Let’s Get Wild! Fox Walking
This week we invite you to take ‘earthing’, the practice of having your bare feet on the ground to the next level with a practice called fox walking. We learned this practice from the Kamana Wilderness Awareness School. Fox walking is a way of moving that will help you become more present in your body and more present with the land. It also promotes healthy alignment that is good for your joints. See it as a form of walking meditation, inviting you to slow down and tune in. A fox is swift and silent, highly aware of her environment, one with the land that surrounds her, let’s tap into her energy!
- Pretend that there is an imaginary line between your feet that you are walking along with your feet not wider apart than your hip bones.
- Point your toes straight ahead and have your knees slightly bent.
- Slowly take one foot and place the outer edge of the ball of your foot down first, roll onto the rest of the ball of your foot, letting your toes lower as well and then gently bring your heel and the rest of your foot down, not putting your weight on it until you know that there is nothing sharp or noisy beneath your foot, if there is, you can adjust yourself before you fully step down.
- Walk slowly, feeling into all of the sensations in your feet as they touch the Earth, really sensing what is beneath you as you walk, tapping into a primal way of moving across the land.
Tom Brown Jr, Master tracker and wilderness awareness teacher said, “let your feet become your eyes on the ground… my feet have learned to see and so can yours.” How does it feel to consciously communicate with the ground?
You can make a game out of it too! See if you can sneak up on someone with fox walking. Challenge yourself even further by trying it in the forest where there are lots of crunchy twigs and leaves. Walking in general is also very good for digestion. We invite you to go for a walk and try out fox walking to support fennel’s medicine. Enjoy your exploration!