Years of extensive research have shown that connecting to the Earth’s natural energy, by walking barefoot on grass, sand, dirt or rock can diminish chronic pain, fatigue and other ailments that plague so many people today. This connection is referred to as Earthing or Grounding.
To put it briefly, when your bare feet or skin comes in contact with the earth, free electrons are taken up into the body. These electrons could be referred to as nature’s biggest antioxidants and help neutralise damaging excess free radicals that can lead to inflammation and disease in the body. The Earth is a conductor of free electrons and so are all living things on the planet, including us.
Benefits of earthing have shown to help with:
- Defuse the cause of inflammation, and improve or eliminate the symptoms of many inflammation-related disorders
- Reduce or eliminate chronic pain
- Improve Sleep and promote a deeper sleep
- Increase energy and vitality
- Lower stress and promote calmness in the body by cooling down the nervous system and stress hormones
- Normalise the body’s biological rhythms
- Thin the blood and improve blood pressure and flow
- Relieve muscle tension and headaches
- Lessen hormonal and menstrual symptoms
- Dramatically speeds healing time and can help prevent bedsores
Types of grounding
There are many types of grounding. All of them focus on reconnecting yourself to the earth. This can be done through either direct or indirect contact with the earth.
- Walking barefoot
Have you ever been outside on a warm summer day and felt the urge to run barefoot in the grass? One of the easiest ways to ground yourself to the earth is to walk barefoot.
Whether this is on grass, sand, or even mud, allowing your skin to touch the natural ground can provide you with grounding energy.
- Lying on the ground
You can increase your skin-to-earth contact by lying on the ground. You can do it in the grass by the park or on the sand at the beach.
- Submersing in water
According to advocates for grounding, water may be used to ground in the same way the physical earth is used for grounding.
They suggest simply wading in a clear lake or swimming in the ocean as a way to ground yourself.
Do you remember the last time you walked barefoot on the beach, through the grass or in the bush and simply reconnected with the Earth? How good did it feel?
