Have you noticed that being outside lifts your spirits?
Take a deep breath and picture yourself in your favorite landscape. Imagine the warm sun on your skin, the twittering of birds in the trees, the smell of pine, flowers, or maybe the ocean in the air…are you smiling? Do you feel more relaxed?
The great outdoors is called that for a reason: spending time under the sky rather than a ceiling just makes you feel good. Mother Nature is full of healing power, and connecting to that earth energy can have incredible benefits for your mind, body, and soul.
But what if you can’t get outside?
Right now, as we are in the midst of a pandemic that has many frightened to go outside (and others legally prevented from doing so), how can you get the same benefits, the same feeling of peace and wellbeing, without leaving your house?
What is Grounding?
Your ancestors had no trouble connecting with Mother Nature, and getting grounded. They were outside every day, all day, rain or shine. You are lucky to have a roof over your head but the downside is a loss of that daily interaction with the earth, and a corresponding lack of grounding.
Grounding is the practice of energetically connecting to Earth. This releases negative energy from your field into the ground, and draws positive energy from Mother Nature into your field and chakras, which replenishes and recharges your whole being.
Feeling a Little Fuzzy?
Your first chakra, also known as your root or base chakra, is the foundation for the energy flow in your body. This chakra keeps you firmly in your body and grounded, and if it needs cleansing or charging, you may feel a little “spacey” or somewhat out of your body. Additional symptoms of a dysfunctional first chakra can include: lightheadedness or a “floaty” feeling, forgetfulness, clumsiness, a feeling of being lost or actually getting lost, having trouble staying focused or present, fatigue, and a general dazed sensation. With an imbalanced first chakra, your other chakras are likely to be affected and become dysfunctional as well.
Indoor Grounding 101
The best ways to strengthen your bond to Earth is to spend time outside—walking barefoot on sand or grass, swimming in the ocean or a lake, taking moon baths, and hugging trees. But as the weather shifts from the heat of summer to the crispness of fall and then the deep chill of winter, you are less likely to be spending time barefoot or sleeveless outside your heated indoor space.
So how can you stay grounded?
1. Sit in sunlight
If you’re lucky enough to live in a home that gets plenty of sunlight, take advantage of that!
Not only does the sun provide natural vitamin D, which boosts your immune system, it also charges and replenishes your energy field. Sunlight is like natural rays of energy healing from the heavens, so soak it up as much as possible.
Like a cat curling up for a nap in the window, have a seat in a patch of sunlight coming through a window and let it radiate into your skin, into your chakras and energy field. Twenty minutes in the early morning or late afternoon would be perfect!
2. Keep a stone handy
Stones are direct conduits to earth energy. They are literally earth, so they can help ground you just by touching them. Kyanite, hematite, and garnet are good choices for grounding crystals, but any piece of rock will do.
Be sure to bless it for the purpose of keeping you centered and connected to Mother Nature, and then keep it in your pocket for quick access anytime you start to feel disassociated from the earth or your body.
3. Exercise
Getting out of your head and being present in your body is an important part of grounding. Physical activity can help to shift your energy from your thoughts to your body as you focus your attention on your body and the world around you.
Yoga, pilates or martial arts can be particularly effective because they center your mind, body, and spirit simultaneously.
4. Eat
Like exercise, mindfully eating brings your attention to your body. Gaining sustenance from the earth also helps to connect you to it—to remind you of that fundamental truth of energy medicine: you are connected to everything.
Try to eat as many fresh cooked vegetables as you can, and especially root vegetables which grow under the soil and carry strong earth energy.
5. Take a salt bath
Salts have natural healing capabilities, as does water, so when you combine them in a warm tub, you take cleansing to a spiritual level. This helps to heal and cleanse your body, mind, and soul, including stripping unwanted negative energy you may have stuck to you from someone else.
Salt baths simulate swimming in the ocean, which is one of the best ways to ground yourself.
6. Visualize
There is an easy visualizations you can do from home that will help to connect you to the earth. Picture yourself as a tree, with roots growing from your feet. Feel your roots sinking into the soil, extracting nourishment and energy that you can bring into your body making you healthier. Imagine your roots sinking deeper and deeper, giving you a stronger foundation, a sense of calm, and a greater bond with nature.
7. Take a healing course
Healing courses are always a good way to get grounded: being in the presence of others and working on grounding exercise help you be in your body and connect to the earth.
We will hopefully come out of this soon (and hopefully stronger than ever before). But in the meantime, look at this is a great opportunity to learn a skill that will ensure you are grounded, happy, and healthy year-round, no matter where you are.
