GROUNDING (EARTHING) - THE ROLE OF GROUNDING IN REDUCING INFLAMMATION AND HEALING THE BODY.

Grounding is the act of connecting your body with the earth. Research has shown that when we walk bare foot, or get our body in direct contact with the earth (sand, soil, dirt, water or any conductive surface that is in contact with the earth), we can reduce inflammation and experience numerous health benefits.

The Earth is said to be a source of beneficial negative energy that we humans can absorb to counter the positive charge that we build up from living our typical modern lifestyles. Every day we are bombarded with free radical stress from exposure to pollution, insecticides, pesticides, radiation (cell phones, computers, wi-fi) to name a few. Over time, our bodies build up a positive charge and through regular earthing we are able to even out this positive charge and return our body to a neutral state.

There are many health benefits to Earthing. I am sharing a few that I have personally experienced -

• Reduces fatigue and improves energy levels
• Reduces pain
• Reduces inflammation over time
• Regulates the nervous system and reduces anxiety
• Reduces stress and calms the body-mind
• Improves digestion
• Strengthens the immune system
• Improves quality of sleep

I grew up in India and a lot of my childhood memories are associated with barefoot living and playing outdoors. As I got older and moved to the west, this is something I’ve terribly missed. I recently moved back to India and loving the freedom of being barefoot again. Especially in today’s modern, technology driven world, getting outdoors and connecting with nature is something we all should be doing more of but in reality, end up doing very little of. A visit to a sandy beach, exploring a nature trail or simply getting your hands dirty in your own back garden can easily become a daily mindful practice. If you find the traditional cross-legged meditation a bore, try this instead to regulate and relax your system.

If you cannot go barefoot, no worries! Leather soles are also known to work. Now you can get outdoors and ground your way to good health without actually being barefoot.

A few things to keep in mind -

• Synthetic rubber /plastic soles disconnect you from the earth. Leather soles work
• Like with a lot of detoxes, when you start to ground on a regular basis, you may notice your health getting worse before it starts to get better.

If you are interested to learn more this wonderful practice that can transform your health, check out the documentary film Grounded.

I hope my post will encourage you to ground more. Happy Grounding!