Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine…
You are walking barefoot along the beach, listening to the rhythm of the crashing waves. You consciously feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and inhale the cleanliness of fresh, seaside air..
You are entirely present.
Open your eyes, and allow us to ask you.. How easily can you connect with this thought?
If it is hard to imagine yourself there; you are most likely ungrounded. How often do you live in this moment? If it isn’t happening often, you are most likely ungrounded.
So, what does it mean to be ‘ungrounded’? It is a disconnection from conscious perspective and from the earth.
Perhaps you are experiencing a few of the following:
- Becoming easily distracted
- Spacing out
- Overthinking and regularly experiencing irrational thoughts
- Over engaging in personal drama
- Excessively worrying
- Have an ever-lasting desire for the next newest possession or materialistic item
- Overconsumed with your personal image
Or, in a more physical realm…
- Experiencing poor sleep, fatigue or excessive emotional stress
- Feeling physical ‘stagnancy’; presenting as poor circulation (hot and cold) and inflammation (pain and swelling)
- Have a ‘cold’ constitution or a missing the ‘radiance’ that everyone talks about
- Chronic illness
- Consistent anxiety or sympathetic stimulation
If you are experiencing these… it’s okay!
We live in a hyper-active world that is very hard to keep up with and extremely difficult to detract from.
This becomes a problem when we don’t have the ability to draw a line in the sand from our involvement in this tunnel-visioned world.
Problems arise when we realise that we have moved far from centre.
So.. how do we get grounded?
“Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from daily sins against Nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illnesses will suddenly appear. – Hippocrates
Grounding exercises are designed to re-establish connection with both your physical body and the earth. When feeling ungrounded… all it takes is 30 seconds of the following:
Cover your crown
Place one hand over the crown of your head, that’s it! Closing your eyes will also help to avoid distractions.
Feel your feet
Sitting or standing, place all awareness on the bottom of your feet and pay attention to any sensations. Try this outdoors and in a quiet environment.
Follow your breath
Sit in a cross-legged position; with one hand on your belly or diaphragm.
Close your eyes and inhale.
Trace the air as it enters your nose and travels through your lungs, slowly exiting your nose or mouth. The key is to observe the breath instead of forcing it with your mind!
Stand like a tree
Standing with your feet parallel and at least shoulder width apart.
Focus on sinking all of your bodyweight and tension into your feet without collapsing your posture.
Allow it to be absorbed into the ground; and imagine roots growing out the bottom of your feet!
Cool off in cold water
Cold exposure has been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve and improve circulation.
If you struggle with cold exposure; first, try ending your warm shower with complete cold for a period of 5-10 seconds and gradually increase!
Roll around like a cat
Do you ever notice your dog or cat rolling around on the ground?
Have you ever wondered why they seem to blissfully happy when doing so? Try discharging negative energy and roll around like a cat or dog; trust us, it feels good.
Get in the garden
Aside from the beneficial microbial exposure we gain from handling soil & various vegetation; planting and gardening can be amazing for bringing us back to centre.
Simply tell me, how can you hold a mobile device when your hands are both elbow deep in sand and soil?!
Remember…
As with any activity; practice makes perfect. You can’t expect to see a result or improvement when you aren’t doing an activity consistently (and consciously!). So try these activities at least once per day.
Happy grounding!
