the magic of human touch

Greetings, fellow humans!

We humans were born to touch. Photo credit: Warner Photography

As social animals, the very core of our survival has always relied on being part of a supportive group. More than words, the sense of kind touch from another person lets us know on a deep level that we are safe and secure. When we are sad, a good hug often does something for us that nothing else can. When a child is upset, the calming cuddle of a parent or trusted friend is the best medicine. The therapeutic effects of touching each other have been proven by countless studies, yet most of us in western cultures still do not get enough positive touch in our lives. Many of us get loads of “virtual contact” through social media, text, email, and we even have the occasional face to face interaction. Physical contact, however, seems undervalued in modern western society.

So… Where do we start?

1. Hug your friends, family, and anyone else who won’t get offended. (There’s no need to creep out strangers, right?)

2. Cuddle your kids, grandkids or your partner.

3. Get a massage! Much as an opera singer has devoted their life to perfecting the human voice, a trained massage therapist has devoted theirs to perfecting the skill of therapeutic human touch. A skilled therapist can help calm your mind and body to allow your true self to shine!

If you want to schedule a massage with me, contact Synchronicity Wellness, or find me on my facebook page

OK... now go hug someone!

                                                       Much love, Mo the human

The most technologically advanced shoe ever made.

Greetings, fellow humans!

There is a shoe available which is far beyond any technology we normally associate with sports equipment. It is equipped with thousands of microscopic sensors designed to make the sole adapt instantly to changing terrain and traction environments. An extremely powerful, yet portable data processor constantly monitors the information coming from each shoe making minute adjustments with every step to ensure a smooth and efficient gait whether walking, hiking, or even running.

While not suitable for use in every sport, these shoes are extremely lightweight and supremely comfortable and breathable, with a truly custom fit for every athlete. Unbeknownst to the general public, many top athletes and training facilities have used these shoes for some or all of their training with overwhelmingly positive results.

With proper training and frequent use, these shoes can help build maximum core strength, coordination, efficiency, and balance in athletes and normal people of all ages.

These shoes, sadly, are not for sale... The good news is, you already have a pair! We are referring to the natural human foot. 

Over one billion people are currently using the most popular shoe on earth: None. While the unshod populations of the earth do have many struggles in life, their feet are remarkably healthy. 

Those of us who have spent most of our lives in shoes, however, are in need of a serious "software update" to take advantage of our feet. Once we learn how to feel our feet, we can then move on to building the necessary strength and flexibility to take full advantage of our truly amazing and capable feet. I have seen bunions, hammer toes, plantar fascia issues, knee pain, and even back pain improve tremendously through carefully training and regaining a natural human gait. If you have any interest in getting back in touch with your feet, consider the "sobriety test" as a careful first step into an exciting new journey.

Finding Your Natural Human Gait Step 1 

The “Sobriety Test” Exercise: 

Teaching Your Brain to See with Your Feet 

Expect this to be a joyful, but possibly very slow process. Different people learn at different speeds. Approach this as if you are gardening. You cannot force a plant to bloom. As such, do not force your feet or brain to adapt too quickly. Let this be a short time you take every morning to experience the sensation you brain has been hungry for since childhood.

1.     Start completely barefoot on a flat, hard, smooth surface such as a wood or stone floor.

2.     Stand for a moment and gently shift your weight from foot to foot without lifting either foot off the ground.

3.   While looking forward (not down) with a soft gaze, begin lifting each foot very slightly, then gently placing it onto the ground before you slowly lift the other foot.

4.     With a soft, relaxed ankle, place one foot just barely in front of the other foot, then WAIT for the front foot to “invite” your weight onto it. This will involve some gentle contraction of the Gluteal and hamstring muscles in the back leg.

5.     As you shift your weight to the forward foot, gently lift the back foot without “pushing off”. 

6.     Repeat at a slow, gentle pace. If you are “thumping”, slow down.

7.     Try the same movement walking backwards. Notice the sensations in your feet.

After some time, you may wish to experiment with some different textures: rough surfaced concrete, dirt, etc… eventually even gravel. Do not rush this. With patience you can avoid possible injury as you slowly regain a very gentle and joyful gait. In time the muscles, tendons, and bones of the feet will become stronger as your brain-foot connection becomes “smarter”.

If you would like additional resources, click here.

OK, Now go outside and play!
                                       Much Love, Mo the human                

Run like an animal, not a machine.

Greetings, fellow humans!

First of all, let me say... I know next to nothing about competing in races of any distance.

