This is a grounding practice.
Think of a tree and the roots offering support and strength.
It's the same for you.
When you're grounded,
You can stay strong and supported during whatever is happening in your life.
Often during the day,
Our minds are active and on autopilot,
Thinking about the past or planning for the future.
We're multitasking and less engaged in the moment.
Whether it is stress from work or personal lives,
World events or a combination of them all,
Taking the time to ground yourself in the present can help with anxiety or feelings of overwhelm,
Rooting you in what is happening this moment,
Right now.
Each of the practices we do can be done together or on their own as a mini reset.
I invite you to come into a comfortable seated position with your feet flat on the floor,
Your back in an alert posture,
And your hands resting in your lap or on the arms of your chair.
If you need to move or shift during your practice to get more comfortable,
Do so mindfully.
Recognize the urge,
Then adjust as needed.
You'll be starting today with your eyes open.
Using your senses is an effective way of quickly bringing your attention into your body and into the present,
Knowing that not everyone has use of each of their senses.
If we're on a sense that is not available to you,
Use the time to explore one of your other senses.
Look around your environment for five things that you see.
Try to resist coming up with a to-do list of tasks that need to get organized or completed and use the experience as an exercise and observation.
Using a beginner's mind to see what is presently around you which you might otherwise not pay attention to,
A reflection of light,
Shadowing,
Textures,
Something of beauty.
For the rest of the senses,
I invite you to close your eyes.
With your eyes closed,
Your other senses are able to be more engaged.
However,
If you prefer,
You can also gaze softly down to reduce distraction.
Notice four things that you feel.
Maybe the weight of your body in the chair,
The contact points with your seat,
The texture of your clothing,
The temperature of the air.
If you have pain today,
The sensation might be what you notice feeling.
You can focus your attention on the pain and explore with curiosity if that changes the sensation at all.
However,
If that's uncomfortable,
You can direct your attention to a more neutral spot that doesn't have pain.
Begin to listen for three sounds that you hear,
Those off in the distance and those closer by.
If you're fortunate enough to be in a quiet environment,
You can notice that too.
Use your sense of smell to find two aromas in the air.
Depending on your environment,
This can be difficult.
And if you don't notice any sense,
Notice the absence of smells.
Or focus your attention on the temperature of the air.
Finally,
Swirl your tongue around your mouth and notice any taste that may be lingering.
If there are no flavors present,
You can also notice the temperature in your mouth,
The weight of your tongue.
This 5,
4,
3,
2,
1 sense technique can be used anywhere and is a wonderful start to a mindfulness session or can be used as a grounding reset during the day.
Take a moment to check your posture.
Tuck your chin down slightly to elongate the back of your neck.
And bring your attention to your breath.
Without controlling it,
Notice the path of your breath from the inhale,
The pause,
Through the exhale,
The pause.
Noticing the full cycle of the breath.
Many people feel the breath most strongly in their nostrils,
The chest,
The back,
Or the belly.
Notice where the sensation is the strongest for you.
Focusing on the breath is grounding because your breath is in the present.
When breathing,
You don't reflect on breaths from a day ago or think about breaths you'll take tomorrow.
Each breath is a reminder of this moment rooting you in the present.
There are times that our mind needs a more concrete anchor for our breath.
This job that we give our mind to do helps us ground our attention in the breath on days that our minds are busier.
A helpful technique is called square breathing.
The goal is to make each part of your breath the same length of time.
Each part of the breath is a side of the square.
Let's practice this together.
Inhale for a count of four.
Hold for a count of four.
Exhale for a count of four.
Hold for a count of four.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Hold.
Continue at your own pace,
Keeping each part of the breath the same length of time.
If you're a tactile person,
You can trace with your finger the sides of the square along with your breath on a table or even your leg.
And if at any point you need to return to your natural rhythm of breathing,
Please follow what feels right for your body.
Release your attention to the breath and allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.
Notice how your mind and body feel.
Creating this short pause during your day helps to reset so you can proceed in a focused and calm way.
Bringing your awareness to your physical body is another effective grounding technique.
Begin by focusing your attention on your feet.
Observe where you feel the contact with the floor.
Notice the balance of pressure and the contact points with the ground.
The feeling of your shoes,
Your socks,
Or the temperature of the air if you're barefoot.
Imagine your feet rooting you in the present.
Roots coming out of the soles of your feet,
Rooting you into the earth.
Breathing in and imagining the breath traveling all the way down to your feet.
And either traveling back up again on the exhale or just entering into the earth.
Before we end the meditation,
Take a moment to sit in stillness.
Sitting with open awareness to the sounds and whatever comes to your attention.
Practicing being here with what is.
This is often a time where we have clarity and creativity.
Consider setting an intention to check in periodically throughout your day,
To tune into your senses,
Do a few cycles of square breathing,
Even tune in to the soles of your feet.
I like to end my meditations on a moment of gratitude.
Bring to mind someone or something you're thankful for and mentally send out a thank you.
Then as your meditation comes to a close,
Take your time coming back out of it.
You can begin to mindfully shift in your seat.
Listen to the sounds around you,
Stretch,
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
