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The Earth Prescription: Discover the Healing Power of Nature with Grounding Practices for Every Season
Get in touch with the earth! This hands-on guide will help you deepen your innate bond with nature and feel more centered, focused, creative, and vibrantly alive.
A life lived indoors is not a life lived. And yet many of us spend the majority of our days indoors, trapped in our own heads, addicted to our screens and online connections, and feeling more and more disconnected to our own bodies—and the planet—than ever before. Intuitively, we know that even a five-minute walk outdoors can calm us and awaken our senses, but we tell ourselves we don’t have time, or we can’t seem to make the time.
In The Earth Prescription, holistic physician Laura Koniver, MD, offers the ideal antidote to the toxicity of a life isolated from nature—grounding, or directly touching the earth to heal your body and rejuvenate your sense of total well-being. Think about how good it feels to get outside and walk along the grass. This simple activity connects you to the earth, allowing you to reap its restorative powers—which include reducing depression, lowering blood pressure, curbing stress, and increasing happiness.
With this practical and uplifting guide, you’ll learn how to incorporate the practice of grounding anytime, anywhere, and find tips for including kids or your favorite pooch. Also included is an “earth journal” to log your experiences and positive results, as well as a troubleshooting guide to help ensure that you stay grounded in every season—despite the weather! This book will give you everything you need to enjoy the healing energy of nature—you simply have to get outside and get grounded.
A life lived indoors is not a life lived. And yet many of us spend the majority of our days indoors, trapped in our own heads, addicted to our screens and online connections, and feeling more and more disconnected to our own bodies—and the planet—than ever before. Intuitively, we know that even a five-minute walk outdoors can calm us and awaken our senses, but we tell ourselves we don’t have time, or we can’t seem to make the time.
In The Earth Prescription, holistic physician Laura Koniver, MD, offers the ideal antidote to the toxicity of a life isolated from nature—grounding, or directly touching the earth to heal your body and rejuvenate your sense of total well-being. Think about how good it feels to get outside and walk along the grass. This simple activity connects you to the earth, allowing you to reap its restorative powers—which include reducing depression, lowering blood pressure, curbing stress, and increasing happiness.
With this practical and uplifting guide, you’ll learn how to incorporate the practice of grounding anytime, anywhere, and find tips for including kids or your favorite pooch. Also included is an “earth journal” to log your experiences and positive results, as well as a troubleshooting guide to help ensure that you stay grounded in every season—despite the weather! This book will give you everything you need to enjoy the healing energy of nature—you simply have to get outside and get grounded.
232 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2020
72 people are currently reading
1524 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 27, 2020
I have to admit that when I started reading this book I kept checking to confirm again that it was written by a medical doctor. I am not someone who believed in grounding or its health benefits before reading this book and it struck me as rather "out there" when I first began the book. Even when I was talking about the book to family members I kept saying things like "really, she cites all kinds of studies that show the medical benefits." I ended up deciding that even if it wasn't true that we all need frequent grounding (and she did do a pretty good job of convincing me), the book is filled with so many wonderful ideas for spending time outside in nature in any season and any location, that I highly recommend it. It's especially well suited for parents or anyone looking for fun ways to spend time outside. I appreciated her suggestions for winter especially, as we live in Minnesota and our winters are long and cold. The author is passionate and likeable, and has dedicated her life to helping people in this area. I have found myself slipping off my rubber crocs to hang laundry on the line barefoot, spending extra time sitting on Grandma and Grandpa's rock retaining wall with my little girl after we weeding, and otherwise finding even more opportunities to connect with the earth since reading it. If it's all wrong, the worst I have done is spent lots of extra time relaxing outside -- which we all know has plenty of other benefits as well -- and found lots of fun ideas to use with my family in nature.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
April 9, 2020
A neat book on a topic that I wasn't even aware I believed in until I read this. Although this book is chuck full of intentional activity ideas to stay connected and awesome meditations, I found the language to be a bit repetitive. There's only so many ways to say "grounded". I was also looking forward to hearing about her research that never seemed to make it to the pages.
