Do the ladies of Burkina Faso use arch supports?

Hi Craig,

Thank you for contacting the Gokhale Method. To anwer your question, people in Burkina Faso do not need arch supports because they have been using their feet healthfully as traditional cultures do. They are often barefoot and in shoes with very little arch support, therefore all three arches of the the foot, the inner, outer, and transverse arches are strong so the foot acts as it's own arch support. It can be frustrating to find the right shoes so you can kidney bean your feet. A fellow teacher recommends Joseph Siebel brand shoes. Some styles have a wide enough last, so you can kidney bean your feet and have plenty of room for your toes to wiggle. Whatever the brand of shoe, look for styles that have a kidney bean shape themselves rather than shoes that hold your foot straight. I would recommend you wear shoes with arch supports while you strengthen your foot muscles. There are some good exercises in the 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back book on page 211-212. Later, as your arches get stronger you can experiment with shoes with less arch support. Walking barefoot with kidney bean feet is also a great foot strengthener so keep it up! Hope this helps.

Thank you

Kerri

Hi Craig,

I wanted to add there's a section on the forum about shoes that you might find helpful.

 http://gokhalemethod.com/forums/shoes

Take Care

Kerri