Grounding is the perfect solution for those looking to improve clarity and focus while restoring energy and promoting inner alignment, believes Amelia Vogler, an alternative healing expert based in the US. The practice of grounding, a recognised psychological practice taught by psychotherapists and meditation experts across the world, is designed to "ground" you in, or immediately connect you with, the present moment.
A grounding exercise often involves focusing on your physical surroundings, being aware of your breath, touching and feeling things around you with intention, holding something hot or cold to experience the sensations fully, and many other ways to stay fully present. Grounding techniques are often used as a coping strategy for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and can help improve everyday focus, clarity and productivity.
“Grounding is not just a spiritual exercise, but also a highly practical one that can improve anyone’s ability to focus, be clear-headed and even get more done. When you’re grounded, you’ll feel more at peace with yourself, more patient with others, and balanced when tackling what the day throws your way,” Amelia Vogler, sharing five quick easy grounding tips:
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Tip #1: Find your feet
Spend some time getting reacquainted with your posture. Grounded, safe postures start (not surprisingly) with the ground. Feel your feet on the ground and let the Earth come to you, then bring the Earth into you and fill yourself with that energy. Try walking barefoot on the ground - this helps reconnect you with mother nature and your connection to the earth.
Tip #2: Find your breath
Try a full-body breath. Focus on connecting your breath to your feet. Everyone has their own unique breathing pattern which can be expanded on. Learn to breathe deeper and focus that breath down into more parts of your body, including your feet. This helps remind us that we are more than the mind, and that we have support underneath us (literally and metaphorically) at all times.
Tip #3: Get moving
Think of the difference between a lake that is fed by a stream versus the one that sits stagnant. The lake fed with moving water remains clear and balanced whereas the lake that has no flow gets congested and murky. Take some time walking in nature, or even a few extra rounds around the kitchen island and keep the energy moving in your body.
Tip #4: Drink water
Nothing can live without water, including you. Water nourishes your cells and it also acts as a conductor for electricity in the body. Did you know that the brain uses electricity and chemicals to communicate? Ensuring proper hydration can actually keep your mind thinking clearly and your body running optimally. Water helps you to regulate your temperature; keeps oxygen and nutrients moving through the body; and energetically speaking channels vitality throughout the tissues of the body!
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Tip #5: Call a friend
There is nothing more grounding than a deep and enriching conversation with a good friend. Yes, we are all coming out of our COVID isolations a little shaky in the sphere of communication, and no better time than to pick up the phone and invite a friend for a walk outside (or a walk and talk, if they live somewhere else) and share heart to heart. If you are curious about a good ice breaker, try the question, “What did you learn most about yourself during the pandemic?”
