Grounding (Earthing) | Hippie Hype or holistic medicine?

Namasté, beautiful earthlings!

Everyone of us has probably done it before: Touching the earth with your bare feet. How does that make you feel…?

Connected? Free? Alive?
Or do you simply sense the soil (or even dirt ;)) underneath you?

Whether it’s hiking, swimming in the ocean or running in the forest: Spending quality time in nature feels like recharging your batteries, doesn’t it? We tend to feel happier, healthier, more aligned, and more connected. Can you relate?

“Keep your eyes on the stars,
and get your feet on the ground.”
(Theodore Roosevelt)

Earthing (Grounding) has been used as a form of therapy in many countries. It is a scientifically proven medicinal technique that is available to you at all times. Plus, it’s completely free of charge. Sounds interesting? Want to learn more?

I’m super excited to introduce you to this simple, yet incredibly powerful technique. It is basically about connecting with nature, thus, with yourself, in order to experience a healthier, happier, balanced life! Enjoy reading! 🙂

~ Earthing – What is it? ~

Imagine you’re at the most beautiful place in nature you’ve ever been. At the beach, in the forest, at a waterfall, on a mountain top – whatever feels best to you. Image you take off your shoes and put your bare feet on the bare ground. Then you close your eyes, inhale deeply, and arrive fully in the present moment. – This scenario is probably one of the greatest medicines you could ever give to your body.

Back in history, it probably wouldn’t have been necessary to talk about the power of nature, to back up scientifically that the human body, mind, and spirit benefits from the connection with Mother Earth.

However, our modern lifestyle today truly disconnects us from the earth. From nature. From our bodies. From our Selves. By living indoors, wearing shoes all the time, not having enough time or making it a priority to spend quality time outside, we’ve lost the electrical connection with the earth. Plus, we’re missing out on the incredible holistic benefits it has on our systems.

Let’s start with physics for a some background information: Everything in existence -meaning you and me as human beings, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects- is made up of atoms which have a net charge (positive, negative, neutral). In other words: We’re all electrical beings living in an electrical world. We could not exist without this electromagnetic field, certain rearrangements of molecules, and an attraction of atoms to each other. This requires electrical charges.

“Earthing connects us to Nature and
Nature is the ultimate source of health and healing.”
(John Gray)

The earth provides an endless amount of direct current in form of negative electrons which gets constantly recharged by the sun’s energy. Our bodies naturally absorb these negatively charged electrons while the skin acts as a conductor. When the human body (which is part of nature) connects with the earth’s current, natural (“healthy”) reactions happen, because the cells communicate with each other properly. If we miss out on that connection, the body won’t be able to function in its’ natural way; chemical reactions may happen that are not supposed to happen which ultimately affects our overall state of health in a negative way.

Radiation (coming from electrical appliances and the modern artificial lifestyle) disrupts the natural communication within our bodies as it gets flooded with positive electrons. Taking on and accumulating an overdose of positive electrons doesn’t allow our bodies to function optimally. It has been shown that an overload with positive electrons may lead to inflammation and disease. Thus, it is vital to bring the body’s electrical charge back into balance with the negative electrons from the earth.

“By having direct contact with the earth,
we access an unlimited source of powerful energy
which brings our physical and energetic body back into alignment.
The current provided is healing, balancing, and supports our spiritual growth.”

When grounding in nature, there are different types or ways to connect with the electrical field of the earth that you can choose from. Depending on where you live and what feels mostly aligned with you at a certain period of time. Besides walking with your bare feet on the bare ground, you might want to lay down in the lawn or on a sandy beach. If you have access to a sea or the ocean, submerse yourself in the water. You could even practice earthing indoors by using a certain equipment, such as grounding sheets, socks, a chair, etc. However, I highly recommend you choose the direct contact with Mother Nature.

~ Earthing – The holistic benefits ~

As simple as this technique may sound: I’m impressed by how much information on earthing is available to us. Even research shows the benefits of grounding on our health and wellbeing, on a holistic level: physically, mentally, emotionally as well as spiritually!

Regarding the physical body, science has proven physiological changes happening in the body. Researchers are indeed backing up a vast range of health benefits you will experience by the practice of earthing (Oschman et al., 2015; Brown et al., 2015; Chevalier et al., 2019; Elkin et Winter, 2018):

anti-inflammatory: As the before mentioned positive electrons from radiation and our artificial lifestyle foster inflammation in the body, you can reduce this process by absorbing the negatively charged electrons from the earth.
immune boosting: Grounding increases the number of immune related cells in your body, such as white blood cells and cytokines.
wound healing and pain releasing: A study on delayed onset muscle damage showed a significant increase in the number of platelets (cells which help wound healing) after grounding. Muscle soreness and damages have been reduced.
cardiovascular health: It is suggested that grounding can help reduce high blood pressure as well as the risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Having direct contact with the earth greatly benefits the mental and emotional state. Studies suggest that grounding may… (Chevalier, 2015; Chevalier et al., 2019)

enhance mood,
reduce emotional stress,
reduce anxiety and depression, and
soothe insomnia – to name just a few.

