3/31/2020 0 Comments GroundedIt may feel a little like you are grounded. Like maybe you stayed out past curfew and your parents put the hammer down. Now you have to stay home, no going out with friends, no after school activities, no parties, nothing. It feels a little like that. Like maybe we've been bad and we need to be punished. Or, is it possible to reframe the whole idea of grounding in the first place. What is it to ground somebody? It's a time-out. We've come to associate "time-out" as a punishment too, but with the right spin and time-out can be an opportunity to reset. Because as a population, we very much needed a time-out. Our lives are busy. We have become working machines. Our social calendars would send any butterfly right back into their cocoon. Think of the pace you were keeping three weeks ago and compare that to now. I know it may feel like all the structure and fun has gone out of your life. How does that make you feel? Bored? Worthless? Or free? Your time is now your own. That's the beauty of being grounded. That's the beauty of this time-out we have been given. It's an opportunity to reconnect to ourselves, to our families ... and to the earth. When we were out running all over the world at break-neck speed to get here or there or do this or that, rarely did we look up to see how the world around us was changing. We barreled on without the natural pace set by the natural world. Our houses are the same temperature all year round. We eat whatever foods are on our grocery store shelves, not necessarily what is in season. We stay up way past sunset with artificial lights - many of which are screens. Our body rarely comes into direct contact with the earth. Our everyday lives were out of control. We were disconnected. It was like the equivalent of billions of wreckless teenagers rebelling against their mothers all at the same time (way into adulthood). Except in this case, we were all rebelling against THE mother. Mother Earth. So let yourself be grounded. See it as an opportunity. Take this time-out to reset yourself. Reconnect to the Earth. It's as simple as stepping outside. Well, it's a little more than that. First, take off your shoes. Oh, and your socks. So many of our planet's illnesses (and specifically those in the United States) began when we went from wearing natural soles shoes to rubber soles or other artificial materials starting around the 1960s. It was a huge step in the wrong direction - we separated from our planet and we've only gotten further and further away. Just as plants draw their energy from the soil, we to draw healing energies from the earth into our bodies. It is a little hard to understand because the energy we pull up isn't as easily defined as they are in plants. We absorb electromagnetic energy from the earth. Though invisible, it is one of the most powerful and natural medicines available to us. Direct contact with grass, soil or sand for just a few minutes each day has been proven to reduce anxiety, inflammation and a whole host of other ailments in the human body. Plus, it just feels good. Add to that a sunny day and you may get hooked on walking barefoot in your garden. Don't believe me? Try it. Take those bare feet out today and wriggle them in the grass. Really use all your senses. Feel the loose soil beneath your feet and the sun on your face. Let your body relax so your feel really connected. Breathe deeply, drawing in the fresh spring fragrances bursting to life around you. Imagine your body is like a giant straw. Instead of thinking of your breath coming in and out through your nose or mouth, imagine you are breathing up through the bottoms of your feet. Draw that beautiful earth energy up your body. Give it any color you like. I like to imagine red. Maybe the energy moves up easily like water from a drinking straw or maybe it is thick and seedy like a strawberry milkshake. It's okay to give it whatever imagery works for you. It's silly to be breathing through your feet - and that is fine. It's fun. Laughing helps the energy to move more freely. This practice is a real thing called Earthing or Grounding. Earth alone or with your family. Pets love to Earth too. If you have a dog or a cat see if they will stand or sit with you. You could even lie down in the grass. Breath through your back. Woah - did that just get weird? Good. Because to navigate in this new world, we are going to have to get a little out of our comfort zones. Trust me. Have fun with it. Try resting your hands on the earth. Can you breathe through your hands? Silly is good. In this new world we are discovering - being grounded can be a very good thing.
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