Grounding Meditation

“From down, comes up” were the words my first yoga teacher used to repeat throughout her classes.  This made no sense to me at the time.  None at all.  She said it so often and with such confidence that some part of me wanted whatever wisdom she eluded to.

I eventually figured out the stability in a yoga pose came from the solid footing I created.  Now there is an idea my concrete mind can sink its teeth into!  I thought I cracked the code but it turned out to be simply one part of the elephant rather than the whole thing.

Time passed and I learned pressing down into the floor allowed me to rise up in a multitude of ways.  I felt it in my body as I practiced yoga over and over.

• Push my feet down and my legs fill with strength.
• Push down in my seat and my spine grows tall.
• Push down in my hands and my shoulders find space.

Ahh, my upward stability begins with a downward focus.

This followed me off the mat and into my life where I realized I could find emotional stability from “grounding” myself.  I embraced the incredibly simple practice of anchoring my attention in what was calm (usually my feet).  Okay, Black Box Warning, do not mistake “simple” for easy.  Especially when the moment is hijacked by big emotions: It is not easy.  It takes desire and effort.  And it is a capacity that grows with practice.

Regardless, grounding allowed me to release the complexity I experienced in my mind.  Sweet heaven on earth! I found relief.

Later still, the concept continued to serve me as I discovered how this sense of solid calm brought me SAFETY, psychologically.  Psychological safety cuts the ropes of fear, which as you most likely know keeps us from being true to ourselves and acting on our highest aspirations.  We all want to ascend but the truth is we have to descend first.  In other words, from down comes up.

I made a 7 minute guided grounding mediation for a client of mine recently and thought I’d share it here with you.  It isn’t fancy or special but it is effective! Give it a try and notice what happens inside.

Make finding calm your go-to practice and watch how your life blossoms.

All the best-

 

Advance Your Inner Dialog

 

I read a Nielsen report recently that stated the average American watches 4 hours of TV per day.  This adds up to about 9 years of boob tube time for someone who makes it to 65 years old.  Hmmm, how much have I been hypnotized by the screen?

Not much, I think…but I have journaled a ton.  I have spent MANY HOURS squeezing my life through the tip of an ink pen.

The bulk of the writing was empty rambling, like I was openly sharing my answer to “How was your day?” with my best friend.  I’d gather all of the problems and challenges swirling in my head and let them flow to paper.  Somehow this transformed the ideas into something I could work with.  When I saw the words in front of me, they became solid and I could capture the thoughts like roaming fireflies from a bean field on a mid-summer evening.  Yes.  I’ve got you now.

I still own the journals.  I filled book after book with circular discourse.  Now I can see I mainly focused on what was wrong.  Here is a tiny sample of the mental cage I had built for myself:

• “My life is so difficult.”
• “So and so did this/said that.  I am so hurt.”
• “Here we go again, I am NOT reaching my goal of _______.”

The toxicity never occurred to me.  It was simply the water I swam in, a pool of negativity.  I knew getting it onto my notepad helped me.  I’d write out the muck sort of like purging and flushing.

Eventually, I saw the repetition, the themes and patterns of thought dictating my actions. These were old emotional and cognitive patterns playing out with vigor.  The time came for me to strip them of their power and explore new pools of water.  “I want a hot mountain spring, chuck full of nourishing messages”, I thought.  “I want to swim in a pool of positivity.”

I committed to change the narrative inside my head.  I told myself, “I am determined to see this differently” (A Course in Miracles lesson by the way).

I made note cards with new thoughts.  These were not affirmations.  Rather, these were genuine thoughts I had when I was in a calm clear state of mind like the messages a good yoga teacher asserts with authority you when you are straining to get your nose to touch your chin.  The ideas on the note cards were true and real for me.  I had learned these lessons already.   I simply forgot them easily when I was under stress, which is exactly when the old mental habits were so strong, so ingrained, so very automatic.  This is when the old ways showed up with a pitch fork holding their claim to my cognitive real estate.

I memorized the new beliefs and found opportunities to use them in everyday situations.  When I messed up, the narrative became “This doesn’t define me.  I can learn from it.”  When I felt overwhelmed, I’d turn to “You are capable.  You are stronger than you think.” When tears flowed and my throat choked up, I’d say “I am so sorry.  I love you.  This will pass.”  The words supported me.

It occurred to me as I re-read a recent journal entry that I this process has helped me forge a new psychological system to operate from.  Now my daily writings reflect the new mental climate I  have created, for example;

• “I have so much.”
• “This is doable.”
• “It’s okay to_____.”

Of course, I still write about challenges but it has a purpose to it now.   I scratch out the ugly parts so I can get to the wisdom.  The process moves toward “Where am I stuck?”  and “What do I need?” as well as my own sweet encouragement to myself to “Get still.  Let go.  Trust.”

There is tremendous sticking power to our patterns of thought.  Do not under estimate the influence these messages can have on your quality of life.   If you haven’t already, start to notice the musings of the partner in your head.  As you are ready, actively cull and shape the narrative to something magical that feeds the soul of your being.  Make it serve you.  Make it nurture you.  Make it empower you.

All the best to you-