You have probably heard about the importance of grounding, and connecting to the earth. Grounding or earthing has long been a natural way to improve your health. The healing aspects of grounding arise from reconnecting or tuning in with the Earth. The process of grounding is literally grounding your positive energy, the same way a car battery does. Like a car battery, however, if the ground is not connected, all the positive energy in the world won’t turn your car on. How exactly does earthing work in the human body, and what grounding techniques can you use to reconnect with the Earth? Let’s take a look.
All naturally occurring things give off energy, which is to varying degrees picked up by the Earth. The Earth’s surface acts like a conductor, which constantly sends, receives, and distributes energy throughout the world, and to its inhabitants.
For most of humanities existence, mankind has been in tune with these energies. Your ancestors worked in unison with the earth, even if only subconsciously. Walking barefoot on the land, and being outside much more frequently helps our bodies become more in tune with the Earth. Our modern industrialized lives, of course, changed all of that, and have largely disconnected us from nature.
As if the disconnection from the Earth were not enough on its own, every day our bodies are bombarded by artificial waves and signals from a range of sources. Whether these waves are radio, WiFi, cell signals, or perhaps produced by electronic devices. These waves affect our health in ways we rarely consider. Our brain waves work at a certain rate and the constant bombardment of waves can disturb our brain function by interfering with our brain waves. Not only does not being grounded impact your NueroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response by causing imbalance, the NEM system is also impacted to a high degree by these frequencies, but more on that later.
These are the two key reasons grounding works:
The Earth is a gigantic reservoir, which holds onto negatively charged ions. Without a connection to the Earth, the cells in our body cannot find balance with positive ions produced by us. These positively charged ions are a result of electron-deficient free radicals. The effect of excess positive energy in the blood has been demonstrated through viewing the way that blood clumps together in the presence a positive energy overload.
As you likely know, our modern environment exposes us to a wide range of electromagnetic (EMF) radiations from computers, cell phones, cell towers, wifi, electric wires, etc. These EMFs change the way our energy is balanced (positive and negative). This imbalance interferes with how your body and NEM stress response orchestrate the thousands of functions your body must perform on a regular basis.This electromagnetic radiation induces artificial charges in our bodies, disrupting the trillions of subtle electrical communications which are a vital part of the function of our body's systems.
All of us have experienced being grounded at some point in time. Being grounded creates the feeling of being at home. However, our experiences of being in tune with the Earth, are very fleeting, to say the least.
Now we wear shoes, walk on paved ground, or cement walkways, and our feet rarely touch the Earth; many people have not placed their feet on bare earth in years. We use cars to jump from one place to another, and very rarely do you ever get the chance to experience nature in a way that is grounding. Each step we take seems to take us one step further from the Earth and all of its healing powers.
Grounding can calm your emotions, strengthen your instincts, recharge your energy, clear your mind and more. This is why you should use these grounding techniques to tune in with Earth on a regular basis.
Among its many healing benefits, grounding may relieve stress. Stress, as you know is a leading cause of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). AFS can rob people of their energy and make life almost unbearable. If you are looking to avoid AFS, or if you are affected and just want to make life a bit more bearable, grounding helps the body balance its energy, which leads to an overall balance of the body, and NEM stress response.
The NEM stress response is a highly intricate response network that, if unbalanced, can lead to a multitude of diseases, and conditions. The NEM is a way of seeing the 6 major circuits of the organs in the body which include the neurological, metabolic, and respiratory systems.
Grounding affects the detoxification circuit which exists between your body and the Earth. Grounding literally grounds your body’s positive energy using its negatively charged ions. This process can help your energy become more effective, and your mind to be more focused. When your life flows better, you are less stressed. When you are less stressed, so is your body. And when your body is less stressed, the body is more prepared to heal itself.
There are many signs that let you know if you are ungrounded. You are likely ungrounded if you space out, get easily distracted if you overthink, or experience anxiety. Other signs that you may be ungrounded also include being overly possessive, are easily deceived or are obsessed with your image.
There are also physical signs of being ungrounded which include; poor sleep patterns, chronic pain, fatigue, poor circulation, and inflammation. Of course, some of these symptoms could arise from other issues, which can cause other imbalances in the NEM stress response. Earthing and grounding are not replacements for any medical treatments that you may be taking. However, that does not go without saying that these grounding techniques may alleviate these symptoms.
