ENLIGHTEN UP! a blogSelf-awareness stories: lighting our way to clarity, contentment and resilience in a complicated world.
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 Grounding (or earthing) is a practice that involves connecting your body directly to the Earth or using simple coping skills to anchor your mind to the present moment. Like trees and plants, we flourish when our root system is strong. We can think of grounding in two ways. The first is grounding as a quality. Marilyn O’Malley in her Huffington Post article, How to Ground Yourself and Why, writes: “Grounding is a quality, goal or value that connects you to your self, your body, breath and mind and then to the earth. It allows you to be more authentically in your body, in the present moment, and receive nourishing energy.” The second is grounding as a practice. Ram Rao, Ph.D., in his post, Staying Grounded: The Healing Benefits of Earthing Therapy, in the Yoga for Healthy Aging blog states: “Grounding or earthing refers to connecting directly with the earth. It refers to direct skin contact with the surface of the earth, such as with bare feet or hands, or with various grounding systems.” The benefits of grounding either as a quality or a practice can encourage and deepen feelings of safety, security and connection. When you are grounded, you will:
To successfully connect with ourselves, or the earth, we need to inhabit our bodies – no matter their condition or ability. One example of language that sharpens this association is the phrase ‘stand your ground.’ Feeling at home and relaxed in your body can be an indication that you are grounded. However, many of us may not feel at home in our own skin because:
Here’s a personal story. While recovering from an emergency hysterectomy, I had trouble feeling and being ‘in’ my lower body. I lost touch with it. It was there, it functioned and was fully operational with the exception of my missing uterus and ovaries but I couldn’t ‘feel’ it. On the suggestion of my naturopathic doctor, I made an appointment to see an acupuncturist. I explained my problem and instead of inserting needles, he hooked me up to a computer with a series of sensors. The printout and his explanation flabbergasted me. He explained that the surgeon had expertly sewed my physical body back together but my energy body was misaligned and that was why I couldn’t ‘feel’ my lower half. My rational mind told me BS and ‘no way,’ but the graph was clear. Then he inserted needles all over my body (upper and lower) and left me to rest on his table for 20 minutes. During that time I experienced fits of giggles and laughter at nothing in particular. After 20 minutes, he came back, removed the needles and hooked me up to the computer again. This time the graph showed more alignment and I was able to ‘feel’ and fully inhabit my lower body for the first time since the operation. Wow! was all I could think as I drove home. There are many ways to integrate the quality and practice of grounding into our lives to consciously experience internal feelings of safety, security, and connection in spite of our struggles. Those of us able to stand firmly on our own two feet, walk barefoot in the grass or on sand at the beach can experience grounding through a direct connection with the earth. If we are able to transfer from standing to sitting or lying down we connect even more of our body to the earth. But what if you are unable to transfer up and down off the floor or connect your body directly to the ground? What if your feet go no further than wheelchair footrests or if parts of your body are missing due to amputation or surgery? Where there is a will, there is always a way and grounding is possible for anyone and everyone. Research suggests that practicing visualization promotes relaxation, enhances sleep, reduces pain, and increases creativity. So we can use visualization as a grounding practice to increase feelings of safety, security, and connection to self. The Roots Visualization is my favorite practice for grounding. I learned it many years ago from a teacher during my 200-hour yoga training. I still use it to ‘stand my ground’ in stressful situations instead of giving in to my first impulse to flee or freeze. I also practice it when I’m feeling spacey and distracted and need to focus. If parts of your body are missing due to amputation, or removal by surgery, it is important to know that the missing parts are often experienced energetically and this should not prevent anyone from experiencing the benefits of grounding through the practice of visualization. If you need confirmation of this phenomenon, read Matthew Sanford’s book, Waking, a Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence. Matthew is a yoga teacher who was paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a tragic automobile accident when he was 13 years old. Roots Visualization, Instructions 1. If appropriate and accessible, take off your shoes, connect your bare feet to the ground and close your eyes. 2. If you find yourself in a situation, place, or time where you cannot take off your shoes or close your eyes, direct your attention to your legs and feet to sense a deeper contact to the earth, floor, or wheelchair footrests beneath you. 3. Begin to visualize roots growing from your body, starting from the base of the spine. Feel roots reaching down through your legs through the bottoms of your feet to pierce through the earth’s crust. 4. Visualize your roots branching and spreading, growing stronger and reaching deeper into the earth. Sense the strength, support, and the stability that your branching roots send back to fill your entire body. 5. With each inhale, begin to draw in strength, support, and stability and allow that feeling to deepen your connection to the physical world and your place in it. 6. Draw the quality of grounding through the bones of your feet and legs to the base of your spine and all the way up to the crown of your head. Feel your entire body safe, secure, stable and connected to the physical world allowing you to stand your ground and speak your truth. As you do this you may feel some tingling or pulsing in your feet and legs. That’s a good thing because energy flows where intention goes. You can shorten or lengthen the visualization as needed. When you attune yourself to your need in the moment you can stand your ground assertively, appropriately, and confidently.
