how to ground yourself

If you've read my blogpost about grounding you'll know what the concept of grounding is and how it can benefit you physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. If you haven't yet read that blogpost, then I invite you to read it here.

Now we know what grounding is and how it can benefit you on all different levels, let's look at ways in which you can ground yourself.

Connecting Directly with Mother Earth

This is probably the best way to ground yourself. It simply requires you to take your shoes off and stand, in your bare feet, on the soil or sand; any element that directly connects your feet with the surface of the earth. In doing so, you are rebalancing the electrical circuit that runs throughout our body.

When you're next out walking in nature, find a beautiful spot that you feel drawn to and stand, barefoot, in that spot with your feet connecting to the earth beneath. You can also sit, allowing both your bare feet anf your hands to maintain contact with the earth beneath you. With eyes open, enjoying the scenery, or shut, take a few deep, relaxing breaths; in through your nose and out through your mouth. And just relax.

You can also ground yourself when you vist the beach by walking barefoot along the sand.

It is recommended to spend 20minutes each day grounding yourself in this way.

Grounding through Meditation or Visualisation

Another way to ground yourself is to visualise yourself becoming grounded. There are many different visualisations you can follow. Thew one I prefer is to visualise roots growing from the soles of my feet and growing deep into Mother Earth.

Grounding yourself every morning, using a short visualisation, can help set you up for the rest of the day. Additionally, it doesn't matter if the sun is shining outside or it's pouring with rain, you can still ground yourself to Mother Earth through a visualisation, in the comfort of your own home. A grounding visualisation can last anything from 2-5 minutes.

If you would like to try a short grounding visualisation, you can download one I created, here.

Use a Grounding Device

We're disconnected from the earth 24/7. We were shoes throughout the day which insulate us from the energy of the earth, we live in houses that are heavily insulated, and we sleep in a bed that is not connected or grounded to the earth.

One way to reduce that disconnection is through the use of grounding devices, of which there are many on the market. These range from grounding sheets for your bed, earthing desk mats which sit under your laptop and on which you can rest your wrists while you type, earthing bands for your wrist and body.

Preliminary research shows that such products have a positive grounding impact. However, if you lvie a very ungrounded life, you may not notice the subtle changes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There are also other techniques you can apply throughout the day that will support and compliment the three suggestions I've already talkes about above. This next set of techniques are secondary techniques, designed to give you an extra boost during the day or to alleviate times when you suddenly feel you've become ungrounded.

Focus on the Breath

Gently close your eyes and turn your attention to your breath, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe in follow your breath as it enters your nose and travels down into your lungs. As you breathe out, follow the breath, again, as it leaves your lungs and your mouth. It's important that your focus is directed to the breath and how your body moves in relation to the breath, so that your mind can become more still. You can practise focusing on your breath for as long as you need, until you feel grounded. This can be anything from 1 - 10 minutes.

Tree Pose

Stand upright, shoes off, with your feet about shoulder-distance apart. Keep your spine straight and strong, yet relaxed. Allow your chin to tuck gently in towards your chest. Allow your hands to fall naturally to your side. Alternatively you can place them on your navel or heart space (centre of your chest). Direct your full body weight towards your feet whilst maintaining a strong posture. Invite that weight to be absorbed into the ground beneath your feet. Now imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet and traveling deep down into Mother Earth. This exercise can take anything from 1 - 10 minutes.

Cover your Crown Chakra

Our crown chakra is considered the gateway to all things spiritual and the bridge which closes the gap between humanity and divinity, as it connects us to both the physical and non-physical realm of our existence. When we connect to the divine, spiritually, it's important to connect through the crown chakra, the bridge, whilst staying grounded.If you're too much in your head or feeling too flighty, it can mean that your crown chakra is out of balance and you're not grounded. To correct this and to re-ground yourself, you can simply place your hand over your crown chakra. This acts as a gentle block, allowing your energy to return to your body. You only need do this for a short while, anything from 30secs - 1minute.

Cold Water

You can choose to either run your wrists under cold water or end your shower by turning the water to cold (the latter is not for the faint-hearted!) Not only does cold water ground you, it also has many proven health benefits including increased immunity, fat cell reduction, and elevates your mood. if you're new to cold showers, you can break yourself in gently, gradually reducing the heat of the water over a period of, say, 3 weeks. By the end of the 3 weeks, your body will be better used to the cold water. Stand under a cold shower for anything from 30secs to 5minutes.

Grounding Stones/Crystals

Crystals carry a very gentle energy about them which means you can, generally, carry a crystal in your pocket or hold it in your hand for long periods of time. The unique and natural vibration of each crystal will have a different impact on your body, depending on the characteristics of the chosen crystal. If you wish to ground yourself, and stay grounded over a period of time, you may wish to carry a crystal which is known for its grounding ability. Such crystals include hematite (don't carry/hold for a long period of time if you're prone to inflammation), black obsidian, black tourmaline, jet, smoky quartz, bloodstone, moss agate, red jasper, to name a few.

Viv xx