One of the best indicators of the importance of being grounded is seen by an experiment that involves flowers. First, by placing two cut sunflowers, and placing their stems in 2 containers with water. One plant is grounded, and the other is left in normal water, with no additional changes. Within a few days, major differences can be seen between the two flowers. By the time the ungrounded flower is dry and shriveled, the other still looks strong and has days of beauty remaining.
Grounding is a form of healing that is also very similar to meditation. Many forms of grounding are a form of meditation. Most forms of grounding simply involve spending more time in nature, going for walks, and just enjoying life. That being said, the goals of grounding are slightly different than meditation, and these grounding techniques will help you to see the difference.
Spending time in nature can be one of the best grounding techniques. This technique is simple, can be done almost anywhere, and requires no special skills. Just go to your favorite trail or wooded area, and go for a stroll. There really isn’t anything more to it; time in nature is a great way to ground oneself.
They make technology for nearly everything, and grounding is no different. There is earthing technology for your bedroom and your automobile. There are even earthing mats which you can stand on. This kind of technology would serve those that live in cold climates and when it is just way too cold to go outside. Though I have seen people that do ground by laying down on the bare ground in the middle of winter, I would think that type of grounding is not for everyone.
Yup, that’s right. Hugging trees can be a great way to connect with the Earth, but it is not the only way to use trees for grounding. Sitting down with your back against trees and meditating can be a great alternative to actually hugging the tree. Trees are professional “grounders”. I mean, it’s what they do for a living. They spend their entire lives digging deeper and deeper into the Earth. They pull energy from the sun and store it underground, and they pull nutrients from beneath the Earth, to the surface. Their energy exchange is not lost on those that stand, or even sit near them. Trees are one of the most powerful grounding tools that you can use to ground yourself. They can exchange your energy, take it away, and replace it with energy that is well, grounded.
One of the most grounding of the grounding techniques. Whenever possible, and when it is safe to, walk barefoot, or even just put your feet on the bare earth. While you are at it you could even dig down a little and bury your feet a little beneath the soil. This technique literally puts you in touch with the Earth and can really have a profound impact on how in tune you are with the Earth.
Is it a lovely day out? Reading your new favorite book? Go out next to your favorite tree and read instead of reading indoors. This can not only be grounding but is also a great excuse to go outdoors.
There are just so many ways to ground yourself and meditation, in general, is a great grounding technique. Taking the time to meditate is a great way to tune your body into the energies of Earth and ground yourself. Outdoor meditation may be the most effective, with the aid of the trees and natural sounds, grounding can be achieved much faster. There are so many meditation techniques that can help you ground yourself that one of them is bound to work for you and your lifestyle. There are too many ways to meditate to possibly cover them all here, but here is an example of mountain meditation.
Sit down and envision yourself becoming a mountain. Envision your feet growing deep into the Earth. Your body slowly grows into a hill, it’s getting larger and larger, and then finally you are the mountain, and solidly connected to the Earth.
EMF’s creep around unseen, and yet they impact our bodies just the same. Those with improperly functioning NEM stress response networks or weakened immune systems can be more impacted than others. EMF’s can cause a range of issues, and this is what makes grounding so important. When you are grounded to the Earth, EMF’s are less likely to interfere with your body. The Earth creates an energetic field which deflects EMF’s which allows you to remain unaffected by EMF waves while you are grounded. EMF waves are far from the only cause of illness in our lives, but being able to avoid them through grounding can be a good way to reduce your risk for all EMF related injuries; by having the Earth itself shield you from them.
Like a properly functioning battery, you need to be grounded to the Earth. Batteries have a positive side and a ground. If there were only a positive side, there would be a lot of energy, yes, but it would be unable to express itself in any meaningful form. This is why we need to ground our energy, and this is how grounding can organize your thoughts, and make your actions more effective. Use these grounding techniques at least once a week to ground your positive energy back to the Earth. Grounding is a great way to balance the NEM system and to avoid stress. In this day and age, we all need a tool belt loaded with stress relieving tools. Avoid stress and the consequences of AFS by implementing stress relief tools like grounding. Though there is no cure for stress or AFS, it is wise to avoid stress by using the tools that work best for you.
© Copyright 2018 Michael Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
There are many, easy to follow grounding techniques. Many of them are free, and you can start using them today. Many of use have become ungrounded by the modern way of living. Reconnecting to the Earth can really be a life changer.
