When I was pregnant, my girlfriend invited me to do a meditation / stretching session with her in the park. This sounded like something a preggy mama needed to do, so I jumped at the idea – ok well, I didn’t jump… but I waddled (ha) at the idea.
That morning we met in a beautiful grassy park in Las Vegas, and she suggested we take our shoes off as we would be stretching and meditating in the grass and it’s best to do that barefoot.
In my head I was thinking ummmm barefoot?? Aren’t there bugs, and dirt, and maybe shit that can bite my feet if I have my shoes off? BUT I went a long with it, and to my surprise it felt SO good. It was so unusual for me, I even mentioned to my friend how long it had been since I had actually walked outside barefoot…
Then I thought WOW, I don’t think I’ve walked outside barefoot since I was living in the house I grew up in… which was over a DECADE ago. (we had a huge grassy yard, field, garden, etc. at my childhood home so we were outside a lot)
When was the last time you walked barefoot on the actual earth?
My friend said that the rubber in the soles of our shoes, the fact that we are always indoors walking on tile/flooring, the fact that we take sidewalks and don’t walk through fields anymore, are all reasons we are DISCONNECTED.
Makes sense, right? My theory is that one of the reasons people feel so disconnected in life is because we have stopped connecting with the earth. In fact, most of the things we do in our busy lives blocks us from connection with nature. If you think about it, hundreds of years ago, humans were in constant connection with the earth. Although I am just as grateful as the next modern gal for today’s conveniences, can you see how it may a helpful to incorporate some of what our ancestors did into our modern lives?
So Back to this phenomenon. My friend said that what I was experiencing (yes, simply my bare ass feet in the grass), was called EARTHING.
Mind Blown.
EARTHING.
Yes girl, having the soles of your feet touching the ground, aka earth, and simply having a moment between the earth and your feet has a name, and its name is EARTHING.
I had to chuckle a little to myself when I first heard it, but it was more of an epiphany for myself than anything else. I actually LOVE this term. I love it enough to dedicate a blog post and to make intentional “earthing” dates for myself & fam as often as possible.
Although I completely understand if you think this is the craziest thing you’ve EVER heard of. Especially if getting outside and walking around is your norm. (I mean it actually should be for all of us) Like it’s just your feet without shoes on right?
Yes.
And being from the South and growing up in the country – back then we didn’t have or need a term / definition of what being barefoot was…well, because it was just normal. I remember making mud pies when I was a kid. (when I find the pic I will post it!) And yes I mean actual dirt + water = mud and you put it in a pie pan and pretended it was a pie.
What I realized since moving to the west coast and living in the cities, high rises, condos, apartments, etc., is that a lot of people don’t have access to backyards, grass, or the outdoors on a daily basis, or ways to get their body connected with the earth. Plus, even if you do, the busier your lifestyle gets, the more you don’t think about taking a timeout to experience nature and (literally) syncing your skin to the earth.
SO here is what happened after my unintentional Earthing experience:
I felt SO energized. Like WHOA HOLD UP so much more energy.
I felt fresh. I felt revived. I felt calm. AND I slept SO well.
I had energy for HOURS into the night – way past when I would normally fall asleep. Overall I felt more calm and centered, and my sleep was stellar.
Who doesn’t want that?
What I discovered after reading is that my body had received tons of negative ions from the earth, and it instantly made my body more energized yet relaxed at the same time.
But how?
Here is the definition of Earthing and all the details so you can nerd out w/me.
Earthing, also known as grounding, is based on research that demonstrate that connecting to Earth’s electrical energy promotes physical wellbeing. The act of Earthing refers to a physical connection between the electrical frequencies of the human body with that of Earth’s (think barefoot in the grass, or at the beach).
Connecting your bare feet into the grass, dirt, sand, or water is basically the latest trend in wellness. (crazy that it’s actually a trend, right? I mean, it’s as simple as taking your shoes off) When your skin comes into contact with the ground, your body becomes a sponge that soaks up negatively-charged electrons from the earth.
