Warrior Woman's Jenny Jones talks about how 

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Terra Plana Grace high heel features in August's Good Housekeeping magazine.

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We organised a day of workshops with Barefoot Running Expert Lee Saxby and invited several key journalists to learn the skill of Barefoot running, GQ wrote about them on their blog – interesting stuff.

Click on the images to read the original articles.

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Blog 6

Spearheaded by new research and the international bestseller “Born to Run,” the ‘barefoot movement’ is gathering pace. London’s first Barefoot Experience is dedicated to helping people rediscover natural movement, and better health, from the feet up.

In January 2010 Professor Dan Lieberman of Harvard University released his seminal research on the benefits of barefoot and the dangers of normal padded running shoes (Nature Magazine, “Tread Softly”) adding to a number of other scientific studies showing how underfoot shoe technologies are doing more harm than good.

Two months later, Galahad Clarks (owner of Terra Plana) wife had a baby delivered by Dr. Gowri Motha. She followed Dr. Gowri’s Gentle Birth method and had a wonderful natural birth. Galahad and Gowri hit it off and especially connected on the benefits of being barefoot and the positive health benefits of stimulating your soles!

After a reflexology session in her St. Johns Wood clinic over an ayurvedic lunch, Galahad and Gowri decided to collaborate and bring her treatments directly to the public.

Terra Plana are creators of Vivobarefoot, the original barefoot shoe, with a patented ultra thin puncture resistant sole that gives all the benefits of being barefoot with protection. Terra Plana are proud to work with world’s leading barefoot running expert Lee Saxby as their main advisor on barefoot movement and an in store treadmill will give people a chance to try out ‘barefoot running’, get basic pointers from the staff, and attend running clinics from time-to-time.

Dr. Gowri Motha is an obstetrician and pioneer of water births and the gentle birth method in the UK. She advocates reflexology as an excellent all round treatment that promotes general health. Dr. Gowri was the first doctor in London to introduce reflexology as the treatment of choice for mothers in her care, in 1987.

Dr. Gowri’s experience with Terra Plana has led her to conclude that walking in Vivobarefoot shoes (with ultra thin soles) stimulates the reflexology points and was quick to conclude that mothers can enhance their health as they walk in the barefoot shoes.

Dr. Gowri’s team of health practitioners include reflexologists, an ayurvedic doctor, nutritionists and general health practitioners offering treatments to help ease common conditions like back problems and digestive disorders.

Come and enjoy the “Barefoot Experience”, kick off your shoes, release your feet, stimulate your soles and rediscover the joy of natural movement…

Where: 36 Kings Road, London SW3 / nearest tube: Sloane Square

To find out more about Dr Gowri and the Gentle Birth Method click here

Have a watch of this great video review of the Vivobarefoot Evo by Mizz Fit

Review of The Evo Barefoot Running Shoe by Terra Plana

Here's Asher Clark, of AMC Design talking about shoes, Terra Plana, sitting on the toilet and going barefoot.

Read the full interview on yankodesign.com

Here's a couple of the questions from the interview:

This is a question I've always wanted to ask the pro-barefoot camp. Many runners pronate or supinate and require corrective orthotics. Can these runners use the Evo comfortably?

Most people have been in shoes every walking hour of there life since they were kids and it stands to reason that if you jump out of your shoes and run a marathon your going to feel pain in places that you didn't even know existed. Absolutely, if you are new to barefoot you need to take it slowly and listen to your body, building up to longer runs and looking at improving your running technique with a like minded running coach. The?? hard soles of shoes actually cause a lot of foot problems and research shows that if you let you body move as nature intended, a lot of the problems you talk about can be corrected. For me personally barefoot just feels rite and perhaps is not for everyone but we were all barefoot once upon a time, right?

As head designer of Terra Plana, what inspires you? What do you do when you come to a creative block?

Am inspired to make things better…better to wear, better for the environment…just keep being better.

Check out this Terra Plana Evo review by Tina Dubois from Living Barefoot.

 Here's the summary from review:

"Terra Plana has made another excellent product in the Vivo Barefoot Evo. It is a phenomenal all-purpose shoe as well as an amazing running shoe. It is extremely comfortable with or without socks and form fits to your feet well because of the laces. The barefoot feel is outstanding and, while running, definitely promotes a midfoot strike. It has incredible breathability because of the choice to use a mesh material surrounded by a TPU cage, allowing even the hottest feet cooling air flow. And, of course, the quality of the materials and manufacturing is superb. Although the price may put some people off from buying them, it is comparable to many running-specific shoes and should last much longer than their usually prescribed 500 miles. The Evo is a stellar minimalist shoe and the fact that they were specifically designed for running, which they also feel fantastic for, makes them even better." 

Read the full article on the Living Barefoot website.