“Earthing…” You’ve heard of it, right? It’s a way we crunchy granola types refer to walking barefoot outdoors. It’s a wonderful practice that connects you bodily to the earth. Through the soles of your feet, the earth that gives you life, that nourishes you, interacts with your body directly. By walking mindfully this way, we can plant peace, insight, and compassion on the earth. As Thich Nhat Hahn notes, the practice is “like kissing Mother Earth with our steps.”
Doing your walking at night, as I’m in the habit of doing, is even more amazing! Turn your gaze skyward…even as you’re connecting intimately with planet earth, you’re also connected to the stars from which we all come, to the entire cosmos (“As above, so below,” anyone?).
I can hear a sensible objection: All this is just fine in the summer, but what about when the leaves — and temperatures — start falling?
Well, it’s late October, and so far my practice of earthing at night remains intact. (How often did our Paleolithic ancestors have footwear at the ready when it started getting nippy, I wonder.)
Still, this is something I enjoy; it’s not for everyone, and I don’t necessarily recommend it for others. (It’s possible to step on things in the dark, catch a cold, or any number of other nasties.)
But I plan to stick with it as long as I can. Tonight, it was 43 degrees, and I did okay! Not necessarily interested in keeping it going after the first snowfall, but until then…
