Grounding In The Body During Difficult Times

Chronically Chill Self Care presents a guided meditation for grounding in the body during difficult times. If you have anxiety or if you’ve experienced trauma, staying grounded can be a challenge. This 25-minute audio meditation will bring you through the steps of mindful awareness so you can establish a sense of relaxed safety in the body. The audio file contains intro and outro music with periods of silence in between instruction for accessible listening.

Transcript

Music Chronically Chilled Self Care presents a meditation for grounding in the body during difficult times.

Managing intense emotions can be challenging.

When the nervous system becomes activated,

It's hard to slow down the body's response.

Before you know it,

You're caught in big emotions.

If you have anxiety,

Or if you've experienced trauma,

Activation may be your baseline,

And staying grounded in the body can feel unsafe.

It's okay to feel like whatever you're going through right now is too much because maybe it is.

Maybe your nervous system hasn't built the tolerance necessary to handle this stress yet.

However you're feeling is okay.

Give yourself a moment.

Feel it in your body.

What sensation does this emotion have?

Focus your attention on wherever you feel the sensation of your emotions and allow yourself to take a slow,

Deliberate breath.

Now let's build some resilience to handle this.

First put all of your energy into listening.

If you're wearing earbuds or headphones,

I encourage you to try your best to become aware of the sounds around you.

Become familiar with each sound individually.

There's no need to identify or name anything.

Right now you're just using your senses to perceive.

Allow all of the sounds to come together to create a soundtrack around you.

Notice all of the sounds at once as if they were one sound,

And then focus only on the sound of my voice.

Begin to notice what the area around you smells like.

Can you make out individual fragrances?

Notice how focusing on a different sense makes you feel.

Is it the same or is it different?

Look around you and notice the place you're in.

Begin feeling safe where you are by making a mental list of the room.

Take the time to focus on each thing individually.

Observe their qualities.

What color is the space?

Are there any textures that stand out?

Now look at your own body.

Observe the body with curiosity.

Notice any thoughts that come up,

But try to release yourself from judgment and remain in the practice of noticing.

You may already feel sensitive and therefore more receptive to the energy of your environment.

Notice if anything makes you feel unsafe or ungrounded either in your space or in your body.

Focus on the mental list you made.

If it's in your power,

I encourage you to make a change to your environment so you feel more safe.

Continue observing your body.

As you look at each part of your body,

Try to engage the feeling of that part.

See your hands and feel your hands at the same time.

Sense each part of the body individually and then observe and sense the body as a whole.

Now wherever you are,

Rest your eyes a few feet in front of you.

Open your gaze.

Practice keeping your eyes open but unfocused and allow yourself to blink naturally.

Your visual sense offers a direct link to your nervous system through the brain.

The eyes see,

The brain interprets,

And the body responds.

With time,

Our responses become conditioned and feel automatic.

It's hard to feel in control of the body when it reacts against our will.

Building resilience means learning to filter stimulation and responding to only what is necessary.

We can do that by reducing stimulation,

Unfocusing our eyes or taking our attention away from smells and sounds,

And engaging the feeling of the body in intentional ways.

With your gaze still softly focused,

You may try keeping your eyes closed for an extra half second each time you blink.

Gaze softly and slowly,

Even when your eyelids close,

And allow your eyes to be still.

I encourage you to try closing your eyes for a little bit longer each time.

Keeping your gaze focused on the space behind your eyes or between your eyebrows engages the visual cortex of the brain and helps develop your sense of internal sight.

By practicing with a focused internal gaze,

We can access a subtle layer of the nervous system and begin imagining new neural pathways into existence.

If keeping your eyes closed for too long causes you to feel unsafe,

Please keep your eyes open and softly focused a few feet in front of you.

Allow yourself to be aware but unconcerned.

Feel safe and connected to your surroundings.

Feel yourself landing in your body,

Becoming more aware of sensation.

Feeling the body may bring up thoughts.

Allow your thoughts to happen and practice not reacting to them.

Notice your breath as it moves outside your body.

Experience the feeling of air moving against your skin.

Feel the pressure of the surface you're against.