I have worked on thousands of runners in my massage therapy career, many of whom have been quite accomplished competitors. However, I personally have little to no interest in competition. I'm not saying you should not compete, so much as I'm saying my approach to running is kinda the opposite of a competitor's mindset. Competitors seem to view their runs in miles and times, pacing, training schedules, etc. I do none of that. I'm not saying competitors don't enjoy their runs, but based on what I hear from the competitors I know, it seems like there's a lot of suffering going on there. (and quite a few injuries as well.)

 I consider running to be "PLAY" and not "EXERCISE". Not that no exercise comes from running, but I think if you goals are to"get in shape", running is an inefficient way to do so.


I run for 2 reasons:

1: Sheer JOY! (see 1 minute video below, or TAP/CLICK HERE if on a mobile device)

2: Quick transportation. (Walking is not as fast as running, even for a slow runner like me.)



About four and half years ago, I couldn't even consider running. Luckily, I was opened to a whole new approach that truly changed my life.

Thanks to a re-learning of this basic human skill, I can run again in a joyful and pain-free manner!



 If you want to go "further down the rabbit hole" on techniques for regaining a gentle, non-impact gait, watch the video below (or TAP/CLICK HERE if on a mobile device). Even if you are a competitive runner, I think this approach can lead to a more efficient and pleasure-filled run. The first 12 minutes is where I describe how and why the important first step in learning to run is learning to walk with a natural gait. The rest consists of a lengthy Q&A/discussion of ideas.

If you want to read more on some of my favorite resources, bunions, plantar fasciitis, and my favorite shoe options go here.

                                                     OK... Now go outside and play!      Much love, Mo the human.

Grace in every step: Regaining our natural human gait

Disclaimer:
As with everything on this blog, I am not telling anyone else what to do. I'm merely sharing my own experiences in exploration of human health. Think. Learn. Be your own teacher.

If you live in the Asheville area, you are lucky for a wide variety of reasons. One of them is that Synchronicity Wellness has gotten in the habit of hosting monthly "Paleo Potlucks" which are announced on the "Paleo Asheville" facebook page. At these events, I've met some wonderful people and had some truly amazing food. No wonder some folks call paleo eating "the foodie's diet"!
 I have also greatly enjoyed the various talks given at these potlucks. Each speaker has brought to the group a whole new perspective on a different subject. It's really cool to see how this "paleo thing" is encompassing so much more that just the classic diet and exercise stuff!

In October I got to give a talk at one of the potlucks regarding natural human gait.
The "lecture" is about 12 minutes, followed by a lengthy and somewhat funny Q&A/ discussion.
To watch the video click here:

If you watch, please let me know what you think. 


If you'd like some additional resources, including loads of shoe options that I consider healthy for our feet and Books for runners... Click here:

A simple exercise I have used with considerable success to regain a gentle, natural human stride is what I like to call...

The “Sobriety Test” Exercise:

Teaching Your Brain to See with Your Feet

by Mo Goldstein, happy human

Expect this to be a joyful, but possibly very slow process. Different people learn at different speeds. Approach this as if you are gardening. You cannot force a plant to bloom. As such, do not force your feet or brain to adapt too quickly. Let this be a short time you take every morning to experience the sensation you brain has been hungry for since childhood.

1.     Start completely barefoot on a flat, hard, smooth surface such as a wood or stone floor.

2.     Stand for a moment and gently shift your weight from foot to foot without lifting either foot off the ground.

3.   While looking forward (not down) with a soft gaze, begin lifting each foot very slightly, then gently placing it onto the ground as you lift the other foot.

4.     Gently place one foot just barely in front of the other foot, then WAIT for the front foot to “invite” your weight onto it. This will involve some gentle contraction of the Gluteal and hamstring muscles in the back leg.

5.     As you shift your weight to the forward foot, gently lift the back foot without “pushing off”.

6.     Repeat at a slow, gentle pace. If you are “thumping”, slow down.

7.     Try the same movement walking backwards. Notice the sensations in your feet.

After some time, you may wish to experiment with some different textures: rough surfaced concrete, dirt, etc… eventually even gravel. Do not rush this. With patience you can avoid possible injury as you slowly regain a very gentle and joyful gait. In time the muscles, tendons, and bones of the feet will become stronger as your brain-foot connection becomes “smarter”.

OK, now go outside and play!

                                                                          Much love, -Mo the human

Go for it! (The joy of being wrong.)

Like most people, I like the satisfaction of being right and getting what I want.

However, I love being wrong... That's when the really cool stuff happens!

When I was in college I signed up for the free "UNCC karate club" so I could learn better fighting skills...
I got something far more valuable. I learned the ability to keep a cool head and avoid getting in fights.

