5 ways to stay grounded and centred

I, like most people get very caught up in my head and find it very difficult to remain grounded. Even as a yoga teacher and with a regular meditation practice, I really have to focus on being balanced and this has made me more aware of the importance of staying grounded. Staying grounded and centred has become an important part of my self-care practice. 

 

To me, being grounded means drawing the energy from my head down to my feet and to better connect with the earth element. I am head strong and a thinker, therefore I naturally have a lot more energy flowing around my head and I actively need to work on drawing the energy down through my body to my feet to stay grounded. 

 

Too much thinking, stress, overall modern pressures and what I call lower energies (fear, guilt, insecurity) use a lot of energy and create energy blocks in your body as it restricts the flow of energy. The impact for me is that I get caught up overthinking, over planning, stressing about the past or the future (which as we know is not being present and a yogic faux-par) resulting in stress and anxiety. Most people can relate to this as many of us work in roles where we need to think a lot. Therefore it is even more important for us to stay grounded. 

 

When we ground ourselves we stay balanced as we are increasing the flow of energy from our head down to our toes and will naturally feel more balanced. My love for meditation means that I am able to give my mind a break and release excess mental energy. 

 

Do you get headaches, overtired, emotional or mental drain, can’t sleep or are restless, sore neck/shoulders, leg and foot cramps, pins and needles? These can also be signs that you need to ground yourself and all signs you need to stop and take care of your mind, body and spirit. 

 

So what can you do to help yourself? There are numerous ways to ground yourself, below are a few of my favourites to get your started. 

 

I use meditation and yoga to help ground myself. The best way I have found to ground myself is through deep breathing. In yoga we call this pranayama which is a breathing practice to increase the flow of breath in your body. If there is one message to take away from this post is to start a regular deep breathing practice. Just being conscious of your breath for 5 minutes a day will change your life. We take our breath completely for granted and without it we wouldn’t exist. Get into the practice of breathing into your diaphragm and down into the base of your belly.  Your whole energy will change once you know how important your breath is.

 

I have found that sand, salt water, grass, trees and virtually anything earthy helps ground yourself. Forest bathing is also a trend that gets you out into nature and using your senses to consciously observe, feel and hear the forest/nature. Connection to each is so important for our modern lives where are lives are either in buildings or we are sitting on technology. 

 

Massage, especially reflexology is amazing, it is all about the feet and helps the flow and circulation in the body. A great massage will get you out of your head and into your body. 

 

Energy healing has had one of the biggest impacts on my life and has helped me draw energy down to my feet and clear blockages in my body. Reiki and other energy healing practices help you to clear and unblock energy in your body and create greater flow in the body.  

 

PLAYTIME is so important, children do this naturally and as adults we can learn so much from children, so take the time to play. Think about the things that you love to do and make sure you do these more often.  Not only will this help with creating balance in your life but it will make you happier too. Think about what you need you need to do to help ground and centre yourself? Do what makes you feel good more often, whether it is music, fitness, writing or reading, make sure you add this activity to your routine. This will form the basic of your self-care practice as self-care is priority not a luxury. 

 

Once you become more aware of how important staying grounded and centred is in your life you will notice a difference to your overall wellbeing.