is phenomenal.
A range of footwear known as “barefoot” has gained popularity in the United States. These shoes, which are made from a very thin, special synthetic material that feels almost like you are walking barefoot, are used for running, climbing, and regular walking.
Walking barefoot on a daily basis has become a problem today only because of the concentration of human populations. Otherwise, it would be just fine. We once went into the forest with three little boys who were living there. They were leaping from rock to rock, running through the forest – all barefoot. One of them was barely four and a half years old, and the other two were five or six years old. They were running around in the forest with full enthusiasm and gusto, showing off their bravado.
Their sense of health mainly comes from their contact with the earth and the forest. It is the atmosphere, the air, and the land with which they are in contact that makes all the difference for them.
Especially if your body is not integrated enough and is constantly troubling you, you should walk barefoot. It would be nice if you can crawl to have even more contact with the earth. This is why you prostrate. The purpose of taking a dip in a temple pond and then prostrating inside is so that your whole body comes in touch with the earth. This is what sashtanga means – the key points in your body must touch the earth.
You have seen people rolling around a temple sanctum. The reason you do angapradakshina [2] is because you want your body to be in contact with energized earth. If the temple is powerful, it would have helped any number of people to come out of their ailments because of this contact with the earth. But do not start angapradakshina at the Isha Yoga Center. It would create a very negative impact in today’s world where people want to be as far removed from reality as possible and live in their own cloud of existence.
[1] A highly celebrated Indian painter, often lauded as the “Picasso of India.”
[2] Process of lying flat on the ground and rolling around a temple's sanctum as an expression of devotion.
For one who is on spiritual sadhana, particularly on Shivratri, Amavasya, and the following day, what is available on the planet is phenomenal. It is also a reminder for you to intensify your sadhana on Shivratri and not miss the opportunity of what is there. So, on that day, walk barefoot.
Walking barefoot has its benefits on any given day. But on these three days around Shivratri, there are particular benefits, not only for physical health, but also for spiritual wellbeing, and for creating the necessary momentum for an upward movement of energies in the system. It would be beneficial not to wear shoes on these three days.
