Soup for the sole!

Vishnu PaadamOur lives have become so conditioned that we spend most of our time without letting our feet come into direct contact with the ground. Most of the people (especially women ) after crossing their 30s suffer from foot pain that demands the usage of footwear even inside their homes. Many live in wall to wall carpeted houses/apartments. Outside our houses we use footwear made of all kinds of material. As a result we miss out on the most vital of energies derived from the magnetic field of Earth. Earth sends out magnetic energy through the soles of our feet, this energy not only enters and infuses our bodies, it also releases stagnated and stale energy. All kinds of material used as footwear not only deprives us of the magnetic energy from Earth, the footwear by itself could be a carrier of negative energy!
Pranic healing states that Earth Prana is one of the most vital pranas (others are, divine prana:_derived from through meditation, air prana:-derived from the atmosphere, solar prana:- derived from sun and earth prana:- derived from the ground beneath our feet). By walking barefoot, the soles of our feet draw the pranic energy from the earth.
Walking barefoot in sand draws the purest of energies closest to the ocean. It also acts as a great reflexology massage. By walking unconstrained without footwear in the sand results in the stimulation of relevant reflexology points in the soles of the feet and their correlated organs throughout the body.
Standing on grassy or muddy ground with feet wide apart and visualising roots growing from the soles into the earth is a form of meditation. The practitioner inhales deeply, taking in all the vital energies through the roots of his/her soles all the way from below the earth. This practice is a tremendous energizer, simultaneously aiding in releasing the body-toxins.
Allowing bare feet to wriggle in lush, green and moist grass is absolutely rejuvenating. One could do that for hours together, feeling increasingly fresher by the minute!
Water is an equally pure and natural agent that aids in energizing the bodily chakras through our feet. We all know the magic of standing by the sea shore. Ocean waves, big and small, gentle and forceful, as they wash our feet magically rejuvenate us. A person in a state of depression or turmoil should try spending a few minutes alongside the sea shore with feet in sea-water. He/she would experience an immediate release from tension and negativity, feelings of hope and sheer positivity following closely on the heels! I remember the time when I dipped my feet in Holy Ganges in Haridwar, it felt as though I had taken a rebirth. It was such an overwhelming experience which I am not likely to forget!
At home it is best to immerse our feet in a basin of warm water. Adding a handful of rock salt and healing oils like eucalyptus energizes, cleanses and soothens tired feet, simultaneously removing all the negative energies which feet tend to absorb from public places. Keeping feet immersed in hot water activates Swadhishtana Chakra.
By walking barefoot in temples, ashrams and jeeva-samadhis of liberated souls, feet absorb great energies from the spiritually charged earth around such places.