Working with people over the past few years, I've noticed a dominant trend: lack of grounding. Discovering this trend got me thinking about grounding and how I learned to do it myself. I asked, What is grounding? Why is it important? and How can I help more people learn it?
Grounding is a term most often heard in conjunction with electricity in buildings and cars. However, the brain, heart, and nerves all function through chemically induced electrical currents. Providing our bodies with proper care including nutrition, water, exercise, and sleep helps the electrical system function well. Kinesiology studies show that our thoughts and emotions also affect this system. With different stimuli, our thoughts can leave us feeling amazingly focused and strong or depressed and weak or even "spacey" and disconnected. If we experience troublesome symptoms once in awhile, we can usually "shake it off." Sometimes we get into a rut... then it might be time for a little coaching to get back on track. These are some of the benefits of grounding in my own experience: 1. Reduces stress and calms the mind - of course, stress happens. But, when you practice grounding, you're connecting with very supportive Earth energy. Tapping into this energy can help you offset challenging situations. 2. Increases ability to focus on tasks at hand - especially when feeling overwhelmed by several tasks at once. 3. Reduces vulnerability to external energies - not everything you feel belongs to YOU. Grounding helps to sort through that. 4. Improves sleep quality - when you can't seem to calm down even when you know you're tired and need sleep. 5. Improves ability to meditate - many try but give up quickly. Ground first, then try again - and use The Feather meditation below! 6. Calms anxiety - it's easy to find ourselves worrying over what could happen or fear the state of the world. Grounding helps reduce that feeling in us. 7. Improves ability to respond rather than react - emotions can temporarily overrun us. If we take a minute to ground, it allows us to think before we act. 8. Increases body-work therapist stamina - without grounding, we may become more susceptible to taking on our client's issues. 9. Improves problem solving capacity – being in a grounded state helps us to see more available options. 10. Improves overall ability to function more efficiently and effectively in life.
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Background
The past few weeks have flown by for me as I traveled from coast to coast and back again. First, Spring Break in Seattle, Washington with my sister, Katie. We had lots of fun, but also worked and shared a booth at the Emerald Spiral Expo - what an experience! A few days later, I attended a weekend retreat in Yogaville, Virginia. Another fantastic event which resulted in very real inner shifts for many who attended - including me! Finally, I headed to Burlington, Vermont to attend a 3-day class. Yet another life-altering experience! With all that activity, time seemed to warp and I felt the peace from my retreat slipping away. While in Vermont, I took a few moments at bedtime to center myself and listen to the Universe. An image came to mind and I saw a single white feather.... The Feather Sitting quietly, imagine a single white feather...it's very light and downy...even the faintest breeze stirs its edge. Notice how focusing on this feather allows it to gently land in your hand. Your attention keeps this feather still and calm. Now see how you can keep the feather still even if the breeze moves your hair or clothes. Even a strong wind cannot move the feather if mind makes it so! Now shift the image to a pond with very clear water. The surface is smooth and even. Allow it to stay just like that - smooth and even. If drops of water disturb the surface, simply wait until the ripples die down. Breathe. Realize that the breezes and drops of water are thoughts on the surface of the conscious mind. Even though we sometimes find ourselves in a rainstorm, we can simply remember to take a few minutes to calm the water or still the feather! |
AuthorAlicia "Cici" Becker works to bring more balance to the world one session at a time. Archives
September 2019
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HoursM-F: 10am - 8pm
Sa: 12pm - 5pm Central Time Zone |
LocationLake County Illinois
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