What?
"Grounding" refers to establishing a subtle, natural electrical connection with the earth, meaning being highly connected to the earth or the physical world.
Our bodies have electrical systems, as evidenced when we touch someone and feel a shock. We carry an excess of positive electrical charges because activities like living, breathing, sleeping, eating, and digesting diminish electrons. The earth, being negatively charged, helps neutralize this excess and replenish our electrons.
Without replenishing electrons, inflammation can wreak havoc on our immunity and health. Inflammation is known as the “silent killer” because it is linked to many chronic diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer’s, sleep disorders, depression, and premature aging. Interestingly, animals in the wild experience these diseases less frequently because they are always grounded.
Chinese medicine references Qi (pronounced chee), a central principle regarded as the energy or natural force that fills the universe.
Heaven Qi consists of the forces that heavenly bodies exert on the Earth, such as sunshine, moonlight, and the moon’s effect on the tides.
Earth Qi, influenced and controlled by Heaven Qi, comprises lines and patterns of energy, the Earth’s magnetic field, and the heat concealed underground.
Within the Earth Qi, individuals, animals, and plants have their own Qi fields. All natural things grow and are influenced by the natural cycles of Heaven Qi and Earth Qi. https://www.groundedwellness.co.uk/blog/a-brief-and-certainly-incomplete-history-of-earthi/
Grounding, or being in natural electrical connection with the earth, is a way of absorbing Earth Qi. This occurs effortlessly when we walk barefoot, which may explain why walking without shoes is so relaxing. Exercises aimed at strengthening the body and relaxing the mind, such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong, are often practiced without footwear to facilitate this connection. Grounding helps to align our Qi with the Earth's natural energy, promoting overall well-being.
Why?
Ungrounded feel like?
stressed
mind racing
anxious
Feeling ungrounded can stem from several situations:
Trying to accomplish too many things at once.
Being overcommitted.
Having to operate at different levels throughout the day, like shifting from a detail-oriented activity to something more strategic. Monte Coding.
Getting overwhelmed by emotions or thoughts. Think of a death in the family.
Finding yourself in a situation that doesn’t align with your values, goals, or purpose.
Preparing for or having to give a presentation or speech.
All grounding techniques support mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Physically grounding aims to achieve calm within your body relaxing your muscles, easing tension, and creating a stronger connection to your body to improve the messages your spiritual, emotional and mental bodies are communicating.
Mentally you can reframe how you think about anxiety, stress, and overwhelm. The idea is to change your approach to stressful situations and avoid overwhelming your nervous system.
Emotionally grounding techniques are a practice for feeling preferred emotions and offers the gift of love to yourself.
Grounding supports:
Pain Relief- Any pain, wound, or inflammatory response heals differently (and much faster) when the body is electrically grounded.
Better Sleep & Mood- Grounding regulates cortisol (a stress hormone) and thus enhances sleep & reduces anxiety.
Better Blood Flow- Electrical harmony means our red blood cells have more room to circulate (less clumping), and our body can move and recover better.
In 2000, Clint Ober created an experiment to test whether Earthing, as he called it, could really help people sleep better and reduce their pain.
He gathered 60 male and female volunteers with chronic sleep and pain issues. He went to their homes and set up a conductive Earthing pad on their bed. He connected the pads with a wire to a ground rod placed in the Earth outside their bedroom windows that would facilitate carrying the energy from the Earth to the bed pad. However, in half of the set-ups, he inserted a spacer to block the conduction of energy. This would allow a comparison of two groups – those actually grounded. The participants in the experiment did not know whether they were actually being grounded or not.
Time falling asleep improved 85.2% for grounded individuals and only 13% for ungrounded.
Quality of Sleep improved 92.6% for grounded and the same 13% for ungrounded
Wake feeling rested improved 100% for grounded and the same 13% for ungrounded
Muscle stiffness and pain improved 81.5% for grounded and 0% improvement for ungrounded
How?
5-4-3-2-1 Method
5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet.
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things you can hear outside of your body.
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. Maybe you are in your office and smell pencil, or maybe you are in your bedroom and smell a pillow. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in your bathroom, or nature outside.
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch?
This gets you out of your mind and into your sensory experience.
Other ideas to feel more grounded from Gabby Bernstein. https://gabbybernstein.com/feel-grounded/ gives ways to feel grounded
Do a body scan
Practice a loving-kindness meditation
Sit on the ground and drink tea (or your favorite drink)
Do something routine: fold laundry, weed the garden, knit, sew, etc.
Only check the news and social media at set time
Watch uplifting content to feel grounded in joy
May we suggest The Wholeness Library!
Explore The Wholeness Library App https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wholeness-library/id1545002697
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