OM- Being A Strong Container: Grounding Ourselves

We often hear people telling us to ground ourselves, but we may not be sure what that means and how we might do it. Grounding ourselves is a way of bringing ourselves literally back to earth. Some of us are more prone than others to essentially leaving our bodies and not being firmly rooted in our bodies. There’s nothing terribly wrong with this, but while we are living on the earth plane it is best to stay grounded in the body.

One of the easiest ways to ground ourselves is to bring our attention to our breath as it enters and leaves our bodies. After about 10 breaths, we will probably find that we feel much more connected to our physical selves. We might then bring our awareness to the sensations in our bodies, moving from our head down to our feet, exploring and inquiring. Just a few minutes of this can bring us home to bodies and to the earth, and this is what it means to ground ourselves.

We can go further by imagining that we have roots growing out of the bottoms of our feet, connecting us to the earth. The roots flow with us so we can we always move, but at the same time they keep us grounded. We receive powerful energy from the earth just as we do from the forms of energy we associate with the sky, and our body is a tool that brings these two energies together in a sacred union. When we are grounded, we essentially become a strong container in which our spirits can safely and productively dwell. This is why grounding ourselves every day, especially at the beginning of the day, is such a beneficial practice. Fortunately, it’s as simple as bringing our conscious awareness to our bodies and the earth on which we walk.

From: DailyOM
(today@dailyom.com)

Yoga is a productive form of containing all that is good in our system. I have not found the time to do it in the last three-four months of traveling, and have become one with the United Kingdom; drinking till wee hours of the morning and waking up early to keep on truckin'. I have met many friends, and strangers who have become acquaintances by nature of social drinking, and smoking cigarettes. I do not regret mentally, or spiritually these tales of companionship; however, my body is wrapping at the door and crying through the locks telling me it's time to balance myself once again. I've been eating crap foods that I know my body cannot handle, and I need to counterpoise these actions at once before things get out of hand. Although people may not have an illness they are diagnosed with it's a general idea that your body is in constant communication with you- telling you what it is you need. We may not always understand it the first time, and most times before it's too late. Yet, our bodies are a phenomenal power house- more than we can ever imagine.

When we make an effort to be conscious of our roots and where they feed from, like a tree firmly grounded, we can attain great heights and remain supple in the eye of a storm. So, take a little time for yourself and enjoy who you are and what you can offer yourself before you show the world.

After all, at the end of the day it's a mater of taking the time to sit and take deep breathes in and out. Stop for a moment, and smell the flowers.