Let’s talk: grounding (earthing)

“The Earth is like a gigantic battery that contains a natural, subtle electrical charge—a special kind of energy present in the ground. For safety and stability, most everything in the electrical world is connected to it, whether it is an electric power plant or your refrigerator. That’s what the term “grounded” means.” – Chopra Centre

WHAT IS IT? and why should i practice it?

Grounding (or earthing) is the therapeutic practice of walking barefoot on the earth to help with emotional, physical, mental and spiritual imbalances throughout the body.

“…it is a system requiring occasional recharging by conductive contact with the Earth’s surface – the “battery” for all planetary life – to be optimally effective.”*

As we evolved as humans, we slowly lost touch with the basic principles of our life. Earthing (grounding) is sadly one of those practices that was forgotten and lost as we evolved however, it’s one of the simplest ways to help our body achieve homeostasis and help it in preventing disease in the body.

This simple but effective practice is beneficial for everyone however it is especially crucial for highly sensitive people that may be considered an empath or experience signs of anxiety, depression, anger, stress, sadness, loss of control or regular emotional imbalances to incorporate this practice into their DAILY routine.

Yupp, you heard me right, daily connection to the earths electrical charge is so crucial (especially for these kinds of people) as it literally recharges you! As you go about your daily routine, your body is connecting and absorbing different kinds of energy from every single thing you come in contact with – whether it’s a person, place, thing or simply the energy in the room (did it feel angry, heavy, dark, light, etc. when you walked into the room?)- you are constantly absorbing energy all throughout the day. That can be a lot of good and a lot of bad energy getting stored in your body as well as causing the energy in your body to run out if the people/things/environment are sucking it from you! You wouldn’t expect your phone to continue running optimally + efficiently (or evening running at all) if you didn’t stop to take the time to update it and re-charge it regularly, am I right? So why do we expect this of ourselves?

Yes, there are lots of ways we can recharge! Quality sleep, regular meditation/mindfulness practices and nourishing our body with quality water + food are also great ways. However, connecting our bodies physically to the earth with no barriers in-between will help our bioelectrical body to connect to the electrical planet to help our bodies recharge, heal and perform optimally.

Ask yourself gently and honestly, when was the last time your bare feet touched the bare earth?

BENEFITS

• • On a more emotional, energetic, mental & spiritual level, the practice of earthing helps you to feel more grounded, balanced, stable, strong, calm, serene, centered as well as feeling less tense, anxious and stressed
  • On a more physical level, the practice of earthing can help with:
    • Improved and optimal wound healing
    • Decrease in inflammation throughout the body (generally most noticeable in joint-inflammation)
    • Increasing immunity by supporting and encouraging a healthy immune system and detoxification system
    • Restoring the body to it’s natural, homeostasis, state
    • Increasing circulation and blood flow
    • Strengthening the feet, core, skeletal and muscular system as well as helping to improve balance, mobility, flexibility and optimal recovery
    • Regulating cortisol (stress hormone) which will help with insomnia, sleep issues and recovering from stressful/anxious events quicker
    • Reducing or eliminating chronic pain throughout the body
  • On a preventative basis, this practice may help to prevent autoimmune, free-radical damage and inflammatory induced diseases such as MS, arthritis, IBD, cancer, strokes, osteoporosis, diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, lupus, meningitis, and psoriasis.

how can I practice it?

I always like to meet people where they are at and help encourage them to work towards a healthier alternative for their bodies. When discussing earthing (grounding), some people may not have access to the bare earth every day so I would like to encourage you all to practice the “good-better-best” mentality when implementing new practices such as this one into your life to make it more approachable and practical for your daily routine! Trying to implement too many healthier, new habits/routines into your life is awesome! But it also needs to be manageable for you and your lifestyle or it will never stick. When implementing a new habit, try habit stacking (example: when you take the dog out to pee in the morning, stand on the grass barefoot as you wait). That way, you remember to do it and it’s easier for it to become a daily  habit!

Everyone needs to start somewhere and daily habits/practices take time. Respect where you are and honour that you will get to where you want to go with small, daily practices 🙂

GOOD

• • • • Implement a daily mindfulness practice. Sit, stand or lay somewhere comfortable (it doesn’t need to be outside or in contact with the earth) and imagine yourself growing roots into the ground, grounding yourself to the earth and allowing it to recharge and heal you. Using a guided meditation app, timer or music may also help you to practice staying present and grounded. Try this for 5min working your way towards 10.. and then 15.. and then 20 and then….
      • Practice gratitude daily. Try starting and ending your day with 3 things you are grateful for. You could say these out loud, to yourself or keep a gratitude journal. I’ve also created a free Gratitude Check-in – Worksheet for you here!

BETTER

• • • • Implement your daily mindfulness practice outside. Sit, stand or lay somewhere comfortable outside (it doesn’t need to be in contact with the earth) and implement your same mindfulness practice outdoors, imagining yourself being rooted and grounded to the earth.
      • Eat and shop locally. Connecting with your community by buying local, eating locally grown produce and integrating with your tribe/community has numerous benefits in feeling connected, grounded, stable, important and whole. The giving and receiving of loving energy, grown with a purpose and exchanged in equal harmony does wonders for the soul! Go give your local farmer a socially distanced wave or air hug today!
      • Purchase grounding devices. If you are unable to go outside and physically touch the earth daily, there are ways to ground yourself indoors! Some grounding options to purchase are: chairs, sheets, bed pads, floor and chair mats, shoes, body bands and patches to place on your body where it hurts. See resources below for details on these devices. In regards to grounding yourself from EMF radiation, you can see my previous post on what you can do here!

BEST

• • • • Implement your daily mindfulness practice outside and bare foot! Ideally walk or move your body bare foot directly onto the earth for a minimum of 20min daily to get maximal benefits of earthing. If possible, switch the terrain weekly- try walking on logs, sand, dirt, grass, rocks, water, wood, etc. and squish/move your feet in and throughout the earth to receive a variety of benefits.
      • Grow your own food. Playing and touching with the earth naturally has the same benefits as walking on the earth. In fact, gardening can actually be considered a form of meditation as it is a way to bring the body, mind and spirit together to be fully aware and present in the moment. Growing your own food can also be a way to connect with your community as it may give you the opportunity to trade or sell your food to others in the community.
      • ALL OF THE ABOVE! Every one of theses suggestions has unique benefits. Using indoor grounding devices to help in off seasons or to help with the ever present EMF radiation that is everywhere these days! Using a variety of grounding & earthing practices for all seasons- indoor and out, will have ample benefits.

RESOURCES

• • Grounding the Human Body: The Healing Benefits of Earthing: https://chopra.com/articles/grounding-the-human-body-the-healing-benefits-of-earthing

  • Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/

  • *The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/

  • THE BEAUTIFUL BENEFITS OF GROUNDING: https://www.sakara.com/blogs/mag/the-beautiful-benefits-of-grounding

  • What is Earthing? Here’s Why Going Barefoot Benefits Your Body: https://daveasprey.com/earthing-grounding-techniques/

  • The importance of grounding for empaths and sensitive people: https://www.kindearth.net/the-importance-of-grounding-for-empaths-and-sensitive-people/

  • Earthing Canada: https://earthingcanada.ca/

 

 

With love,
Heidi MacAulay
“Eat more plants. Do more yoga. Read more books.”