There is so much going on in the world now. So much in our lives. It can often be too much.
I often used to wander through life completely swamped by the storms, stuck in a constant low-grade panic.
But a deep, deep dive into healing practices taught me that there are actually LOTS of easy, efficient tools to bring grounding and peace again when we feel overwhelmed by the world.
In my meditation classes last week, I shared one of my all-time favorites:
1. A mountain meditation, based on imagery a therapist once gave me and beautifully written about by Jon Kabat-Zinn in “Wherever You Go There You Are” (pgs.135-140). By visualizing that we are a mountain, we can feel our profoundly deep roots, our connection to the earth, and find our strength and steadiness again. Here’s my 1-minute version of the Mountain Meditation—extend as long as you like.
A few more ideas for grounding quickly:
2. Breathe 10 deep belly breaths with your hands on your belly. Reaaaaalllllly feel your hands welcoming your breath low into your body, and releasing gently. If you need more grounding, add 10 more breaths as needed.
3. Stand on the earth barefoot for a minute or more. Focus on the sensations of your feet on the ground, the textures and temperature, on your energy grounding. Maybe take a few slow steps and notice what you feel underfoot.
4. Lie on the floor and do a slow head-to-toe body scan, breathing into each body part and seeing if you can release any tension into the floor one area at a time.
5. Do a restorative yoga pose such as supported child's pose or legs up a chair and concentrate on the feeling of support under your body. Can you release some of what you're carrying, some of your stress into that support? Stay for a minute, 3, 5, 15.
6. Get outside and walk slowly whichever direction your body wants to go. Pay attention to the feeling of the earth underfoot, texture changes, temperature. Let your other senses join in, letting scents, sounds, tactile senses (maybe tree bark or bushes you pass) take center stage. Ground in all the senses.
7. Flow through a few Sun Salutation C series, a more grounded yoga warm-up flow. See if you can dwell in your body, how the movement feels and what you feel in your muscles, in the support of the earth.
8. Take a warm shower and keep your attention as much as possible on the water—the sensations, the downward movement. Imagine it washing away, melting tension and troubles off you. (If you can't shower at this exact moment, washing your hands and splashing your face with cold water can have a similar effect!)
9. Sip a warm beverage s l o o o o o o o w l y. Feel the cup between your hands and its warmth. Allow the flavor to permeate your mouth and taste buds. Follow the path of the liquid as it slides gently down into your stomach and feel the warmth there, too.
All the above are helpful to me when I need to ground back into my body, to come out of my overactive, overstressed, overbusy mind. See what works for you! And feel free to let me know what's most helpful.
A huge key to all of these is finding an anchor through your physical body or senses, so once you know this, you can come up with your own go-to tools, or a combination, that works best for you.
This restorative yoga pose, supported child's pose, can be hugely helpful in re-grounding you when you're overwhelmed and stuck in thoughts. Here's how to do it!
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