In urban areas, people might give you the side-eye if you were to kick your shoes off in the street, or run through the town square, sandals strewn to the side. But you might push their attitude and social norms to the side, determined to get your dose of nature, regardless of where you are. After all, who wants to have their feet constricted on a warm summer’s day?
This deep desire to embrace nature with our bodily being might appear to some to be simply a free-spirited habit of not following the rules, but we who know the rewards of connecting with the Earth may feel something bigger at play.
And recent studies have shown that, in fact, there is a beautiful phenomenon taking place when we place our soles on the earth. While the tactile feeling of our feet cushioned in grass may feel great, and the sand squishing between our toes might be delightful, recent research points to the fact that connecting with the Earth actually charges us full of electrons. Electrons we may be lacking in our often inflamed modern states of being.
But How Does This Work?
The reason (aside from the beauty of it all) that we feel so good in nature is rooted in science: negative ions are atoms which are charged with electricity – they’re abundant in plants, colliding water such as the waves in the ocean and waterfalls, and the sun’s UV rays. Our bodies absorb these and we often feel good as a result.
Although this is ancient wisdom, often rooted in spirituality, only recently has science started to recognise the power of the Earth.
This same notion of negative ions works with the concept of Earthing or Grounding – when we come into contact with the ground, our bodies absorb the electrons, helping to balance the build-up of positive ions in our system. As we’ve evolved, humans have spent less time in nature and developed the habit of wearing shoes every day, meaning the electrical rhythms of the Earth aren’t able to reach our bodies as easily as they once did. To put it metaphorically, we’ve essentially unplugged ourselves from our greatest power source – Mother Nature.
All living beings are connected to the same natural battery – the biosphere. Yet many humans, particularly in Western countries, no longer sleep on the ground. We often live in elevated spaces. Our shoes are often synthetic, blocking us from the natural charge of the Earth. As soon as our feet touch the ground, our bodies are saturated with electrons, and we discharge our excess energy, which has been found to produce a healing effect at a cellular level. Essentially, the Earth is a natural antioxidant.
“Earthing works fast. Anyone can try it. You don’t even have to believe it works. If you don’t feel well or have pain, for whatever reason, just put your bare feet on the ground – on grass, wet sand, gravel, or plain dirt − for a half-hour. See what happens. There is nothing that comes close to Earthing for quick relief. You can literally feel pain draining from your body the instant you touch the Earth.” – James Oschman Ph.D
Numerous studies have shown the benefits grounding has on the body. It’s found to improve sleep, reduce chronic pain (such as arthritis) and speed healing (for example open wounds). Our modern society is rife with inflammation triggers such as cigarette smoke, air pollutants and chemicals in our water and food. These triggers increase free radicals – unstable atoms produced by our body to combat toxins, but with nowhere to go, they cause damage to our cells. In our increasingly automated, fast-paced world, chronic illnesses are on the rise.
There’s a reason we use phrases such as ‘down-to-earth’ and ‘grounded’. Being centered is our optimal state of being. But with innovation, we’ve lost it.
So, what’s the solution?
Thankfully, if life gets too busy and you can’t get outside regularly, there’s an array of wonderful devices that can produce the same grounding effect that the Earth provides. Connecting to the ‘ground port’ of a wall socket, the devices, such as Earthing’s ‘Earthing Sticky Mat Kit’ and ‘Ground Therapy Sleep Mat Kit’ conduct energy into the body.
These conductive products have been developed in acknowledgment that there are many things that may stop us from having adequate time outdoors. Whether you experience disability, live in an apartment building, live in a cold climate, or simply have a jam-packed life, these factors are resolved with the ability to use Earthing indoors.
So – busy day? Soak up Mother Nature and, quite literally, recharge.
Our conversations this week at The Reconnected during the Anger webinar have been so potent!
It has been a week of really reflecting and articulating in new ways my own process of awakening over the years of connecting with the Breath.
So, thank you. We see you. We honour your willingness to show up here for the not always easy path of awakening.
🙏🏼 😭
We felt called these past days to gift a breathwork journey to you, in gratitude for all the juicy conversations we’ve had about anger recently.
The link is in our stories and it’ll just be available for a couple of days, so if you feel called then it was made for you, jump on it!
With love 💓
Join us at The Reconnected
