What is grounding?
The direct contact of the skin on the hands or our bare feet on the surface of the earth.
After a long winter, there’s something about being outside, barefoot and letting your feet sink into the earth. I’ve felt that before, but it wasn’t until recently that I learned more about grounding, or earthing, and realized it’s actually a thing. Scientific research over more than a decade indicates that your body can benefit from time spent outdoors grounding- with bare feet or hands touching the earth.
Grounding appears to improve sleep, normalize the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity. -Journal of Environmental and Public Health
How cool is that? Just like drinking water and taking deep breaths, grounding is a free resource at our finger tips to help change our state of mind. What a great time, at the start of summer, to realize that we have access to these healing powers just by stepping outside our door (literally.)
If you’re local, I’d love to have you join me for a backyard yoga class soon. There’s something so special about taking our yoga outdoors, listening to the sound of nature, and touching the earth as we practice.
