Where Feel More meets Move Better: Vivo Barefoot x Align. Barefoot shoes have arrived at Align.

Teaching people how to move better aligned has always been at the core of what we do. By bringing awareness to our feet and how to use them, we can influence better posture, and better movement biomechanics.

Barefoot training is an important fundamental concept, but it's not for everyone. There are also hygienic concerns with being barefoot and so this part of the treatment plan was limited to being at home.

But now...

Our partnership with Vivo Barefoot changes everything. It completes the holistic cycle of foot health at Align, allowing you to enjoy barefoot freedom in more places.

At Align we believe in balance, and that balance is different for everyone. We all are at different stages of our foot & movement health journey. Our treatment spectrum ranges from structured support when you need it to natural, barefoot function when you’re ready to evolve, and all the steps in-between.

We believe that every step you take should bring you closer to your natural self - to better movement, better health, and better alignment. That’s why we are beyond excited to officially announce our exclusive partnership with Vivo Barefoot.

At Align, we’ve always been passionate about foot health, body alignment, and empowering our community to live in harmony with their bodies. Vivo Barefoot shares this mission - creating footwear that reconnects us to the earth, strengthens our feet, and promotes natural, uninhibited healthy movement.

Why Vivo Barefoot?

Unlike traditional shoes that confine and cushion the foot in unnatural ways, Vivo Barefoot shoes are designed to let your feet do what they were meant to do: move freely.

Their minimalist, foot-shaped design:

• Encourages proper toe splay.
• Supports healthy foot mechanics.
• Improves balance and proprioception.
• Strengthens foot and lower body muscles.
• Helps align the entire body from the ground up.

These are not just shoes - they are a foot health tool that perfectly complements the Body Alignment, Align Orthotics™ and medical footcare services we offer at Align.

A Perfect Fit: Our Shared Values

This partnership isn’t just about footwear. It’s about creating a lifestyle where:

• Sustainability matters. Vivo Barefoot uses natural, recycled, and sustainable materials, minimizing their footprint while protecting yours.
• Foot health comes first. Both Vivo Barefoot Shoes and Align believe that strong, healthy feet are the foundation for a strong, healthy body.
• Community comes together. We’re building a movement of people who care about how they move, how they feel, and how they live.

The Modern Shoe Myth

For decades, the shoe industry has sold us two big ideas: Shock Absorption & Motion Control. 

Sounds good, right? Well, yes - it’s all good in moderation. 

Modern shoes have helped us to train, optimize and move efficiently, the only problem? When you only wear heavily padded and constrictive shoes:

• You lose sensory feedback (your body’s natural information loop).
• You lose proprioception (your ability to feel your body in space).
• You lose your natural movement patterns.

And your brain? It starts searching for information. It tells your body to hit the ground harder. You might overstride. You might walk and run in ways that stress your body instead of supporting it.

This is where the balance of Vivo Barefoot comes in.

How Vivo Barefoot Completes the Align Journey

Vivo Barefoot gives your feet back their freedom. They are foot-shaped, thin-soled, flexible, and intentionally designed to get you reconnected with your natural walking, running, and standing patterns.

At Align, we believe in balance.

Barefoot exercises are a key aspect of our treatment plans to help bring awareness to our body’s natural movement. Often used in conjunction with supportive and cushioned footwear, to provide the perfect balance.

That’s why we’ve always loved our ON Running collection — it provides structured support for high-performance and injury-specific cases. It has a place.

But now, Vivo Barefoot brings adds to the:

• Footwear that promotes foot strength, sensory feedback, and natural function.
• Footwear that helps you retrain your body to move skillfully from the ground up.
• Footwear that completes the alignment story.

We can now offer you both sides of the spectrum:

Structured support when you need it.
Natural, barefoot function when you’re ready to evolve.

Try Vivo Barefoot In-Store at Align

Now, you can experience Vivo Barefoot for yourself at both our Mississauga and Toronto locations. Whether you’re looking to transition to barefoot walking, improve your posture, looking for outdoor training shoes, or simply find the most comfortable everyday shoe - we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Our clinical team can:

• Perform a Body Align Assessment, assess your walking gait, posture, hip alignment, back, knees, ankles and feet to help determine if barefoot shoes are right for your unique structure.
• Guide you through a safe transition plan to strengthen your feet and adapt to barefoot movement.
• Recommend Medical footcare services, Align Orthotics™, and exercises that compliment the benefits of barefoot shoes.

Barefoot shoes can be part of your Foot Health journey

We’re here to support your natural evolution.

This partnership is bigger than a product.
It’s a movement.

We’re changing the way you think about shoes.
We’re changing the way you think about your body.
We’re changing the way you move.

Step into Align. Step into Vivo Barefoot. Step into your natural self.

Walk With Us

This is more than a product launch. It’s a step toward natural, aligned living.

✨ Talk to your Align Clinician to see if Vivo Barefoot shoes are right for you! 

We’re proud to bring this collaboration to our community and can’t wait to walk this journey with you — barefoot and aligned.

At Align, we’ll guide you through this journey.
We offer foot scans, gait analysis, professional footwear fittings, and personalized movement coaching to help you transition safely and skillfully to barefoot footwear.

LITTLE KIDS

Created to get out there with your young adventurer.

Enhance the sensory connection and limit the interference between your little one’s feet and their brain, allowing them to move with greater freedom, stability, and build their little muscle strength up!

JUNIORS: 

Give young feet the space they deserve.

Maximizing proprioceptive input from the plantar surface of the foot enhances the sensory feedback loop to the central nervous system, improving neuromuscular coordination and enabling more precise, stable, and efficient movement.

MENS:

Built for trail running and adventuring closer to nature

Consistent use of Vivo Barefoot footwear over a six-month period can lead to up to a 60% increase in intrinsic foot muscle strength, contributing to improved foot stability, load distribution, and functional resilience.

 WOMENS: 

Classic sneaker aesthetic meets barefoot fit and feel- and they're biodegradable!

A daily sneaker that facilitates your natural foot functions such as flexion, splaying, and ground gripping activates and mobilizes the intrinsic muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the foot, enhancing overall joint mobility and promoting efficient, unrestricted movement patterns.

Visit us in Mississauga or Toronto to try Vivo Barefoot today.