Earthing
A Feeling ritual for Grounding and Energy
Photo by ShieldYourBody
How to do it:
Go outside and find a patch of grass or dirt
Take off your shoes and place your bare feet on the ground.
Take a few deep breaths into our belly.
Notice the sensations that you feel on the bottom of your feet.
Go for a little walk if it feels good.
Continue noticing sensations and breathing deeply.
Why do it:
Human beings evolved in connection with the Earth's energy. We walked barefoot and we slept in contact with the Earth never realizing that its surface contained limitless, natural, healing energy. Walking around barefoot is not our main mode of travel any longer. We live indoors much of the time and when we do walk or run outside we wear rubber soled shoes which prevent our feet from being able to absorb the Earth's subtle energy. Rubber is not conductive, but our bodies are!
So here we find ourselves. Civilized in a modern world, but disconnected from a primal, powerful source of energy and healing. See, the Earth is basically a six sextillion (that's a six followed by twenty-one zeroes) metric ton battery that is continually being replenished by solar radiation, lightning, and heat from its deep-down molten core. The natural rhythmic pulsations of energy flowing through and emanating from the surface of the Earth keep the biological machinery and global life running in rhythm and balance-and that includes you! Unfortunately, we live like cut flowers, detached from the nourishing Earth energy. Earthing, also known as grounding, is simply reconnecting to the Earth's healing energy.
When to do it:
Daily / Weekly
How long it takes:
5+ min
Materials needed:
N/A
Origin Story:
The phenomenon of Earthing was discovered in 1998 while Clint Ober, a retired pioneer of the American cable TV industry, sat on a park bench watching people walk by. He realized that every one of us wears rubber soled shoes and that these shoes prevent us from connecting to the Earth. He knew from working in telecommunications that it was necessary to ground cable systems to protect them from other electromagnetic signals in the environment which would cause interference in the cable transmission. He began to wonder what benefits humans could receive from connecting with the Earth and he set out to find the answer. After configuring simple grounding systems that could be used indoors (www.earthing.com), Mr. Ober discovered, first on himself and then on others, that the very same stabilizing influence of grounding used in telecommunications on wires could also lessen pain and improve sleep for humans when connected to the Earth. He subsequently set off on a scientific odyssey, working with researchers including biophysicists and electrophysiologists, and developed comfortable Earthing systems that people could use indoors.