What is it, why and how to do it
You may have heard the term "Grounding" before, but what is it? Why would you want to do it? and if you do want to do it, how?
Bears are naturally very grounded
Grounding is a reference to grounding your energy, or connecting to the Earth. This helps to bring you back "down to Earth" when you're feeling spaced out or disconnected from your body or from what's going on around you. This can happen easily if you're feeling overwhelmed or if you're feeling pulled in multiple directions at once. It is also quite common for people who are highly empathetic and feel the emotions and energy of people around them. Grounding is a way of centering yourself back into your own body and your own energy, in this moment in time and the place where you are. To bring your focus back into your own body in the here and now.
Grounding is an energetic practice, so it can be done any time, any place as it is not something that is visible to anyone else. It has great effect on your mental and emotional state but is not a physical practice that others will see. This means it is available when you most need it, whenever you're feeling stressed no matter where you are or who you're with.
To ground, imagine roots growing from the bottoms of your feet, or from the base of your spine down deep into the ground. Send them far down, towards the center of the Earth. You may visualize this in your imagination, or you may feel it, or just intend for it to happen. Everyone is different, experience it however feels most natural to you. Try it different ways and see what you like. It doesn't matter much where you are or if you have shoes on. Just imagine the roots going through the floor, concrete, whatever is in between you and the ground. The only time you would have trouble is in an airplane, or on a boat over deep water. I would not recommend trying to ground in those two instances. Then, once your roots are down deep into the ground, you can send any excess energy you have in your body down the roots into the ground. Any energy or emotions you may have picked up from people around you that isn't yours. Any energy that feels heavy or incompatible to you, let that flow down the roots as well. We can pick up heavy energy from our environment, it happens when people are angry or fearful and this is quite common. Just let all the heavy or excess energy flow down and out.
Once all the heavy or excess energy is gone from your body, you should feel more focused, more present, less overwhelmed. If you are feeling tired, in pain, or just need to recharge, you can now pull fresh energy from the Earth to replenish your own energy. This energy is revitalizing, and pain relieving. Draw in energy until you feel full. Once you're done, you can pull your roots back up into your body.
Since this is all energy work and invisible from the outside, you can do this any time you feel like it. You could be having a family gathering over the holidays and do grounding to let go of all the expectations and excess energy that can otherwise be overwhelming, and nobody will know but you.
This is an energy practice to help you keep peace within yourself, and by extension keep peace with those around you. It pulls your focus and your energy back into your own body, and removes excess energy that causes overwhelm. This is one of the most important techniques in personal energy maintenance, and yet it is very easy to do. Anyone can do it, any time. I hope that you find it helpful!