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How to Ground Your Root Chakra

Happiness | Lifestyle

Ever wonder why it feels so damn good to have your feet on the earth? The sand between your toes and the grass tickling your soles?

Or why is it you feel such immense peace and happiness to be surrounded completely by nature, outside of the concrete jungle that most of us live in? We all crave that time of year that we get to go on holiday, to completely disconnect and lay by the ocean and walk among the trees.

Yep, most of us are in desperate need of grounding. We become so disconnected to the Earth from which we came that our Root Chakra can't even find the earth beneath us to ground into. When this happens, we get that that stressful, anxious or depressed feeling you may be familiar with.

Before you think its all woo woo, let's do the science part first.

On the Earth's Ions and the Necessity of Grounding

The earth is charged with negative ions and the world we live in today is primarily charged with positive ions (think living on electronics, wifi, and the concrete jungle).

Positive ions are also increased around the full moon period which explains the hyped energy and erratic thoughts during that time, but we are exposing ourselves to this every day!

If we don't balance ourselves and reconnect with nature, we become disconnected from the present moment, the earth, life and ultimately ourselves.

Grounding is the function of the Muladhara, the first chakra located at the very base of the spine. It is our sense of belonging, of being here and now, always supported, safe and provided for.

Our Mother Earth offers us this foundation and nurturing if only we would get outside and soak in nature. Most of us are so caught up in our minds, feeding this anxiety and craziness by planning ahead, seeking this illusion of control and security instead of just being and allowing life to flow from the present moment.

To just 'be' is to have faith and trust that you will always be ok, that you don't need to plan ahead to be safe and supported, you only need to surrender to the guidance of the present moment.

This is the role of our Great Mother Earth, surrender yourself and let her do her thang!

Connecting to Mother Earth

Connecting back to Mother Earth is a sense of coming home, everything created in this life is energy, all vibrating on different frequencies. When we begin to understand this, we have a deep knowing that we are the earth and the earth is within us — all created from the same great source of energy.

We were never meant to be so disconnected from nature. We forget we are a part of it, and can't exist without this connection.

More than ever we are feeling this disconnection with all these cement walls up, busy office lives and horrible shoes. When we lie on the grass and let Her flow through us, we are returning home. Immense peace and clarity flows through us as we hover in the eternal now nurtured by our Great Mother.

How You Can Feel 'At Home' Anywhere

I am speaking from experience here, traveling for two and a half years I constantly had to seek grounding, and now that I am home, well it doesn't feel like home anymore. Home is when I am connected to Earth and through this connection I know that home is within me.

So here is the best way to actively ground yourself and going that one step further than being barefoot or that dip in the ocean. This technique is about becoming actively 'plugged in' throughout your body.

Think of connecting tent rods: if they are disconnected, they will not be able to hold up the tent and ground down into the earth. It's the same with your body! Being connected means the earth energy can flow freely through your body, reaching every cell.

  • Stand on the earth barefoot (dirt, sand, grass anything that is actually earth!)
  • Spread your toes wide and then relax through the feet
  • Center your weight over your feet, rock back and forth, side to side until you find your center
  • Ground down through all four corners of each foot
  • Traveling upwards, lift up your knee caps and activate the thighs
  • Become aware of your femur (thigh bone) plugging into your hip joint
  • Keeping the spine long, bring awareness to your hips again, notice if you are slumping into your hips and if you are, lift up out of them by pulling the lower and upper abs in and up. This will elevate the spine
  • Keep your shoulders broad, think of spreading your collarbones wide
  • Your arms actively extend down by your sides, hands and fingers active
  • From your tailbone all the way to the crown of your head, extend upwards and find length

Now you are all plugged in, close your eyes, and gently push down through your feet and into the earth. You will notice this positive resistance as you gently push down, earth energy will rise up through you.

Keeping your body aligned and connected is important, we don't just want this energy to travel up our legs but all through our body. Inhale, imagine (or feel) yourself pulling up this earth energy from your feet all the way up to the crown. Exhale imagine this energy, from the crown of your head, traveling back down along your spine, into your feet and growing your roots deeper into the earth.

Let your body drink in this nourishing earth energy, you only need a few long breaths to reconnect. Let the past and the future fall away, absorb those negative ions into your body and come back into balance.

Lastly, give thanks to Mother Earth, for Her support, for providing for your every need in Divine timing and bringing you back to the eternal now, the only real moment we ever have.

Featured in New York Magazine, The Guardian, and The Washington Post
Featured in the Huffington Post, USA Today, and VOGUE

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