Grounding your body can help you both physically and mentally, leading to a boosted immune system and better quality of life.
Do you find yourself being clumsy, perhaps bumping into furniture or dropping things? (I’ve had a few mystery bruises). Do you find yourself walking into a room and wondering what you went there for? Are you suffering from any illness, pain or inflammation? Do you ever feel dizzy or spaced out, perhaps losing concentration at work? Are you forgetful or lose track of time? Do you sometimes have difficulty understanding others, or making yourself understood? And one that rings true for me, do you get little electric shocks in your fingers from touching certain items? These are all signs that could indicate that you are possibly ungrounded.
The Earth has a subtle electrical charge that means for safety reasons, all electrical appliances have a special earthing cable. We too have electrical current in our bodies and so things can play up if we aren’t earthing or grounding ourselves effectively, or at all. There are a whole host of indications and studies that have been done on the benefits of grounding, such as neutralising free radicals, improving sleep, reducing pain and inflammation, helping with stress management and improving the immune system.
So, I’m offering you my favourite of the tips I’ve tried and integrated into my wellbeing routine.
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Look out for the Express Morning Grounding & Protecting Meditation I’ve specially recorded for you on YouTube and SoundCloud.
8 Tips For Grounding
1). Feet on the Ground
The most talked about tip is to walk barefoot on the ground, preferably in soil or on grass, to be able to come into direct contact with the negative ions that the Earth emits, helping our bodies to rebalance energetically. Being barefoot gives you direct contact with a surface that conducts the energy, unlike our modern shoes often made out of rubber or other synthetic materials that interrupt that connection with the earth. We can also find ourselves living and working in high rise buildings, feeling very disconnected from the earth, and so even just standing in soil for a few moments can help you tremendously. Sandy beaches are also great for this to take your shoes off and feel the grains of sand on the soles of your feet and in between your toes.
2). Imagining Roots
Another way to connect energetically to the Earth is to imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet, deep into the earth and this can be done indoors, or in addition to being barefoot on the ground outside. This one is my favourite as no will in the world is going to get me outdoors and barefoot in winter, and I’m not sure I’m ready for a friend’s suggestion of keeping a tray of soil in my home to stand in. If you’re concerned about your visualised roots going through other people’s space or energy fields, perhaps a neighbour or housemate’s room below, then just visualise your roots going out through your window and then down into the earth, completely bypassing whatever and whoever is in the building below you. Perhaps even surround them with gold light if they’re travelling outside of your space.
3). Recharge Your Feet and Legs
Another one for when it’s chilly outside is to stomp your feet on the ground to recharge them and get the energy flowing. While feeling the connection to the earth with each stomp, you immediately feel more present and are sending some of your energy down into the ground to be earthed. It stimulates the soles of your feet, which brings your focus from your mind back to your body. A technique I use to gently bring my clients back into their bodies after an in-person healing is to press points on the soles of their feet. So, you can do this with your own feet, just pressing or gently massaging your feet to bring your awareness back to your body. Another way to energise your legs is to pat your hands up and down your legs or even to rub your legs vigorously to stimulate the energy flow. This is especially helpful to bring you back into a state of awareness after a meditation, massage or any sort of self-care pampering.
4). Engaging the Senses
There are a few mindfulness techniques that bring you back into your awareness, activating the physical by engaging your senses. This can be very grounding, especially for people with anxiety. One technique is to look around the room or space you’re in pointing out different shapes to yourself. You might see a window and say “square”, a clock on the wall and say “circle”, a book and say “rectangle”. Similarly, you can look around your environment and point out different colours to yourself. There’s also the 5,4,3,2,1 technique where you use all 5 senses. You can mix up the order of the senses, but I generally suggest trying to find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This is because it might be challenging to find 5 things you can taste if you’re not having a meal. Ideas of things to focus on are perhaps hearing birds tweeting, touching the texture of your clothing, hearing car noises, touching the smooth screen of your mobile phone, tasting a beverage, seeing your shoes, hearing background music, smelling food, touching the cool metal of a handrail, hearing people talking, and so forth. A great technique as it’s so easy to do in public without anyone wondering what you’re up to.
5). Hugging
I love ending workshops off with this one, especially if it’s been a day of venturing off into the mind a lot. The more we feel back into the body, the more we can feel a connection with the earth and ground ourselves. It also releases the feel-good hormone called oxytocin, which lowers stress hormones creating a calming effect. So, you don’t need to necessarily go and find a tree to hug, although that’s a wonderful experience too if you’re not self-conscious in the park, as even a self-hug has been shown to be beneficial in lowering cortisol and heart-rate. Self-hugs are known as “havening” and a great way to release oxytocin if you’re not able to meet up with friends and family. So, wrap your arms around your own shoulders, giving a gentle and soothing squeeze, smiling if you can. Although that tree is a good idea too as it will graciously help you ground as you hug it!
6). Crystals
My go-to crystal for grounding is hematite as it’s also for protection and I have a few little pieces that can easily go in my pockets. There are many other crystals that help with grounding and so see what resonates with you. Perhaps you’ll even find a crystal in a shop calling to you, if you set the intention to find the crystal that will best help you to ground. Put them in your pockets, even a pendant around your neck, a bracelet or a ring is great. The black crystals are pretty much all grounding like black tourmaline, obsidian, jet and shungite (shungite has been my absolute saviour with protection against electromagnetic wavelengths from electronic devices). Some of the earthy toned crystals like red jasper and carnelian are also great for grounding, however make sure you cleanse, recharge and program your crystals before using them.
7). Food
Eating takes our body’s focus towards the lower chakras, helping us to feel more present in the body. Root vegetables literally grow inside the earth and so therefore by eating them, we help bring some of that connection into our bodies. The word “root” is also key here as many people talk about being grounded as being “rooted”, also referring to the Base chakra as the Root chakra. With root vegetables being starchy, this can also help with being able to feel more into the body as the stomach feels full and nourished, a greater connection to the physical. It’s important to note that I don’t suggest starchy foods in general as most of them are highly processed and contain inflammatory ingredients, such as gluten, corn, sugar and certain oils best avoided. Going by the traditional colours of the chakras, you can also look out for any red or orange coloured fruit and vegetables to keep your Base and Sacral chakras balanced. Now for one of my favourites….. chocolate! I don’t mean the sugar-filled rubbish, but rather raw cacao in the form of dark chocolate or those bars made with healthier ingredients such as coconut sugar, as opposed to cane sugar or glucose (I also encourage dairy free chocolate). The cacao in these products has the earthy quality we’re after and this is often offered after group meditations or gong baths to bring the receivers back into their bodies.
8). Salt Baths
I recommend either sea salt, epsom salts or pink Himalayan salt for a grounding bath. Some people suggest regular table salt is just as good, although I’m not a fan and prefer these other natural types. They really help to cleanse the energy fields, they are calming, detoxifying and very relaxing. However, I suggest having a salt bath at night rather than the morning as it can leave the majority of people feeling quite sleepy, so ideal before bedtime and especially beneficial for those who suffer from insomnia. It’s about being surrounded by water that is natural, feeling its warm temperature that is comforting, as well as the action of drawing toxins out of the body with the salt, all helping us feel more connected to the physical plane. If you’re going to add essential oils to your bath for added benefit, then only drop them in after the bath is at your desired temperature, as the pouring water and heat can break up the essential oil molecules quicker, therefore reducing their benefits.
Well I hope you’ve found at least 1 new thing to try out and please leave any of your top grounding tips in the comments below.
Wishing you a very grounded and centred day ahead!
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