The practice of yoga is one of integration, mind and body, if we are going down the simple, 30 second elevator pitch definition. Anyway, it's on my mat where I find my place to put everything back together, or at least I remember that they weren’t actually separate to begin with.
Long proclaimed are the benefits of Yoga, and surfing for that matter or any other physical activity in order to keep us healthy. Now health, thats a funny word, what does it mean to be healthy? Well, in my view, it’s not just an absence of disease or ailment, but a state of balance. And nowhere do I find my balance more than being outside.
Yoga, surfing, snowboarding, running, walking, swimming you name it, just put me outside and I already feel better. I breathe easier, my body loses it’s holding patterns, I soften and I can actually feel those little electrons inside of me settling back down in to a slightly more balanced arrangement.
Now I’m no doctor, but I know what makes me feel good. Outside, feet on ground and in the water even better. And lo and behold I learn recently this is an actual thing, an actual real life thing, with a whole host of health giving, life enhancing benefits. Welcome to the world of Grounding. Grounding or Earthing, something that used to happen naturally, so old it didn’t even have a name (I think with all our cleverness we just get more stupid).
The idea is that we, human beings, are conductive things, able to conduct electricity. And all the crap that makes us feel icky, free radicals FYI, are usually positively charged and the causes of disease and illness. The Earth in comparison is negatively charged and by connecting to it we can balance. Ta da! Now I don’t know if any actual real life science backs this up, but purported benefits include:
- Lowers blood pressure and regulates heart rate
- Improves circulation
- Promotes deep sleep and increases energy
- Reduces inflammation
- Regulates hormones (inc. hormones we associate with the stress response)
- Eases chronic pain and eases muscular soreness
- Improves recovery time post injury
Now we can all do this for free, or course, by going outside and taking off our kicks and sticking our feet in the mud, we can walk around barefoot, or even just sitting on the ground. Water is even better apparently and sea water with all that salt and minerals is just pure magic when restoring health, just ask anyone who now spends more time in the ocean if they sleep better or do you when on holiday? Skin on warm sand, soft water lapping feet or waves moving through you… Mmmmmm… sorry I seem to have digressed.
So, going outside, an actual thing huh? Would’ve thought? Not just a space we move through but a destination all in itself. Destination health and balance. All aboard!
Hayley
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Photos by www.kateczuczman.com
Hayley
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