Here is a sample exercise to help you ground. In this example you will ground to earth. While grounding to any element is possible, earth is probably the easiest, especially if you are starting out. If another element calls to you, or you already have your own way of doing this. feel absolutely free to use it.
Stand or sit comfortably on the floor or ground. If you are not on the first story, that is okay, just be as close to the actual ground as you can for the space you are in.
Visualize roots slowly extending from your feet (or other body parts touching the surface). Slowly they travel down, down, until the meet the soil. This is easy if you are outside, if you are not, imagine them traveling down throughout the layers of building, down through the foundation and eventually into the soil. Imagine the feel of the cool, secure soil all around your roots, keeping you safe, taking away all impurities. Aboriginal people who don't have much access to water bury themselves except their face in earth, and emerge totally cleansed and renewed. Imagine the smell of fresh, wholesome earth, as if you were turning over dirt to plant the first seed of spring.
Imagine that you are a giant, primeval redwood (or other tree of your choosing). You are sturdy and confident. You are part of the earth, yet distinct from it.
Your roots go down deep into the earth and all excess "nervous" energy, tension and stress flow down your roots and seep harmlessly into the earth, where the loving earth accepts and is nourished by it. In return the earth sends back calming nutrients, stability, and ancient serenity.
You are an ancient tree, your roots go deep into the ground. You have been here before humans walked this area, you have seen so much. You have seen most of your old comrades die, be struck by lighting, be chopped own to build for the people, but you withstand.
As you stand there, you think about the rings within your mighty trunk. The ones just inside your bark remind you of last spring's rain. The thin inside that of the cold year when you didn't grow so much. Continue to work inward until you reach the center rings, those rings of dark wood at your core that represent the inner you, your heart, your oldest part. Breath from that part. Suck the air in through all the rings to that central core. Feel your life force gather and recharge in you center. Pull it back from the outermost limbs where the growth may be unbalanced. Feel the sap brimming in your core. Once you feel totally charged, let it go and it will course through you, back out energizing you, but at your center is still the central heart of your energy, calm, full and ready for anything.
Copyright © 1997, Zaratyst
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