You know when you stumble across a new term or concept that seems to come completely out of nowhere… And then all of a sudden this foreign word keeps popping up?

Maybe it’s all the new-agey e-newsletters I receive but that’s what’s happening with me and the term “Earthing.”

My first thought was “Wow people love adding “ing” to nouns and creating a new verb”; My second was I need to know what this is all about.

So what the heck is earthing? Earthing essentially refers to extracting energy from the Earth. Earthing advocates believe that planting your bare feet on the Earth for an extended period of time will transfer this energy and provide healing.

Supporters of earthing believe that your mood, sleeping habits, health and general well-being can be affected by your connectivity to the Earth. But in order to experience these benefits we must connect our bare soles to the ground.

How can you test earthing out? Earthing.com suggests you go barefoot outside for a half-hour and see what a difference it makes on your pain or stress level.  Sit, stand, or walk on grass, sand, dirt, or concrete.  These are all conductive surfaces from which your body can draw the Earth’s energy.  Wood, asphalt, and vinyl won’t work.  They are not conductive surfaces.

The earthing movement says that synthetically-soled shoes act as insulators so that even when we are outside we do not connect with the Earth’s electric field. When we are inside, we are also  insulated and unable to receive the Earth’s balancing energies.

Maybe it’s because I hate socks and can’t stand wearing my shoes inside a second longer than necessary or because I’ve always had a secret fantasy of suddenly developing singing ability and performing concerts barefoot in a field, but the concept doesn’t seem THAT insane to me.

My suspicions do arise when I check out all the Earthing products sold on their website.  If the concept is so simple why do we need all this equipment to benefit? The Earthing advocates would likely argue that these tools (mats and such) are to be used indoors to maximize energy potential.

In sum, it seems uber flower child, but perhaps this movement will catch on. Though I have my doubts that Philadelphians and East Coasters are going to be partaking anytime soon.

Readers, what do you think? New-age nonsense or is there something to this trend?

Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari