![person wearing blue denim jeans standing on green grass](https://i0.wp.com/feelgoodesprit.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pexels-photo-2998999.jpeg?fit=867%2C1300&ssl=1)
I had never heard about grounding before my yoga teacher introduced me to the concept of it a few years ago. It made sense to me straight away. We all have practiced it in some shape or another during our lifetime, we just didn’t have the word for it. Yoga incorporates lots of positions that involve grounding and that’s why I’m a big fan of yoga which you can learn more about the benefits of if you’re pregnant now in this blog Why becoming a pregnancy yogi is great for your growing bump
What is grounding?
It’s when your skin on either your hands or on your feet come into direct contact with the earth. It is said that connecting directly with the earth can provide incredible health benefits, some of which include helping to support:
- anxiety
- stress
- depression
- mood
- overall wellbeing
How can we practice it?
Head outside, take off your shoes and stand barefoot on the ground or grass for 10-minutes. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and exhale softly. You can even do this seated. I find I do this naturally in the summer months anyway or on holiday when you can’t wait to just dip your toes in the sand. That’s grounding.
It’s about becoming aware of your surroundings, and at the same time, allowing it all to blend and melt away. It’s a mindfulness practice as you start to tune into the sounds around you and soak in the connection to the earth.
4 reasons why we should incorporate grounding as mums
- To help reduce inflammation
- To decrease pain
- To relieve stress
- To improve our sleep
Less talk about grounding and more talk about focusing
If you were to say to a mum friend, ‘Girl have you tried this grounding thing? Throw off your shoes and stand outside for 10 minutes on the pavement!’, she may think you’d lost the plot!
However if you flip it to say, ‘Girl, the next time you’re feeling tapped out, just take a moment with a cup of tea, and stand outside in your garden on the grass for 10 minutes’. It’s as simple as taking a bit of time out and focusing on your breathe. More about the power of breathing here. It makes sense right? That’s grounding, nothing more and nothing less.
Why does grounding work?
There is growing research that by putting ourselves in direct contact with the surface of the earth, electrons are able to to spread into our skin then body which impacts these immune markers, while others will say it’s as simple as being connected with mother nature which has a calming nature on us and thereby our whole immune system.
It’s why many people want to live in hot countries, in the middle of the countryside or by the sea. Nature has a way of tapping into this side of us that helps to centre our being.
It’s nothing new
We’ve been walking barefoot for centuries. Shoes are a man-made item, and don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful. Yet oh my goodness, how good it feels after a long day at work or out on a night to take them things off and stand barefoot on your carpet or floor. Are you with me? That’s essentially the sensation of grounding.
Want to learn more about grounding?
Has this sparked your curiosity and you want to learn more about the thinking behind it, explore those benefits in more detail and understand more about the movement that’s taken ahold around this concept that has been around forever. Check out this youtube documentary called ‘The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding’.
Let me know your thoughts! Have you heard about grounding before? Have you always been doing it without realising it and does it help to calm you? Definitely a lot easier to practice in the drier months!