5 things you need to know about Earthing

Can you remember a time when you walked barefoot on the sand or in the grass and felt in tune with your surroundings? Like nothing could touch you; you were at one with nature? You felt really good. Well, lovely reader, that is Earthing! Let me tell you more…

What is Earthing?

Earthing (or grounding as it’s sometimes referred to and which I will be using interchangeably in this article) is connecting electrically to the Earth’s natural energy fields. And simply put, we live in a world that has, in the main, insulated us from the Earth by the invention of footwear. Our prehistoric ancestors were in constant contact with the Earth’s surface, but over time we have encased our feet in rubber and leather and drowned out the Earth’s natural electrons.

By reconnecting to the Earth’s surface, which can be achieved by primarily walking barefoot on sand, grass, pebbles, dirt etc. we can immediately start to diminish chronic illness, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic pain and other illnesses and ailments that plague our modern society.

How does it work?

Research has shown that the connection with the electrons from the Earth’s surface are absorbed by the body. These electrons help neutralise the free radicals that can cause inflammation in the body, which in turn is a key cause of many of the diseases we see today. The body – like every living thing on the planet – is electrical; the brain, lungs and heart to name but three all work via electric impulses. As the body is mainly made up of H2O and minerals that is the perfect soup required for conductive flow through direct contact between the skin and the Earth. And Earthing is almost instantaneous, as soon as you make contact with Earth’s surface.

The benefits of Grounding

We are surrounded by electromagnetic radiation all day everyday in our modern lives, from Bluetooth, TV, radio, Wi-Fi to power lines and the wiring in your home, and from appliances. We are literally bombarded. However, by simply walking out barefoot in nature you can reap the benefits for Grounding.

Here are some of the benefits of Earthing that research has shown us

Improves sleep and promote a deeper sleep – aka the important sleep
Improve the symptoms of many inflammation-related disorders – such as cardiovascular disease
Reduce or eliminate chronic pain
Increase energy and vitality
Lower stress and promote calmness within the body
Improves blood pressure
Relieve headaches and muscle tension
Lessen menstrual and hormonal symptoms
Reduce or eliminate jet lag

How do your Ground yourself?

Well in the simplest terms you need connect with the Earth’s surface, either by standing, walking or swimming in the ocean or fresh water. In as little as 30 minutes a day you can ground yourself each day. Obviously, the longer the better.

Ways to Ground yourself

Grass, Sand and Soil –
Barefoot gardening or walking on the beach (shoes on for mowing the lawn though!)
Plants & Living Trees
Walking among these without footwear
Pebbles, gravel or rock
Take it slow though as these can hurt when you walk on them without shoes.
Unsealed Concrete
Unsealed Brick
Bodies Of Water
Providing it’s safe to swim or paddle there. Always be aware of your surroundings.

Find out more about Grounding

So how I found out about Earthing/ Grounding is by going down a bit of a rabbit hole one day and discovering The Earthing Movie (watch below on YouTube). Then I wanted to find out more so, I read up on Clint Ober who has brought this practice to the mainstream. Clint grew up around Native Americans, who would say to him to take his shoes off before coming into their Tepees because “shoes will make him sick.” Then just before his 50^th birthday Clint did become sick and was looking at having a new liver, until a doctor suggested a pioneering surgery instead of waiting for a new liver and potentially dying. After waking up after a few days unconscious in ICU, he started on a long road to recovery, cut short by walking barefoot in this garden and essentially discovering the positive effects of Grounding! Find out more here

Obviously, I’ve mentioned that the simplest way to Ground yourself is to go out in nature and walk barefoot on the grass for example, but there are products that you can purchase to for this, because the UK in the winter months is not the place to be wandering around outside in bare feet. Check out the resources below