Spiritually speaking, grounding literally brings our energy bodies “down to earth”. In our fast-paced and mind-based society, our awareness is predominantly located in the head: constant thinking and acting out of conditions, beliefs, thus thoughts is what we’re used to do. The connection to our bodies -which are nature- has become lost. Even when we’re using spiritual practices to enhance sensitivity and grow consciousness, we may tend to “live up in the clouds”. Therefore, a grounding practice is also beneficial for all spiritual seekers.

„You can only grow as tall as
how deeply your roots go down.“

By grounding, our attention shifts from the thinking mind into the body and the present moment. We instantly feel connected and let go of thoughts about the past or the future. Being able to grow spiritually requires grounding in order to remain balanced. Only when you arrive in the present moment, a deeply rooted stillness can arises inside. This allows you to flow with the cosmic energy, to receive messages from the universe, and live your (physical) life in alignment with your spiritual (Higher) Self.

“The deeper the roots,
the sweeter the fruits.”

~ Earthing – My personal experience ~

My love for mother earth and my connection with nature has always been there, to some degree. I intuitively enjoyed spending time outside, back in childhood. As a teenager, I kind of lost this innate relationship: school, computers and everything in between became more interesting at that time. It wasn’t until I started becoming more of what I put into my body and how it makes me feel when I found beauty, love, and belonging within nature.

After hitting rock bottom, I was literally forced to take care of and build a relationship with my body – not only to survive, but I felt like:

“If I choose to continue living this life,
I don’t just want to exist or survive,
but I actually want to thrive in my body;
ideally to feel at home inside my body.”

As I started to eat more natural, plant-based foods, I simultaneously connected the dots: eating natural equals feeling more natural, more drawn to a natural environment. Especially when I started eating more raw living fruits and vegetables, my connection grew to a degree that I haven’t experienced before. When I embarked on the spiritual path, everything came together and made total sense.

“Look deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better.”
(Albert Einstein)

Eating plants makes me feel like I’m a physical part of nature. Raw foods feel very light in my body and enhance my spiritual connection, whereas cooked foods (root vegetables, legumes etc) stabilize, ground, and bring me “down to the earth” again. Both foods are -depending on the seasons- the key to balance my light, airy, and spiritually perceptive nature.
Through my spiritual practices, I have deepened the connection with my inner Self and heightened my sensitivity. I’m intuitively drawn towards places that make me feel comfortable and homey; places that match my frequency. And these are first and foremost places out in nature. I especially love forests and the beach.

“There is no WIFI in the forest,
but you will find a better connection.”

My trips to Asia have been the most profound experiences regarding my relationship with nature. The tropical weather allows me to spend as much time outside (in nature) as possible. The abundance of fresh fruit and delicious plant-based meals provide my body with everything it desires. However, not only the external circumstances, but also my spiritual path in India, Thailand, and Bali have allowed me to massively deepen my relationship with Self and everything around, like the natural environment. Especially the Meditation TTC on Koh Phangan (Thailand) helped me to tune into the frequency of unconditional love from Mother Earth.

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Mother nature provides calmness, tranquility, a high vibrational frequency filled with unconditional love and peace – basically everything I’ve been seeking for throughout my entire life. I feel salvaged, secure, and aligned with my Highest Self when I’m out in nature. Hugging trees, walking barefoot on the ground, lying in the grass, going for a walk in the forest – these are examples of my daily grounding practices. It’s a way to become spiritually as well as physically, mentally, and emotionally aligned.

~ Conclusion: How grounding supports us on all levels ~

The bottom line is: Grounding (earthing) can be used as a therapeutic practice as it helps realign the body’s electrical field by connecting with the earth. This may sound woo-woo at first, but there is even evidence coming from research: Some smaller studies report the overall health benefits from this very simple, free-of-charge, yet powerful practice.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.”
(Khalil Gibran)

Whether you aim to improve your physical health (e. g. reduce inflammation, high blood pressure, etc), reduce stress, anxiety, enhance your mood or you’re interested in growing spiritually: Grounding is the foundation of anything related health, wellbeing, and connection with Self and others. It helps to feel centered, at peace, and in control in your daily life. Challenges and stressors from the outside won’t bring you out of balance as easily as it would without such a practice. You will be capable of caring and loving not only yourself, but others in a more meaningful way.

As our bodies are related to the earth element, we literally are nature. We can only counterbalance physical, mental, emotional ailments as well as energetic misalignments by deepening our roots and connecting with the earth.