When I was little I used to have a lot of aversion towards wearing shoes, I still do now, any chance I can to get my shoes off I take it. I remember my first time travelling to India I gave my pair of shoes a way in a week and had a whole 6 months of naked contact to the earth of the motherland!
When I have my feet on the earth it just makes me feel good, I would and still get questioned as to “why I am not wearing shoes” I would think to myself actually the real question is “why are you wearing shoes?!” I say its free reflexology; I love the sensations of different textures on the soles of my feet and it helps to keep me present. I admire how my toes grip to surfaces, especially when adventuring over rocks. I do it because it makes me feel nourished and connected, little did I know for some years now there has been a movement called “Earthing” and it is being supported by science!
It has been studied and reported that direct physical contact with the vast supply of free electrons on the surface of the Earth has been found to promote fascinating physiological changes and reports of subjective well being. This is incredible: The earth is an overlooked global resource for health!!
I am fascinated, and happy there are wonderful Scientists like Dr James Oschmann whom is trying to bridge the gaps between science and consciousness.
So how does it work? Time to get a little bit science on you! Well lets look at us first: Our bodies are constantly under attack by ‘free radicals’ They can be seen as waste products from various chemical reactions in the cells that when built up cause cell damage and this can contribute to age degeneration, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, Alzheimer's and Pakinson’s disease and all inflammatory disease such as arthritis.
Many of us will have heard about taking anti-oxidants, it is because they help your body balance free radicals. From my understanding a free radical is a molecule that has been split into single atoms with unpaired electrons, and these things love to be in a pair and so it sets out to look for another electron to be paired with and so it pulls an electron from another molecule, which destabilises that molecule and then in turn that becomes a new free radical and it continues on and on; its like a domino effect. This can eventually cause a lot of cell damage. And so it’s no wonder anti-oxidants are greatly promoted for our health.
Ok now what does the Earth have to do with it? Well the Earth's surface retains a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free electrons. The surface of the planet is electrically conductive and its negative potential is maintained by solar energy transferred through lightening to the earths crust. Wow!
So when we connect ourselves to the Earth it allows negatively charged antioxidant electrons to enter the body and neutralize positively charged free radicals within us.
The earth is natural source of anti-oxidants.
So in neutralizing ourselves we decrease free radicals in our body, helping to reduce inflammation and pain, induce more restful sleep and an easy shift into the parasympathetic nervous system which can be also known as the rest and digest mode where healing takes place.
Our modern lifestyle disconnects us so much from ourselves, but sadly it also separates us from direct contact with the Earth’s flow of free electrons. Since the 1960s, we have gradually worn insulating rubber or plastic soled shoes and we no longer sleep on the ground as we used to. It is crazy to think you can literally be 1cm away from receiving great health benefits just by wearing flip-flops!
A statement from the journal of environmental and public health quotes “The research done to date supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity”
Getting skin contact with the Mamma Earth is something so simple that could be added to your daily practice, spending some time walking barefoot outside in your garden or local park, even doing your daily meditation. Recently I dived in to practices of Qi Gong and have been practicing daily “Wuji” meditation. I swapped my morning seated bedroom meditation to the park or forest where I can be barefoot, bridging the gap between the earth and the heavens, I had the thought this morning closing my practice as I crouched down in gratitude to touch the ground with my hands that if more people knew how the Earth could help to heal them then maybe they might be more thoughtful and compassionate about helping to heal the Earth that we are so recklessly destroying.
Lets get those shoes off and lets get back to nature
FEEL.CONNECT.HEAL
With love from me and my free tootsies in the forest this morning!
PS: I would love to hear about your experience and see inspiring photos of you and your wonderful feet in nature!! Write to me and send them over.