Notice any points of contact with the ground and take an extra moment to feel that area of your body.

You might try gently pushing yourself against the ground and then allowing that area to completely soften.

Feel the pressure in your body,

Feel the softness of your body.

Now try to become aware of what the memory of that pressure felt like as though it were still happening.

You might want to press yourself gently against the ground again to build the memory of that feeling.

Allow the sensation created by your awareness to melt your body where it meets the ground as though they were one.

Feel your muscles soften and become still.

Notice your breath as air enters your nose or mouth.

Feel the quality of the air you're taking in.

Feel the muscles you're using to control your breath.

Where do you feel sensation?

Allow yourself to notice your breath without trying to control it.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Notice how just bringing your attention to your breath,

Something that's usually automatic,

Changes the quality of it.

Now you may try moving your breath lower in your body.

Feel it expand your abdomen,

Each individual rib.

Allow your ears to relax.

Release your tongue from the roof of your mouth.

Feel your jaw and shoulders soften.

Feel your chest.

Feel your back.

Feel the sensation of belly swaying with the steady flow of breath in and out.

Allow your breath to create a rhythm around which your entire body can soften.

Practice smoothing out the top of your inhale so it flows straight into your exhale.

Feel your diaphragm activate at the very bottom of your exhale and push the air out.

Allow the force of your exhale to immediately pull air back into your lungs and inhale deeply.

Notice where you may be holding your muscles tight.

Muscle tension can be a sign in the body that you're fighting to keep yourself safe.

A physical indication of a subtle disconnect within the nervous system.

You can relay signals of safety to your stiff muscles by intentionally engaging your nervous system with awareness and affirmation.

First,

Practice bringing your awareness fully into your body.

Come unconcerned with what's happening outside of your body and feel what's happening for you.

Trace any lines of tension and allow them to begin to release.

Continue breathing naturally.

Take notice of any differences in how it feels to breathe with your awareness fully inside your body.

Now we'll try a small energy gathering exercise.

If it feels safe and comfortable and you're not currently pregnant,

Take a breath a little more than halfway full and intentionally create tension in the body by holding your breath for three seconds.

Inhale and breathe naturally.

This time,

Take a breath a little more full and engage all of the muscles of your body at once.

Calves,

Thighs,

Bum,

Back,

Chest,

Arms,

All fully engaged.

Hold your breath for three seconds.

Exhale and release all of your muscles.

Breathe normally and allow yourself to notice the difference in how your body feels now.

On your next inhale,

Fill up a little more full and gently engage all of your muscles at once,

Keeping the face and neck soft,

But feeling the fingers and toes individually engaged.

Feel everything tighten and then exhale and release all of your muscles at once.

Take a slow,

Deep inhale,

Breathing as low into your belly as your breath will push.

Hold your breath with all of your muscles relaxed for three,

Two,

One,

And then exhale powerfully.

Depending on how this feels for you,

You may want to create more energy in the body by repeating this series multiple times.

Try experimenting with holding more or less tension in your muscles.

Maybe try exhaling slowly while relaxing progressively from the top down or the bottom up.

Decide what feels best in your body.

Through this practice,

We're creating a sensation of awareness in the body and rebuilding the physical connection to our nervous system.

If you want to practice breathing a few more times before continuing,

Go ahead and pause the audio now.

Take a moment to scan your body.

Start wherever you feel naturally drawn,

Especially if there are any parts of your body that have brought up thoughts or feelings.

Allow yourself to observe.

Begin to notice any muscles gripping.

Notice any tension in your joints.

With your awareness fully present in your body,

Begin to engage the power of affirmation.

Feel each point of tension individually and in your mind with a gentle but authoritative voice.

Repeat,

Thank you.

You can relax.

And feel your muscles release.

Consciously bring your attention to every part of yourself that still feels like it's holding or creating tension and repeat to yourself,

Thank you.

You can relax.

You may even try repeating this exercise to persistent thoughts to release yourself from them as well.

With each slow breath you take,

Feel the sensation of gentle release within your joints and muscles.

Imagine your blood bringing nourishing oxygen through your body.

