Grounding is the key in my book for having a successful physical life.
If you aren’t well connected to the Earth, it is hard to create in the physical world. What I am suggesting is that you create a vibrant energetic connection through your physical body to the being we call Earth. As children playing outside, it was easy to be part of the Earth. Living and working above the ground and in our heads while connected to electronic devices makes it much harder. Exercising or walking/running isn’t enough either. You have to be consciously connecting. Plowing a field with a horse, digging a ditch, and swimming in the ocean – all create connection. The more deeply you are aware of being physical and part of the Earth, the deeper is the connection.
The easiest way to connect anytime and anywhere to the Earth is through your feet using your breath as a focus.
To begin, exhale a normal breath with the intention of sending the breath down through your body, your legs, your feet, and into the ground. Then, inhale up from the ground through your feet, legs, and body into your lungs. It is easier in the beginning to imagine that you are standing somewhere on the Earth that you love, that nurtures you. Then you can connect that special place to where you are.
You can connect anywhere. You can be in a building, in a car, in an airplane.
Having a strong intention and being in your body when you do it – not observing from the outside – make it more than just imagining or thinking. You can also add your arms and hands. With intention, you are making the connection in the non-dense physical field as well as the emotional and mental fields. I do it for as long as I can maintain my awareness which can differ by the day and the place. Grounding is also muscle to be built. Start with what you can do and be open to wherever the process takes you. You can’t do it wrong, you can only do it better.
As this grounding feels easy and more natural, you can add more layers.
When I am afraid, angry or stuck in an emotion, grounding is my first go-to. I ground into the Earth and send down the emotion with my exhale and then inhale up the support of the Earth. When I am working outside on my land, I use the breathing connection to support and energize my body as I walk or work. When I used to run, I would exhale my fatigue and use the inhale as a springboard. When I am standing in a dead or toxic place, I exhale the toxicity and inhale life force. Since this is a relationship, I always ask the Earth for permission before I begin and give gratitude after.
There are many more ways to increase your grounding.
Using your breath is a way to start and open up to the possibilities. Being well grounded creates resiliency and supports the immune system energetically. It allows trauma and fatigue to pass through more easily and for deepening your awareness. For me, I never feel alone when I am grounded and it is fundamental step in working personally with climate change.