During times of uncertainty and change,
It's important to stabilise and ground ourselves
regularly.
This short ten minute practice is designed to help you feel more grounded
and stable,
To help you reconnect to yourself and the world around you.
Take a moment to get comfortable.
This could be either sitting in a chair or on the floor,
Standing with your feet on the ground,
Ideally without shoes,
Or lying on the ground or even
on your bed if this is more comfortable for you right now.
Listen to what feels right
for you and follow your own instincts.
While you're doing this,
You might prefer to pause
this recording whilst you get yourself comfortable and restart it again.
Once you're in a comfortable
position,
You may like to close your eyes softly or maintain a soft,
Unfocused gaze
if this is better for you.
In whichever position you're in,
Feel the ground or the surface
that you're lying on beneath your body.
If you're sitting or standing,
Feel the ground
beneath your feet.
Allow your toes to relax,
Your ankles to relax.
Imagine the ground under
you and feel the contact between your body and the ground or surface beneath you.
Begin
to feel your body getting heavier,
Looser,
Wider,
Softer,
As though your whole body has begun to
melt.
Imagine you're taking up more and more space as your body begins to let go and soften.
Feel the heaviness,
The weight and that sense of connection to ground,
To earth.
Shoulders
softening away from the ears,
Tensions in the neck and the upper body,
Just even a fraction
beginning to melt.
As you bring your conscious awareness all the way down into the back body
or into the feet,
Let go,
Surrender into the earth.
Come out of your thinking and give yourself this
time to really connect.
Let the busyness of the mind slow down.
Now become aware of how you're
breathing right now without changing the breath.
Notice the rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.
Notice sensation within your body,
Any areas that you might be able to soften,
Anywhere that you're
gripping or holding,
Just let go.
And on your next in-breath,
Breathe in deeply through your nose,
Allowing the breath to travel deeply into the centre of the body,
Into the stomach or the chest.
Try not to force it,
But just allow it to go a little bit deeper.
And as you breathe out,
Feel
the exhale coming out fully,
Maybe opening the mouth and allowing the breath to release with a
gentle sigh.
Continue to breathe for two or three more rounds in this way.
Deep breath in,
Just
allowing it to expand into the body naturally,
And releasing breath out with a sigh.
Listen to the
sound that you're making as you breathe in and out.
And as you do this,
Feel your whole body begin to
relax more and more.
And when it feels right for you,
Allow the breath just to return to a normal
pace.
And as it comes back to its normal rhythm,
Whatever that might be,
Be still and become aware
of your body.
You'll notice different sensations,
Different experiences.
Feel those sensations in
your body.
Once again,
Become aware of the ground under your feet or your back body.
Just feel those
connections,
Give in to them.
And you might like to imagine that there are roots that have begun to
sprout out of your feet and the back of the legs,
The heels.
If you're lying down anywhere else in
your body that's connecting backs of the arms or hands or the back of the head.
And imagine those
roots going deep into the earth beneath you.
Like pegs from a tent that are holding the tent down,
Or like roots from a tree or a bush or a plant.
Big tap roots,
Little fibrous thin roots.
And
whether you see those or you could just have a sense of them in some way.
You might even
visualize a beautiful tree like an oak or a willow or some other plant.
Begin to experience
the feeling of being connected,
Drawing back,
Feeling that solidity of the earth as though
you're being planted in your space,
Being held by a benevolent force with a strong root system.
That sense of connection,
Strength and vitality within your body.
Allow yourself to feel this as
fully as you can.
Let yourself go into it.
In whatever way is working for you,
There's no right
or wrong way of doing this.
And also have a sense of knowing that no matter how strong the winds may
blow against your body,
Your trunk,
Your branches and your leaves,
You are immovable,
Present and
held by the force of the earth.
And feel this strength resonating within your whole system.
And as you do this,
You may like to either create your own positive affirmation,
Which is just an
affirmative statement,
Or I'll offer you a couple of ideas to try for yourself.
And you would repeat
this inwardly in your own inner voice.
I am strong,
Grounded and centred.
Fully supported by the earth.
I am strong,
Grounded and centred.
I'm fully supported by the earth.
I am strong,
Grounded and centred.
I'm fully supported by the earth.
And you can stay in this experience as long as you would like.
And when
you're ready to return,
You can just begin to move through your toes and your fingers,
Roll your
shoulders,
Your neck,
Deepen your breath.
And when you're ready,
You can gently begin to open your eyes
as you transition slowly back into your day.
Have a good look around you,
Just reorientate yourself to
where you are.
And just know as you go throughout your tasks and your actions over the rest of your
day,
You can return back to this feeling and reconnect with yourself and know that this energy is backing
you and supporting you on your journey.
Have a wonderful day.
Thank you for listening.
