The most important thing that your feet have and that you take away from them daily

If you don't feel the ground when you walk, you are not using your feet and that is a problem.

A different problem to the one Mika had, but in a way related.

Samuel, a very nice guy who visited us a couple of days this week in the shop, tells us about it.

He is American, from Oakland.

He loves to talk, make friends and experience new things.

Whether it's hiking the Camino del Rey, going to a travelling circus for kids or buying a ham to eat Spanish-style, hand-sliced.

Samuel discovered minimalist shoes through his friend Mika.

They have been good friends for many years and talk to each other every day.

But some time ago Mika had problems at home and fell into depression.

This depression forced him to stay indoors for many months, not wanting to interact with the world.

One day, Mika woke up from his lethargy and went out to travel the world alone.

But with one particularity, he would do it without shoes.

I don't know the reason for this decision, but today he has been travelling the world barefoot for 6 years.

As you read it.

From being locked in a room in Oakland, to climbing mountains barefoot in Africa. Feeling the contact with nature on all five sides.

And that's what it's all about, to feel.

And how to improve the sensitivity of your feet, even if you always walk on the smooth, flat surface of your city.

Because you know that your feet (and your body) get old if you don't use them.

And the artificial world you move around in has very little stimulation for your feet.

Every step is the same.

Like a fish locked in a fish tank, always taking the same route.
 
Now Mika's feet feel new things every day, because every step is different.

And not only because he does it barefoot, but because he does it on a multitude of different textures.

But you, me and those of us who live in cities can't say the same.

Our world is flat.

There is nothing to offer new stimuli to our feet.

From the softness of slippers, we move on to the smooth world of our homes.

And the worst thing is that our feet expect those stimuli. For them it is key.

Or do you think the thousands of sensors in your feet are to feel the softness of your Nike?

A fat, cushioned or shock-absorbing sole doesn't let you feel the ground. It doesn't let you feel alive.

And I know of only two ways to get your feet out of the fishbowl.

Either go barefoot on uneven ground.

Or use the Naboso texture on your minimalist shoes.

Simple things, but with great results.

I end with a phrase that repeats itself over time.

"Minimalists come for the injuries, but they stay for the sensations."

-Antonio Caballo.

Pd1. Thank you Samuel for telling us the story of your friend Mika.

Pd2. How many different things do your hands touch during the day? And your feet?

So that every step is different: Naboso textures.