Grounding

In a chaotic world, uncertain even in the best of times, it is important to find grounding. Grounding can mean many different things, it is unique to the person. What are some of the ways you find solidity amongst the constant spinning of Earth?

For me, daily grounding involves a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It is a perpetual practice of coming back to the present moment. Sometimes this unfolds as spontaneous mindfulness, stopping to listen to the birds, awing at the fluttering ascent of a butterfly. Sometimes it is a deep breath, relaxing into the moment at hand. When I pause to bear witness to the life around me I feel rooted in this moment, a sense that I belong amongst the trees and people and animals—that we fulfill this moment together—and thus, I am home and where I need to be.

Grounding defies time and space, it is always accessible for it is a place we find, cultivate and return to within ourselves. A moment can be drawn in perpetuity, for it exists in the infinity of one’s own soul.

Do you know this place within yourself? The homey place of inner peace, where you are safe and secure, where you belong. If you do, take some time to be there, to notice what blooms and where there may be unexplored shadows. If you do not yet know this place, take a moment to breathe, to follow the breath deep into your body and feel the wake of calm it leaves upon your nerves. Then take another breath, and imagine it opening a clearing within, like a forest opening to a valley. Walk into the valley and notice what emotions arise, what thoughts surface. Are there fears? Name them. Are there delights? Indulge them.

Although grounding can come from many sources—hugging a tree, cuddling a dog, squeezing toes in the dirt—it is the same inner place of belonging we are returning to when we engage in grounding exercises: an eternal place, that is always available to you. As we become more familiar with visiting, attending to, and eventually dwelling in this inner space, we transcend loneliness, for we are always deeply and intimately connected.

Practice: Visualize an inner sanctuary. It can be a real or imagined place. Check in with each of your senses as you explore this place: How does it smell? What do you see? What do you feel on your skin? Are their sounds, tastes? Once you have developed a vision or sensation of this sanctuary, allow yourself a few minutes to be there. As you go through your week, practice returning to this place.