How to Relax and Ground Your Body

Make a Stronger Connection to Your Physical Being

Mature woman meditating on her back.
Dean Mitchell / Getty Images

Grounding exercises help tremendously with maintaining a balance of our physical and spiritual bodies. Diagnostic in nature, this body scan will help you become more fully aware of both subtle and not-so-subtle sensations of your physical body. This is an excellent process for identifying all physical stresses and upsets, especially any underlying imbalances you may have not been aware of. 

Grounding and Pain

Pain can be so overwhelming in one part of the body that the imbalances in other areas of the body are overshadowed. The body scan is an exercise in assembling the larger hurts alongside the minutest details of stresses which you may have overlooked within your body. It is helpful to bring our awareness to the less obvious.

In addition to the apparent grounding benefits of this exercise, sometimes the most painful hurts are miraculously lifted from the physical during the body scan process. For example, you could experience temporary relief from a throbbing headache by diverting your focus downwards toward the feet and away from the throbbing (this will be dependent on the severity of the hurt you are experiencing in your head).

You might be amazed by the discoveries that you will make about your body during this exercise. Throughout the body scan process remind yourself not to rush. Allow twenty-five minutes to an hour for this grounding process.

Tips and Suggestions Before Starting

  • Don't rush this process. Take your time moving upwards to each part of your body.
  • Do not touch yourself. Instead, allow your mind to switch focus from wherever it is and mentally consider your body's sensations.
  • Doing this body scan exercise at bedtime will work well for anyone who has difficulty falling asleep easily, but for anyone who tends to fall asleep quickly upon lying down, sitting upright in a chair would be a better alternative.

Body Scan Grounding Exercise

  1. Lay flat on your back on your bed, couch or floor. Position your arms and hands comfortably at your sides. Place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees if your lower back requires support.
  2. Begin your body scan by diverting your thoughts away from any mental chatter, switch gears by first focusing on your feet. Do not rush. During the process you will slowly change your focus from one part of your body to the next. Allow your mind to switch focus from wherever it is. Begin with your feet and move upwards.
  3. Notice the soles of your feet, your toes, in-between your toes, the top of your feet, ankles, and heel. Do they feel hot or cold? Do they hurt? Are they numb or swollen? Can you feel the blood circulating through them? Are they feeling tired? Don't judge why they might feel this, simply notice how they feel. Wiggle your toes. How does that feel?
  4. Once you have a made a strong connection with your feet move your attention upwards past your ankle, switching all your focus from your feet to the lower legs, then move onto your knee caps, behind your knees, your thighs, and so on.
  5. Allow yourself to breathe evenly throughout the scanning process. If you come upon any areas of discomfort (stressed muscles, soreness, etc.) or find a spot that feels like there may be stuck energy take two or three deep cleansing breaths to ease the tension or break through energetic blockages.
  6. Once you have moved your attention through your torso and up to your neck, drop your focus at your fingertips. Move up your attention through the length of the fingers and into the hands (notice the tops of hands as well as the palms). Continue your energy scan up your arms and at the shoulders, returning your attention once again to your neck before finishing up with your focus on face, ears, and scalp.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.

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Desy, Phylameana lila. "How to Relax and Ground Your Body." Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/relax-and-ground-your-body-1724807. Desy, Phylameana lila. (2021, February 8). How to Relax and Ground Your Body. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/relax-and-ground-your-body-1724807 Desy, Phylameana lila. "How to Relax and Ground Your Body." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/relax-and-ground-your-body-1724807 (accessed March 19, 2024).