There are many ways to ground yourself. One is to simply breathe deeply and feel yourself in the here and now, on this beautiful planet as the person you are.
Yoga, of course, is a great way to feel grounded, especially doing hip openers and restorative yoga (which you can do if you join me for my Sunshine Sunday class May 3rd.)
There are also energetic ways to ground yourself, such as envisioning a grounding cord of light connecting you to the core (what I like to think of as the star heart) of the earth.
But perhaps the most simple and enjoyable way is to take off your shoes and stand or walk on the nourishing surface of the Earth!
It feels so good to walk on the Earth with bare feet. On grass or sand, in moss or mud, in the shallows of the ocean or the rocky bed of a creek, having a direct connection with the natural world is a very good thing to do!
This morning I took a walk with my dog, and halfway through it decided to take off my shoes.
I finished the walk in my bare feet, and it gave me tremendous energy!
When I returned to where my friend and babies were hanging out, we took the socks off the boys and helped them stand with their skin touching the ground. When they were ready for a change, they laid on their bellies and played with fistfuls of grass, trying out the taste of grass and dirt. Yep, those are my country boys!
You know that being on the Earth in bare feet is good for you because it feels so good, but beyond that, there’s actually science to prove that grounding yourself by connecting to the Earth has health benefits galore. They call it Earthing, or grounding. I call it delicious!
The Earth offers us the energetic balance to the human body. Its effect is stronger than any antioxidant you can ingest. Perhaps that’s why gardeners feel so good when they have their hands in the earth, and why people who walk bare foot a lot tend to be of robust health.
In the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, researchers came to the following conclusion:
“Emerging evidence shows that contact with the Earth—whether being outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems—may be a simple, natural, and yet profoundly effective environmental strategy against chronic stress, ANS [autonomic nervous system] dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV [heart rate variability], hypercoagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease.
The research done to date supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.”
Physically, walking bare foot helps to engage, strengthen and even massage the muscles and fascia of the feet. If your feet hurt from plantar fasciitis, or just from fatigue, it can give them some welcome therapy.
Being bare foot on the Earth also means you’re outside receiving the other benefits of fresh air and sunshine, plus hopefully some exercise, peace and relaxation. It is good for the soul as well as the physical body, so do take every opportunity you can to get grounded and enjoy!
Here’s a fun video from Sesame Street, for children young and not quite so young, encouraging just what I’ve been talking about here.