RECONNECT WITH THE EARTH

Do you remember being a child and playing barefoot on the grass? Small children love rolling around on the floor inside or outside, it is their natural way of grounding themselves or connecting with the Earth.  As ancient Souls, newly born into physical bodies they instinctively know the value of pressing their bodies into the earth.  Even as adults, on a deep level we feel drawn to digging our feet into a sandy beach or a soft green lawn.

Recent scientific evidence now explains why it feels so good.   There are well researched studies that show the health benefits of spending some time barefoot.  When our bodies are in contact with the earth we absorb negative electrons from the Earth through the soles of our feet.

The Earth is negatively charged, and when you touch the earth in any way you connect your body to this huge negatively charged supply of energy and absorb electrons from it. As written in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine:⁴
"It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons as a consequence of a global atmospheric electron circuit. Wearing shoes with insulating soles and/or sleeping in beds that are isolated from the electrical ground plane of the earth have disconnected most people from the earth's electrical rhythms and free electrons’
These negative electrons have an antioxidant effect on our bodies, in fact The National Library of Medicine's online resource PubMed lists 7021 studies and 522 review articles from a search of 'antioxidant + electron + free radical.' It is assumed that the influx of free electrons absorbed into the body through direct contact with the Earth likely neutralize and reduce acute and chronic inflammation.
Wow, all that from just doing something that feels good – walking on the earth with bare feet.  The bigger question might be – could this loss of connection with the Earth’s beneficial healing energy be causing some of the chronic illness, immune disorders, and inflammatory diseases that seem to have have increased in recent decades.
Since the 1960s, we have all been wearing insulating rubber or plastic soled shoes, instead of the traditional leather fashioned from hides, this has separated us from the Earth's energy field.   Going back a few decades many people were sleeping on the ground and connecting with the Earth as they slept.
So how much time walking barefoot is enough to get some health benefits from earthing yourself?  Rather than putting a time constraint on yourself, why not experiment with this and try walking barefoot on either soft grass or the beach.  Do this as a walking meditation and as much as possible keep your attention on how ‘you feel’, sometimes you will immediately feel a tingling sensation or a sense of well-being.   
You will also receive the health benefits of grounding by simply sitting or lying on the earth.  Your immune system functions optimally when you have an abundant supply of electrons.  Other benefits include relieving muscle tension, headaches and menstrual symptoms, reducing inflammation and stress hormones and improving blood pressure. Especially for people who are sick – and therefore have the most free radicals – the benefits can be dramatic. Those who are healthy usually report sleeping better and having more energy.  When walk barefoot for as little as half an hour a day you combine the benefits of grounding yourself with the Earth with all the other health benefits of regular exercise.
Here are some other ways to ground yourself:
1. Eat salty foods or even have some himalayan pink salt directly. Avoid sweets as they are more yin and wont help keep you grounded.
2. Eat grounding foods such as beets. They are very grounding.
3. Contract your anus or be consciously aware of this point. This is where the Root Chakra is located. It can also be helpful to visualize a square and the color red.
4. Meditate with the tongue tip at the back of the lower teeth and slightly push the whole tongue to the floor of your mouth. This will ground you.
5. Consciously feel your feet on the ground as you walk or stand. Try not to sit with you feet off of the floor.
6. Earthy smells are be very grounding. Take a walk in nature and pay attention to the scent of dirt, leaves and wood.


These two asanas are also good for activating the Root Chakra and grounding yourself.
Crow Pose: Begin standing and bring the feet a little wider than hip width’s distance apart, turn the toes outward. Slowly lower down into a squat, hips coming all the way down by the ankles if possible. Interlace the fingers, except for the index finger and straighten the arms so the fingers point straight ahead. Focus out beyond the horizon and begin long slow deep breathing. Let the inhales move down to the base of the spine filling this area with vitality as the exhales release any tension or blockages you may feel.

Chair Pose: Begin standing and bring feet shoulder’s width distance apart. Squat down until the thighs are parallel to the earth. Bring the hands through the inside of the legs, wrapping them around the back of the ankles and placing the palms on the tops of the feet. Keep the back straight and chin slightly tucked. Begin long deep breathing.

Enza DeLuca
www.blissfulmind.com.au
PS: You might also enjoy my book Blissful Mind, Blissful Body available online http://www.blissfulmind.com.au/#!blissfulbooks/cqn6

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