I kind of stumbled into the barefoot lifestyle, for no other reason than I really liked the feeling underfoot and that it seemed to be something that I should be doing. Both of which are reason enough for me to do anything.
Following My Feelings
Barefooting is one of those things that, once I cast aside my shoes and boots and planted my bare feet squarely on the bare Earth; I knew that it was most definitely the ‘thing’ for me. What has amazed me is that after I started barefooting I have come across web sites, video clips and articles giving more and more facts as to why I had done the right thing. You see for me I knew very few of the benefits of the barefoot lifestyle until after I had embraced it fully.
Just goes to show that I was right in following my barefoot feelings!
Grounding
Grounding is one of those benefits that I didn’t fully appreciate until I watched the series of video clips that I have included below. After I had finished watching the fifth and final clip, I really wanted to know more, so I viewed several other video clips and web sites about grounding and they are bore out the same message and the same benefits.
I’m not going to go into loads of detail about Grounding and the benefits, as the five clips below cover everything and do it far more succinctly in just over 30 minutes of video than I can in the small amount of space that I have available to me here. However I will cover off some of the major points and benefits.
What Is Grounding?
So what is grounding? Grounding is the process of physically connecting ourselves to the Earth, the plant Earth. There are several ways that this can be done; barefoot walking on the bare ground or grass is one way, as is swimming in the sea or a river. Others ways involve having a physical connection (via bare skin) to something or someone who is grounded.
We as human being are essentially complex, dense energy fields, we are pure energy; energy is the most fundamental building block from which we are made, even more basic than molecules and atoms.
As energy fields we have or can acquire an electrical charge, you’ll know this if you have ever touched something metal and received an electric shock.
If we are disconnected from the Earth, as we go about our day to day business, we will start to build up an electric charge, most of the time this is almost unnoticeable (apart from when it builds up to the point of discharging when you touch something metal).
Placing our bare skin against the bare Earth is the quickest and easiest way to remove this electrical build up. It literally earths us in much the same way that an electrical appliance is earthed, any charge that we are carrying is instantly neutralised by the planet Earth.
From a barefoot perspective it is interesting to note that the most electrically conductive parts of our bodies are the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet!
Why Ground Ourselves?
Our natural state is to be electrically neutral, having no charge whatsoever, neither positive or negative. In order for our bodies to function at an optimal efficiency it needs to have no charge, it needs to be neutral, in its natural state.
This is what grounding does for us, it neutralises any electrical charge so that our bodies can operate at peak efficiency, and when our bodies are operating at peak efficiency then so does our mind.
What Are The Benefits?
The benefits of being grounded for prolonged periods; for example while working on your computer, sitting watching the television or while sleeping, are numerous but here are just some of the benefits that have been reported.
- Reduced inflammation.
- Reduction of certain pain.
- Increased longevity.
- Separating of clumping blood cells.
- Reduced stress and anxiety.
- Improved sleep.
- Improved creativity (increased activation of the left hemisphere of the brain).
- Increased calmness.
- Reduced calcification.
- Stabilisation of Circadian Rhythms.
… and so the list goes on.
Is This True?
The honest answer is I haven’t looked fully in the research behind all these claims; however what I will say is that these claims do not just come from this series of video clips these claims are made by many different people from around the globe, over a number of years, but please research them yourself and if I’m wrong then tell me.
What I will say is this, every time I go for a walk especially if I’ve had a stressful time, within about 10 minutes of my bare feet hitting the bare earth I can physically feel my anxiety and stress levels drop, sometimes I’ve even had what can only be described as the sensation of mild euphoria when walking on the bare soil. I guess that would be the grounding!
Also there is one place in my house where I spend a large portion of time, a place where I seem to do all my best thinking, where all my best creative ideas are born, the place where I’m struck by flashes of inspiration the most. This place is in my kitchen! I have a spot in the kitchen where I sit on the worktop (I know kitchen worktops are not a place for sitting before anyone says anything). However since the day I moved in I have always sat there to ponder and think. This spot places my feet on the edge of the kitchen sink draining board. In the UK metal kitchen sinks have to be earthed by law, so in my favourite spot I sit with my feet touching an earth point, I am literally earthed when I’m sat in this spot. Could being grounded be the reason that I have most of my best ideas while sat there?
Grounding Ourselves
After I watched the first of these videos I was struck by the importance of grounding, for me there are two situations when I would want to be grounded. The first is when I’m a sleep and the second is when I’m sat in front of my computer, as I am now.
In my next post I will be explaining why I feel that it’s so important to be grounded at these two times and I will also be looking at ways to ground ourselves no matter where we are, because it really is something that feels to me as though it’s so very important, and it’s something that I believe we can do without spending a fortune on fancy gadgets and gismos.
The Video Clips
Here are the five video clips that I mentioned; David Wolfe does a very good job at introducing the subject in a manner that most can understand. There are a few anomalies in his scientific explanation and logic on some of the things he discusses but his basic principles are sound, and further more he conducts the entire lecture barefoot!
Grounding Part 1
Grounding Part 2
Grounding Part 3
Grounding Part 4
Grounding Part 5
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