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 The first post I did on this topic was Self-Care 101. It focused on identifying, understanding and managing your stress levels in order to jump-start a self-care routine. It concluded with a list of suggested self-care practices such as joining supportive social groups, developing a healthy lifestyle and finding ways to volunteer and ‘give back’. All of these are good techniques and positive ways to manage stress, but, in my opinion, true self-care runs deeper and requires more introspection. That’s the topic of this post. An important aspect of my self-care is humor. So, when a comedian hosts a talk show, I watch. On a recent episode of Sherri Shepard’s show, she interviewed Susan Lucci, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. When discussing the importance of self-care, Erica told Sherri that one of the first things to do is to, “Put yourself on your to-do list.” That’s step one. Once you’ve done that, you move on to define what true self-care means to you, and how you can embody it in your life. Initially you, like me and many others, may turn to one or more of the wellness industry’s products such as spa weekends, meditation apps, yoga classes, regular massages, or a supplement promising more energy. Sometimes we are drawn to, engage in and expect these products to do one of three things:
There is nothing wrong with any of these self-care and self-improvement ideas. Many of them can be helpful, as long as you approach your choice by understanding how it will fit into your overall well-being AND the deeper aspects of what you truly need. Any technique or program you choose can work for you, IF you consider the following factors: It’s something that fits your personal whole life needs It’s something you choose to bring you internal satisfaction and not external approval or promise. E.g. you do it because your friends are doing it or because the provider offers a guarantee You have a solid certainty that this activity, perspective, or change will feed all your five layers body, breath/energy, mind, witness and bliss. Before you make a final decision on any technique or program, make sure to follow Iyanla VanZant’s advice to “Pause Boo.” This means paying attention to the space between the idea or desire and the action that results. During the pause, take the time to scan your five layers to see if any of them talk back. Listen and Pause before responding! For example:
After working through my five layers and dealing with their questions, I know that after laughter, the next go-to for my personal self-care is movement. I have an absolute need to move my body and I’m thankful every day that I still can! That love of physical movement led to years of hiking and backpacking which has given way to yoga, and walking. All my layers are in agreement. One other factor to consider is that your choices for true self care will likely change depending on the life stage you are in. The yoga tradition lists four:
Each one of these stages will present situations needing different types of self-care. And like your fingerprint, your choices for self-care need to be right for you, your stage of life and your situation. I have reached my golden years and as one of my students observed, It’s weighty being eighty, so me and my layers needed to re-make my self-care package. One key concept I am learning to follow is to conserve energy by pacing myself. It has not been easy for the get it all done, multi-tasking attitude and energy of my younger self. I’ve had to do much internal introspection to match my outer reality to my internal needs. That means fewer social obligations, taking rest breaks between activities and selecting only those extra projects that fill me with contentment. I’m still working on this, but I’m making progress and my five layers thank me in many ways; better sleep, and digestion to name two. After all, as someone in my writers group said, “I’m not build for speed, I’m built to last.” True self-care is taking back and owning your power to move through your life in our complicated world with a measure of clarity, contentment and resilience. Embrace your process and focus on the journey not the destination. |
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AuthorBETH GIBBS started her yoga practice in 1968, four months after her son was born and she’s been practicing ever since. She currently teaches all levels therapeutic yoga classes for adults, and specialty classes for seniors in the Hartford, Connecticut area. Beth is a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is guest faculty at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. She writes for the blogs, Yoga for Healthy Aging, and Accessible Yoga. Her master’s degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA is in Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Health. Categories |
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