When did You Last Touch the Earth?

(favorite spot in my backyard this time of year)

Spring is making her arrival here in Virginia. So earlier this week I sat outdoors for meditation then walked barefoot among my flowers.  Seeing the new blooms on my camellias and the bright daffodils pushing up through last year’s monkey grass was heavenly, almost retreat-like. Walking on soft moss, I grounded myself in my body and in the present moment. 

As I wandered, it crossed my mind that it had been a long time since I’d been outdoors to connect with nature.  Thinking deeply, I asked myself:  When was the last time? 

I couldn’t even remember.  All I knew was that when I came back inside I felt calm, clear, and peaceful; feelings I’d missed for most of the winter.

UNGROUNDED

I know I’m not alone in losing my sense of the ground from time to time.  More people than ever feel the effects of our societal  lack of groundedness.  We live in what I call “anxiety-soup” where we worry about things that won’t happen and are out of our control.  The worry elevates our stress levels.  In addition, social media and the news keep us constantly inundated with other people’s stress too.  

There are real consequences for ungroundedness because stress is a huge factor in the development of diseases and the strength of our immune systems.  But if you’re generally healthy and getting by, you might choose to ignore that ungrounded feeling.  Unfortunately there’s also an often overlooked consequence of being so ungrounded.  Many of us spend so much time in our heads that we’re disconnected from the lives we’re living.  It’s like someone else is doing the living and we’re just standing beside watching (and worrying) as it happens.   The stress and worry make you miss your life.

FIND THE GROUND

If you want to turn away from “anxiety-soup” so you can fully live your life, you’ve got to find the ground beneath you.  That can be a literal experience of feeling your feet on the floor or Earth.  It can also be an intentional shift of your attention from your mind (and it’s excessive worry) to your body which is alive with sensation and energy right now.  Shifting your attention to the inner aliveness of your body brings you into the present moment.  And 9 out of 10 times, whatever you’re worrying about isn’t happening in the present moment, it’s happening in your mind. 

Just like a lightning rod transfers the power of the lightning to the ground where it can’t do any harm, coming back into your body grounds the stressed and worried energy.  It takes it from your head and transfers it to the Earth through your feet.  There’s a lot of power in lightning, just like there’s a lot of power in your worries.  But when the lightning gets grounded, there’s nothing to worry about.   Same with your stress.  When it’s grounded it won’t cause you harm.  And with more practice getting and staying grounded your stress won’t be able to get so powerful.  

SUGGESTIONS FOR GROUNDing 

Groundedness works like a bank account that earns interest.  Whatever you pay in grows to support you in the future.  If you don’t pay in, you won’t get much support. But if you do, you’ll feel it.  Here are some simple ways to ground:

• WALK OUTSIDE BAREFOOTED

  • Choose to leave the shoes (and phone) indoors and feel the Earth beneath you.  

  • Your feet have tons of nerve endings and they LOVE this kind of stimulation.

• FOCUS ON HOW YOU TOUCH YOUR YOGA MAT

  • Use your yoga practice to ground you by consciously bringing your attention to the way you’re touching the mat

  • Imagine that you’re touching soft moss with every foot or hand placement

  • Feel gravity beneath your body, and let go into it, especially in savasana

• TUNE INTO SENSATIONS IN YOUR FEET AND SEAT

  • Can’t get outside, and you’re not on your mat? Bring your mind to the part of you that is in contact with the floor or seat.

  • Notice the gravity that is holding you up as you sit or stand. 

  • Let yourself release into it even just a little. 

  • Do this anywhere and everywhere!

There are tons of ways to ground. The important thing is not what you choose, but that you DO it!

YOGA & GROUNDEDNESS 

I see ungroundedness in people’s yoga practices all the time.  A new student shows up because someone recommended yoga to help with stress.  When they first start, they’re nowhere near the ground.  As they move through vinyasa from plank to backbend to downward facing dog their fingers dance off the mat contributing to irritation in their wrists and shoulders.  They fling their bodies from one pose to the next hardly noticing the way the breath responds.  And in savasana their bodies seem to hover above the Earth.  They leave class “worked out”, but not rested; just as ungrounded as when they started.  

Over time, if they’re willing to learn, a shift happens. Groundedness starts with repeated attention given to the foundation: placing the feet with care, clawing the ground with the hands.  Standing balances and inversions (going upside down) bring the importance of the ground to the forefront of their minds. (There’s nothing like your face falling towards the Earth to remind you how nice it is for your feet to be safely beneath you).  And, slowly, they learn how to release into the embrace of gravity and actually rest during savasana. Now they start walking out of class restored in body, mind, and heart.

Yoga becomes a balm for the worried mind when one learns to ground and rest in the embrace of the body, held by the Earth.

EASE NOT WORRY

Your natural state is a state of ease.  It’s a state of peacefulness and connection.  Stress and worry interrupt that natural state.  Grounding helps you return to it.  When you notice yourself getting swamped by excessive worry over things that are out of your control, remind yourself to find the ground.  Simple practices like touching the Earth with mindfulness, walking barefooted, and simply feeling the sensations in your feet can act like lightning rods to calm a stressed out mind.  

Over time, with consistent grounding you’ll build up a kind of anxiety immunity.  Believe me, i’m not saying that you’ll never feel anxious again (sorry, no one can promise that one).  But you’ll notice that the world around you doesn’t intrude so much.  And when it does, you’ll know how to deal with it by grounding yourself.   

Most importantly, you’ll stop missing out on your life.  By getting grounded and growing your feelings of peace, ease and connection you come alive within yourself and in every relationship.  Imagine being free to be yourself and live fully without the worry.  It starts with getting grounded.