By Cierra Bloom, ATC, LAT, MS, CES
One technique that I strongly believe that encompasses both aspects of this philosophy is grounding, or earthing. This is when we walk barefoot or sit with our bare skin touching the natural Earth (grass, sand, dirt), or a conductive mat. The Earth, and everything that inhabits it, is made up of energy and specific vibrational frequencies. This direct contact with the ground, allows for a transfer of the Earth’s energy to the energy in our bodies - thus harmonizing us with the Earth’s vibrational frequency (Menigoz, Latz, Ely, Kamei, Melvin, & Sinatra, 2020).
Grounding has been found to have many benefits for various conditions and illnesses. It is now clear that inflammation is the main contributor to most of today’s health and pain disorders. The transfer of energy from the Earth to our bodies allows negatively charged ions to neutralize the free radicals that cause inflammation. There are various studies showing potential benefits of grounding on cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous system function, as well as decreasing anxiety, depression, and pain (Menigoz et al, 2020). Also, with the threat of Covid-19 still upon us, research is showing that grounding may be helpful in reducing the susceptibility of coronavirus as it can increase the pH of our respiratory tract, not allowing bacteria or viruses to survive (Sokal, Sokal, Chevalier, Kieronska, & Sokal, 2020).
Take this one step further, and think about meditation while grounding in nature. Meditation is a technique that connects the mind and the body through mindfulness. By practicing meditation, one can become more aware of thoughts and feelings and become more equipped to control them. By increasing our mindfulness, meditation has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, improve self-awareness, self-control, and relationships, help with focus and memory, decrease pain and blood pressure, and enhance sleep (Rose, Zell, & Strickhouser, 2020). If we take these positive effects from meditation and implement it while harmonizing our energy with the Earth, the results would be profound.
Try getting outside for 15 minutes a day, barefoot or seated in the grass if possible. Try to avoid high traffic areas like sidewalks and roads and go on a trail or walking path where there are a lot of plants and trees. If it is cold or not possible for you to get outside, there are grounding mats, bands, and patches that you can purchase. Meditation can be done anywhere
at any time. Next time you are starting to feel overwhelmed, try closing your eyes and sitting still in a quiet space for just 5 minutes and see how you feel. The only way we can transform the world is by transforming ourselves. The question is not why should you, but why wouldn’t you?
References:
Menigoz, W., Latz, T., Ely, R., Kamei, C., Melvin, G., & Sinatra, D. (2020). Integrative and lifestyle medicine strategies should include Earthing (grounding): Review of research evidence and clinical observations. Explore (16), 152-160.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.10.005. Rose, S., Zell, E., & Strickhouser, J. (2020). The Effect of Meditation on Health: a Metasynthesis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Mindfulness (11), 507-516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01277-6. Sokal, P., Sokal, K., Chevalier, G., Kieronska, S., & Sokal, J. (2020). Reduced susceptibility of coronavirus SARS development after earthing due to increased pH values in the respiratory tract. Research Square, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-41899/v1.
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