1. Earth Energy is Real!
RECONNECT yourself for better health & meditation
I’ve been investigating this idea for the last week. Turns out there is a LOT of peer-reviewed science behind it and a decent understanding of how it works. So now I’m doing it. Here, I give a brief summary of the practice. Future articles will go into greater depth as to how, and why, it works.
(Article #1 in the Earth Energy series.)
Grounding (aka earthing) is the practice of literally reconnecting to the earth — something our civilization has all but forgotten how to do. This super-short overview of the subject introduces some of its major scientifically proven benefits, explains what it is, and tells you how to do it.
Note: This article contains Amazon affiliate links.
Benefits
A few of the major benefits:
- Reduces/eliminates inflammation, pain
- Promotes healing
- Better sleep
- Immediately calming (an “Instant Meditation” that relieves stress)
I can go into a lot more detail, but for anyone feeling stressed out about the state of the world, needing more energy, or needing to heal, it’s a great thing to try.
What It Is
Grounding is what you do with electrical equipment. You make a connection to the earth (literally, the ground) in order to complete the circuit and allow energy to flow. (That connection also provides a bypass path for lightning headed your way, but that’s another story.)
The folks at EarthingInstitute.net who introduced the concept decided to call the practice Earthing, to distinguish it from what you do with electrical equipment. But once you realize that the body is in reality one huge electromagnetic entity, you understand that the names are completely synonymous. (I’ll have much more to say about that in upcoming articles.)
How to Do It
Grounding yourself is as easy as stepping onto the earth, rock, or unpainted concrete in bare feet. Or touch the soil with your hands. (Gardening, anyone?)
Alternatively, you can use a “grounding pad” (aka “earthing pad”) to connect from indoors. Those pads go through the grounding plug in a wall socket to the grounding rod (a metal rod in the ground) that protects your home from lightning.
Commercial Equipment
At Amazon, you can get a grounding pad ($30) to put your bare feet on when sitting, or a larger grounding mat for meditation or sleeping ($60). (Affiliate links. I could get a penny. Maybe two!) Or you can Do It Yourself for a lot less.
DIY Equipment
I made DIY versions using a pair of copper Grill Mats I found at Home Depot for $10. Add a bit of wire and an alligator clip to the grounding prong of a 3-prong plug, and Bob’s Yer Uncle! (The mats are a bit slippery, so they have a tendency to slide. I put some strong double-sided carpet tape underneath that I happened to have on hand. That took care of the problem.)
So for about $20 for a pair of grounding mats and hardware (plus wire and tape I had on hand), I was able to try out the concept and make some measurements to see if they were doing anything. (Spoiler alert: They are!)
Wrist Strap
Once you have a plug you can use to connect to ground through an outlet, whether commercial or homemade, you can also wear a grounding strap on your wrist or ankle (the kind used to prevent static sparks when working on a computer). I slip it over my fingers when watching TV. It runs across my palm with the metal bit contacting the back of my hand.
(It’s also useful during meditation. I could sit on a grounding mat, but I’m still using my somewhat slippery copper Grill Mats, so the grounding strap works better.)
The Bottom Line
Using a multimeter, I was able to determine that something was definitely happening. With my understanding of what that something was, I began grounding myself regularly. All of that information is coming in future articles.
For a brief discussion of why it works, and more benefits you can expect, see the next article in this series: Ground Yourself! (an excerpt from my weight-loss book). In the articles after that, I’ll provide more references and even deeper explanations.
About Eric
Eric Armstrong describes himself as The Lazy Health Nut. He is always looking for the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way to get fit, lose weight, and develop athletic skills. (Such pursuits do take time and effort. But let’s not waste energy in the process!) He’s the author of The Secret Science of Weight Loss, and other books.
Learn more: About Eric (lazy health nut)
