THE POWER OF BARING YOUR SOLES TO THE EARTH

Barefooting For Your Wellness

Surely you have already experienced, in your lifetime, numerous moments of how good it feels to take off your shoes and put your feet on the grass, or just stand still in the rain (yes, barefoot). Don’t many people go vacationing or on holiday just to walk alongside the ocean barefoot on a sandy beach?

In my case, the barefoot journey began when I met a friend who introduced me to barefoot running at the beach. I had no clue it was a thing for adults to do; for children… of course but not for adults.

Like seriously, who can actually get a child to stop running barefoot all over the place? And how many adults do you actually encounter that are avid marathon runners who bare their soles on to the road with no need of running shoes? Not many I would have said, at that time, but now, after researching it for myself and giving it a try, I have encountered another lifestyle, a practice for wellness called Earthing.

Earthing It

Have you ever heard of Earthing or Grounding?  This age-old practice involves connecting your body, mind, and spirit to the planet. The approach is about the effects that this direct physical contact with the electrons of the earth’s surface has on our health.

How does this happen? Well, when walking barefoot in nature, or walking on the sands in the beach you are automatically connected with the earth’s surface. You probably have done this and have been unaware of that.

Personally, I decided to walk, not run, barefooted every day as a way of reconditioning my feet to the earth. That turned out to be a fortuitous decision, as I have now found out. You might like to give it a try! Just bare your soles to the Earth with no specific theory in mind and just as simple as standing barefoot or laying in the grass-anything that allows your body to connect directly with the ground has you now Earthing.

The Lost Connection

In prehistoric times, people walked either barefoot or in footwear made of animal skins to better protect their feet. In addition, prehistoric people slept on the ground, usually on animal skins or furs, to better protect themselves from the cold. At that time, humans were always in direct contact with electrons on the earth’s surface.

By wearing shoes with thick soles, living in massive houses or walking on asphalt surfaces, we are nowadays almost completely cut off from the flow of electrons from the earth’s surface.

The foot is naturally made to walk barefoot. Unfortunately, we modern-day folks are no longer used to walking barefoot. Often, we can’t even walk for more than 10 minutes without footwear, as muscle tension or even pain occurs after a short time. People who have been walking exclusively in modern footwear for years have to get used to it and recondition their feet to get the muscles developed, and the ligaments and tendons more flexible again.

Feeling Good With It

But why does it feel so good to touch the surface of the earth with bare feet?

Quite simple, when walking barefoot there is an exchange of energy with the earth. Our body is electrically charged just like the earth. By earthing, we connect with the earth’s energy. By walking barefoot, unwanted electrons that cause stress and fatigue are set free and beneficial energy is charged.

There is no general answer to how often you should do earthing in order to feel the positive effects. It is important to listen to your own body. Once you have consciously experienced the benefits of earthing on your own body, you will know best when you need the healing earth energy again.

By the way, it is not absolutely necessary to always walk barefoot. Earthing can also be done comfortably in a garden chair, simply by placing your bare feet on the natural ground and reading a book. To achieve a greater effect, you can lie down on the grass with your whole body or do exercises such as yoga, qigong or taiqi.

Other Cool Benefits

A growing body of research online have found numerous health benefits resulting from the physical body being grounded. Here are 6 of them:

1. Better control of your foot position when it strikes the ground.
2. Improvements in balance, proprioception, and body awareness, which may help with pain relief.
3. Better foot mechanics, which may lead to improved mechanics of the hips, knees, and core
4. Maintaining an appropriate range of motion in your foot and ankle joints as well as adequate strength and stability within the associated muscles and ligaments.
5. Relief from improperly fitting shoes, which may cause bunions, hammertoes, or other foot deformities.
6. Stronger leg muscles, which support your lower back region.

The immediate effect people describe from being grounded is that they “feel better with a greater sense of peace, calmer, and reduced stress”. Reports also indicate that walking barefoot on the earth or sustained contact with the earth boosts immunity and promotes health and well-being.

So it makes sense to reason that when we are barefoot regularly, the sensory feedback from our feet become more detailed and refined, just like anything else done habitually.

Head Outside Now & Soak It In!

Let us remember that we are part of nature and belong inside this web of life, it does not take much time nor energy to bare our soles to the earth and connect.

Today, we walk with our feet cushioned in shoes and sleep in beds. Yes, while life has gotten more comfortable, over the past 50 plus years chronic diseases, immune disorders and inflammation in the body have also increased. So why not try a bit of Earth healing energy?

Head outside, lay in the grass and enjoy the beautiful breeze. Take a walk barefoot, if you are able. Take time to connect yourself with the Earth and soak in all these natural benefits to your mental and physical health.

Much peace and blessings to you all.