yoga – Well of Joy

Grounding exercises are an important part of practicing self-care. When everyday life gets hectic, you can get lost in the chaos of life and begin to feel out of balance. But, if you can learn to recognize when you're not grounded and begin to harness the healing power of the grounding through grounding exercises, finding calm and stability is possible. Through connecting with the Earth's healing energy and making healthy lifestyle choices, you can become grounded, resilient, and strong. When your energy is grounded, you become like a deeply rooted tree. Though the wind may blow hard and strong, the tree will never be knocked down. It will only gently sway, bending with the flow of life. Signs You're Not Grounded There are several signs that you are not grounded. With self-awareness, you can begin to understand the clues your body, mind, and soul give you to let you know when you need to make time to reconnect with the Earth and your inner Self. Lack of Focus If you often find yourself lost in thought, feel foggy, scattered, or out of touch with the present moment, it can be a sign you need to find balance again. Being Easily Affected by Others When you're ungrounded it leaves you vulnerable to low or unwanted energies. Other people's moods and actions can affect you intensely, to the point that you may experience them as your own. Irritabality Being short-tempered is often a symptom of ungroundedness. Taking some time to replenish yourself and connect with the present moment can help you create space for peace in every situation. Spending an Unhealthy Amount of Time on Social Media or Netflix There's nothing inherently wrong with social media or Netflix, but make sure you're practicing awareness, and not over-doing it. If you find yourself trying to constantly escape life through your phone, or scrolling and consuming on autopilot, it may be time to take a step back. Disorganization Having a messy, desk, car or home is usually a sign that the mind is feeling scattered as well. This disorganization can also manifest as being hyper, feeling 'rushed', constant multitasking, procrastination, and unfinished projects. Clumsiness When I start knocking things over, spilling excessively, or stubbing my toe constantly, I know it's time for me to take a break and get re-centered. If you find yourself being clumsy, it might be time to reflect on how you can become more grounded. Dizziness One way being unbalanced can manifest itself physically is otherwise unexplained dizziness. This can be the body's way of pushing you to be still when you've ignored its earlier signals. Overthinking Being caught up in thoughts of the past or future is another sign you need to become more attuned to the present moment. Awareness is the first step in realizing you're out of balance. Make it a daily practice to check in with how your body, mind, and soul are doing and feel into what practices you need to feel grounded and at peace. How to Get Grounded When you make these grounding techniques a priority in your life, you give yourself a strong foundation for everything that lies ahead. Start with these powerful, simple self-care exercises to get grounded today. Connect with Nature Coming back to nature is one of the most beautiful and simple grounding techniques for healing. Your body was created from this Earth, and that connection offers you healing energy when you open yourself up to receive it. Simply go outside and take time to be present. Allow the Earth’s energy to flow into you. Go for a walk, taking time to appreciate the beauty of the sky, flowers, trees, or mountains. Earthing To practice earthing, lay in the grass, go for a swim or walk barefoot on the Earth. I've always found this practice to be instantly calming, and it's one of my go-to methods for getting grounded when I feel frazzled. Read more about earthing, also referred to as grounding, at Healthline.com. Meditate on the Affirmation ‘I am grounded and deeply rooted in peace’ Find space to take a few minutes to practice this simple meditation technique for grounding. Sit comfortably and take a few centering breaths.Be present with your body.Repeat the affirmation 'I am grounded and deeply rooted in peace'. Realize that you are a part of the Earth and that it is a part of you.Visualize your connection with the Earth, imagining roots growing from you, deep down, into the soil, all the way to the core of the Earth.Before opening your eyes place your palms against the ground and feel Earth's energy flowing into you. You can practice this meditation anywhere, anytime you feel it would benefit you, but it is especially beneficial to do this practice outside. This foldable travel meditation pillow is great for your home practice and for taking on the go. I love having it to make my meditation more comfortable, and it's also a great prop for when you're doing yoga! For more meditation inspiration, you can find my top 3 short and blissful guided meditations here. Give Yourself a Grounding Hug This is one of the easiest self-care exercises to create some space for peace when you're having a rough day. So wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a squeeze. Physical touch releases oxytocin in your brain, even when you receive a touch from yourself, so you still get the relaxing, feel-good benefits. Remember, you are always free to give yourself the love you deserve. Cleaning Your Space Tidying up is one of my favorite ways to feel more cozy and grounded. When you look around your living or working space and see unfinished projects, clutter, and disorganization, it can contribute to you feeling overwhelmed. Cleaning up can help your room or office feel restful, giving you a place to relax and recharge. Social Media Detox Social media inundates you with so much content, it can begin to be overwhelming and make you feel ungrounded. Using social media can disrupt your sleep schedules, contribute to low self-worth, and can be used as a tool for procrastinating on doing the things that bring you true fulfillment. 