Imagine the tingly sensation of oxygenation as you consciously direct your breath toward relaxation.

Feel your shoulders lower,

Your elbows and wrists relax.

Your fingers soften.

Feel the area around your heart unclench.

Feel your breath releasing your ribs,

Your solar plexus,

Your stomach.

Feel the heaviness of your hips,

Feel your thighs,

Your knees,

Your shins relax.

Allow your feet to rest in stillness.

As each part of your body relaxes,

Experience a new level of stillness.

Feel the stillness growing up from your point of connection with the ground,

Down as stillness enters your body through your breath.

Feel your body begin to settle and grow heavy.

Feel your mind begin to settle.

Now take a deep breath and squeeze your eyelids tight together.

As you exhale,

Allow your eyelids to soften.

If your eyes feel fluttery or active,

Squeeze your eyelids tight together again and then feel your face soften.

Each time you squeeze,

Focus on moving just your eyelids.

Allow your cheeks,

Nose,

Forehead and jaw to each soften and feel the tension fade from your face.

As you explore stillness,

Feel all of the parts of you aligning into one whole self.

Close your eyes and breathe naturally.

If it helps you stay focused,

You may try counting the length of your inhale and exhale,

But sink into the rhythm of your breath.

Remember how it felt to close your eyes with your gaze softly focused.

Begin to see the space behind your eyes.

As you focus on that space,

Imagine a light glowing.

Notice the color of your light.

Deepen your breath by extending the length of your inhale and exhale,

But keep the idea or image of light in your mind.

Feel the sensation of heat build in your forehead as the light glows more brightly.

Inhale deeply into your belly,

Filling yourself up as much as you can.

Imagine the light behind your eyes flaring up in brilliant flames as you exhale forcefully.

Watch it shine brightly in your imagination.

Keeping that visualization in your mind,

Open your eyes.

Look around you at your physical space and imagine yourself surrounded by a closed circle made of the same light you created.

See yourself at the center of a glowing circle.

As you breathe deeply,

Imagine a luminescent fog builds around you.

With every breath you take,

The foggy light grows.

You are filling this space with psychic power.

This is your space.

While you're here,

You're safe.

Take a slow breath in.

You might imagine with each inhale,

You're filling yourself with a powerful healing light,

Instilling yourself with a sense of calm.

Take a slow breath out.

Maybe with every exhale,

You feel another part of yourself soften.

Allow the rhythm of your breath to ground you.

When you're ready,

End your practice by repeating to yourself either out loud or in your mind,

I am safe and feel yourself surrounded by a sense of safety.

Thank you.

Reviews

Thank you!!! 🙏📿🙏

Felt so much calmer and centered after this thanks so much, I play this regularly :-)

Really enjoyed this. Such helpful tips, thank you 🙏🏻💞

Thank you so very much Emerson for a beautiful experience

Really interesting, I learned so much! Great meditation for helping you take back control of your mind and body during stressful times. I feel more relaxed and will definitely re-visit this one again. Thank you!

Great! I’ve heard many meditations over the years. This one uses a different style altogether and it kept my awareness focused. That’s a great idea for the nervous system. My ego couldn’t get control of me. Self talk is truly lowered big time. Great soft voice and very audible .Thanks so much. Sending love and gratitude your way.

Great. Thank you.

This is the best grounding guided meditation that I have found so far . If you are a beginner or just dont know how to ground yourself this meditation will guide you so smooth, and slowly in different steps to understand and let go of the chattered mind .I will revisit this again and again until I am able to do this by myself . Thank you so much !! Love and light 🙏

This helped me a lot with physical and mental health challenges today. Thank you. 🙏

Excellent tools for helping to embody and sooth the nervous system. More "technical" than spiritual, but very deeply effective. Thank you!

Very soothing with a good variety of practical practices. A much needed reminder to treat yourself and your body with kindness and gentle authority.

This is a powerful and supportive practice for me. I needed this today. Thank you!

Great, calm voice. Gentleness prevails.

Beautiful voice, perfectly guiding my anxiety -filled body into a deep sense of calm. Namaste 🙏

Wonderful de-stress meditation. Thanks so much.