The Importance of Being Grounded (and 3 tips for doing it right now)

Hi my love.  I want to invite you to feel into your body, right now. Do you feel: quiet, still, calm, solid, and centered? Or do you feel: jittery, unsteady, or out of breath? If you feel any of the latter sensations, you may benefit from grounding practices.

Grounding is the practice of reconnecting to your body, breath, and the earth, through a variety of techniques including meditation, earthing (literally touching your bare skin to dirt/soil) or energy practices like Qi Gong.

When we humans spent much more time in nature – either hunting and gathering, or farming the land – grounding was something that happened as a by-product of our daily work. We were constantly in close contact with the earth and its gifts. But in our modern world, it’s entirely possible to go all day without touching or connecting with the earth.

Grounding is a great practice any time you feel unsettled,unsteady, or unsure,  either in your body or mind. Grounding can help you settle your energy to make better decisions, communicate more clearly, or just feel better when you’ve been thrown for a loop by life.

Here’s one great way to do it that requires nothing but 5 minutes of your time and attention, so it’s perfect for those moments when life has felt topsy turvy, and you need to quickly recover.

First, sit on the ground or floor. Close your eyes, and concentrate on your breath.

Bring your attention inside, to whatever is going on inside your physical body. Do a body scan, starting at the top of your head, and continuing down through your body to your perineum (the spot between your anus and your genitals).

Once there, imagine a root growing down from that place, through the floor and into the earth. Imagine it pushing down through soil and rock with ease, until you’re deeply rooted. Then take a couple of moments to feel into the stability and solidity of your connection to the earth.

Finally, imagine drawing that nourishing, stable energy up your root and into your own body.

All of this could take just 5 minutes in a crisis, and it’s also an incredible way to start and end the day.

Grounding practices bring us back to our most centered selves, and remind us of the stability all around us, which is so helpful when life feels less than stable.

I encourage you to take a few minutes right now to give yourself this peace. Whether you’re new to meditation, or have long-term developed practice, we can all deeply benefit from connecting with the earth and its energy. It’s the energy that birthed us and sustains us, and has the power to bring so much freedom and presence to our lives..

If you haven’t already, I invite you to download this free 5 minute grounding meditation I recorded, so you can easily make this a daily practice.

And if meditation is new to you, I’d love to hear how this practice works for you!

Love,

Briana