Need grounding?
Circuit breaker, lockdown, self quarantine… our lives have been disrupted in major ways these past several weeks. After all that’s been happening, you’re not alone if you’re feeling disoriented, disconnected and/or not fully present. Grounding yourself now would be a good idea if you haven’t already done so.
While you’re at it, it might also be helpful to check in, too. Because with everything moving online right now, we’re seeing a lot more calls-to-action on how to make the best use of this time. For some, this can be pretty loud and distracting and could even make you lose sight of yourself.
Take a moment to reflect on your current state. Is it hard to bring your awareness to the present moment? Is your mind racing with thoughts? Does your body feel tense anywhere? Are there any negative emotions that are intruding? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then some grounding might be helpful.
Grounding will bring you out of your head and “back to earth”, release stress and tension, increase calm and balance, anchor your energy, heighten your awareness to what is present, and help you tune into your intuition.
I’m going to share a visualization I learned years ago from a healer that’s stayed with me ever since:
1. Sit relaxed (but not slouchy) with your feet flat on the floor. Take deep, even breaths and let the tension go from your body.
2. Imagine roots growing from the bottom of your feet. They reach deep into the ground until they hit an underground stream.
3. The stream is filled with clear, pristine water, untouched and unpolluted by human activity. Feel the roots soak up this pure water and bring it upwards.
4. The water enters your body from the soles of your feet. As it rises upward, it cleanses your legs, then your pelvis, abdomen, chest, arms and hands, throat, head.
5. The water overflows from the crown of your head and washes over the surface of your body, cleansing you on the outside. Eventually the water stops.
6. Now bring your attention to your feet. The roots begin to grow upwards, into your legs. They meet in the pelvis and form a tree trunk. The trunk grows wider and reaches upwards through your torso, neck and head.
7. As the trunk exits the crown of your head, a canopy of branches emerges. The tree grows taller and the canopy extends its branches far and high, until it touches the heavens.
8. From above, a beautiful, brilliant golden white light beams down upon the canopy. The leaves absorb the light and sends it down through the branches into the tree trunk.
9. The light travels down the trunk and enters your crown. It fills your head and heals and energizes every cell. Feel the healing and energizing light move down into your neck, chest, arms, hands, abdomen, legs.
10. It exits the feet and travels further down into the ground, through the roots, until it hits the underground stream. There, it purifies the water in the stream and the stream gurgles in joy.
11. You are now at one with heaven and earth – fully cleansed, healed and energized. Sit in this energy for as long as you like until you feel complete.
Doing this takes only about 5 minutes. If grounding is all you need, it should help you feel more focused, centered and clearheaded when you’re done! You can also stay in this space and meditate on a question or explore what your intuition has to say about a situation.
Intuition
Speaking of intuition, I’ve had times when my intuition doesn’t give me decisive answers. How can the intuition be so wishy-washy?! When I sit with it, I realize the message being presented isn’t so much about getting answers, but about trusting my own judgement.
In the recent docuseries “Radical Remission” (based on the book by Kelly Turner, PhD), one of the featured practitioners, Michael Lerner, PhD said something that stuck in my mind. He said there are three types of people: those who say “life happens to me”, those who say “life happens with me”, and those who say “life happens through me”. He was referring to how people respond to a serious diagnosis. But his words also apply to what I’ve experienced with my intuition.
When I’m in the space of “life happens to me”, I’m searching for answers and signs to assure myself that I’m not making a wrong decision. If I did, things would turn out badly and I’d be setting myself up for failure. Obviously this isn’t the energy I want to be projecting! So I have to make a choice.
When I shift into “life happens with me”, I become open to possibilities. So what if I don’t know whether this step is the right one? The future isn’t predetermined, it will simply unfold according to the actions I take. Then I should simply use my best judgement. If something “bad” does happen, that’s an opportunity for me to learn and grow. Either way, it’s going to be fine.
When I move further into “life happens through me”, I begin to fully appreciate the significance of Being. No matter what life throws at me, I can choose to face life in a way that feels authentic and right for me. To not be a reactor to life, but a creator. That’s something for me to be mindful of as I go about my life.
So, going back to grounding, I hope this information is useful as you continue to navigate through this period with your families. Let me know if it’s helped you, and if you have any further questions, please get in touch.
Rimi xo