How to ground yourself?
One of the easiest and most effective ways to balance physical and spiritual energies is a technique known as “grounding, earthing and centering.” It helps when you are feeling spacey, suicidal, have vertigo, feeling depress, ungrounded, getting static charge when touching metal and other objects, or when you are not feeling fully present in your body or in the Now. Grounding puts you in touch with your personal power, connecting your mental and spiritual bodies.
Our ancestors were directly connected to Nature all the time. They use to walk barefoot on the earth and were sleeping on the ground on natural fibers. Nowadays, we have lost of connection with Nature…we wear synthetic clothing, shoes made up of plastic, we live in tall buildings and rarely take time to spend in Nature. No wonder, we suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, cancer, inflammation, etc which were non-existent in ancient times.
The idea behind grounding is that it helps us to stay in the present moment. It helps us to keep aware of the here and the now so we dont get overwhelmed by flashbacks, panic attacks and anxiety.
It is important to ground yourself regularly so you feel connected, healthy and balanced. With modern living, we are always wearing shoes and stay indoors. We have lost out connections with Nature. Grounding links you to the healing energy of the Earth, bringing stability, calm, and awareness of the physical body and the world around you.
Having a strong foundation is sometimes called having “resilience”. This literally means you bounce back easily after a shock, and that shocks will actually affect you less in the first place than they would affect a person who is less resilient. Ever noticed how the same trauma/event can have different effects on different people? Some will go in the fight/flight/freeze and will take years to recover, some don't recover at all, while others recover after a short period of time. A person who is well grounded and centred (with a strong and balanced lower chakras) will recover much quicker.
Dr Deepak Chopra, Ayurvedic doctor, highly recommends grounding to heal inflammation in the body. Just as electrical appliances needs to be grounded to protect against shocks, shorts, and interference, in the same way excess energy needs to flow out of our body. With grounding, you will feel calmer, relaxed and healthier as there will be no stagnant energy. When energy flows freely in the body, there wont be any blockages and you will sleep better and feel less pain and stress.
Techniques to ground yourself
1. Visualise roots coming from your feet and anchoring solidly into Mother Earth.
The earth energizes our energetic body. Since everything is energy. Let Mother Earth restore your energy.
2. Walk bare feet on earth and take a few deep breaths.
Spend time in Nature, in the forest, ocean, mountains, etc. Walk bare foot on earth or grass, sand. The direct connection with earth is amazing. You can release excess or negative energy to Earth to be recycled and draw back positive energy.
3. Eat food which comes from the ground
Food like potatoes, carrots, peanuts, beetroots, ginger, turmeric etc are very grounding.
4. Hug a tree
Trees are grounded, as well. Many schools of meditation teach this very simple grounding technique. All you have to do is to hug a tree, and intend to release the unwanted energies. The tree will do the rest. Often, this method is mixed with charging yourself with positive energies, as trees do work as big energy antennas. It is best to choose a bid and old tree for this exercise.
5. Massage with ginger essential oil
Mix essential ginger oil with a base oil and massage all over the body. Massage promotes blood circulations and is very relaxing.
6. Have a hot bath with Epsom salt
Water is purifying and cleansing. Epsom salt helps your body to get rid of excess toxins. Soak in a hot bath with a handful of epsom salt for 20 minutes once a week.
7. Affirmation- ‘I am grounded and have my place in this world’.
You will feel more balanced, centred, connected and have a sense of purpose.
8. Do a guided chakra meditation focusing on the root chakra
Connect with your root chakra which is your survival chakra. Grounding is useful when the person feel loss, no will to live or has no sense of direction or is feeling suicidal.Work on the root chakra and feel the connection to Mother earth and her nurturing aspects. The colour is red and represents earth.
9. Yoga exercise- Tall tree
Imagine yourself strongly anchored to the ground like a tree with roots going deep down earth. Take a few deep breath…on the out breath, let go of any tension, negative emotions. And on the in breath, absorb the positive energy from earth back in your body
10. Black Tourmaline Crystal
Black Tourmaline is an extremely protective and grounding crystal. It’s grounding properties are amazing ensuring that you are fully connected to the “here and now”.
There are also earthing mats and sheets which can be bought online if it is not possible to connect with Mother Earth directly especially in winter when it is difficult to go out and be barefoot on the ground.
Grounding is easy and very effective and best done everyday. Being grounded means you are living in the present…in the now and you have a strong and solid foundation. In my healing sessions, I always make sure my clients are grounded properly as they feel safe and can relax during the session.