Grounding, or Earthing as it is sometimes referred to, is a practice in which you bring balance to your spiritual and physical energies by connecting and anchoring with the Earth. We know everything is energy and when you think of grounding think of it in terms of an energy connector. The origins of grounding or "Earthing" go back thousands of years and have been practiced for
centuries. Your spirit, mind, and body are meant to be one, connected, and aligned.
Our body is made up of energy centers, commonly called chakras. Our root chakra, which represents the earth element, is our first primary chakra (on the general standard 7 chakra system) and known as Muladhara in Sanskrit, means foundation. It has to do with feeling grounded, safe, and at home in our bodies and connected to the Earth. Our root chakra is connected to the adrenal medulla which is the inner part of our adrenal gland. This is responsible for what is commonly referred to as our “fight or flight” response. Grounding into your foundation means clearing anything that might make it “shaky” or unstable. Fear is one of the emotions that causes our root chakra to become shaky and out of balance.
Incorporating regular grounding practices in your life helps get your power back and is a way of protecting your energy so that you are connected and fully present in the current (NOW) moment.
Before we discuss techniques for grounding, let’s first identify what being “ungrounded” might look like, as we must first become aware before we can make the changes we need.
Signs that you’re ungrounded:
Hard time focusing
Constantly Multi-tasking (not being fully present in the current moment)
Your mind is racing
Feeling disconnected from your body; “feeling off”
Spaced-out feeling
Energetically drained; “running on empty”
Inability to communicate effectively
Being in your head; overthinking
Thinking you are “above” things; self-centeredness, pettiness, rudeness
Over-sensitive to energies
One of the easiest ways to practice grounding is by walking barefoot or sitting in the grass. The infinite supply of electrons in the Earth are able to flow freely between the human body and the surface of the Earth when we take conscious action to connect to it and ground into it.
Simple Grounding Practice:
Go outside, ideally for about 30 minutes.
Focus on your breathing. You can use the 5-5-5 technique, breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and then breathe out for 5 seconds.
Take in all that is around you. Use all of your 5 senses to become connected and present in the current moment. Focus on how the ground feels under your feet, the color of the sky, the way the fresh air smells, how the wind feels on your face, breathe in the energy from the sun and focus on what sounds you hear around you.
Gratitude is a very important part of grounding. Focus on connecting to that sense of gratitude for everything that you have experienced and been able to connect to in this current moment.
Other tools that can be incorporated into grounding practices:
Meditation
Incorporating smoke or smudging into your grounding practices
Utilizing crystals with grounding properties such as:
Smoky Quartz
Hematite
Shungite
Obsidian
Jasper
Clear Quartz
Agates
Tigers Eye
Bloodstone
Jade
Jet
Black Tourmaline
Incorporating grounding herbs such as:
Lavender
Passion Flower
Chamomile
Skullcap
Valerian Root
Lemon Balm
Holy Basil
Rhodiola
Ashwagandha
Just a reminder, the listed things above are just tools. Your intentions are the most important part of your practice, and you are already equipped with everything that you need!