Hello,
My name is Susan Guttridge,
And I'm so grateful to have you here listening.
There are times when the currents of life feel particularly strong,
Leaving us feeling a little adrift,
Perhaps experiencing fear,
Helplessness,
Or uncertainty.
If any of that resonates with you,
Please know that you are not alone in these feelings.
This guided practice is designed to support you in moments when you can't quite find your ground.
So together,
Let's honor what's present,
And together,
Let's begin to find our way back to stable ground.
If you're feeling a sense of unease or uncertainty,
Or perhaps a deep ache of helplessness right now,
Please know that you are not alone.
These are natural responses when the world feels unsteady,
And it's courageous to acknowledge them.
In this moment,
We don't need to push these feelings away.
We're strong enough to sit with them together.
To get started,
I invite you to bring your awareness to your breath.
Perhaps you notice a tightness or constriction in your chest.
Just noticing what's there,
Without forcing anything to change.
On your inhale,
Say to yourself,
I am breathing in.
And on your exhale,
Say to yourself,
I am breathing out.
Try that with me now.
Inhaling in,
I am breathing in.
Exhaling out,
I am breathing out.
Inhaling in,
I am breathing in.
Exhaling out,
I am breathing out.
Continue that for a few more breath cycles at a rhythm that feels right for you.
You could even add in an audible sigh with your exhale,
As if releasing a little bit of the weight you might be carrying today.
Now,
Whether you're sitting or lying down,
Let your awareness drift to where your body connects with the surface,
The floor,
Or the ground beneath you.
Notice that simple,
Undeniable presence of gravity holding you.
Whatever the surface you are on,
Just notice if you can,
The subtle weight of your body sinking into the support of it.
When the world feels unsteady,
Sometimes it's hard to find our footing,
Hard to find our ground.
If you are new to grounding practices,
It can be hard to make sense of why anchor in grounding,
So there's an analogy I often use.
Imagine,
For a moment,
Your refrigerator,
That giant appliance in your home that keeps your food from spoiling.
Its power cord has three prongs,
Two for electricity,
And a third,
A crucial one,
For grounding.
If there's ever an unexpected surge of electricity,
That grounding prong safely diverts the excess current,
Protecting the refrigerator's sensitive internal components from being overwhelmed by the excessive electrical current and thereby preventing damage.
In a similar way,
When we intentionally ground ourselves during moments of heightened emotion or overwhelm,
By connecting with our body,
Our breath,
The solid earth beneath us,
We are doing something very much like that.
We're essentially creating a pathway for that intense excess emotional energy to move safely through us,
Rather than accumulating and overwhelm our internal system.
Just like the refrigerator,
Our grounding practice is a way to steady ourselves,
To return to balance and inner calm,
To remember our innate resilience even when life sends a surge our way.
Breathing in together,
Exhaling out together.
And now,
With this renewed sense of grounded presence,
Let's cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness.
If it feels okay,
Place a hand over your heart and bring to your mind a feeling of warmth or peace or gentle well-being within yourself.
It might show up as a soft glow.
Just notice the felt sense of it,
However subtle.
If you aren't sure how to get that spark started,
You could consider who's made you smile recently.
Because even in the midst of difficult times,
We can pause to acknowledge a smile,
A moment of awe,
An act of kindness,
An exception to the uncertainty.
Allow that spark of warmth or peace or gentle well-being to grow within you now.
Fanning the flame of that tiny spark of peaceful warmth within,
Allow it to fill your entire being from the top of your head all the way down with warmth to the tips of your toes.
And now,
Fanning that spark a little bit more,
Imagine it extending beyond you,
Flowing outward.
Send this warmth,
This peace,
This loving-kindness from your heart,
From your being,
To your loved ones.
To your community,
And also to the larger world around you.
To all beings.
Feel your connection to that larger world around you.
Our shared humanity.
Sending out your most loving wish.
May you be safe.
May you be protected.
May you know peace.
May you be free.
And anchoring back with your breath,
Saying as you breathe in,
Just to yourself,
I am breathing in.
And as you exhale,
I am breathing out.
Resting for a moment longer here in the quiet steadiness of your physical being.
Held by the earth.
Connected by your breath.
Your heart open to the profound peace that can be found even amidst the currents of life.
Thank you for taking this time.
May you be well.
