Hello this is Dr Jo Ablott from Flow Clinical Psychology and this is just a short grounding practice for when you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed,
Anxious,
Stressed or perhaps when you're just wanting to give yourself a five to ten minute break just to restore the mind and body.
And I'm just going to ring a bell at the start and the end of the practice so that you know that it's complete but you can continue to sit or lie down for a few more minutes if you want to.
So coming to a comfortable seated or lying down position,
Aiming to have your spine as straight as you can,
If you're lying down not too propped up on pillows but doing what your body needs so don't worry if you do need to have your head propped on pillows if it's not comfortable to lie flatter.
And starting to feel the points of contact with your body on the item that you're sat or laying on.
So noticing the head against the back of a chair against a pillow or the floor.
Noticing any contact with the back and what you're sitting or lying on on the lower body.
Perhaps noticing your feet on the ground or your feet lying freely.
Bringing your attention to your eyes and the area behind the eyes where we often hold a lot of tension without realizing it.
Just allowing the muscles at the back of the eyes to relax as if they're falling away towards the back of the head.
Maybe noticing the area at the back of the head.
Feeling any tension draining away.
Bringing your attention to any sounds that you can hear externally.
Noticing where you receive these sounds,
Trying not to judge them in any way.
Noticing anything from outside of the room that you're in.
Any sounds from inside the room and any internal sounds from your own body.
Noticing your breath.
Are you breathing into the chest?
Can you feel yourself breathing deeper into the abdomen using the whole of the lungs?
Does your breath feel quite fast and shallow?
Does it feel slow and deep?
Just noticing if there's anything restricting that breath.
Any tightness in the diaphragm,
The chest,
The abdomen.
Just noticing that and allowing it to soften.
Noticing any other bodily sensations.
Anything that the body's trying to tell you today.
Just allowing yourself to focus on this for a moment.
Again,
Not judging it or trying to change it but just allowing yourself to receive any messages from your body.
Recognizing whether you're thirsty or hungry.
Have you been looking after yourself today?
Have you had time to stop and notice what you need?
Becoming aware of any particular thoughts in the mind and how you're feeling emotionally.
So just fully checking in with your mind and body as it is right now today for you.
Setting any intentions of what you might want to do after this practice in response to anything that you've become aware of.
Might be as simple as getting a glass of water remembering that you've not eaten.
Maybe wanting to have a little stretch of any areas that are feeling tense or like they want to move.
It might be that you notice that you want to rest for a little longer and that's okay as well.
Take this opportunity and space if you can.
So just setting that intention and then when you are ready to end the practice,
You can continue for longer.
When you're ready to end,
Just bringing your attention back to the point of contact with the body and what you're sitting or lying on,
The temperature in the room and just bring yourself back when you are ready.
