BEHIND BAREFOOT
what is barefoot & free?
Our mission is to create immersive gatherings in nature. Gatherings centered on yoga, conscious evolution, play, and remembering of what it feels like to truly feel free.
Each event we offer is carefully crafted around our mission. Our end goal is you finding your AUTHENTIC voice. We believe each person is here on earth to THRIVE. We provide gatherings centered on practices that help each one of us connect to who we really are.
This involves healing our bodies, hearts, and minds. Releasing lineage trauma and past experiences that keep us playing small.
Opening ourselves up to source energy. Creativity, vitality, bounding passion- channeling the nectar of being ALIVE!
We bring together conscious, high-vibrational people. We meticulously choose our presenters. We don’t go for the “yoga famous,” but rather those fully embodying their true selves. Teaching with passion, sharing from their heart. We bring people together that will excite you to live your dream life.
We pick places where the land speaks to us. We prefer forests, beaches, trees, rivers, rocks, dirt, and sky over conference rooms and cities. We feel we are inside enough; in cities enough. Barefoot is about getting back to the places, both inner and outer, that beckon you to listen to your guides.
Our mission is about feeling free. And YES, we love being Barefoot!
Beth James, founder/creator of Barefoot and Free
Beth James is a leading voice, speaker, and authority in the modern wellness industry with over two decades of experience and thousands of classes taught. As the founder of Barefoot & Free, the Midwest’s largest nature-based yoga and wellness festival, and an international retreat leader, Beth has spent over 12 years building expansive, rooted communities worldwide.
Known as a "teachers' teacher," Beth brings a deeply grounded, non-dogmatic approach to yoga and somatic leadership. Having navigated the evolution of the wellness landscape for 20 years, she cuts through the noise of superficial spirituality to focus on what works in the modern era. Beth’s work focuses on the somatic experience; the daily, foundational habits of self-regulation that allow visionary leaders to sustain themselves while holding space for others. Through her intimate embodiment circles, global retreats, and public speaking, she creates transformative, heart-led spaces that invite people to release performance, embrace authentic expression, and come back home to themselves.
HEY BEAUTIFUL BEINGS
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Sarah & Matt W.
“This trip is in my list of most treasured experiences.”
My husband and I both took the leap, and decided to join Beth and her family for Barefoot and Free Bali in 2017. It was an absolute dream trip. Being in Bali was a life changing experience for me. The people, the land, the temples, the ocean makes it virtually impossible to not connect more with your spiritual being.
One of the things I liked about doing this trip, was the fact Beth had taken care of all the planning/accommodations which meant all we needed to do was show up. She had great excursions planned outside of the yoga/meditation we were able to attend daily. We were able to experience staying in 2 different locations, each having their own special qualities about them and the people operating the facilities. Getting to know them, and learn about their lives was such a gift. It’s been wonderful being able to stay in contact with them.
We would highly recommend attending one of Beth’s upcoming retreats! If you’re on the fence…take the leap! You will not be disappointed!”
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CJ Grady
“My first and last yoga retreats were with Beth James and Barefoot & Free and I doubt I would ever do a retreat that didn’t include her and Barefoot & Free. Beth being one of my first yoga teachers holds a very special place in my heart.
My travels with Beth have been life changing and always way more spectacular than I could have ever imaged. Costa Rica opened my eyes and my heart and this last trip to Morocco sealed the deal. I have made new friends, discovered amazing new places and have reawakened my heart to what “living really means”. Be prepared to open your arms, your heart and to forever be changed.
I love Beth, Jamie and all of the Barefoot Tribe and would recommend these retreats to anyone.”
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MELISSA M
“Honestly, Beth could take me anywhere in the world and I wouldn’t hesitate because I know how exquisitely she travels and holds space for retreat. But, an extra special experience is created when the locations she does choose all seem to be infused with especially potent magic. I have never come home feeling like the same person as I was before. Every trip is unique but I always feel completely renewed in body mind and spirit, with a restored sense of enthusiasm for life and all the adventures that await us when we simply say yes. I have made some of my closest friends to this day while traveling with Beth! She really knows how to curate an experience that blends with everyone’s needs and desires, and she does so in contagious joy!”
