Bear and I went to drop off a few homemade paintings and a candle to his playgroup leader. It has been months since we saw her, and as soon as we got there, Bear darted off to play and run around her sprawling backyard. She has it all, a wooden playset, firepit, kid-sized rakes, sandpit, woods, a treehouse, and my favorite compost pile. At one point, he quickly removed his shoes and ran around free. She giggled and said, "he's earthing." Then she began explaining the power of being barefoot in nature. Once home and with Bear tucked away for a nap, I made some tea and began to watch "The Earthing Movie." The Movie is free on our video channel or Youtube.
Grounding. Earthing
In Summary:
Native Americans are the first people to use grounding, or the act of taking off your shoes in the earth, to heal. Native Americans would take a sick person, build a ditch, and sink their feet into it. Clint Ober grew up close to a Native American reservation where he would witness the act of healing through grounding. As an adult, Ober dug deeper to understand what happens when our feet are bare against the earth; he found that grounding neutralizes free radicals. Free radicals are created through the abundance of electromagnetic fields (all of the technology and industrialization). All of the electron-energy throws off our body's electrical balance. Free radicals are also formed, through infection, trauma, cell damage, inflammation, stress, and toxicity. Grounding supports our bodies to combat free radicals.
Think of it like this (oversimplified): our bodies seek balance to operate in their natural state [healthy]. Free radicals are super strong and (based on lifestyle) numerous - they come in and fight against health. Our immune system and cells cannot fight alone. Grounding helps by majorly reducing the free radicals' power, allowing our immune system and our bodies to stay healthy.
"Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman described an umbrella effect created when we “earth.” He claimed that grounding equalized the electric potential between the body and the earth, so the body becomes an extension of the earth’s magnetic field." - Fibrofix.com The act of simply putting your bare feet on the ground hosts the following benefits:
Reduction of pain
Reduction of arthritis
Improves mood
Improves inflammation
Improves immunity
Improves sleep
Lowers stress dramatically
To dig deeper (pun intended) into earthing, I highly suggest wandering onto the Grounded website; it's a treasure trove of information. Watching the documentary is also worthwhile - the viewer takes the healing journey with a couple trying to find a cure for their baby.
Here's to barefoot polepole'ing.
Shelby