'Detoxing' from your phone can be beneficial for calming the mind and feeling more connected to yourself. There are several ways to approach a social media detox so you can start creating healthy habits around using your social media apps. Deactivate Your Accounts for a Certain Number of Days Take 1, 7, 30, or however many days feels right away from social media. You"ll be surprised by how much time you have to do activities that make you feel good, that you may have been neglecting before. Set the Times of Day Your Apps are Allowed Pick the times of day when social media is allowed. For example, you might only use social media from 10 am to 7 pm. This tip is also great for helping you get better sleep at night, and helping you have more positive mornings. Set a Time Limit Allowed for Each Day Limit yourself to a set number of minutes or hours to use social media each day, and stick to it. Sheknows.com wrote a helpful article on apps and programs you can use to assist in limiting your social media time. I recommend trying all three social media detoxes, and creating a system that best supports you. Make a Grounding Tea Brew yourself a pot of earthy, herbal tea to bring relaxation and groundedness. Grounding Herbal Teas -Yogi Kava Tea -Chaga -Reishi -Valerian Root -Ginger -Pine Needle I recommend staying away from caffeine when you're feeling ungrounded as it can increase anxiety and spaciness. Try Using Healing Crystals for Grounding There are many crystals that are beneficial for grounding, but these are a few of my favorites. Crystals for Grounding -Tigers Eye -Smoky Quartz -Black Tourmaline -Amethyst -Jasper -Lapis Lazuli Try wearing crystal jewelry or carrying a crystal with you that you can hold when you start to feel unbalanced. Focus on the crystals soothing, grounding energy, and allow it to bring you back to the present. For more information on calming crystals, you can read this article I wrote about healing crystals for anxiety, stress, and overthinking. DIY Essential Oil Grounding Spray Use a grounding essential oil to make this spray and give yourself or your room a spritz to feel more grounded. Some grounding essential oils include cedarwood, cypress, sandalwood, lavender, frankincense, and myrrh. How to Make a Grounding Essential Oil Spray -Get a 2 oz. glass spray bottle. – Add 10 to 30 drops of your essential oil. -Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of witch hazel. -Fill the rest of the way with distilled water. Optional - add a couple of small grounding crystals to the spray (Make sure they’re water-safe!) I like using tiger's eye in my grounding spray, for their earthy, positive energy. Make sure you use only polished tiger's eye, as the raw version is toxic and disentegrates when exposed to water. Practice a Grounding Breathing Technique Your breath plays an important role in feeling grounded. When you take short, shallow, or unconscious breaths, your body and mind can be triggered into fight or flight mode and release the stress hormone, cortisol. On the other hand, simply making you exhale longer than your inhales can alleviate anxiety and help you feel relaxed. Conscious breathing exercises, known in yoga as pranayama, can bring peace and calm to your body and mind. One easy grounding breath exercise to start with is the box breath. Start by taking a slow, deep inhale for 5 counts, hold for 5 counts, and then release with a slow, controlled exhale for 5 counts. Hold the exhale for five counts and then start again. You can also try exhaling completely three times. Once you're finished, observe how your body and mind feel. If you're interested, check out this list of grounding breathing exercises from Livehealthy.chron.com to get started. You can also try this 3-minute breathing meditation for stress from My Life channel on YouTube. Yoga Taking time for yoga can help you connect with your body. Focus on slow intentional movement and grounding poses that activate the root chakra. Grounding Yoga Poses -Child's Pose (Balasana) -Yogic Squat (Malasana) -Mountain Pose (Tadasana) -Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) -Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose -Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) If you're looking for some yoga inspiration, or are new to yoga and need some guidance, try this yoga practice for grounding by Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. If you're looking for a quality mat, I suggest checking out Manduka. Over the years, I've used a few different brands but Manduka is my favorite. You can find Manduka mats at Amazon.com. The Begin Mat is a good-quality, affordable choice for beginners. I like that it has markings to guide you into correct alignment. I use the ekoLite Travel Mat because I like how portable it is but, if you're looking to upgrade, my top pick is the Manduka Pro. It offers stability, excellent grippi-ness, and will last you a long time. Developing A Routine You don't need to plan every minute, but having some routines in place can help guide you to feel more stable and grounded throughout your day. I've written a few articles on routines that can help you get started. Check out Ayurvedic Self-Care Morning Routine here. Discover How To Create A Daily Spiritual Self-Care Ritual here. Finally, find How to Create a Peaceful Self-Care Evening Routine here. I'm a pretty big fan of routines. I find they keep me in balance, especially when life gets hectic. Getting and staying grounded is a practice that you will learn as you practice awareness and get in touch with your inner self. Realizing you need to get grounded is the first step. Once you are aware that you need grounding, try adding a few grounding exercises to your daily life. Over time they will help make you more resilient, peaceful, and strong. Today, I hope you discovered a few grounding techniques that you can use to guide you on your journey of growth, healing, and wellness. Thank you for being here, Rebecca Ready to have your best year ever? It all starts with an intention... Get your Free Intention Setting Workbook Here! Click here to Get A 30-day Trial to Audible, Including a Free Audiobook!