Have you ever heard of the term earthing, also known as grounding? Maybe you have been wondering what it is and how you can practice earthing to take advantage of its benefits.
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I first heard about earthing when I was a child. My Dad had always told me that walking outside barefoot was good for me. Little did I know all what he meant by that since I was probably around 7 years old at the time.
Growing up I spent a lot of time outdoors playing around barefoot. Never thinking much of it.
As I grew up, I became more interested in learning about what exactly earthing does for our bodies and how I could practice it more intentionally myself.
I dove into all the information I could find about earthing. I learned that earthing is a way of reconnecting back to earth, bringing our bodies back into homeostasis.
This post is all about how to practice earthing for a balanced and harmonious life.
What is Earthing
Also known as grounding, earthing is the act of connecting our bare skin (usually our feet) to the earth’s surface.
You can practice earthing by having any part of your bare skin touching the earth’s surface. However, a lot of people choose to practice earthing through their feet.
People do this because the soles of our feet have the highest number of conductive nerve endings in our body, except for our hands. But using our hands to ground ourselves is a little more difficult than simply walking around barefoot.
The earth’s surface is full of negatively charged free electrons. When these electrons connect and absorb into our body, they help neutralize free radicals.
You may be wondering what exactly are free electrons and free radicals.
Free electrons are simply electrons that are not bound to an atom, so they are free to move around. When free electrons move, it results in what we know as an electrical current.
These free electrons from the earth act pretty much as nature’s antioxidants for our body.
Free radicals are molecules with an uneven number of electrons, this uneven number allows them to easily connect with other molecules.
When these free radicals connect to other molecules in our body, they can cause chain reactions. These reactions can come in the form of known diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and inflammatory conditions.
Our bodies will always have free radicals, but when our bodies absorb the free electrons from the earth’s surface that act as antioxidants, they balance out the free radicals.
It’s only when these antioxidants and free radicals are out of balance that issues can arise in our bodies, resulting in damaged cells and disease.
So, when you ground yourself and connect your bare skin to the earth’s surface, you allow the free electrons to travel into your body which helps neutralize those free radicals.
With the free radicals neutralized and balanced, our bodies can then work on healing from inflammation and disease. They will also protect our bodies from becoming inflamed and reduce the risk of chronic disease in the future.
The History Of Earthing
Our ancestors have been earthing since the very beginning.
They simply had no other option, since at that time civilization hadn’t formed many tools or products that weren’t used for survival, and or weren’t made from natural materials.
They only had what they needed most.
And most everything our ancestors had in the beginning came from natural sources from the earth.
Our ancestors were always walking outside barefoot because they did not have shoes at that point in time. They would also mostly sleep directly on the ground or on natural materials that still allowed electrons to transfer through.
Nowadays, we wear synthetic plastic covering our feet and sleep on layers of processed material. These materials don’t allow the free electrons from the earth’s surface to transfer to our bodies.
During the days our ancestors would spend time cultivating the land with their bare hands, growing, and harvesting food. Allowing the nourishment of the earth to do its magic.
They would spend almost their entire day outside connecting with nature.
Then came along shoes.
In the beginning, when shoes were first created, they were made of natural leather.
When the shoes were made of natural material, like animal leather, the free electrons would be able to transfer through the leather. This allowed our ancestors to still practice earthing while wearing them.
Connecting with the earth was always a top priority for a lot of our ancestors.
History of a Balanced Life
In many cultures, they have varying ways they practice balance in life and the body.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, they call this phenomenon “Qi” (chee).
“Qi”, is defined as the vital energy that fills the universe. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they believe that imbalances in Qi can lead to disease and illness.
Different cultures view earthing slightly differently, but it all ends with the same result of being beneficial for our bodies and souls.
Benefits of Earthing
There are many ways earthing benefits our bodies:
- Reduces/eliminates inflammation
- Reduces chronic pain
- Improves sleep quality
- Increases energy
- Reduces stress levels
- Increases the feeling of calmness
- Reduces headaches and muscle tension
- Speeds up the healing process
- Reduces high blood pressure
- Decreases symptoms of depression
When we allow our bodies to return to homeostasis with balanced free radicals and antioxidants, they begin to function optimally. This reduces many of the ailments people suffer with daily.
