Grounding

This is a scanning technique that I have used myself for years as I lay in my bed at night. I have called it a grounding exercise as it brings awareness back into balance. Aside from this body scan helping to clear the mind from clutter 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.

Some people vow that eating meat, because of the protein meat provides, is how they are able to keep themselves firmly grounded. But there are other non-meat foods that are also useful for helping ground our energies. These foods are our root vegetables. Root chakra foods are potatoes, radishes, onions, turnips, peanuts, carrots, beets, garlic, and so on.

Hematite, a silver-gray metallic gemstone, is often used as a grounding tool to aid those who tend to avoid worldly tasks/events by out-of-body flight. Other grounding gemstones include obsidian, black tourmaline, ruby, red coral, and onyx.

The root chakra is the grounding force that allows us to connect to the earth energies and empower our beings.

Root Chakra Affirmation: My root chakra is deeply rooted.

A common practice that is used by healers to assist clients who tend to be "spacey" to become more grounded is to guide them through a simple visual meditation. The healer will ask the client to imagine being a tree. By imagination of extending his roots into the ground the client's anxieties are lessened and they are better able to draw healing energies from the earth source.

Resonating the base chakra grounds the spiritual forces in the body to the Earth and the physical realm of reality. When poorly grounded, your spatial understanding is impaired. You may stumble around physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Grounding enhances your ability to function effectively on a day-to-day basis. Drumming also maintains a grounding Earth connection for those seeking altered states of consciousness or alternate realities. One of the paradoxes of rhythmic stimulation is that it has not only the power to move your awareness out of the confines of the conceptual mind into realms beyond time and space but also the capacity to ground you firmly in the present moment.

Wearing red socks or shoes helps remind us to ground our bodies. Because red is a grounding color, seeing red on your feet throughout the day will serve as a reminder to bring your attention back to the physical body. This is especially helpful if you tend to ignore your lower extremities. By consciously focusing on the color red at your feet you will be energetically distributing your energies downwards, anchoring your energies to the earth, thus creating a better balance within yourself.

The root chakra is the grounding force that allows us to connect to grounding energies and empowers our life force. Grounding chakra exercises (Chakracises) that help to activate and stimulate the root chakra include stomping your feet upon the ground, marching, and doing squats.

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.