“Down to Earth: Grounding”

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What is Grounding and Why is it Important?

In short, Earthing, or Grounding, is putting our body in direct and uninterrupted contact with the earth. This means that the skin needs to touch soil, sand, water, or a conductive surface that is in contact with the earth. (I am not advocating the most recent grounding system of connecting a wire to your bed, as the jury is not yet out on that one!)

The earth has a mild negative charge. Our bodies build up a positive charge. This imbalance in our bodies can lead to a wide variety of health problems. In the world of  electricity, it is always important to have a ground wire. If we do not have a ground wire, then when a big current flows, such as lightening,  it can short circuit an electrical system. The same is true for our bodies!  We are electrical beings. We can short circuit! We need to ground!

Grounding is an ancient activity. As human beings, we use to live much more intimately with the earth. We did not wear synthetic soles that protected our feet from the earth. We slept on the ground. We understood our relationship with the earth and my guess is we were more balanced.

Some research suggests that the benefits of grounding includes inflammation reduction, reduced chronic pain, improved sleep, lower stress which means better adrenal health, help with jet lag and with protecting our body from the effects of EMF’s, normalizing biological rhythms including circadian rhythms, and more.

We need to ground for other reasons. We need to ground  in order to bring our thoughts, ideas and creativity into Being. We need to ground ourselves so that we can bring our dreams and aspirations to fruition.  Grounding may be one of the most important yet neglected exercises we know of.

Signs of being ungrounded include getting distracted easily, spacing out, over-thinking, engaging in personal dramas, being possessed by a desire for material things, easily deceived by yourself or others, inflammation, poor sleep, chronic pain, fatigue, poor circulation. Being unground is an epidemic as you can see by this list!

Can you remember a time you lay on the Earth, with no blanket or yoga mat underneath you? Just you, your body, on earth? Or took a walk on the forest floor with no protective covering on your feet?

How to Ground?

Easy.

Walk barefoot on the earth, mindfully! When you work in your garden, be shoeless!

Find a place in the woods or near a stream where you can lie down and Just Be!

You can sit or stand  mindfully, at first putting your awareness on your breathing pattern. And then lengthen and deepen your breath. You can feel or “see” your roots sinking into the beloved Mother. See yourself as a tree. Your roots sink deep into the Earth, your branches reach towards the Sun.

See your roots going deep into the center of the earth, the inner core. Anchor your roots with this inner core. See your roots anchored, drinking up orbs of red energy, allowing this to fill your roots and travel up to your feet and your pelvic floor. Allow it to travel throughout your entire body.

Some people enjoy connecting with a tree while connecting with the core of the earth. Become a treehugger: Hug a Tree!

So, do yourself a favor. Get out there and enjoy this beautiful earth by simply being with it! Do nothing but Be. Take off your shoes and put the yoga mat away.

Sit or lie on our beloved earth and…..Be.