I once made a horrible mistake while snowboarding. I thought for a brief yet eternal moment (as I flew through the air) that I'd never walk again. I did fracture my spine and experience the most severe pain I can imagine, but that day changed me in very positive ways. Also, I was snowboarding again 6 weeks later.

I decided to not date anyone for a while so I could focus on massage school.
The woman who changed my mind became my wife and my best friend...  and I'm still MADLY in love with her 15 years later.

I took a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class hoping to regain my ability to "keep a cool head and avoid getting in fights." Well, that actually worked... But I got something even better in discovering a community of intelligent, fun, creative people and a joyful sport that challenged me and changed me in numerous positive ways. The good folks of I trained with are forever family to me.

I took up barefoot walking and running in the hopes of helping my chronic foot and knee pain. I was thinking I'd probably run a marathon someday. I thought I might lose some "middle age fat gain" too. I lost zero pounds in 2 years. Now I'm thinking I'll probably never run a marathon, and that's OK... My pain is gone, my feet and knees are happy, and I can run whenever I want for the sheer joy of it!

I tried eating paleo for a month thinking it would be bland and boring and might help my joint aches.
I've never enjoyed food so much in my life! The joint aches took a full month to go away, but they did -along with all that middle aged fat gain! Even better, I discovered a huge community of intelligent and open-minded people who are quietly creating a revolution in human health.

The point of all this late-night rambling?

If you're thinking...

"Oh, I could never do that." (Whatever THAT might be...)

Well, you're probably right.

So long as you think you can't... You won't be proven wrong.

But maybe, just maybe, you're thinking, "Maybe I can?"

In that case, whatever it is... GO for it!

Maybe you'll get lucky! Maybe you can.

Or... if you're really lucky, maybe you'll be wrong,

and you will discover something even better.

OK, now go outside and play!  Love, Mo the human

How NOT to learn barefoot running!

Behold... The Brooks BEAST! (My old "foot coffins" that made natural, gentle running impossible.)

Below I am pasting A re-post from Steven Sashen at xero shoes... (my favorite sandals) 
for more, look at my resources page.

Enjoy!-Mo the human


(Read this online at www.xeroshoes.com/transition)


I was on a panel discussion about barefoot running a while 
back. At one point, someone in the audience asked,

So how do I transition to barefoot running?

Quick Note -- while this is about running, if you're not a
runner this story is still relevant and important for you.

Okay, back to the story.

Before I could respond to the question, a well-respected 
physical therapist suggested the following:

"First, switch to a slightly lower-heeled shoe than what 
you have. Run in that for a few months. Then switch to a 
racing flat, maybe one day a week for a while… then add 
an extra day every month, until you can run in those. Then 
maybe try something like Vibrams on a soft surface, like 
grass in a park. Work up to being able to run on the grass... 
then try a soft dirt path. Eventually you may be able to run 
on hard surfaces, but don't do that too often. And I don't 
recommend being totally barefoot because you could step on 
something."

The only reason I didn't interrupt him was that I was in shock!

I had never heard anything so insane in my life. Until he 
he tossed out his next bit of barefoot running advice:

"Expect to spend about 2 to 3 years making the transition. 
That's how long I've been doing it and I'm still not there."

That's when my shock gave way to action, and I took off the 
politeness gloves.

"Hold on," I said, "this is completely upside down and wrong!"

Danny Abshire from Newton jumped in as well, "Right, that's 
backwards."

I'll tell you what Danny and I proposed, instead, in just a 
moment. But first, let's back up to the question that started 
it all.

"How do you transition!?"

The idea built into the question itself seems to make sense. 
If you're wearing a motion-controlled shoe with a 3″ heel 
and a $400 orthotic, it seems logical that you need to slowly 
wean yourself from all that support. It seems clear that you 
would need to get comfortable in a lower and lower heel until 
you're ready for barefoot.

But as we've already seen in the previous days of this course, 
things are not always as they seem.

Here's the bottom line:

There is nothing that "prepares" you for being barefoot.

Nothing.

Not "zero-drop" shoes (where your heel is at the same height 
as the ball of your foot). Not Vibrams. Not a thinner insole. 
Not even Xero Shoes (more about those in a second).

Anything that you put on your feet will change either your 
stride and biomechanics, or the amount of sensation you're 
feeling in your feet (or both) compared to being barefoot. 
So once you take off your shoes, or fully feel the ground, 
you'll need to learn to move differently.

Here's where some people stop reading what I'm saying and 
respond with two arguments (to points I'm not making).

