Grounding, also called earthing, is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth.
In 2010, Clinton Ober, a retired pioneer of the American cable TV industry, released his book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? in which he shared his discovery that the same system of grounding used to stabilize telecommunications and wires could also stabilize the atoms in the human body, improving the function of all body systems.
According to this review study, it strongly believes the best antioxidant electron donor is right beneath our feet: the surface of the Earth, with its virtually unlimited storehouse of accessible electrons. It has zero negative secondary effects because our body evolved to use them over aeons of physical contact with the ground. Our immune systems work beautifully as long as electrons are available to balance the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) used when dealing with infection and tissue injury.
The disconnection from the Earth may contribute to physiological dysfunction and an alarming global rise in non-communicable, inflammatory-related chronic diseases. When mobile electrons are unavailable, the inflammatory process takes an abnormal course. Areas that are electron deficient are vulnerable to further injury – they become positively charged and will have difficulty warding off infections. The result is an immune system constantly activated and eventually exhausted.
Ways of grounding
If the sun gives us Vitamin D, then exposure to the grounds… provides Vitamin G (G for Ground). Just like Vitamin D, you need Vitamin G for your health as well.
Clinton Ober
Walking Barefoot
The simplest and free-of-charge technique is to walk barefoot on sand or grass. Feel the sensation as you press your toes, heels and soles down softly and firmly on the ground. The feet have long been considered as the maps of our bodies. By grounding through the feet, it energises the vital organs and systems of the body.
The risk of walking on sharp objects offers mindfulness and awareness to the walk, which thus serves as meditation.
Lie on the ground
You can increase skin-to-earth contact by lying on the ground. Or imitate your pets by rolling on the ground!
Our thoughts?
Because we are born this way, we have to be the master of our own feet. Shoes should not be the master of our feet, they are just our servants to help us get more efficient in various environment.
By walking on natural terrain and wrapping our feet around rocks, grass and soil, we get to make use of the intrinsic muscles, tendons and ligaments. When we exercise outdoors, the vibrations of each landing that transmits upwards from the feet are useful information that we can apply in our subsequent landing – softer knees? Point of contact? Body positioning? Core engagement?
It is amazing to feel the roughness of soil and grass, and also the smoothness of rocks after decades of rolling around by waves or waterfall. It is definitely another way of establishing connection with the Mother Earth.
