🌱Root to Rise: Learning to ground yourself through the ebbs and flows

Grounding practices for Earth Day and every day

Apr 17, 2024

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by a never-ending to-do list, with tasks and appointments rolling over from one week to the next, making it seem impossible to truly unwind even when you finally take a moment for yourself?

I know I’m truly stressed when I am doing my morning yoga practice and instead of being connected to the sensations I feel in my body, or the cadence of my breath, I find myself thinking about the pile of folded laundry waiting for me on top of the bed; or about the ingredients I may be missing to make the delicious lunch recipe I saw yesterday on Pinterest.

Suddenly, my breath is shallow and I forget which side of the yoga flow I am on.

Breathe, Laia. I say to myself.

Can you relate? In moments like these, whether you're on your yoga mat or swamped by an endless to-do list, unsure of where to begin, learning the art of grounding yourself can be a transformative, life-changing skill.

🌱The Power of Grounding

Grounding techniques help redirect your attention from the clutter in your mind back to the present moment, fostering a sense of calm and focus that can transform your relationship with how you respond to stress.

A black woman seated doing a grounding meditation on a rooftop terrace — caption...

Here’s how you can incorporate grounding both physically and psychologically into your routine:

Physically Grounding: Connecting with Earth

Feel the Earth: Simply stand barefoot on grass, soil, or sand. Feel the earth beneath your feet and visualize drawing stability from its vast reserves.
Touch the Earth: Engage in activities like gardening or walking in nature to physically connect with the environment.
Sit or Lie Down: Sitting or lying on the ground and visualizing your connection with the earth, even if not directly sitting on it, can help you release stress and tension.

Psychologically Grounding: Mental Resets

Focus Techniques: Use mindfulness to shift your focus away from scattered thoughts. Simple focus exercises include watching the flame of a candle or listening to specific sounds in your environment.
Engage Your Senses: Bring your attention to the smells, sights, and sounds around you. This can help pull you back from overwhelming thoughts.
Breathing Exercises: Practice deep, mindful breathing to center your thoughts and calm your mind.

Grounding means reconnecting with the Earth and with yourself; bringing a sense of balance and presence, particularly when feelings of anxiety, disconnection, or overwhelm become prominent.

In psychological contexts, grounding is a coping strategy often used to detach from emotional pain or discomfort. These simple techniques typically involve redirecting your focus to the present moment, engaging your senses, and practicing mindfulness.

Physically, grounding refers to the practice of connecting with the Earth's surface electrons by walking barefoot outside, touching the earth, lying on the ground, or submerging in water.

✨Benefits of Grounding Practices

No matter which grounding technique you decide to incorporate—be it physical or psychological one—there are numerous benefits to making these practices a regular part of your daily routine.

By doing so, you'll have these tools available, ready to help steady and calm you whenever you start to feel overwhelmed.

Here are some of the benefits of practicing grounding techniques.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Regular grounding can decrease cortisol levels, helping to mitigate stress and promote serenity.
Stabilizes Mood: By calming the mind, grounding exercises can improve emotional stability, aiding those with depression or anxiety disorders.
Enhances Focus: Grounding clears the mind, improving concentration and decision-making abilities.
Improves Sleep: Aligning your cortisol rhythms through grounding practices can help you sleep better, facilitating faster sleep onset and deeper rest.

🌍Grounding Practices to Celebrate Earth Day

The "Root to Rise" concept in yoga, which you may have heard in class, teaches that to find stability in any pose, a strong and grounded base is essential.

The same principle applies energetically:

To effectively engage with the world, you first need to be firmly planted in your own understanding of what you feel and need in the present moment.

Inspired by "Root to Rise," and the upcoming celebrations for Earth Day, I've crafted a series of tools to help ground and uplift you through integrated wellness practices that I will be sharing with you through the end of this month.

We'll explore yoga, meditation, and journaling to strengthen your connection to yourself and enhance your sense of physical, mental, and emotional stability.

To get you started, here is a 25-minute grounding yoga class:

Keep an eye out for upcoming classes, meditations, and other resources that I will be sharing on this publication as well as my other social channels, all centered around how to develop grounding techniques that work for you when you need them most.

I’d like to know, do you struggle with stress and anxiety, and if so, what tools do you have to help you self-regulate and reconnect with a sense of calm?