For about a month I’ve been wearing “minimalist” shoes. Shoes that allow space for my toes to move and a very thin sole. It didn’t seem like much of a transition for me because I am usually 4 to 6 hours a week a day on the mat barefoot and I don’t wear any shoes when I am home.

I didn’t notice the significance in the cushion of my regular shoes until I wore one of them this weekend when we went over to a friends house for dinner. Even in my relatively thin soled shoes, suede vans, I noticed the soft comfort of a cushion. My toes felt cramped together and my feet locked in place. I’ve heard people describe regular shoes as your “feet being in a cast,” and I finally could feel what they were talking about. Wearing my vans, which I though could pass for minimal, I was surprised to notice the “cramped” feeling.

Our feet have many many bones, tendons, and ligaments. The foot will even twist in opposite directions between the front and the back. The toes move and grip the ground. But when we wear shoes we don’t do any of that with out feet. They really are set into a cast.

The shoes I bought were a $10 pair or lifeguards from the local store. I was reluctant to buy an expensive vibram that would cost over $100 from the beginning, but these might be the only type of shoes I will be wearing from here on out.

In a month of replacing all of my walking with a minimalist shoe, I’ve noticed a difference in my feet. They feel “engaged” from my ankle to my calf. I notice myself widening my toes as I walk and my arch has a stronger feel to it. The feet are a muscle we use all the time, but we seldom train it or make sure to take care of it when strained.

Last night I went on a short 10 minute jog around the block and today I feel good. A little stiffness in the calves, but I look forward to experimenting with some running in the coming weeks using my minimalist shoes.