In our fast-paced digital world, we often find ourselves feeling drained and exhausted. We may even have health issues arising from our daily stressors. But in recent times, an ancient practice has been re-emerging.
Ancient Wisdom of Grounding
In the past, walking around barefoot was a daily way of life. Even while wearing leather for shoes, the connection with the ground allowed the earth's energy to transfer to the body.
This practice of grounding, or earthing, can be traced as far back as ancient Chinese medicine, where this energy is referred to as Qi (pronounced chee). Practices such as Qigong seek to balance the life energy for healing and longevity.
Energy practices are present in other cultures as well, with qi being known in Indian Ayurveda as "prana," Japan as "ki" (key), and America as "bioenergy," "life force energy," or "universal life force."
Modern Revival
Many people have studied and played with the idea of grounding in recent times and attested to its benefits.
Adolf Just, who published Return to Nature in 1896, noticed animals would clear leaves away from the ground before they laid in direct contact with the earth. He concluded that people, like animals, could recover from illness by grounding. Just said, "All healing is done by nature, and science can only assist nature."
Mattheo Tavera, a French scientist who studied crops and soil, wrote a series of letters that hypothesized all life required "natural electricity" These letters were published under the title Sacred Mission in 1969. From them, we can conclude that humans are just "walking plants."
Clint Ober essentially discovered grounding mats in the 1990s when he began to wonder about humans needing to be grounded, like the TV cables he worked with for 25 years before his retirement. Initially, he would experiment on himself and his friends by using metallic duct tape on beds. The tape was attached to a wire strung outside and connected to a rod in the ground. They found a reduction in their chronic pain and improved sleep. This prompted more research and the beginning of the Grounding Movement.
Watch this video to hear how grounding has helped Stephanie and her family!
Stephanie Nelson: Grounding
Daily grounding practices, including using a grounding mat, have changed my family's lives - even our animals love it!
Grounding has Multifaceted Benefits
"Grounding" is a term you've likely heard associated with alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power. Running a ground wire provides a low-resistance path for electric to flow into the ground to prevent a build-up of excess charge. This protects us from shock hazards.
Recent studies show that biological grounding practices, such as walking barefoot or sleeping on the ground, can help neutralize the free radicals responsible for illnesses and aging.
Earthing for even 30 minutes per day has been found to have multiple physiological benefits:
- Reduction in inflammation
- Pain management
- Enhanced blood flow
- Wound healing
- Immune support
- Improved sleep patterns
- Relieving anxiety and stress
- Mood elevation
How to Incorporate Grounding Into Your Daily Life
Walk barefoot
Have you ever wondered why walking barefoot feels so good? Kick off your shoes, walk around your backyard, or go somewhere where you can get your toes in the sand. Walking will get your blood circulating, and connecting directly to the earth will relieve your stress quickly.
Sit or lay outside
You don't have to take a walk to benefit from grounding. Sit in a chair or on a blanket with your bare feet touching the ground while soaking up the sun, watching the clouds go by, or visiting with friends.
Meditate or do yoga outdoors
Give your meditation or yoga practice a boost by being outside. You may even try learning qigong, stretching, or exercising outside.
Gardening
Take up gardening. Digging in the garden, feeling the dirt in your hands as you plant or weed, and walking barefoot while doing those things gets you closer to the earth. Plus, if you plant a vegetable garden, you and your family will benefit from the produce too!
Spend time at the beach
If you've always wondered why people love the beach so much, you have to take a trip to the coast at least once so you'll understand. The second your bare feet hit the sand, all the cares of your world drain right out of your feet and into the beach. Early mornings and late evenings on the beach can offer solitude and an escape from possible heat or crowds. Watch the sun come up, hunt sand crabs, and walk through the surf. You'll want to take the coast back home with you!
In Michigan, the beaches are just as therapeutic. Visit Bear Lake and let Five and a Half North Farm cater your picnic on the shore, then go hunting for the Petoskey stones, a unique local rock and fossil.
There are so many health benefits to reap from grounding! However you choose to connect with the earth, make sure it's something you enjoy, and let us know what it does for you!
Sources
- The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases - PMC (nih.gov)
- A Brief (and Certainly Incomplete) History of Earthing - Earthing Institute
- Matteo Tavera's "Sacred Mission" - Earthing (yumpu.com)
- Adolf Just (1859-1936) - PMC (nih.gov)
- Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review - ScienceDirect
- Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons - PMC (nih.gov)
- Free radicals: How do they affect the body? (medicalnewstoday.com)
2 Comments
Oct 2, 2023, 8:21:28 PM
Deb - Awesome information Stephanie! Trying the mat now! Love walking the beach barefoot as much as I can.
Oct 2, 2023, 8:19:40 PM
Deb - Awesome information Stephanie! Trying the mat now. Love walking the beach barefoot as much as I can.