I have been using a body scan technique for many years to help balance the body/spirit connection. I do this exercise each night while laying in my bed before I sleep.
Note: Bedtime works fine for people who don't fall asleep easily, but for those who tend to fall asleep quickly upon hitting the pillow, sitting upright in a chair is probably best. Basically this exercise is a body scan which can be helpful in becoming more fully aware of how your body feels.
Aside from the body scan helping to bring the body/spirit connection to balance it is also an excellent tool in identifying physical stresses and upsets. Pain can be so overwhelming in one part of the body that the rest of the body gets neglected. The body scan is an exercise in assembling the larger hurts alongside the minutest details of stresses that you may have overlooked within your body.
Be prepared to be amazed at the discoveries that you will make about your body during this process.
For example: A headache may get temporary or permanent relief by altering the focus down to the feet, although this depends on the severity of the hurt you are experiencing in your head.
Besides getting better grounded by doing the following body scan exercise, another benefit is that sometimes painful hurts are often miraculously lifted from us while the body scan is being done in order to help bring our awareness to the less obvious.
Grounding Exercise: Body Scan
Bring your thoughts from busy mental chatter downward by focusing on your feet. Don't rush this process. Take your time moving from each part of your body. Also, you don't need to touch yourself, just allow your mind to switch focus from wherever it is. Begin with your feet and move upwards.
Notice the soles of your feet, your toes, in-between your toes, the top of your feet, the back of your ankle.
Do they feel hot? or cold? Do they hurt? Are they numb? Do you feel your blood circulating through them? Are they feeling tired?
Don't judge how they feel - just notice how they feel. Wiggle your toes. How does that feel?
Once you have a made a strong connection with your feet you may then move your attention upwards to your ankle... then switch focus to your lower legs, onto your knee caps, behind your knees, your thighs, and so on.
Keep reminding yourself not to rush.
Allow yourself to breathe throughout the scanning process, especially as you come to any areas of discomfort (stressed muscles, soreness, etc.) or at any spot that feels like there may be an energy block.
Once you have moved through your torso and up to your neck, drop back down to your fingertips, move your attention to the hands, up your arms and shoulders, returning your attention once again to your neck before finishing up with your focus on face and scalp.
Are You Adequately Grounded?Collection of Meditations and Visualization Exercises
How often have you been told that "grounding" is important? What does it mean to be ungrounded anyway? Taking this quiz will offer you clues as to which characteristics you have, and whether the actions or reactions that you take are helping you to stay grounded or are actually aiding your energetic retreats from your physical self.
Are You Adequately Grounded? - take this quiz now