April 17, 2020
I loved this. Am I convinced of earthing? I'm still not sure. But I don't in anyway discount its potential and successes. I do strongly believe in the benefits of forest bathing so I'm not sure what keeps me fully believing in simple earthing. What I do know is this lovely little book promotes going outside, breathing fresh air, finding peace and slowing your life down for just a little bit and it explains how to be in harmony with the earth and just enjoy some simple moments that are really what life is all about. And come on - who couldn't benefit from just a little bit of that :) This book is for absolutely everybody. The world would be better place if we could all read this and implement just a few of these practices.
Many thanks to the publisher and Goodreads, where I won a copy of this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Goodreads, where I won a copy of this book.
March 7, 2022
Interesting concepts here, but the book is repetitive, making it difficult to get through.
Thanks to New Harbinger Publications, Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I ended up listening to an audiobook borrowed from my local library.
Thanks to New Harbinger Publications, Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I ended up listening to an audiobook borrowed from my local library.
September 2, 2020
Grounding is something everyone should be aware of. It is also a wonderful tool for teaching children to calm themselves as well as adults. Tons of wonderful information in this!
February 27, 2020
Awesome author, terrific advice & very helpful products! MD Laura Rocks!!!
Read
March 28, 2020I enjoyed this book immensely. The author has a multitude of ideas for incorporating the use of meditation and crafts to 'ground' and reconnect with the world around you.
March 25, 2020
I liked this book because it's full of ideas and I'm fascinated by the Grounding.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
April 4, 2022
Good, practical advice on how to employ Earthing (direct physical contact w/ the earth) through all four seasons and all types of weather. Full disclosure: I am a believer that Earthing is healthy and can help with a number of circumstances (inflammation, anxiety, insomnia, etc), I don't believe it's a cure all. So, the very straightforward practices offered here are helpful, though many are common sense. Most of us only need hear a description of what earthing is to know that being outside with our bare feet or hands touching the earth is pretty much the extent of what's required. Koniver attempts to keep that practice engaging by offering suggestions such as birdwatching while earthing, barefoot full moon gazing, or earthing in one's basement during cold winters (concrete is apparently conductive).
For me, 10-30 minutes barefoot outside is restorative - and any time I can spend barefoot in nature or at home is taken advantage of already, so this book was more affirmation than education.
More science behind the practice would have helped with skeptics, I imagine, but I find that Earthing is best addressed as a helpful tool, not a curative practice for greater ills. As one of my mindfulness teachers says about meditation, "Meditation will solve nothing but help everything." So it goes with earthing - it helps, and that's enough for me, though I am not suffering from any major chronic illnesses, and I am sure some will come to this book hoping for miracles. I can't promise those - I think of it as more a practice to help resource our nervous system more effectively.
I'm also a believer that, unless you live somewhere (or have a condition) that prohibits just being outside barefoot, then there's no need to spend any money on an earthing practice. The notion of grounding blankets, mats, etc is outside my scope of comfort. But then I live in the south and have plenty of options for setting my bare feet on soil, grass, or rock. For those who lack access or have issues, maybe those products are solutions, but I am wary of them. There's not a lot of 'plugging' (pun intended) for such products here, just mentions of them. Mostly, Koniver is a fan of bare feet on earth, hands in dirt, and lying down in the grass.
For those who wish to have more context - and some imaginative ideas - around earthing, this is likely a good resource.
For me, 10-30 minutes barefoot outside is restorative - and any time I can spend barefoot in nature or at home is taken advantage of already, so this book was more affirmation than education.
More science behind the practice would have helped with skeptics, I imagine, but I find that Earthing is best addressed as a helpful tool, not a curative practice for greater ills. As one of my mindfulness teachers says about meditation, "Meditation will solve nothing but help everything." So it goes with earthing - it helps, and that's enough for me, though I am not suffering from any major chronic illnesses, and I am sure some will come to this book hoping for miracles. I can't promise those - I think of it as more a practice to help resource our nervous system more effectively.
