Sacred Self Care~ Grounding

_If you hang out in spiritual circles for long enough you're going to hear a lot
about grounding.  You've probably experienced it but never knew it had a name. 
But what exactly is grounding and how do you do it? 

Let's talk a minute about being ungrounded.
 
To me being ungrounded is when I'm feeling out of touch with my body
or just not my normal self.  I may feel  spacey, antsy, or I can't concentrate
on getting any work done.  Being ungrounded can happen because of excitement,
worry, or a recent fright or trauma may have the body stuck in 'fight or flight' mode. 

Therefore to ground is taking the excess energy within me and return it to Mama Gaia

There are several ways to ground and no one way works better than the other.
It's just a matter of what works best for you.  Here are some of the ways that
work best for me.

_ Visualization exercises. A simple grounding exercise can be visualizing yourself as a tree.

First close your eyes and imagine roots growing
out from your feet extending through the ground and  down into the center of the earth.

Imagine these roots anchored there and see the extra energy flowing from your body into the core of the earth where it is transformed in it's firey core, leaving you feeling reconnected with your body and refreshed.

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_Mindful Movement Meditation. The virtues of physical activity and meditation
are pretty well known.  And both can help you get in touch with your body and
clear any accumulated toxic energy.   

Why not bring these both together and try mindful movement meditation? 

Bring your awareness to the way your body moves during any activity. 
As you walk notice when each part of your foot touches the ground. 
When you put on a favorite song and dance, what part of your body best
expresses the instruments?  Can you hear the sound
the fabric you're wearing makes as your arms and legs move? 

If you choose a stationary meditation, sit on the floor to put your body
(buttocks and feet primarily) in touch with Earth. 

_

Connect with Nature. Going outside, taking off my shoes and wiggling my toes in the grass for a few minutes or even standing outside and taking several deep breaths helps me to ground. 
Working with soil (a garden is lovely) or if you can't get outside playing with clay is also an effective method to ground...and it's fun!

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_Eat grounding foods. Grounding foods include those that come from the ground
such as any root vegetables (potatoes, parsnips, carrots) or flavorings such as ginger, nutmeg, garlic or cinnamon.  Warm drinks are excellent for grounding as well. 

Check out Ayurvedic Medicine sources for a more complete list of grounding foods.

_Crystals.  In general, Obsidian, Smokey Quartz, Jet or Black Tourmaline are excellent for grounding.  But you may find yourself drawn to a particular crystal.  Trust your inner knowing.

Hold the crystal in your hand imagining any unwanted energy flowing out of you and into the crystals.

Occasionally, you'll need to clear the crystal by placing it on the ground,
in a dish of sea salt overnight or placing it in the light of the full moon will
also help clear the excess energy.

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If you've found this post helpful, please leave a comment and let me know!
I'd also love to hear about the ways you used to ground yourself as I'm always
looking for new tools to add to my medicine bag.