Earthing

"Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons"

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/291541/

I've been "earthing" since last August and have seen some marked improvements in chronic conditions. Wanted to pass this information along because it seems this may be an overlooked dimension of health.

Hope I'm not overstepping bounds in terms of topic by posting this. But I've found it to be very beneficial and love to tell others about it. IMO, anything that helps us to live longer healthier, then provides more amount of time to practice.

I'm not sure it relates to "dharma practice" as is, but many of our threads are on life-in-general topics such as family, work, emotional difficulties, illness, diet, recent events we've experienced, in the context of how that impacts our practice (or how our practice intertwines with those events).

I think this subject can be relevant if the focus is less on "does it really work as described or is it bogus" and more on "what does it say about our relationship to the suffering and dissatisfaction we encounter in life that we are constantly seeking ways to overcome it". I mean, people have been proposing better ways to live/better ways to be healthy/and to solve the problem of suffering and dissatisfaction as far back as we have written records.

My ten cents, anyway.

Is it basically about walking barefoot and sleeping on bare earth as a way to get health/psychic benefits?

I used to love this book on hatha yoga that was in our local library when I was a kid. It was written by an Indian and the whole book was infused with the idea of "prana" -- this great life energy that was out there if one breathed properly, did yoga, walked barefoot, etc. This seems similar except with a lot of scientific journal back up.

I agree that most threads/posts should probably be about practice (I hope it's obvious that when I talk about actual life events I'm talking about how I'm practicing or trying to practice with those events) and I'm not really sure how "earthing" relates. But, if other members read the post and are interested and a discussion ensues, I think that's great. I guess the concern might be that if such a thing happens a lot people might feel the forum is getting diluted or something?

On "Earthing," itself -- I think by the time one is 55 (like me), we can get a bit jaded by the latest health-related trend. Things like this have been coming and going forever with articles, products, books, retreats and talks to attend and on and on. It always seems like someone somewhere makes some money off the thing and then it fades away. So, maybe "earthing" isn't like all the other health type fads and is real -- but it is really hard to take it seriously. But, I sure like going barefoot and when I camp I love to lay on the ground to sleep. And, I love the sand at the beach and to swim in the ocean ("oceaning").

And, hopefully to be gentle about it, (any time I feel like I"m being direct in a way that might be a divergent opinion I fear I'll be labeled argumentative or antagonistic) the insights gained from dharma practice, are (for want of a better word) global in nature in that they can help us see that there really is no problem for each of us little individual entities -- the practice leads us to the whole thing, the entire solution, while things like earthing are just little bits and pieces of something -- temporary possible fixes for problems that may not even exist.

I walk barefoot on the sand each morning, weather permitting. But I just do it cuz it feels nice and I like it. Health benefits are a side effect.

@mike, I think that was nicely said, and I also think I largely agree with you. I'm not sure it's solely an age thing, but I do also tend to think that a) we aren't going to live longer than our genes determine, no matter what special lifestyle/diet/exercise/etc we do and b) many of the discomforts we suffer originate with fear and anxiety (leading to chronic muscle tension, digestive upset, insomnia, etc.). But I don't have a study to back that up.

That said, if someone feels healthier and happier being vegan, doing barefoot running, going to prayer meetings, spending time in nature, or whatever, then that's useful and productive and not a bad thing.

@mike, I think that was nicely said, and I also think I largely agree with you. I'm not sure it's solely an age thing, but I do also tend to think that a) we aren't going to live longer than our genes determine, no matter what special lifestyle/diet/exercise/etc we do and b) many of the discomforts we suffer originate with fear and anxiety (leading to chronic muscle tension, digestive upset, insomnia, etc.). But I don't have a study to back that up.
That said, if someone feels healthier and happier being vegan, doing barefoot running, going to prayer meetings, spending time in nature, or whatever, then that's useful and productive and not a bad thing.

-ona

thanks

for some reason I keep thinking about "rolfing." At one time (back in the 70s) my girlfriend became convinced that her lack of being Rolfed was the base of all her problems and ailments and, as soon as she got Rolfed her life would be great.

I tend to see "practice" as a holistic endeavor that encompasses not only meditation, but a caring for the body. I personally have noticed for example that regular exercise boosts my mood and regulating my diet affects how I feel. I don't have any study to back it up, but caring for oneself in this way I think helps bolster one's practice. This is based on an experience of feeling "sluggish" in practice when I have not been exercising regularly or have been eating poorly. My concentration is not as good and my energy feels like it is dirty and flows less easily. I posted this with this holistic approach in mind, since I believe earthing may be an important, heretofore unrecognized, component to whole health.

Mike, I understand that you are skeptical of fads. I am too. One of the reasons why I recommend earthing to others is that there is some good research coming out showing benefits of earthing on biomarkers such as cortisol (higher levels associated with higher stress) and heart rate variability (which is implicated in heart disease I believe). The research is scant at the moment as its only been a subject of study for about 10 years. I look forward to more work being produced.

Ona, I agree many discomforts are related to emotions as well. There's some interesting work in psychosomatic medicine supporting that.

I tend to see "practice" as a holistic endeavor that encompasses not only meditation, but a caring for the body. I personally have noticed for example that regular exercise boosts my mood and regulating my diet affects how I feel. I don't have any study to back it up, but caring for oneself in this way I think helps bolster one's practice. This is based on an experience of feeling "sluggish" in practice when I have not been exercising regularly or have been eating poorly. My concentration is not as good and my energy feels like it is dirty and flows less easily. I posted this with this holistic approach in mind, since I believe earthing may be an important, heretofore unrecognized, component to whole health.
-sunyata

That's cool and it's different from how I would define it (which is fine, seriously). To me, "practice" refers to an activity done to find out our true nature, and it is something that can be done no matter one's mood, health, level of energy, ability to concentrate. In my take on the word, one "practices" just with what is actually happening -- good, bad, high energy/low energy.

What you are talking about I would define more as "holistic health." But that is just me.

I won't forget a teacher who talked about the usefulness of practicing meditation laying down. It might have been Shinzen? He said time will come one day when you are ill, injured or dying and you will be bedridden for some period of time. It's helpful if your practice wasn't dependent on sitting in a specific posture in a specific location with a special atmosphere. The more you an bring your meditation practice into all your life activities, the more advantage you have in being adaptable to what presents itself.

I feel like sometimes (not always, obviously, and I'm not directing this at you, Sunyata, just riffing off of the topic) one can get hung up on specific activities making one happy. Like fretting miserably if you can't have your special diet or favorite exercise or nap routine or comfy pillow. I have favorite things, myself, everyone does. But it is a real help to find some peace and contentment that isn't solely dependent on conditions like that. Like sitting in a plane for 9 hours is not my idea of comfort or good health. But bringing meditation practice to such an activity (or lack of activity) sure makes the stiffness, poor posture, bad food, too-dry germ-laden air and stinky neighbors (must people fart so much on planes??) much less bothersome. And if I'm not spending the 9 hours sulking and raging inwardly, I arrive more refreshed, relaxed and happy than I would otherwise.