A few years ago, a friend gave me the book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? by Clinton Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra, and Martin Zucker.  We had heard our yoga teacher mention “earthing”, and we began to practice our version of it whenever in nature.  Just lying on the earth, connecting to rock, dirt, grass, feeling the energy of the earth, getting grounded was for me a form of meditation.  But earthing goes way beyond calming the mind. There are many physical health benefits.

WHAT EXACTLY IS EARTHING?

The short version – Studies have shown that maintaining a direct connection between your body and the Earth’s surface can be beneficial to your health. Wearing grounding sandals allows for that connection.

The long version – In your everyday lives, you’re exposed to toxins and stress. Toxins include anything from breathing polluted air, to carrying your cell phone around. Stress can come from anywhere – work, school, friends, or family. Exposure to these stresses and toxins leads to a buildup of free radicals in your body. These free radicals attack healthy cells and cause inflammation, the root of almost all medical ailments. Fortunately, the surface of the earth holds an endless supply of electrons. If you stay connected by wearing earthing or grounding shoes, these electrons are absorbed to neutralize and release the harmful free radicals in your body.

The hypothesis is that our modern lifestyle has caused us to be disconnected from the natural electrons in the earth. This disconnection comes from wearing shoes and not walking barefoot, living in houses, sitting in furniture, etc.  Think about it…how often do you actually touch the earth with your skin?

Many modern illnesses, like chronic inflammation, have been eased by reconnecting with the earth.  Fortunately products have been developed based on earthing research.   One such product is Juil earthing shoes.  Typical shoe soles are made of insulating materials that cut off this direct connection to earth’s electrons.

While earthing and walking barefoot are the most effective ways to “ground” or “connect” yourself, this isn’t always fashionable or appropriate (wouldn’t it be nice if we could go about our days barefoot?!). So, Juil created the next best solution with earthing shoes. In the two years that we’ve been around, many more earthing shoe companies have sprouted and we couldn’t be happier that the word is spreading!

For those of you that don’t know, Juil uses copper in our shoes to connect you with the earth for two reasons: 1) Copper is malleable and easily placed in the shoes, and 2) Copper is a conductive metal that allows you to stay connected and grounded when on natural surfaces (i.e. soil, sand, and some concrete). Juil has created a wide selection of grounding shoes and sandals for you to choose from. These include styles for both Men and Women.

To put it simply, walking barefoot or wearing earthing shoes cleanses the body of stress and toxins in the form of free radicals. The benefit is simple – you feel better.

We were sent a pair Meera moccasins to try.  I love these shoes!  When I first tried them on my feet, I was pleased at how comfortable they were.  I chose the moccasins, as I wanted a pair for slipping on and off easily when running out of the house.

Juil also makes fashionable boots and sandals. Actually, it was super hard to chose what pair to try.

I haven’t owned my Juil shoes long enough to notice benefits, but I am also already an avid earthier. I love sleeping outside. I lie on the earth often.  I walk barefoot sometimes.

When I experienced severe food poisoning, earthing was the only thing that could slow down the vomiting.  The power of the earth to heal our bodies cannot be underestimated.

Earthing is such a simple concept.  Everyone should try to bring more of it into their lives.  Wearing earthing shoes can help.  Instead of your shoes causing potential problems for your health, you can chose fashionable shoes from Juil!