Grounding or Earthing

More and more people are realizing that we, as humans, are part of nature.  Nature not only plays an integral part in our survival, but it also is needed in order to bring about balance and harmony.  Unfortunately, a lot of nature is being destroyed due to pollution, deforestation and the like.  In today’s blog post I don’t want to dwell on the negative.  Instead, I want to delve a little deeper into the concept of grounding or earthing.

Grounding is when you walk barefoot on the grass or sand, or sit or lie on the ground for 30 – 40 minutes, earth’s electrons pulse through our bodies.  The earth, like everything else, is made up of electricity.  The earth has a magnetic energy field and, when you look at nature, everything is in balance and “lives and breathes” in accordance to this magnetic energy field.  The modern world has disrupted this natural rhythm due to cell phone towers, cell phones, televisions, and the like.  Instead of going to sleep when it gets dark and getting up when the sun comes up, millions of people go to sleep later, wake up later or sleep during the day and work during the night.

What are the benefits of grounding?  For starters, it helps you to relax and sleep better.  In other words, grounding enhances our biological processes.  Grounding helps with building and maintaining a strong immune system, aids digestions, circulation and sleep.  It can also aid in relieving pain, chronic inflammation, stress, depression.  Grounding is helpful in treating autoimmune diseases, for example Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even cancer.

Where did it all start?  In Arizona, USA.  A man by the name of Clinton Ober, who was a retired cable-tv technician, was battling a liver problem and midlife crisis!  One day, as he watched tourists getting off a bus in Sedona, it struck him that there is not a link between us and earth anymore, due to the shoes that we wear, the cars we drive and hours spend indoors.  He decided to do an experiment.  Clinton stuck a strip of metal duct tape across his bed, threw a wire out the window and attached it to a metal rod to ground him.  He not only slept better but also felt better.  After his “experiment, Clinton went to the University of California, excited to share the news.  After working with academics and integrative medicine professionals, Clinton, together with Stephen Sinatra (a cardiologist, turned bioenergetic psycho-therapist) and Martin Zucker, decided to write a book: “Earthing:  The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?” in 2019.

Fast-forward to 2021 and you will find numerous YouTube-videos, books and magazine articles about this subject.  There are, however, still sceptics out there.  Some medical professionals don’t quite understand the benefits yet and believe that, walking barefoot, is unnecessary.  According to these professionals, the earth’s impulses can still reach the soles of your feet even when you wear socks and/or a shoe.  I am no expert and of course will not like to walk barefoot in the middle of winter!  However, my common sense tells me that the less of a “barrier” there is between your bare feet and the earth, the better – and this includes the carpets, flooring, concrete, and so forth, that we call our “home’s floor.”

I think the best thing to do is to simply make time to spend as much time as possible outside, surrounded by nature (without the disturbance of a cell phone)!  Walking barefoot is not only beneficial for your psyche, but also for your feet’s health.  When you walk barefoot, the small metatarsals (muscles) in your feet and toes, get a very good workout.  It strengthens your ankles, helps with circulation and is a good leg workout (especially if you walk on sand).  Walking barefoot also massages your feet, exfoliates them (especially walking on sand) and stimulate all the pressure points.  In Reflexology pressure points link up with all the organs in your body.  When one / more are stimulated through massage, it aids in lymphatic drainage and circulation; it also relieves any ailment (-s). 

When you are grounded (earthed), you are content with who you are.  You are sure of yourself, have confidence in the decisions you make and you allow clean energy to come through (by getting rid of excess energy).  When you walk barefoot, in nature, your mind and heart come into balance; and by breathing slowly and deeply, you instantly relax and unwind.  Grounding is a great tool to use if your mind is over active, because it forces you, as it were, to calm down and come into balance again.  When you are more in touch with yourself and in balance with nature, you will instinctively be more mindful towards and respect your environment.

Next time you are outdoors (and it is safe), take off your shoes and feel the earth underneath your feet.  Happy grounding = happy bare feet = happy mind, heart and body!