As an urban dweller you may find it hard to find your balance between the bustling traffic and smoggy pollution that is sadly associated with over-populated metropolitan areas. While living in a city has the benefits of social accessibility, cultural stimulation and career opportunities – it doesn’t come without the health risks associated with living in an environment surrounded by excess carbon emissions, radiation, free radicals, 5G / EMF pollution and many other health hazards. Finding solace and reconnecting with the earth is essential to balance the positive ions we are affected by on a daily basis.
Earthing is a technique which is as simple as slipping off your shoes and finding contact with a patch of earth, sand, soil or grass to create a direct connection where your body is able to absorb the earth’s limitless supply of free electrons. These electrons act as antioxidants and work by stabilising and neutralising harmful free radicals that result from inflammation, injury and/or toxins.. Who do we need to experience earthing? We recently wrote about the link between environmental toxins and chronic diseases such as diabetes, dementia, infertility, autoimmunity, ADHD, obesity, alzheimer’s, cancer and other diseases. There’s no denying the correlation between city pollution and poor health. Life is fast paced, we are more inclined to opt for fast food, access to organic produce is limited and just generally being outdoors surrounded by traffic has it’s visible effects. On a deeper level, there is a plethora of ‘invisible’ pollution that is also poisoning us through electromagnetic fields (EMF), wifi/cell reception, chemicals in our food/water/cleaning/beauty products, heavy metals, BPA, the list goes on. While earthing alone isn’t enough to rectify the damage caused by these toxins, it will definitely help to balance, cleanse and ground you on both a physical and emotional level.
What are the benefits of earthing? Earthing allows you to tap into the earth’s healing powers which help decrease the risk of inflammation, degenerative diseases and other health ailments. While becoming more in tune with the rhythms of nature and the synchronised harmony which abounds us, we are also able to reconnect with our roots and balance the airiness of living a fast-paced life. It’s about slowing down, tapping in and grounded ourselves. It’s both a form of mindfulness and meditation.
The earth on which we stand is a mecca of minerals, antioxidants, crystals, precious stones, nutrients and electromagnetic fields – making it a powerhouse of life force. It has the ability to reset & restore your entire system through the wave of negative ions which is invited into your being when you make an undisrupted connection with the sand, sea, grass or body of water. How to earth as an urban dweller? While there are many ways to earth when in nature such as taking a walk along the beach, submerging yourself under a waterfall or strolling through fields of wildflowers – these concepts may feel quite unattainable to in your everyday life. But don’t worry, there are plenty of things you can do to tap into the earth’s healing powers without getting on a plane and flying a remote corner of the globe.
Ways to earth in a city:
If you have a backyard, slip off your shoes as much as possible and allow your feet to connect with the grass or soil. Have a cup of tea, hang out your washing, play with your kids/pets on the grass.
Grow your own. Connecting with soil and seeds which give life is an amazing way to become one with nature. Even if you don’t have an outdoor space, you can do some amazing things with a pot of soil and some herb seeds or seedlings. If you purchase your fresh herbs and they still have the roots you can just place them in a small pot and top with fertilizer, as long as they have nutrients and sun they will continue to reproduce.
Love your indoor plants. Transporting them into sun, watering and re-potting allows them to thrive and gives you an opportunity to connect with both them and the soil.
Find the grass. It’s all around you. Cities have beautiful parks made for moments like these. Whether it’s on your lunch break, your way home from work or a designated trip – take your shoes off and allow your feet to connect with the grass.
Adopt a practice of applying grounding essential oils to the soles of your feet before you put your shoes on. Frankincense, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Myrrh evoke the earthiness we need when we’re stressed or disconnected from nature.
Include grounding vegetables in your diet such as those that literally grow in the earth such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot and carrots.
Implement grounded practices such as seated meditation (preferably outdoors but not essential) where your root chakra is able to connect with the ground and stabilise your centre of gravity – both mentally and physically.
Bottom line Being aware of the interconnectedness of all plants, beings, animals and the earth – leads to the realisation of the necessity for us to not only understand this connection but to fully experience it on a regular basis. By adopting earthing practices into your diet and lifestyle you will find better alignment with yourself, your surroundings, other beings and the planet from which we are all made up of.