April 22, 2020
And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Kahlil Gibran
If we are restrained from taking a walk outside in natural surroundings or don’t have a garden, how to cultivate the feeling of being grounded in Earth’s energy today ?
Grounding physics is a subject under growing interest and research where it is claimed that whilst we are in contact with the Earth, the free electrons from the Earth’s surface spread over and into the body and have antioxidant effects, reducing inflammation, wound injury, improving sleep, reducing pain and overall enhancing health.*
So, first of all, let’s be aware that there is such a healing power to draw from the Earth. Being ungrounded is a worldwide epidemic that has ironically manifested itself in the blatant generalised solution of confinement. Running away from Nature and right into virtual reality. Being ungrounded can make you get distracted easily, ruminate, experience perpetual worry, eventually anxiety and depression, acquire and depend more and more on material things. It can even in the long run lead to mental disorder with technostress (term coined by Craid Brod in 1984) amplifying it all.
Here are some things we can do today.
In your computer, tablet or mobile, have images of Nature and let videos with sounds roll of walks in forests or along a river. Viewing a forest environment for a 15 min session induces a state of physiological relaxation. In various studies**, forest therapy (walking or JUST VIEWING) had the following effects: (1) it decreased the levels of salivary cortisol, a typical stress hormone; (2) it decreased the pulse rate; (3) it decreased the systolic and diastolic blood pressures; (4) it increased HF; and (5) it decreased the LF/HF ratio.
Have sounds from Nature playing in your office or at home. *** Natural sounds are proven to have a profound relaxing effect on our body and mind and induce well being whereas traffic noise has been found to be directly linked to 3% of cardiac arrest in Germany. **** .
Sit in the sun on your balcony or with your windows wide open and feel the sunshine on your face and body. 5 to 10 minutes
With your windows open, sit in the fresh air and allow yourself to feel it on your skin.
Play with your cat or dog. Let your mind empty itself of your usual thoughts and allow yourself to be your loved pet, whether even a bird or fish. Or roll on the floor like a cat.
Take a Cold Shower : This grounding technique has many health benefits (except for those who have high blood pressure) and has been shown to increase immunity, reduce fat, and elevate mood (by triggering dopamine). If this is too spartan an experience for you, at the end of your hot shower, make the water warm/cool for 30 seconds. If you want to pursue this experience over the course of the next three weeks, turn the water gradually cooler and stay under it for longer. By the end of the three weeks, your body will get used to the cold temperature. It’s a truly invigorating experience. Time: 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
Take a warm bath and visualise you were in a lake with a gorgeous scenery around.
Plant some seeds on your balcony or in a sunny spot in your home.
Place some drops of essential aroma in your diffuser. lemon, tea tree, peppermint, clove, camphor, cinnamon to boost your immune system. Lemon, eucalyptus, tea tree, palo Santo, lavender for respiratory health.
Stand like a tree (Zhan Zhuang) : This ancient technique in Qigong brings increasing energy and mental alertness. Follow these steps : 1) Stand with feet pointing straight ahead, parallel to each other at shoulder width. Clasp your feet to the ground with your toes exerting a slight pressure. 2) Extend upward from the crown of your head into the sky. 3) Allow your hips to slightly sink down as if you were sitting at the edge of a stool with your back straight. Centre your attention on the Hara, centre of energy two to three fingers under your navel. 4) Keep your knees slightly bent. 5) Relax your shoulders.6) Let your arms rest comfortably at your sides. 7) Let the palms of your hands face toward your hips. 8) Tuck your chin inward with your neck in line with your spine. 9) Keep your eyes slightly open with a soft gaze ahead of you. 10) Place your tongue gently on your palate with your lips resting closed. Relax your jaw muscles. Visualize you are a tree, with your roots plunging deep into the Earth and your head reaching to the sky. Breathe slowly in and even more slowly breathe out.
Earthing Visualization : Feel the ground beneath your feet and focus on your heart, with gratitude emanating for living on Earth in its best version : its beauty, pristine waters, luxuriant forests, diversity of animals. Now, imagine a beam of light going from your heart to the center of the Earth, whether in the form of a magma core, a circle of light, or whatever comes to mind. Feel the connection between your heart and the Earth’s core. Time: 2 to 5 minutes. This exercise is based on the current research referred to in the Harvard Gazette on visualization : imagery, deeply ingrained in our brain v/s verbal thinking, a later evolutionary development, directly speaks to our subconscious mind and grounds us in the here and now.
Living together on Earth : This is a very powerful exercise, one step further and helps come to terms with the grief, loss and depression we are experiencing during this period.
Once you have connected with the Earth's core, breathe feelings of peace and love through your heart area for a few minutes. Now connect in the heart with all people around the planet who are appreciative and bringing care to our Earth. Feel this collective heart power magnifying the effectiveness of our collective efforts and care. Imagine a ring of compassionate heart energy of a light colour surrounding our planet and watch it bring people together in their connection with Nature and the good we can achieve on earth and for each other. Visualize how all people become healthier and happier *****. And if you have lost someone or know someone who has, feel this energy of the heart flowing to them wherever they are or may be. Time : 5 to 10 minutes. This exercise is based on the research done by Heartmath into the interconnectedness of the Earth's geomagnetic field and collective human emotions.
References :
** https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997467/
*** https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842016/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170330132354.htm
**** https://blog.ted.com/9-ways-that-sound-affects-our-health-wellbeing-and-productivity/
***** https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/global-coherence-research/