We may often hear people telling us to ground ourselves, but we may not be sure what that means or how we might do it. Grounding is simply a way of bringing ourselves back to Earth. Some of us are more prone than others to living in the clouds and thus not being firmly rooted in our bodies. There’s nothing terribly wrong with this on occasions, but as we have chosen to be here on Earth, then it’s just wise to stay grounded in our bodies for the majority of the time.
Once you have had a Reiki attunement, you are effectively vibrating at a different frequency, and so it becomes especially important to be and stay grounded (it’s also important for any type of healer or therapist or anyone who does energy work).
There are many simple ways to ground ourselves:
– Concentrate on our breathing
– Pay attention to the body
– Walking in a mindful way
– Being in nature
– Eating healthy food
Anything that brings us back into our body is basically grounding, but it’s also smart to know and practice grounding exercises that we can do really quickly. At first you should practice them with care, attention and intention for a few minutes, though after a while you will be able to instantly ground.
Exercise 1
One of the easiest ways to ground is to bring your attention to the breath as it enters and leaves the bodies, not trying to change it in any way, just observing it. After about 10 breaths, you will probably find that you are more connected to your physical body. Then bring your awareness to the sensations in your body, moving from your head down to your feet, exploring and inquiring as you work your way around the body. Just a few minutes of this can bring you home to your body and to the Earth, and this is what it means to ground ourselves.
Then imagine that you have roots growing out of the soles of your feet, and imagine those roots flowing down into the Earth. The roots flow with us so we can always move, but at the same time they keep us grounded. Imagine these roots flowing down through all of the layers of the Earth and connecting right down into the magnetic core of the planet (or however you see the centre). Then feeling anchored to the centre of the planet, imagine the energy from there flowing up through these roots into the soles of your feet, and then up your legs into your pelvic area and into your root chakra. Then feel it continuing to flow up through your chakras: your sacral chakra, the solar plexus and then the heart chakra. If you want to then you can ground all the way up to your crown chakra.
We receive powerful energy from the Earth just as we do from the forms of energy we associated with the sky, and our body is a tool that brings these two energies together. When we are grounded, we become a strong container in which our spirits can safely and productively dwell. This is why grounding every day, especially at the beginning of the day, is such a beneficial practice. Fortunately, it’s as simple as bringing our conscious awareness to our bodies and the Earth on which we walk. It’s also very important to ground before and after a Reiki session.
Grounding simply re-connects your body’s energy with the energy of the Earth and this is a good practice for everybody as it’s very refreshing and invigorating.
Exercise 2
First of all, ensure you are sitting in a comfortable, relaxed position with your eyes closed and with your feet flat on the floor.
– Focus on your breathing. Breathe in with your nose and out through your mouth.
– Focus your attention on the bottom of your spine (root chakra)
– Imagine that you are sending an anchor from your spine deep into the Earth on a very long rope or chain.
– Focus on your feet and imagine dropping an anchor from each foot or a very long rope or chain.
– Allow it to drop deeper, maybe feeling that you are being pulled downwards, or that your spine is being extended.
– Again allow them to drop deeper and deeper and you may feel as though your legs are pulling downwards.
– Your legs may feel heavy and your feet may feel as if they are stuck to the floor
– This feeling is good because it now means you are well and truly grounded – your body is heavy and relaxed.
– Imagine the energy of the Earth flowing up into your root chakra and feel that connection to the Earth both permanent and stable.
There are many grounding exercises. You could imagine yourself as a tree, with roots going down deep into the Earth below you, with your legs and body as the trunk and arms and head as the branches.
Photo by Michael Olsen on Unsplash
Giancarlo has over ten years of experience in practicing and teaching Healing Arts. He is a Reiki Master Teacher of Usui/Tibetan, Holy Fire® and Karuna Reiki® systems of healing and a Consultant Spiritual Healer of the College of Psychic Studies in London.
