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As a child (and a teen for that matter) I was always ankle deep in the dirt. Whether I was running barefoot through my backyard or adventuring through the local creek, I was always outside, connecting with the earth with joyful abandon.
And then I grew up, grew disconnected and discontented.
Prior to our modern adult lives, we all practised earthing without even realising what we were doing, and its importance. Walking barefoot through the grass as children, or playing in the dirt would have had our younger selves absorbing electrons from the earth, which act as powerful antioxidants. These would have had us energised, relaxed, and generally joyous for life!
Sounds like most kids I know!
However, as we grow, our habits change. Where we once ran through the fields with wild abandon, we now sit at our desks. We spend more time indoors working, reading, and living our lives, forgetting our youthful joie de vivre.
Many of us feel a natural draw and attraction to nature and understand the importance of getting our feet dirty. Whether it’s walking through the grass or mud, across rocks or sand, we understand the importance of connecting with nature. Although, perhaps we never knew the Why of these actions and their benefits.
Because, let’s be honest, our disconnected way of living isn’t natural, and has only existed for a couple of hundred years — if that! Our bodies evolved to be connected to the earth, so I think it’s about time we made a conscious effort to start reconnecting.
Let’s explore what is happening when we are “earthing” ourselves, and also the innumerable health benefits of the practice.
The natural surface of the earth contains a vast supply of negatively-charged electrons. When we come into contact with the earth’s surface without the interference of insulating materials (such as rubber), we are able to “take up” these electrons. These electrons work to restore our physiological well-being. They help our body manage stress, improve sleep, as well as assist in stabilising our biological rhythms. Think of these electrons like nature’s antioxidants!
Although a subconscious practice millennia old, the modern concept of Earthing or Grounding became popularised by Clint Ober in his book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?. A retired pioneer of the cable TV industry, Ober discovered that the system of grounding used in the telecommunications industry could have a similarly positive influence on the atoms within human biology, thus improving our general physiological health.
Research into Earthing has supported these claims, with studies such as Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electron listing the many benefits of the practice.
Beyond simply the enjoyment of being outside, experiencing the beauty of nature, earthing has been shown to assist with the following:
- Reduce and ease inflammation
- Reduce and ease chronic pain
- Improve and promote a deeper sleep
- Improve energy and vigour
- Reduce stress and stabilise cortisol levels
- Promote calm and feelings of serenity
- Stabilise and normalise biological rhythms
- Relieve muscle tension, migraines, and headaches
- Improve immune response, and healing
Within the study and book linked above, you can further explore the health benefits of Earthing. Whether or not you find any benefit in the practice, you must admit that there is a joy to be had in wandering barefoot through nature!
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