First, they'll say, "Oh, so you're some sort of barefoot 
purist! Who are you to tell me what to wear or not wear?"

To be clear, I'm not telling anyone what to wear and I'm not 
saying barefoot is the only way to be. Admittedly, the 
majority of my time I am in Xero Shoes, but not always 
(more about when I'm not, and when you shouldn't be in 
an upcoming lesson).

This article is about the myth of "transitioning", not 
about your footwear, or lack thereof.

Secondly, people will say, "Yes, but switching to a racing 
flat or zero-drop shoe will give your Achilles time to 
stretch and strengthen, and that better prepares you for 
being barefoot."

To them I say, "Not always. And for almost everyone, your 
Achilles has more than enough stretch. And, even if it were 
true that you needed to stretch your Achilles, there's a 
better way than spending 2-3 years to make that happen."

Keep in mind that the biggest reason for going totally 
barefoot is that feeling the ground with your skin gives 
you the most feedback about your form. Feedback that, if 
you attend to it, can inspire you to change your gait to 
something more efficient, easy, and natural. Running in 
Xero Shoes is, really, the same... if they covered 
everywhere you stepped in 4-6mm of flexible rubber.

All the other shoes I've tested reduce the amount of ground 
sensation you feel so that you don't get the feedback you 
need to adjust your gait.

I've seen hundreds of people in VFFs or racing flats who 
still heel strike or have some other gait pattern where 
they aren't getting much if any extra "Achilles strengthening 
and stretching".

So, what's the better way to "transition" that Danny and I 
chimed in with?

1) Take off your shoes (or put on your Invisible Shoes), 
find the hardest and smoothest surface you can find 
(like a bike path or street) and run.

2) But only do it for about 200 yards.

3) See how you feel the next day.

You may be sore, you may be fine. If you're sore, wait until 
you're not. Then go try again, and add 100 or 200 yards. Repeat.

I think of this as the "Shampoo method" of barefoot running. 
Instead of "Lather, Rinse, Repeat," it's run a little, rest, 
repeat (and run a little more).

Keep in mind, there are two types of soreness. One is from 
using muscles you haven't used in a while, or using them in 
a way you haven't used in a while (if ever), or using them 
a bit more than usual.

The other is from doing something wrong. Like doing way too 
much distance (which part of 200 yards was confusing to you?), 
or trying to stay on your toes without letting your heels 
ever touch the ground (Not necessary... land mid- or forefoot, 
but your heel can touch down. No need to do 200 yards of 
calf raises).

In other words, a little soreness is probably normal. A lot of 
soreness is telling you to try something different.

And this idea that you need to be on soft surfaces. Completely 
wrong. And wrong for the same reason that you don't want to 
be in cushy running shoes.

Give yourself a soft surface and the odds are good you'll 
heel-strike. Plus, soft surfaces don't give you the feedback 
you want, the kind that can help you quickly learn a new 
and better way to run. I've seen barefoot runners who've 
only run on grass, and they usually look like shod runners 
who lost their shoes.

Instead of thinking that you can work your way to barefoot 
or huaraches slowly, go there immediately. But work your 
way up in time/distance slowly.

All the strengthening that you want to do before you run 
barefoot, you'll get that faster by running barefoot.

All the stretching you need (if, in fact, you need any), 
you'll get that by building up your distance, slowly.

To misquote Yoda's famous "There is no try. Only do." 
There is no transition, only run (or walk, as the case may be).

Oh, and in the next lesson, I'll share some of the most 
important tips about exactly HOW to walk or run barefoot, 
including some suggestions that, frankly, I never wanted 
to share with anyone... shhhhh.

Let me know what you think. Go to www.xeroshoes.com/transition
and add your comments.


Feel The World!
-Steven Sashen, CEO

To dance with those who are not yet born...

I hope, someday, to be very old.
I hope to live that long, but not at the expense of living.
Through scraped knees, and broken bones,
Stubbed toes, and broken hearts, I plan to earn my way...
To graceful wisdom.

I hope to dance with those who are not yet born.
To sing with them their songs.
To see through their eyes.
To taste, once again, the reckless joy of a youthful body,
Like the one I have today.




I wrote this short poem over 7 years ago when my wife was pregnant with our first kid.
I'm happy to say, thanks largely to a few key changes,  I feel even more youthful and alive today than I did then!

• learning all I can from everyone I meet
• appreciating the joy that can come from failures
• eating real food
• high intensity exercise (HIT)
• meditation (both moving and still)
• reclaiming my natural foot structure and gait 
• reclaiming my natural squat...
• better sleep patterns

OK, Now go outside and play!

                                                                Much love, Mo the human