what on earth is grounding?

by Hannah Wigglesworth

As we all know, our senses have a lot to do with the way that we perceive the world (and even that seems like an understatement). Our sight and hearing, in my opinion, contribute the most and impact our daily lives from the minute we wake up. One day, on weekend walk in Strensall common, I began to wonder how much does touch (little bit of rhyming there)- affect our experience in the world? Touching the crunchy twigs with my beloved walking boots, I asked myself ‘how does touching the earth affect our experiences on a larger scale?’

Grounding is a concept which I have been more aware of over the past few months. I’ve dabbled with for quite some time now, especially when I’m out and about as I emerge myself in nature for photography opportunities. But I must admit, it’s not something that I’ve researched yet, which is why I’m eager to learn more about it.

Here’s the science-y bit… The Earth is like one huge battery that holds a subtle and natural electrical charge, this is a unique type of energy which exists in the ground. Nearly everything in the electrical world is connected to the earth for both stability and safety, whether it is your toaster or a factory. The term grounded essentially means to be stable and balanced. Our immune systems function best when our bodies have an adequate supply of electrons, which can be easily and naturally gained through barefoot contact with the Earth. Who would have known that through simply touching the earth for a while, it would actually benefit our bodies and our health?

When you are grounded you may feel, centered, balanced, strong, less tense, and even less stressed –I know I wanna feel that!

In our current world, with all of the industrialisation and disconnect, we rarely go walking barefoot or sleep on the ground like many past cultures have done. There of course are still civilisations around the globe who don’t wear shoes and travel about barefoot. Most people in this day and age have little to no connection with the planet. We wear shoes with synthetic soles which insulate our feet from the ground, and we live in houses with carpets made of synthetic insulation materials. Now, I know that it isn’t feasible to be walking around barefoot all the time, especially in urban areas where there may be glass or rubbish on the pavements or the odd dog poop! But even if it’s just every now and again, connecting your body to the earth, it seems doable, right?

You can even get special grounding footwear which often have copper or steel integrated into the sole of the shoe to allow the flow of electrons to pass through the sole and into your feet, pretty cool huh?