Grounding - bringing the element of earth into your self care routine.
Hello Women,
It’s February! How did that happen? It feels like we just turned the corner into a New Year. How the days fly by! As I write, it is February 2nd and here in the Northern Hemisphere we are celebrating the Celtic festival of Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day. It is celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of this month and the energy around this festival is one of awakening. The earth is beginning to stir a little. It is still cold (definitely very cold here in Western Canada. It is -34 as I write!) but the acceptance of winter is about to give way to the unstoppable energy of spring. The earth is stirring below our feet, sap is beginning to rise and bulbs are very slowly beginning to push upwards through the earth. The awakening is coming, we are feeling the energy of the very beginnings of new life. It is an excellent time for new ideas, plans, creative projects and inspiration to germinate. Planting the seeds for a new vision or a new way of being. This is one of my favourite Celtic festivals and this year, as I was dreaming into how I wanted to celebrate, I was imagining the earth - this extremely cold, hard earth around me, just starting to bubble under the surface with the first imaginings of new life. This led me to think about how important the element of earth is to us as humans, and how it can be so beneficial to our health and well-being. When we are not strongly connected to the earth and the stability this brings to mind and body, we can quickly become scattered and unfocused. A distracted way of being and an ungrounded state can then manifest in moodiness and disconnection, and the crazy part is, we often don’t even know it!
So with the energy of Imbolc and the very first stirrings of the earth as she wakes, even in the coldest of temperatures, I want to talk today about feeling grounded. Simple ways to make it a daily practice, the benefits of connecting with the earth and yourself and how being more embodied in our day to day existence can recharge us and maintain our physical, mental and emotional health. So, sit with me for today’s Sacred Pause, get comfortable, place your feet on the earth if possible, maybe make a delicious cup of something warm and let’s take a few deeper breaths together. Uncross your legs, if they are crossed, spread the toes and open the soles of the feet onto the ground. Gently roll the shoulders back and move the shoulder blades down and slightly into the body. If you have a cup of hot tea, curl your fingers around it and feel the warmth radiate through your hands and up your arms a little way. Let that warmth relax your upper body. Breathe into the belly, hold for just a second and then let it go, a long, soft exhalation. Repeat as necessary.
Now let’s talk about the practice of grounding.
Firstly what is it? Well... grounding is the process of becoming aware of our physical body, the connection we have to our body and also it’s connection with the earth. Yoga is practiced with bare feet, in order to maintain a physical connection to the earth as we practice. So if we are able to firstly become aware of our bodies, be more embodied throughout our day, and use the transferral of energy from our bodies to the earth (sending any negative energy down to the earth and receiving the limitless natural energy of the earth to recharge and calm us), we become more focused, less scattered and anxious, and generally more connected to ourselves and the world around us.
So how to practice grounding? It’s so simple! Just a few minutes per day will easily allow you to incorporate a grounding practice in to your life. It doesn’t need to be an elaborate or time consuming ritual. Here are a few ways that I like to practice grounding:
My favourite way to ground is to simply walk barefoot. Taking my shoes off on a grassed area (weather permitting) and walking with the intention of placing the soles of my feet, open with toes spreading, to really connected with the earth. It sounds so simple, but it is honestly the best way I know to feel and receive the energy of the earth. Also, lying down on the earth, on grass or the sand on a beach, is also a beautiful way to connect with the element of earth.
If the weather is not conducive to bare foot walking, then finding a place to sit in nature, ideally on a rock or maybe a log, (something connected to the earth) and allowing your body to be in contact with the earth element in this way. A few minutes of connecting with the breath or a short meditation, listening to the sounds of nature, is extremely soothing and allows for getting out of your head and dropping deeply into the body.
An alternative to being outside, if your schedule doesn’t allow for that, is to hold a crystal, pebble or piece of wood in your hand and again, connect to the breath for a few minutes. Bringing your awareness down into the body, moving your focus away from thoughts in the mind, and feeling where your body touches your seat or where your feet touch the ground. This is a great way to ground and can be done at your desk!
Meditation. If you have a little more time, you can expand on the idea above and take more time to move into the body. Sit comfortably in a crossed legged position or on a chair and imagine sending roots from your tailbone down into the earth. Let the roots move down, down deep into the earth’s core. Draw the energy of the earth up through these roots and back into your body. You can coordinate this with your breath. Then, as the energy rises in your body, imagine it moving up through the crown of your head and branches reaching from you up towards the sky. The branches draw energy from the sun and that golden light is absorbed through the branches, back into your body. I love this meditation and as I breath the light and energy of the sun into my body, I feel myself settle. A warm, golden glow calmly radiates at my solar plexus.
Yoga. This practice is also an amazing way to ground and centre yourself. Practicing barefoot and intentionally moving the awareness into the body, getting out of our heads and into the here and now. The connection to the body and to the earth brings a sense of calm, stability and a feeling that we are supported by Mother Earth herself. Just one of the many, many reasons I love this practice so much! Some poses are particularly good for grounding and I have a practice video devoted to this, with acupressure points and self massage to really support you on this grounding journey.
Lastly, devoting some time to your precious feet is a wonderful way to assist the grounding process. A short foot massage is an amazing way to connect you to the part of the body that supports you, as you stand on the earth. Also, a foot soak with Epsom salts or Himalayan salts is a beautiful way to give your feet some love. It transports the entire body into a space of new awareness and serenity. I also have a video for caring for the feet. It’s a practice of yoga, acupressure and self massage, and is on the home page of this website or on my YouTube channel. It’s a great place to start your grounding practice!
Grounding is a transformational practice. Allowing the earth to support you, recharge you and fill you with positive energy, is something that will change your connection to yourself and the world around you.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this and anything else I’ve discussed in our Sacred Pause connections. Leave a comment below, or contact me on the Connect with Me page of this website. I’d love to hear how this practice works for you!
Until next time....