Grounding is generally referred to as practice of getting your body in contact with the Earth’s surface energies, which could be done by getting your body in direct contact with nature (walking, sitting, laying down), or by using special devises to create that effect indoors.
The theory behind is that, due to Earth’s negative grounding charge, grounding allows us to balance out positive electrons in the form of free radicals in our bodies.
The idea is that, in the past, we used to be regularly in direct contact with earth (through spending more time in nature, agriculture, hunting, etc.) However, recently we started to spend less time in nature[1], and more time in the close proximity of harmful Electromagnetic waves emitted by our cell phones, Wi-Fi, and other equipment. This resulted in the high number of positive ions forming in our bodies, which might result in negative health effects. Grounding is thought to help balance up the imbalance of positive ions in the body in hope to promote greater wellbeing and health.
[1] “One recent Nature Conservancy poll found that only about 10 percent of American teens spend time outside every day. According to research by the Harvard School of Public Health, American adults spend less time outdoors than they do inside vehicles—less than 5 percent of their day”. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text
The studies show that, after grounding,
– “cortisol levels significantly reduced during night-time sleep”
– “Subjects’ 24-hour circadian cortisol profiles showed a trend toward normalization”
– “Subjectively reported symptoms, including sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress, were reduced or eliminated in nearly all subjects”
You can read more here.
We also found that, for ourselves, the grounding practice also brought the general feeling of peace, tranquillity, and wellbeing.
- The Easiest Cheapest Natural Way
The easiest and most natural way to do grounding is to go barefoot whenever you are outside in nature. It can include going barefoot on the grass in the park; on the earth in the forest and when doing gardening; on the sand or rocks on the beach (the ocean or the seaside also have a strong positive effect on the wellbeing due to the natural production of negative ions). Basically, whenever you are in nature, instead of walking in your shoes, try walking barefoot – see what you feel!
- If you live in a city/don’t have easy access to nature
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have easy access to nature! There are different interesting products on the market, ranging from grounding kits with multiple types of wires, to grounding sleeping and computer mats. The prices also range considerably, so we recommend to do a thorough research before buying. Saying that, we would encourage you to do grounding the natural way if possible – in this way you can also profit from the wellness benefits of Nature Therapy.
- Holistic Healing Therapy Grounding Tips
This is a short video from HHT to give you useful tips for you grounding/earthing practice. Hope you enjoy!
For us, grounding is an essential everyday practice. We do it whenever we feel tired, ungrounded, stressed, overworked, ill – we find it useful in all situations when we need an energy boost, healing, or balancing. And it does help us a lot! It was an absolute necessity when we were living in the centre of the city – we found that our immune system and work productivity improved, while the stress and the tiredness decreased! We felt generally more energized, happy, and healthy after doing grounding each day for at least 20 minutes. We like to combine grounding with meditation or listening to/reciting mantras, if possible. We also like using a bit of Oak Moss oil on our feet, which is supposed to facilitate the grounding process when you do it barefoot in nature.
Oak Moss
Nowadays, even when we don’t live in the centre of the busy city anymore, we try to do grounding as much as possible – whenever we go out in the garden to relax, enjoy the sunshine, have lunch, or do gardening! And we absolutely adore doing it when we go out in nature – that helps us to not only get grounded, but also reconnect with the nature of the place. We try to combine grounding with other practices like mindfulness, aromatherapy, and forest bathing whenever we go out in nature. You can read more about our Nature Therapy here http://holistichealingtherapy.co.uk/nature-therapy/about-nature-therapy/ – we hope to be able to share our Nature Therapy walks with you soon!
Do you have a grounding practice? How do you do it? Do you find it beneficial? We would love to hear about your experience and thoughts on the subject!
You can read more
- about grounding and the benefits of doing it at ancient sites here
- about earthing, the practice and health benefits in Clinton Ober’s “Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?”
- about helpful information on grounding on wellnessmama.com website http://wellnessmama.com/5600/earthing-sleep/
- about the study on the health benefits of grounding here
