BAREFOOT

BAREFOOT

Third in a series of achieving a better lifestyle

My positive life experience is through an exercise and dance programme that is a fusion of movement and breathing at a level of discipline that feels comfortable for ongoing mental and physical fitness.
This discipline is over 100 years old.
It is called MMM (Margaret Morris Method).

I started with posture and balance. Now I am moving on to barefoot. Barefoot dancing develops strength in the many muscles of the feet and ankles giving support to the whole body. How can a body achieve balance without the support of the feet? MMM has exercises that are specifically designed to keep feet fit and healthy. How many people do you know with terrible feet? Doing these exercises is like giving yourself a reflexology treatment. Look at my foot where I am demonstrating part of a toe exercise:

Margaret Morris developed MMM as movement of exercises and dance for doing barefoot. In her time the modernist dance movement rejected the traditional strictures of strapping feet into shoes.

I started taking yoga classes in the early 1970s. I appreciated its emphasis on breathing, stretching, strengthening and balancing. I took these skills from yoga to the first MMM class I attended and immediately recognized some similarities, especially when I found I could continue in MMM barefoot like I was able to do in yoga class. There was satisfaction in taking care of my feet that motivated me to continue so I returned to MMM classes year after year. When I was working full time I attended an evening class in the middle of the week that renewed my energy level making it easier for me to finish the work week. When I was not working full time I attended classes in the morning or afternoon, whatever fit my personal schedule. I continue to pursue MMM whenever I can because my body remembers the positive effects of this healthy lifestyle. My feet have particularly enjoyed the freedom of moving without shoes while engaging in MMM.