Grounding to support yourself energetically

Grounding to support yourself is valuable when difficulties with other people or unexpected setbacks leave your life in turmoil. When the turmoil happens, we may experience doubt, fear, anger, and other adverse emotions.

But you have a choice. Just as you might apply first aid when you’re physically injured, you can use meditation to regain your balance in challenging situations.

When to Use This Technique

Grounding to support yourself can bring strength, (or whatever emotion you want more of) into your awareness. Doing so helps you find and keep your balance. In this case visualize a troublesome situation and imagine having roots to bring up the strength you need to support yourself. This can help you release unwanted emotions and energy.

Why it Works

By focusing on the strength that grounds you, attention is diverted from troublesome thoughts and emotions. When you become grounded, you can view the situation more objectively and release those unwanted thoughts and emotions.

The Technique

• Make yourself comfortable and allow yourself to become relaxed.
• Close your eyes and observe the flow of your breath. Paying attention to the sensations of breathing helps calm your mind and relax. Here is an example of a breathing exercise you can do.
• Visualize the situation that is making you uncomfortable. Make it as real as possible. Recreate any sights, sounds, smells, and feelings associated with the situation.
• As you relive the experience, breathe deeply to help reduce any feelings that may be making you uncomfortable.
• Now visualize that you are a tree, a tree that is strong yet flexible, a tree firmly rooted in the ground, a tree that can withstand any storm.
• Feel yourself anchored to the ground. If this is difficult to begin with, imagine what it would feel like to be connected to the ground.
• Allow yourself to experience the sensations of your body linked with the earth. Focus on any sensations that may come from that energy.

If you don’t feel any sensations, don’t be concerned. Stay with the visualization of being a tree and continue to breathe.

• Allow yourself to experience the energy that flows back and forth between you and the earth.
• Allow any negative thoughts or emotions to appear and disappear as you focus on staying with the energy that binds you to the earth.

Imagine that nothing can uproot you as long as you focus on the energy that flows through you. Notice any sensations of that energy. These sensations can be subtle and fleeting. That’s okay, continue to imagine you can feel the energy.

• Now visualize yourself dealing with the difficult situation in an objective, nonjudgmental, and calm manner.
• When visualizing this, don’t assume your interpretation of the situation is right. Allowing yourself to give up the sense of right and wrong can help you address the situation in a way that benefits everyone involved.
• As you continue to visualize your difficult situation, continue your awareness of the energy and sensations flowing from the earth. If this is difficult, alternate your awareness between the difficult situation and the sensations coming from the earth’s energy.
• Allow yourself to feel compassion for everyone involved in the situation (including yourself). Compassion acknowledges that difficult situations are often created from fear. It has a calmer energy that can help release the turbulent feelings that your situation may bring up.

What We Learned Today

You can handle difficult situations by grounding to support yourself. This can bring up the strength you think you’ve lost.

Meditation helps us reach a relaxed state where we can envision ourselves having the strength of a tree connected to the earth. Using this strength, we can view a situation as an observer, and release negatively charged emotions.

FOLLOW UP

A Question that Sometimes Comes Up Is

When I replayed my difficult situation I found myself getting anxious. What can I do to change this?

One way to work with a strong emotion is to observe it. For example, in your case, simply observe the anxious feeling. Don’t try to control it or change it. Just observe it.

At first the emotion may increase as you observe it. If that happens, continue to observe the emotion. You’ll find that the emotion will eventually diminish. After the emotion diminishes, you can resume the meditation.

If the emotion is very raw and strong it may be beneficial to bring your attention solely to the sensation of feeling grounded. You can always try again later when the emotions have diminished a bit.

Experiencing an emotion doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. In fact, you’re creating an opportunity for success. By overcoming an emotion through observing it, you’re achieving the purpose of the meditation.

To your health,
Connie