What is Grounding and Why do it?

GROUNDING is the process of connecting yourself to the earth, whether physically or visually in your head. When you are anxious, you may feel unstable and scattered. Grounding helps you feel more stable and rooted so that you have a solid foundation.

There are many ways to ground. Being out in nature brings more peace, but if you can’t make it outside, a visualization in your head can be just as stabilizing.

Here are TWO WAYS you can ground when you feel anxious or scattered. Even when you don’t feel this way, grounding is a great practice to keep you feeling balanced in life.

SITTING

This method helps to calm and stabilize.

1. Sit with a straight spine, on a chair or on the ground.
2. Imagine a tree trunk around your waist and hips.
3. Inhale into your belly.
4. Long exhale, see the tree trunk grow down into the earth.
5. Inhale. Long exhale, the roots dig deeper and spread wider.
6. With each exhale, feel more rooted as the roots grow to the center of the earth.

STANDING

This method is two-fold. The 1st step (yellow arrows) helps you clear excess energy. The 2nd step (green arrows) helps you ground your energy.

Step 1: Clear Excess Energy

1. Imagine Earth’s core as golden light. As you inhale, see earth’s energy getting sucked up your feet, clearing out unnecessary/excess energy from your body as it travels up through the crown of your head.
2. Long exhale, imagine this excess energy spilling out the top of your head, back down to the Earth to be composted into something good. You no longer need it, and Mother Earth can transmute the energy into something beneficial.

Step 2: Ground Your Energy

1. Imagine tap roots coming out your feet.
2. Every time you exhale, the roots dig deeper and spread wider into the Earth.

Try these grounding techniques for 3 minutes/day, 3x a week. That’s not too much to ask if you’re looking to feel less anxious and more calm, right?