This is a meditation for grounding and orienting.
It may be a useful coping tool during times when you're experiencing anxiety or mild dissociation.
However,
It's recommended that you listen to this meditation at least once when you're in a relatively calm state.
For the duration of this meditation,
You will be invited to keep your eyes open.
Keeping your eyes open is one of the most effective ways to stay oriented and present during a meditation.
I'll be making several suggestions of where you might be orienting your attention.
However,
Please use your own best judgment.
If anything doesn't feel right for you,
Simply disregard the suggestion.
You can begin by sitting comfortably or standing comfortably with your feet on the ground or floor.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Feel the connection between the soles of your feet and whatever surface is beneath them.
You are here.
You can feel the weight of your body being supported by the ground below you and the surface that you're sitting on.
Take the next few moments to look all around you,
Noticing your surroundings.
Make sure to turn your head as you look around,
Including behind you,
And you might notice five things that you can see.
And allowing the head to return to center.
We'll be working with engaging the large muscle groups of the legs by pointing and flexing the feet.
This is a way that we shift the orientation of the nervous system.
Feel free to adjust the directions in a way that feels good for you.
Begin by extending the right leg just a little out in front of you so you have some more room for your foot to flex and point.
Begin by taking a deep breath in as you point the foot,
Feeling a stretch across the top of the foot and extending the right leg.
Feeling the muscles activate across the whole front of the right leg and breathing out,
Begin to draw the toes towards you,
Extending out through the heel,
Feeling the back of the leg engage.
Breathing in,
Pointing the foot.
Breathing out,
Flexing the foot.
Breathing in as you point the foot.
Breathing out and flexing the foot.
Three more times,
According to your own natural breath rhythm.
The next time you breathe out,
Lower the right foot back down,
Allowing the whole right foot to be flat on the floor,
Taking a couple of moments to notice anything you might be feeling within your system,
And then extend the left leg out a little.
And as you next breathe in,
Point the toes forward,
Feeling the stretch across the top of the foot.
Maybe the foot and leg lifts up a little bit as you feel activation of the muscles across the top of the leg,
And then breathing out,
Drawing the toes towards you as you extend out through the heel.
Muscles in the back of the leg engage.
Breathing in,
Pointing through the foot.
Breathing out,
Flexing the foot.
Continue four more times on your own,
Seeing if you can be fully aware of the sensations and the movement of the foot and leg.
And when you're done,
Place your foot flat on the ground again,
So that both feet are firmly planted,
Feeling into the contact points along the soles of the feet,
The heels,
And the toes.
Lift your toes up for a moment,
And then plant them down,
Spreading the feet out.
Extending them out a little bit,
Really feeling that connection with the ground below.
And as you next breathe in,
Feel as though the breath is flowing in through the soles of the feet.
And as you breathe out,
The breath flows back out through the soles of the feet,
Extending down into the ground,
Rooted and supported.
Breathing in,
Drawing that support and breath in through the soles of the feet.
Breathing out,
Rooting down into the ground.
Continue breathing in and out through the soles of the feet in time with your own comfortable breath rhythm.
Feeling the connection between your body and the ground below.
Feeling as though each breath brings support and connection between you and the ground beneath you.
And once complete,
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
As you next breathe in,
Raise your arms up above your head and give yourself a nice stretch up through the sides of the body,
Lifting up the shoulders through the sides of the arms.
Reach,
Reach,
Reach,
Feeling that energy flowing up through the hands and the feet.
Letting it dance through each of the fingers.
Exhaling and floating the arms back down.
This time,
Inhale and just raise the shoulders up,
Raising them up towards the ears.
Reach,
Reach,
Reach.
And let them down all at once with a sigh.
Breathing in and drawing the shoulders up to the ears.
Reach,
Reach,
Reach,
Drawing them up as much as possible.
Hold,
Hold.
Sip in a little more air,
A little bit more.
And exhale.
Drop the shoulders all at once.
One more time.
Draw the shoulders up,
Reaching them up towards the ears as you breathe in.
Reach,
Reach,
Reach.
Sip in a little more breath.
Sip in a little more breath.
Sip in a little bit more.
And exhale.
Drop the shoulders down.
Turn your head to one side,
Dropping the ear towards the shoulder.
Allow the head to roll forward so your chin is towards your chest.
Then draw your left ear up towards your left shoulder.
Head tilted to the left.
And drop it back down to the center,
Chin to chest.
Back over to the right.
Right ear to the right shoulder.
Then bring your head back up to center.
Bring your hands to your thighs,
To your lap.
And just gently squeeze along the thighs.
Just bringing yourself fully back.
Squeezing the hands along the legs.
Feeling yourself present.
And then letting the hands be comfortable in the lap.
And take another look around your environment.
Making sure to turn your head.
Look all around you,
Including behind you.
Deep breath in.
Complete breath out.
Now take a few moments to just be present with yourself before you move on to whatever else it is that you may be doing today.
Closing the practice and relaxing all efforts.
