Touch Some Grass, heal yourself

For years, yoga teachers have taught the benefits of grounding the feet in practises. To strengthen, to become stable and to overall improve the mind - body - earth connection. Feeling stable is an important part of standing, balancing and overall living. Grounding can also mean having an anchor to take care of your mental health. Finding your loved ones or friends is grounding. Being at home can be grounding. But let's talk about why grounding your body to the earth literally can be such a game changer for your health.

Science and Grounding

I learnt this from a podcast, but I just want you to understand there is scientific research that supports this.

If you want to listen to the podcast it is linked here: - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2003897/episodes/16275836-91-the-science-behind-grounding-why-it-works-how-to-do-it-right-w-nikia-evans.

So, let's look at the science of putting your bare feet to the ground. (As I am just a simple girl, these are in simple terms.)

In your body, you get a build up as positive charge and the earth is negatively charged; therefore, by stepping on the ground you are neutralising the positive charge. The positive charge in your body can produce free radicals.  Environmental sources like electronics, being in cars, and stress increase the body’s production of free radicals. The reason why this damaging positive charge cannot go away is because we no longer have a connection with the earth because of the modern lifestyle most of us lead.

This comes across as pseudo-science, but there have been studies that show that grounding your body to the earth lowers inflammation and improves mental health.

Yoga and Grounding

When you come to class, you may hear, “ground the feet into the floor”, that a posture is a grounding pose, or that you are in a pose that should help you feel grounded. Sometimes, it can feel like a vague buzzword.  Especially because now, we have the idea that grounding has to be done outside or is the result of grounding products.

So, what is grounding on the mat? 

To feel grounded is a connection between the earth and your body.

If you are in a class and not connected to the earth through your bare feet, you can still feel planted by the energetic shift that grounding gives you.  This is possible through the root chakra, which is located at the tailbone, but which is also connected to the feet.  It is this pull of energy that you need to feel grounded, secure and have a sense of safety. You can feel all these things in a class, when you become aware of the connection to the ground through the contact on the floor.

It may not come from your first class, but the sensation of easement in your tadasana or savasana will begin to emerge from this sense of groundedness and safety.

You can see this energetic shift in other things, like when you clean your space, or when you get back from a trip. That rush of adrenaline slows down and we can get back into your routines and feel grounded. You may also find people grounding, finding them safer to be around or feel at home with those people.

So, when you feel safe in a yoga class, and you trust the instructor to guide you into a savasana or meditation, you have allowed yourself to have a sense of energetic groundedness.

I think what science and yoga have in common is the sensation that grounding has on the body. It obviously is calming and creates a sense of safety and security in the body.

Ways to be more Grounded

It has become more important than ever, to ground the self. Take some time to find stability and a place in your body and home that is safe.

1. Connect with nature - be barefoot in nature but also find a body of water or enjoy a walk through the forest.

2. Practise grounding postures - like bridge pose, tree or locust, which can help you find a connection with the earth but are also very stable postures.

3. Clean your space - Take time to make your home comfortable and welcoming for yourself, so when you have high stress times, you have a safe, calming place to come home to. If not just a part of your home, like your bedroom, because that is a space where you need to have calm in order to get to sleep.

4. Find emotional stability - this can mean you do a lot of work on your mental health or find a way to work through some of your past pain.

5. Spend more time outside and less on your phone - you probably need to disconnect with the screens and take a moment to become present. It can be disorienting to always go from one screen to another, without being present in reality.

Overall, being grounded is so important and if you enjoy the feeling it gives you, science or no science you probably should simply touch the grass.

Thanks for reading!

• The Light in me sees the Light in you!

  Thank you for being here xx