Lying on the Earth - A Health-Affirming Practice

by Lee Warren

Some years ago I learned a technique of profound benefit from a book called To be Healed by the Earth, by Warren Grossman.

It’s a simple and poetic book about how we can receive physical and emotional health from aligning our energies with the energy of the earth. Gaia has a heartbeat and it’s slower than ours. When we lie and feel and resonate with her we somehow tap into the millions of years of wisdom. We slow down, we breathe, and we let life in. We expand. We experience the opposite of the constriction that stress creates in our bodies.

When we lie on our backs we can let go of things through our spine. When we lie on our fronts we can absorb the energy the ground has to offer, imagining the thousands of miles she spreads out in all directions – including above and below us.

If you live in a city and can’t get easy access to place to lie down or you don’t have the time, just stand barefoot on the ground for 10 minutes – anytime during the day. Feel the ground on your feet and feel your heart. There are over 15,000 nerve endings in the feet that connect to all other organs and systems of the body.

This incredibly grounding technique can be health-affirming and life-giving. The Earth has energy for the taking. We just need to remember to prioritize the receiving.