The inside scoop on Grounding and its incredible benefits
In the modern society that we live in, many have lost touch with the concept and understanding of grounding and the benefits that grounding provides. Grounding is something that we humans should have never lost touch with, but unfortunately, modern society has led us away from our connection with Mother Earth.
Grounding is simply the energetic connection made between you and Mother Earth. It is as simple as having your bare skin touch something that is of nature, whether it’s your bare feet touching the grass or dirt, your hands touching a tree, or swimming in a lake or an ocean. The energetic connection between the human body and nature is the reason it is called grounding. We are bio-electrical beings and we run off of and are made up of energy. We come from nature, so it is no surprise that when we connect with nature via grounding, the energy that is produced is so strong and beneficial. Grounding should really be taught in the school system as part of physical education.
For thousands of years, humans have been directly connected to Mother Earth in some way or another. The connection with the earth around us is in our primal nature, a connection our ancestors took part in every day. Usually, the connection was as simple as bare feet touching the ground, but as society progressed and the world around us modernized, we became more disconnected from Mother Earth.
A physical example of a cause for this disconnect is the invention of rubber sole shoes, which only occurred just over 100 years ago. Before rubber soles, we used leather soles and other materials, which to some degree had the ability to conduct electricity. The rubber on the soles of our shoes prevents us from connecting with the earth beneath us, and add to that, the fact most of us live daily lives in and around concrete areas with minimal nature around us. The disconnect we have with the natural environment around us has created a huge discourse in humanity. We have become dependent on modern technology, so much so that we forget and dismiss all of the benefits that nature can provide us with.
Nature offers the 4 elements that create life. These 4 elements are Earth, Water, Air and Fire. Each of these elements work off of each other and without one, nothing would survive or even exist.
When it comes to the question of “how can I connect with nature?”, the simplest way is to remove our shoes and feel the Earth beneath our feet. The air we breathe is always there, but there is no better air to breathe than the air surrounded by Nature, away from anything man-made.
Earth offers the most outstanding connection of bioelectricity, and with that, enormous benefits for the individual who takes the time to connect.
To get a little deeper, a little more scientific...
The Earth provides negative ions, which are extremely beneficial to humans. Negative ions are actually oxygen atoms. Clearly having more negative ions is beneficial, as oxygen is critical for sustaining life.
Positive ions are molecules that have lost one or more electrons which are negatively charged ions, and in relation to health, positive ions are not good for health when they outnumber negative ions.
An excess of positive ions can build up with an excessive use of electronics and from a lack of grounding.
Picture this! Imagine ions are like tiny superheroes or villains in your body.
Positive ions are the troublemakers. They are like little villains that can make you feel yucky. They come from things like pollution, electronics, and sometimes even the air. When there are too many positive ions around, they can give you headaches, make you tired, and maybe even grumpy.
Negative ions are the good guys. They're like little superheroes that can make you feel better. They come from nature, like the ocean, waterfalls, and forests. When there are lots of negative ions, they can make you feel happy, boost your energy, and help you breathe better.
So, positive ions are not great for your health, and negative ions are good for your health.
Let me reiterate…Negative ions are abundant in nature!
Benefits of Grounding
The benefits of grounding are due to the receiving of the negative ions from nature when we connect with it - when we ground ourselves. There is a wide range of benefits that people have experienced when they are grounded.
These benefits are:
Increased levels of serotonin; the mood-enhancing chemical
Reducing depression
Stress relief
Energy boosting
Reducing inflammation
Speeding up healing and recovery times
Improvements in sleep patterns & deeper sleep
Normalizing circadian rhythms (I believe that grounding can also help when travelling to different time zones, where it helps you adjust to your current location)
Balance the day and night cortisol rhythms
Reduce pain
Helps shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic (promoting better sleep & digestion)
Improves heart rate patterns/variability
Improves all aspects of blood and factors that relate to it
Reduce positive ion build-up for overuse of electronics
Neutralize free radicals
Revitalize cell metabolism
Enhance and support healthy immune functions
Purify the blood
Furthermore, the sensations you feel when you are grounded include:
Feeling centered
Feeling solid
Feeling strong
Feeling balanced in the mind, body, and spirit
Feeling less tense
Feeling less stressed
It is my opinion, when I look at our modern society and the steady increase in illness, dis-ease, mental illness and all other issues that are detrimental to our health, it is a direct relation to a loss of connection with nature, with Mother Earth. It’s clear to see that the disconnect we have with Mother Earth has created disharmony in our world.
How You Can Start Grounding Today
Spend 5-10 minutes each day, barefoot on the grass or in the dirt. Slowly work your way up to a longer period that suits you and your schedule.
Getting sun while grounding is even better, weather permitting.
Swim in a lake, river, or ocean and surround yourself with nature.
Again, if weather permits and depending on where you live, try aiming for once a week to get out for a long walk in the forest and touch some trees while you're at it or walk barefoot on a beach.
Once you’ve done this a few times, you’ll clearly feel the benefits that you receive from grounding, which should further inspire you to make the time for grounding each day. Incorporating grounding into your daily life is another aspect of optimal health. It is one of the many primal acts that we can do as humans that offers incredible benefits.
One of the biggest benefits that I’ve personally experienced from years and years of grounding, is my growing appreciation for Mother Earth.
In nature, there are tremendous lessons to be learned, even from just observing how nature works around us. Our Earth is plentiful, there are no “shortages” in the resources nature provides, but mainstream media likes to tell us otherwise.
Here’s something to think about as a side note, if Mother Earth has been around for as long as they say (hundreds of thousands or more years), do you not think that Mother Earth has the power to continually heal itself, to keep offering all that it has? Nature is extraordinary, and personally, I believe we have yet to even scratch the surface of all that she offers and provides for us.
Now get outside and plant those feet on the ground. Feel the energy that is free and abundant. It is all there for you to experience and benefit from.
GO GET GROUNDED!
Be well!
- SD
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