Grounding: to come back to you
One of the most common things I hear from clients is how they either miss the moments of stillness of the pandemic enforced lockdowns, or the quiet. I think it was inevitable that the roads would become busy once more and our lives would return, or perhaps move forward to some form of new normality, however, I feel it’s important we learn from the pause and try to maintain some form of balance as we navigate our way through the new way of daily life.
Work life for some has begun to take over once more. Perhaps some have returned to their offices or perhaps they are still working from home, but not giving themselves enough breaks during the day. I thought I would share an instant little grounding technique that i often find useful.
Ritual
Find yourself a piece of grass and, if you feel comfortable, remove your shoes and socks.
Place your feet on the grass and really feel the grass and earth beneath you. Invite a connection between you and the ground that supports you. If you feel comfortable to close your eyes and feel stable enough, please do so, or simply lower your gaze to the ground.
Begin to become aware of the In and Out movements of your breath and slowly start to lengthen each breath. If you become distracted by unpleasant sounds around you, bring your mind back to your breath. Your anchor.
When you feel comfortable, begin to focus on counting to 4 on your inhale. At the top hold for 4 counts before then exhaling for 4 counts. At the bottom, pause for 4 counts. Repeat for at least 5 times, or as much as feels comfortable. If you start to feel light-headed, stop and sit down. This is known as box breathing.
Once you feel ready to finish your box breathing, return the breath to it’s natural rhythm and bring your awareness to the sounds both close by and far away. Then draw your attention to any scents you can smell.
When you feel ready, gently flutter your eyelashes open, if they are closed, or raise your gaze higher and notice what you can see around you. Simply noticing the shapes and colours.
Then draw your awareness inwards, to yourself. Notice how you feel. Notice if you feel calmer. If you have more energy or perhaps feel you need to rest. Notice how your body feels.
Finish by taking 2 deep invigorating breaths in through the nose and exhale with a releasing sigh.
If you don’t have any grass nearby, you can also do this exercise by simply standing on the floor and drawing attention to the ground beneath you. You may wish to hold a grounding crystal throughout this exercise.
Sitting at the top of an ancient Mayan Temple, deep in the forest in the Peten region of Guatemala. Absorbing the sounds of Howler Monkeys and various exotic birds.