Also NOTE: some ppl call this “grounding.” Whatever you want to call it is fine. It’s the same thing. When I talk to Lily about it, I simply say “let’s take our shoes off and get some earth energy.” (pictured above is Lily’s first time Earthing on Earth Day in 2017)
If your feet/body hasn’t had contact with the ground lately, here is what you may be missing out on + what grounding / earthing may help with:
Alleviating Stress
- Lowers cortisol levels!! Which is such a YES. Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone, and I’m all about finding ways to lower it. I’m sure we can all benefit from lowered cortisol levels in the middle of Covid.
WAY more energy
- For me 15 minutes of earthing is enough to give me hours of extra energy in a day. Anytime you are feeling low on energy, see if there is a grassy area near your home or drive to a close park and stand in the grass. You’ll be so pleasantly surprised on how much energy you gain.
Lessened Anxiety / Depression
- Something my mentor Bob Proctor says is that the reason you feel so good after being in nature is because nature’s vibration is perfect. I love this short video from Bob he talks about this.
Improved Sleep
- Earthing / Grounding helps with all facets of the sleeping process – from less morning fatigue, sustained energy in the day, less cortisol, to being able to fall asleep faster.
Happier Immune System
- Our immune system evolved over a very long span of time where we were in basically in constant skin contact with the Earth. In our society now, most of us don’t walk barefoot. We wear rubber soled shoes that insulate us from the Earth’s energy. As time passes, chronic diseases, allergies, auto-immune, mental health conditions, and insomnia have soared. One overlooked area may be that the immune system is functioning less efficiently as most people live ungrounded and w/no contact with the earth. Direct contact with the earth or grounding source = happy immune system.
Fights Free Radicals
- Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging. You prob hear about them a lot, and they are everywhere, but ways you can neutralize them are to eat antioxidant rich foods, and earthing/grounding also neutralizes.
Supports Beauty
- As noted above, anything that neutralizes free radicals is an anti-aging source. Absorbing the earth’s electrons will permeate glowing radiance throughout your body and skin.
If you can’t get outside, don’t worry! You know science has created some awesome alternatives to be able to bring the grounding experience into your home.
Here are some ways to experience the benefits if you can’t get in nature:
Ion Foot Bath
- I love these. Typically you get them in a natural clinic / spa – but you can also buy one like this for yourself. A lot of people do these because it’s a detox that is pulling crap out of their gallbladder and other bodily systems, but what is actually does is flood your body like negative ions and is equivalent of taking a walk on the beach with your bare feet tin the sand. YES to that.
Grounding Mat
- Use an earthing mat under your desk or while sitting on the couch.. and your animals can use it too.
Earthing Sleep Mat
- Yes, such a thing exists. HERE it is. Quite affordable too! I need to add this to my monster blog post all about getting a perfect nights sleep.
Grounding Shoes
- I mean have they thought of everything? Grounding shoes have some type of material built into them so you can ground all day while you are walking around. Although I know you or I wouldn’t be caught dead in these moccasins, these sandals could suffice (they’re pretty cute).
Let’s Recap!
- It doesn’t matter where you get your Earthing in. It can be sand, grass, or dirt. It’s anywhere your bare feet are touching the ground.
- 15 minutes if possible.
- Daily is best, but you can’t get outside daily, get a grounding mat, and try to get outside at least 1-2x per week.
Lily and I have been going to the park every day (above) + she has really been loving to dress as Rapunzel. We have been taking snacks with us, playing soccer with a cute little neon ball, getting lots of “earth energy”, listening to Bossa Nova French Jazz music, and it’s been so nice to have the park completely to ourselves. 💖 In the midst of Covid, we always ask what is good about this, and we’ve been finding the simple joys in our empty park dates for mama/Lily time. Should I share a post about having a park date w/a toddler? ☺️
Tell me below about your Earthing experiences? Is this weird? Or are you mind-blown? And if you have any tips, please do share below!