I'm also a believer that, unless you live somewhere (or have a condition) that prohibits just being outside barefoot, then there's no need to spend any money on an earthing practice. The notion of grounding blankets, mats, etc is outside my scope of comfort. But then I live in the south and have plenty of options for setting my bare feet on soil, grass, or rock. For those who lack access or have issues, maybe those products are solutions, but I am wary of them. There's not a lot of 'plugging' (pun intended) for such products here, just mentions of them. Mostly, Koniver is a fan of bare feet on earth, hands in dirt, and lying down in the grass.
For those who wish to have more context - and some imaginative ideas - around earthing, this is likely a good resource.
January 28, 2023
lacking
The first few chapters are interesting but I found the overall content to be lacking information. The content is full of ideas that are geared more towards children in my opinion. Still worth reading for the overall information regarding grounding. The best book about grounding is the one by Clint Ober. He gives more in depth information about the subject without all of the fluff.
The first few chapters are interesting but I found the overall content to be lacking information. The content is full of ideas that are geared more towards children in my opinion. Still worth reading for the overall information regarding grounding. The best book about grounding is the one by Clint Ober. He gives more in depth information about the subject without all of the fluff.
September 22, 2020
As a subscriber to MaryJane's Farm magazine, I read Laura Koniver's column in every issue. She always has interesting insights on maintaining good health. Often she's included the technique of "grounding" in her columns, that is connecting to the healing energy of the earth. As a person who loves nature and believes in the interconnectedness of all of creation, the idea intrigues me. So when I saw that she'd written a book about grounding I felt compelled to read it.
In The Earth Prescritpion: Grounding Rituals for Every Season, Dr. Koniver offers an explanation of grounding, how and why it works from a scientific perspective, but in a way easily understood by the lay person. She then proceeds to offer a plethora of grounding activities for each season. Yes, you can ground (connect to the earth through bare skin) even on the coldest day of winter, even without leaving your house! I love that she offers a variety of activities to do while grounding. Simply standing barefoot on the ground or holding onto the leaves of a tree could get pretty boring in short order. So her description of grounding activities including ideas for grounding parties in each season adds a large dose of creativity and entertainment to the process.
There is always a bit of the skeptic in me when it comes to "unusual" health advice, but with this one there is really nothing to lose. It's free, easy to do, fun if some of the activities are incorporated, has no negative side effects, and, if nothing else, is bound to create in the person doing it a much deeper connection with and appreciation for our beautiful planet. That alone makes it worth a try.
Dr. Koniver closes the book with her utopian vision of a world committed to grounding and it sure sounds nice! It's interesting to note that two Apollo astronauts, Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and Dr. Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) both of whom have walked on the moon, were part of a documentary with Dr. Koniver. Ever since, Dr. Mitchell has remained active in the grounding movement.
In The Earth Prescritpion: Grounding Rituals for Every Season, Dr. Koniver offers an explanation of grounding, how and why it works from a scientific perspective, but in a way easily understood by the lay person. She then proceeds to offer a plethora of grounding activities for each season. Yes, you can ground (connect to the earth through bare skin) even on the coldest day of winter, even without leaving your house! I love that she offers a variety of activities to do while grounding. Simply standing barefoot on the ground or holding onto the leaves of a tree could get pretty boring in short order. So her description of grounding activities including ideas for grounding parties in each season adds a large dose of creativity and entertainment to the process.
There is always a bit of the skeptic in me when it comes to "unusual" health advice, but with this one there is really nothing to lose. It's free, easy to do, fun if some of the activities are incorporated, has no negative side effects, and, if nothing else, is bound to create in the person doing it a much deeper connection with and appreciation for our beautiful planet. That alone makes it worth a try.
Dr. Koniver closes the book with her utopian vision of a world committed to grounding and it sure sounds nice! It's interesting to note that two Apollo astronauts, Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and Dr. Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) both of whom have walked on the moon, were part of a documentary with Dr. Koniver. Ever since, Dr. Mitchell has remained active in the grounding movement.
