Therapeutic Support for Graceful Transformation
© 2011 Josie Wood -
Being Loved By the Earth…
Support Yourself with Grounding
By Josie Wood – www.choosinghappiness.co.uk
The earth is our home – but often we are not truly ‘at home’. Instead we fly around
in our heads or are disconnected in other ways from this source that sustains us.
Come home to yourself, your body and the earth -
There was a time when human beings were naturally grounded without having to do an exercise or process to achieve that – so really, being grounded is totally natural to us all. The purpose of this article is to act as a reminder of those natural forces that are part of you, and how you can enhance your life by reactivating them now. This is a map back to that state where we were always flowing with the life force of nature, and feeling fully empowered by our rooted connection to the earth.
The earth constantly offers us stability and grounding, along with nurturing and nourishing energy, and even though this still works without our conscious involvement – if we choose to connect with it, and to receive it, we can gain so much more. So another feature of this article is to highlight the fact that we can take this process beyond being just an exercise which we do in a mechanical fashion. We can take it a step further and develop a new way of relating to our earth home. We can let ourselves be loved by it…!
What does grounding do for us…?
Our energy is more stable, flowing and clear.
We are more calm, peaceful and resilient.
It discharges excess mental and emotional energy.
It prevents stress and tension building up.
It releases stress and tension if it does build up.
It lowers anxiety.
We enjoy the pleasures of physical life more.
We feel more alive.
We ‘inhabit’ our body more.
It provides various health benefits.
We are more present in the now.
We are less sucked into the dramas of life.
We are more able to adapt to change in our lives.
We are less likely to over react and
more likely to respond to events.
We are more integrated with our true power, and more
able to access our inner resources.
This list of benefits we get from being grounded in our relationship with the earth, highlights how much we can support ourselves by letting this natural aspect of life work for us. We can see how much the earth is loving us by giving all this and more. It is all free…here…now…! The main thing that is required from us is that we choose it, put our attention on it, and let the earth love us in this way.
So how do we do it…?
I’ll give you an exercise and some other things that will support you, but first I want to enthuse about something that I have found makes the grounding process all the more powerful. I mentioned earlier about letting the earth love us…letting that in and receiving it. Now I want to talk about us loving the earth as part of the process. This bit will also lead you straight into the exercise…
When we put our attention on something -
When
we put our attention on something
reality in
a way that truly enriches our life in the most wonderful ways.
My experience of doing grounding exercises became even more
effective when I started to do them with an attitude of love and appreciation
of the earth that provides the home…and the grounding, for my being.
So…to start this processes
have a gentle smile upon your face,
and a warm radiating glow in your heart.
Being Loved by the Earth -
Sit or stand with your feet flat on the floor, (barefoot is best). Breathe with a deep and flowing rhythm. Feel the sensation of your feet on the floor. Put your attention on the soles of your feet. Really feel the ground where it is contacting your skin. Even if you are wearing shoes approach this in the same way.
Close your eyes and with your imagination sense roots growing down out of your feet,
down through the ground and into the earth. Use your breath to strengthen the growth
of the roots. Intend for these roots to grow -
Feel how the earth willingly takes all the old static electricity out of your system and easily transmutes it into fresh energy. Let all your old energy, thoughts, and emotions flow down through you, down into your roots and notice the refreshing sensation of the earth absorbing it as it leaves your body.
Feel appreciation and gratitude to the earth for transmuting that old energy and experience vitality and ease fill your body and energy field even more. Energise your roots with your breath, as you relax your body into the wonderful experience of being supported by the earth. Amplify this whole process by radiating love to the earth, the earth that gives you life, carries you all day every day, and surrounds you in beauty. Send that love, down through your flourishing roots. Open yourself to a response from the earth and feel that appreciation being fed back to you.
As you continue to feel your roots anchored in the earth, now also feel the earth sending you energy – back up your roots into your body. Know you are being nurtured, loved, cared for and supported. Sense the essential and vibrant energy of the earth travelling up your roots and into your body.
