When was the last time you felt the earth beneath your feet?
As a child, I can remember the feeling of walking barefoot on our lawn and later letting my kids crawl on the grass and allowing them to play in the dirt. I can remember my mum saying we need a bit of dirt to stop us from getting sick. Following her advice, I always assumed this was about building our immunity to germs. I have just watched the Earthing Movie. I now understand there is a lot more to feeling the earth beneath our feet and why it is so beneficial to our overall health.
In 2005 my daughter was rushed to hospital with Meningitis. For five long hours, I had to wait outside an intensive care unit whilst the doctors were attending to her. Amongst all the chaos whirling about my head, my instinct was to go and sit on a piece of grass and take off my shoes. I realise now I was grounding myself. I can remember saying to my partner I needed to touch nature. I had no idea at the time why I did that, I just felt it was the right thing to do in that moment.
What is Earthing?
The practice of ‘Earthing’ is something that everyone is entitled to. We live in a connected but overly disconnected world from what nature intended for us. We are all electrical beings made of energy.
We now recognise there is a science behind Earthing, with every chemical reaction in anything anywhere, any rearrangement of molecules, it will involve electrical charges, attraction and repulsion. The scientific evidence is growing. Disruption of the body’s charge will attract health concerns. It is time to learn to re-connect and let mother nature restore balance and healing. I am not a scientist, I do not need to understand the science, I just know that touching the ground makes me feel more energised and that makes me happy.
I have seen a marked difference in how I have felt lately because I have been walking a lot. And taking care of my diet. I have been lucky enough to walk through fields and forests and along coastal paths. When I have taken a rest, I have often found a patch of grass to sit on. From now my socks and shoes are going to come off, if only for 15 minutes. I realise now I can go for days without touching the ground with my bare feet.
When did your feet last touch the ground?
So going back to my first question, When was the last time you felt the earth beneath your feet, walked on grass or sand, threw off your shoes and walked barefoot?
Some people, including our kids, will go days walking in rubber soles and walking on artificial surfaces such as concrete and synthetic carpets and floor coverings. It is something we rarely think about yet it is as natural as nature herself. Once upon a time we would sleep on the ground, walk on rocks and through the grass. Animals do it all the time.
Health benefits to Earthing.
What does science conclude? Here are some reasons.
STRESS, (one of the main causes today of heart disease.)
Regulates Cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. This means you recover from stressful situations quicker. Less anxiety. Has to be a good thing.
Neutralizes free radicals. These are the highly reactive molecules that can damage cells.
Sleep is greatly improved.
Reduces inflammation. Inflammation is not just physical. Neuroinflammation can cause depression as well as all other kinds of serious problems.
Reduces pain.
Helps the body to move away from the stressed fight or flight approach towards the restorative rest and digest mode.
How to get grounded.
The most common way would be to kick off your shoes and get outside. If this is not possible you can always invest in a grounding mat or a sheet. There are plenty on Amazon. I am considering buying one to take travelling with me. If you want to know more I would strongly recommend you watch The Earthing Movie. It is on Netflix.
Does anyone know the benefits of treading grapes? we can leave that for another day.
Lauren Staton.