May 31, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
I first heard about grounding maybe a year or so ago and while the idea interested me, I wasn't interested enough to actually do anything about it nor was I interested enough to actually read a book dedicated to nothing but grounding. A week or two ago, I was sitting outside with my husband and I told him I had a book on grounding that I was going to read and I explained to him what I knew about it so far. While we were sitting there, I took my socks off(because I am very much a never been barefoot kind of girl) and almost immediately felt SOMETHING in my feet. I wasn't sure what it was but it intrigued me. Since then I have read this book and it was FULL of knowledge about grounding. Now I know that the little zing I felt was kind of like an electrical current going between the ground and myself. There were many exercises and ideas to try no matter what season you might happen to be in and while there was quite a bit of backstory and knowledge to be learned, these exercises felt like they would be much more fun for families with small children...As a way to teach them about the Earth and what grounding can do for you. If you are interested, I would say give it a shot. If you are interested AND have small children you want to teach at the same time, I would 100% check this book out. By the way, I tried my first 30 minute walk barefoot today and while it did feel good the entire time I was doing it, somehow I came away with bites and bruises. Go figure. :) It won't stop me from doing it again, however.
I first heard about grounding maybe a year or so ago and while the idea interested me, I wasn't interested enough to actually do anything about it nor was I interested enough to actually read a book dedicated to nothing but grounding. A week or two ago, I was sitting outside with my husband and I told him I had a book on grounding that I was going to read and I explained to him what I knew about it so far. While we were sitting there, I took my socks off(because I am very much a never been barefoot kind of girl) and almost immediately felt SOMETHING in my feet. I wasn't sure what it was but it intrigued me. Since then I have read this book and it was FULL of knowledge about grounding. Now I know that the little zing I felt was kind of like an electrical current going between the ground and myself. There were many exercises and ideas to try no matter what season you might happen to be in and while there was quite a bit of backstory and knowledge to be learned, these exercises felt like they would be much more fun for families with small children...As a way to teach them about the Earth and what grounding can do for you. If you are interested, I would say give it a shot. If you are interested AND have small children you want to teach at the same time, I would 100% check this book out. By the way, I tried my first 30 minute walk barefoot today and while it did feel good the entire time I was doing it, somehow I came away with bites and bruises. Go figure. :) It won't stop me from doing it again, however.
November 5, 2025
DID NOT FINISH
“Most people start their grounding journey because they need an answer that offers more support than any one single medication or operation or vitamin or exercise can offer.”
We support earthing (electrical grounding) and encourage people to make it part of daily life, but this book isn’t the one we’d hand someone to convince them. Laura Koniver writes warmly and spiritually about grounding, but the tone and structure didn’t match the cold, evidence‑focused treatment we and many of the people we help need.
- We stopped at 42% because the middle of the book turned into season-by-season activities, crafts, and meditative practices for connecting with the earth. That’s useful for some readers, but it wasn’t the practical, mechanism‑oriented resource we were looking for.
- The voice leans spiritual and reflective; the levity and guided exercises feel aimed more at personal practice than at persuading a skeptical, scientifically minded reader.
- We believe grounding is important and recommend it widely; our critique is about fit, not the concept.
- For people who want a rigorous, classical scientific treatment of electrical grounding, this book will likely disappoint.
- Readers who prefer experiential, meditative, and seasonal approaches to wellbeing will find much to enjoy here.
Final takeaway: Kind, sincere, and practice-oriented — but not a strong choice if your goal is an evidence‑first, convincing primer on electrical grounding.
*Thanks to Microsoft Copilot for helping us craft this review*
“Most people start their grounding journey because they need an answer that offers more support than any one single medication or operation or vitamin or exercise can offer.”
We support earthing (electrical grounding) and encourage people to make it part of daily life, but this book isn’t the one we’d hand someone to convince them. Laura Koniver writes warmly and spiritually about grounding, but the tone and structure didn’t match the cold, evidence‑focused treatment we and many of the people we help need.