Ways to Practice Earthing
The great thing about earthing is there are so many ways you can do it!
Let’s start with the basics.
Walking Barefoot
The first way you can practice earthing is through the simple act of walking or standing barefoot outside.
Simply remove your socks and shoes and enjoy the grass between your toes.
You can walk around your yard or a local park if you don’t live somewhere with a yard.
If you live near a beach, walking on the sand is another great option.
Any surface made of natural material is somewhere you can ground yourself. You can ground yourself on the grass, soil, stone, gravel, brick, or concrete.
You can practice earthing on some surfaces inside as long as the surface is built directly on the Earth’s surface. Some unsealed or unpainted concrete can ground you, but you may want to test the conductivity before assuming.
If you’re looking for a sure thing going outside and being barefoot directly on the earth’s surface is your best option.
Sitting on the Ground
Another great option is to sit outside. You can sit on the ground with your hands or bare feet placed on the grass or whatever natural surface you’re on.
Just make sure that some part of your bare skin is touching the earth’s surface.
Say you go to a park but prefer to sit on a bench, then all you have to do is place your bare feet on the ground while relaxing on the bench.
Lay on the Ground
Do you ever have memories from childhood of laying on the ground looking up at the sky? Well, I’m giving you an excuse to do that again!
Take a moment to yourself and go lay outside if you can. Place your hands on the ground beside you and just relax.
If you’d prefer to lay on something instead of the ground directly you can use a blanket or towel made of natural material. Material like natural cotton or wool will still allow the electrons to transfer through.
You will be grounding and reliving childhood moments at the same time.
Go Swimming
Not only is the earth’s solid surface a place where you can practice earthing, but you can also practice it in the water.
If you live near a pond, river, lake, or ocean, you can enjoy the benefits of earthing while having a relaxing swim.
Because the water is in direct contact with the earth’s surface you will receive all the same benefits as earthing on solid ground.
Gardening
Gardening is another great way to practice earthing.
When you garden, your hands are in the soil, pulling weeds, and planting new flowers. Through this, you absorb the earth’s free electrons.
Not only can you create a beautiful flower garden or grow your own food, but you’re also connecting with the earth’s healing power and all its benefits.
Climbing Trees
If you’ve got an adventurous side, then you can even practice earthing by climbing trees!
Yes, that’s right. I said climbing trees.
Again, because a tree is made of natural material and is in direct contact with the earth’s surface you can ground through it.
If you’re climbing a tree barefoot or even just placing your bare hands on a tree, you will receive the free electrons from the earth’s surface and can practice grounding.
Wear Earthing Shoes
You may or may not have heard of earthing shoes. They are shoes made of natural material which allow you to practice earthing more during your regular daily activities.
When you wear shoes made from natural materials like leather or cork, they can allow the transfer of electrons which then get absorbed into your body.
This way you can practice earthing while walking with your family in the park or doing yard work on the weekend. No need to be barefoot!
Earthing Shoe Recommendations
I have gathered a couple of companies that sell earthing shoes.
Moccasins Canada
This Canadian company creates genuine leather moccasins that are handmade in Canada by Native American Indian manufacturers.
They have been in the retail business since 1973 and have many different styles, sizes, and materials to choose from.
Plus, they make these moccasins out of genuine leather so you can practice earthing while wearing them!
Earth Runners
This company started by creating sandals for earthing and has expanded into shoes and socks as well.
Take a look and see if a pair of these super cool sandals interest you.
To recap, any natural material that is in direct contact with the earth’s surface can transfer free electrons which allows you to ground through it.
There are only a few surfaces where you may not be able to practice earthing. If there is concrete that is sealed or painted, the electrons may not be able to transfer through and you won’t be able to ground yourself.
Above I went over many of the different ways of how you can practice earthing yourself. Get outside and start taking advantage of all the benefits earthing provides for your body.
[…] You can take it further by walking barefoot and getting benefits from earthing. […]