Let your knees be soft, your hips be open, and your lower abdomen be relaxed. Feel
how your heart is open, your mind is clear and your body is aligned, as you experience
the energy flowing up from the earth into you, strengthening you, renewing you, bringing
you stability, calm, ease and well-
Keep breathing, with a steady, deep and flowing rhythm and luxuriate in the feeling of being nourished, sustained…and loved by the earth.
I offer this and two other grounding exercises that you can print off and use. These
are included in a free gift also entitled ‘Being Loved by the Earth -
Things to support yourself with Grounding
You don’t need all of these all the time…they are just boosters to help you along the way.
Intention
This is the process of conscious choice where we align all parts of ourselves in the direction of our focus. Often in life we amble on and live by default…but here, be intentional, decisive and purposeful…choose to activate the process of grounding in you. Activate it, and know it is happening. Then even if you do not feel it strongly at first – trust in the power of your intent and let the experience grow.
Breathing
The way we breathe is a key feature of making the grounding processes work for us. Explore this more on the Breathing section of the Other Resources page of Choosing Happiness
Call Your Energy Back
This is a really wonderful process in itself which I have mentioned briefly in the Energy Management section of Other Resources of Choosing Happiness. Grounding, and Calling Your Energy back are mutually beneficial processes, each one enhancing the other. In calling your energy back from events, places, people, and anything else that may keep your attention hooked – you are more able to be fully present in your body, and more able to be fully grounded.
Visualisation
In addition to the three exercises I have presented above – you can experiment with various visualisations that might strengthen your experience in different ways. For example you could imagine you have molten gold flowing through your veins and it being magnetically attracted to the core of the earth. Or imagine your feet are big heavy sandbags full of wet sand. Maybe imagine you have a structure of mineral and rock that grows up from the earth into your feet, mirrors the bones of your body, and conducts all the energies of the earth to you while it also takes away all that you no longer need. Play with these and other ideas to see what works for you.
Give yourself permission
Often we are so busy rushing around…’doing life’…that our mind, emotions, and body are habituated to a racing pace and the corresponding tension. Sometimes we forget it can be otherwise…or we slip into thinking we don’t have time to be any other way. So give yourself permission to slow the pace down, let go and be grounded.
Before starting the grounding exercises you might like to say the following words to yourself…
I love you mind, and thank you for all that you do for me.
You can let go now, and be at peace. Be here now and be grounded.
I love you emotions, and thank you for all that you do for me.
You can let go now and flow with ease. Be here now and be grounded.
I love you body, and thank you for all that you do for me.
You can let go now and relax into wellbeing. Be here now and be grounded.
This can help these aspects of you be more allowing of the process.
Trees
Sit next to them, lean on them, stand under them…imagine how far their roots travel…sense how their energy flows up from the ground and back down again. Trees have a lot to teach us about the process of grounding. You might also like to visit the Woodland Retreat in the Sanctuary section of Choosing Happiness for more grounding with the help of trees.
Walk barefoot
Literally earth yourself like a grounding rod would do. Read more about the subject
in this article about a book called ‘Earthing -
Gardening
This will give you the same effect as described above in
the Earthing book, especially
if you garden barefoot...!
Walking in Nature
My favourite…I love to do this every day if I can.
I also add to the effect by having a sense of
breathing in and out through my feet, with
each step…wonderful.
Yoga, Chi Kung and Tai Chi
These are wonderfully grounding practices.
Essential oils
You could try – Galbanum or Vetiver
Crystals
You could try – Black Obsidian or Hematite
I hope you find this article helpful. If you visit www.choosinghappiness.co.uk you will find more articles like this, along with free gifts and many other resources.
You may reproduce this article – please print it in its entirety and quote the source.
Josie Wood – www.choosinghappiness.co.uk
© Josie Wood 2011
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.“
Rachel Carson
Articles - Grounding