- We stopped at 42% because the middle of the book turned into season-by-season activities, crafts, and meditative practices for connecting with the earth. That’s useful for some readers, but it wasn’t the practical, mechanism‑oriented resource we were looking for.
- The voice leans spiritual and reflective; the levity and guided exercises feel aimed more at personal practice than at persuading a skeptical, scientifically minded reader.
- We believe grounding is important and recommend it widely; our critique is about fit, not the concept.
- For people who want a rigorous, classical scientific treatment of electrical grounding, this book will likely disappoint.
- Readers who prefer experiential, meditative, and seasonal approaches to wellbeing will find much to enjoy here.
Final takeaway: Kind, sincere, and practice-oriented — but not a strong choice if your goal is an evidence‑first, convincing primer on electrical grounding.
*Thanks to Microsoft Copilot for helping us craft this review*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
I loved this book!! I read it in one day (because I couldn't put it down), but I'm sure I will refer to it again and again. It really inspired me to take a look at my health and to approach healing in a new and exciting way. I enjoyed reading about Dr. Koniver's personal experiences with grounding. The book is well-organized, and she includes many great, practical ideas. I'm glad to have found this resource to use as my handbook as I work grounding into my daily life. It's going to be my new go-to gift!
October 19, 2021
The concept of grounding has been fascinating to me and I've been putting into practice regularly with exception to fall & winter. One of the reasons I picked up this book is to get some ideas on grounding during those seasons. I did get some good tips so it was well worth my time to read it. The only thing I will say is a lot of it was a bit repetitive and some of it didn't need to be written out because it was common sense. Also, while I believe in taking time to really appreciate the outdoors and collect some nature items; some of the practices suggested were just a little out of my comfort zone. Overall, I'm glad to have the information as I feel it is a worthy practice.
May 20, 2020
The Earth Prescription is more than I expected! Dr. Laura Koniver beautifully combines science and spiritually in her explanation of the healing benefits of nature. I absolutely love the in-depth recommendations of how to make this connection for each season of the year. If you are looking for an easy to follow and instructive read on the amazing powers of connecting with the earth's energy, look no further. Dr. Koniver's passion and dedication to this topic creates the perfect manual for individuals to follow.
March 4, 2021
This is an amazing book. I knew almost nothing about grounding when I opened this. I enjoyed learning about the practice and benefits. I had my entire family in the yard barefoot with me. I especially found the accessory paperwork that went with the book to put this into practice.
June 9, 2020
What a wonderful joyous book! Laura takes us on a grounding journey of inspiration through the seasons and into the future. She arms us with the knowledge of what grounding can do for us all, and how we can simply and cheaply bring grounding into our everyday lives. I share her vision for the future and would encourage everyone to read this well-written, well researched and accessible book - bring some grounding, some healing and some fun into your life! Thank you Dr Laura Koniver.
October 11, 2020
Seasonal grounding and celebrations. Good tips on embracing nature and one’s natural rhythms.
January 1, 2021
Am I convinced grounding/earthing can help? Eh... will I try to incorporate elements of it into my own seasonal practice? Absolutely!
December 2, 2021
Love the concept and will definitely try to incorporate into any healing remedy but the suggestions became somewhat repetitive after awhile.
July 30, 2022
I don’t know that this was what I thought it was going to be, but I appreciated it nonetheless, especially the seasonal grounding rituals
February 4, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
Read as part of my 75 challenge non fiction reading.
Read as part of my 75 challenge non fiction reading.
February 9, 2023
Helpful guide for ways to connect to the Earth <3 let’s hope we return to a time as a species to be back in tune with her
April 8, 2023
Informative, fun and practical tips for grounding, great section for teaching children about the benefits of grounding. Loved it!
September 9, 2023
I enjoyed this book but found it a little too much on the " hippy dippy" side.
May 28, 2023
Disappointing, starts off ok but then gravitates too much to Mother Earth for healing for my liking. Put the book down and away 1/4 way through it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews