United Kingdom
Terra Plana’s very own barefoot running expert, Lee Saxby, headed to ZombieRunner in Palo Alto.
Our barefoot running expert Lee Saxby is mentioned in Easy Living's Health Blog, after Omega Douglas attended a barefoot workshop with him. She's going to be trying out some Evos.
Click on the image to read the full article:
Terra Plana & Dr Gowri Motha present ‘The Barefoot Experience’ – For 3 months only
July 21st 2010 by Terra PlanaSpearheaded 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
Last week we organised “A barefoot evening with Christopher McDougall, author of the international bestseller Born to Run.”
We also recorded the event and it is available to listen to below.
Canoe Inc. are giving away a signed pair of Evo‘s and a signed copy of Born to Run to one lucky winner. To enter you have to retweet the following on Twitter:
RT to win a pair of Christopher McDougall signed Evo’s and copy of ‘Born To Run’ @Canoeinc (@Terra_Plana)
Also check out this interview with Christopher McDougall with Julia Armstrong. And on BBC Radio 4 Midweek program.
Here’s a few words from the article:
“Galahad Clark’s ancestors have been making shoes since the 19th century. You could say this seventh generation descendant of the Clarks shoe dynasty is following in his forefathers’ footsteps. It’s just he’s doing it without any shoes on. Convinced that wearing shoes is the cause of a slew of health problems, Galahad is the man behind the £7.5 million turnover of Terra Plana – a company with shops in New York, Vienna and Ljubliana, whose VivoBarefoot shoes with ultra-thin soles act like a scond skin and mimic bare skin.”
Brydie Rowan, a former member of the Terra Plana team in Brighton, recently put her skills and artistic prowess to some Terra Plana shoeboxes.
“I love pattern, textile, sculpture and repurposed art…so when I saw the Terra Plana boxes I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them. I haven’t worked with cardboard before and I was really interested to see what movement and texture I could create with quite a static material.
I wanted to make something wearable and biodegradable, so instead of using any glues etc (which would have been a lot quicker!) I made the dress piece by piece using a single hole punch and natural string, scoring, cutting and fixing to create smooth curved forms on the body and a free flowing skirt with movement.
I wanted to represent the feel of Terra Plana shoes, so I tried to keep the lines quite clean and simple but stylish.
It took me fifteen hours to make, and I am half way through the next piece, which is more geometric and angular and made with united nude boxes.
I’ve only just started but I have some really extravagant ideas to develop now I’m getting the hang of the medium.” – Brydie Rowan, 2010
Terra Plana in Sunday Times – Green Pioneers: My shoes cut your footprint
June 1st 2010 by Terra Plana
“Shoes, according to Galahad Clark, are among the most environmentally damaging consumer products. He should know. He is a sixth-generation member of the country’s best-known shoe empire, Clarks.”
Read the full article at the Times Online
