To feel grounded, it’s important to touch the earth.
Have you ever wondered why full prostrations are a ritual in many world religions? One of the reasons is that something important happens when we bow down and touch the ground with our body: We pour ourself into the earth and into the sky. And this outpouring makes us feel grounded.
Here are some ways to feel grounded:
- Sitting on the ground
Most people sit on chairs or on sofas, not on the ground. However, it’s important to sit on the ground now and then. It allows us to be in touch with the earth. Next time you are in a park, sit on the grass. Experiment with sitting on the floor instead of on an armchair. What do you notice when you do that?
- Gardening
If you have access to a garden or windowbox, sow some seeds. Watch them come up and unfold. Make sure that you use your bare hands to work in the earth – this is truly being in touch!
- Walking barefoot
When did you last walk barefoot? Try it and notice the temperature, the feel of the ground under your foot, and the sensations on your skin.
- Swimming
Most of the earth is covered by water. When you swim, you are also intimately in touch with the earth.
- Surfing
When you enjoy water sports like surfing you also feel more grounded.
The key thing, whether you are walking, bowing, gardening, swimming, or surfing, is to pour yourself into your activity – body and soul. This is how you become grounded.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post Mary. I’ve recently started trying to sit on the floor more often when at home but it hurts my back so I’m having to do in little amounts.
Going to go away and try these today!
Hey you blog is too good and have some inspirational posts too. Shall be visiting your blog frequently.Keep writing.
Cheers!
I used to sometimes stop and touch all the living things I could–soil, plants, etc–just to feel connected. Unfortunately, I’ve moved to a place where it’s more difficult to run into plain old dirt. Not impossible, it’s all over the place…but I came from fields to sidewalks.
@ Ben,
I’m delighted that you are trying out the different ways of becoming grounded!
@Neelam,
Welcome to Goodlife Zen, Neelam. I’m glad you are enjoying the posts.
@Not Yet a Bodhisattva
Ah – sidewalks…As I was writing the post I was wondering how it would read to someone who lives in the middle of a big city. I reckon it would be more difficult to get a feeling of connection to the earth.
I like your suggestion of touching plants and soil!
Thanks a lot for this small reminder.
Keep up the great work.
Hi Mary – just found your blog through the compassion post you wrote, and wanted to make a quick comment in response to this entry.
Sitting on the ground and walking barefoot are two major sources of grounding for me (not so much with water stuff for me though… I love swimming and walking in the ocean, but the sense of connection they give me is very different to when I’m grounding through the earth).
In my home town of Auckland, NZ, I can usually ground if I’m walking or sitting on concrete/tarmac (not quite as well as I can on ‘real’ earth, but I don’t feel as though it’s blocking me either). When I spent five years in London in the UK though, I can remember stepping off the plane at Heathrow and immediately feeling as though someone had shoved a lead plate between my feet and the ground… I just couldn’t feel the Earth under me no matter how hard I reached for it. I didn’t have the same problem when I was up in Scotland – and I found in England that I was OK if I was actually on bare earth, or in one of the many parks.
I’m not sure why it should differ depending on which city I’m in… but all I can say is that it definitely does.
Blessings
Starfire
I love this blog and thanks for the reminders on how to feel grounded again, it brings me back to my many happy places! I love swimming, surfing and walking barefoot, and two things I’ll add are scuba diving and snorkeling. Everyone should try them at least once in their life as nothing is more calming and amazing than hearing your own breath 20m in the water.
This is a great post.
I have recently started to meditate outside.
I do it on one of the sides of my house where my mom has a sort of little garden going on.
Usually I’m very… Iffy about walking barefoot. I live in Texas and the grass usually hurts one who is barefoot. Grass is usually dry and not so soft. And there are also a lot of thorned trees in my neighborhood. When I was younger, I always wore shoes to be cautious of this, but some kids didn’t and would sometimes get thorns on twigs from one inch to two inches long stuck in their foot.
However, the place I mentioned is safe and is growing very soft and green. It may be a small area, but I suppose it does more than nothing!
I’ve wanted to go to the park and walk a bit before sitting under a tree and meditating or reading some of my recently purchased books on meditation lately.
But there are so many ants around my area that I’m paranoid.
Not to mention mosquitoes. :C
But it’s nearing fall and winter time, and I’m hot natured so very ready for it.
Maybe I can take advantage of this time of year?
What do you recommend?