by Miriam Moussaioff

Step 1.   SHIFT YOUR ATTENTION INWARD and quiet the mind.

Find a comfortable place to sit. Focus on the sensations of breathing in your body. Feel your breath as you inhale and exhale. If your mind wanders, return to your breath; stay present for 5 full breaths.

Step 2.   INVITE YOUR BODY TO SOFTEN and RELAX.  

Gently invite the tight places in your body to relax. Sense what is happening inside you at this moment.

Step 3.   BE RECEPTIVE AND KIND TO YOUR SELF. 

Practice lovingkindness towards your self. See if you can open to what is happening without judging, fixing, or analyzing. Just pay attention to what arises and let it be.

Step 4.   GROUND.

Imagine/sense that you are extending a large tree root from the base of your spine into the earth. Let it anchor deep into the heart of the earth. Open your feet to receive the healing life force of the earth, like a tree drawing water from the ground. Feel the earth’s energy move up through your feet and legs into your 1st chakra at the base of your spine. Imagine releasing negative, old or stuck energies down to the earth through your grounding anchor to be composted. Do this cycle 3 times: sense earth energy moving through your feet into your pelvis and then back down to the center of the earth.

Step 5.   PROTECT your energetic space.

Imagine/sense a safe, protective boundary around you at least 3 feet in all directions. See yourself inside a beautiful golden cocoon with a gold perimeter. Imagine filling the inside of the cocoon with a healing color.

Step 6. CONNECT WITH YOUR INTUITION.   Welcome your Self to be here as is.

Bring your awareness into your heart and intuitive center or 6th chakra (between your brows). Ask for and open to receive guidance.

Step 7. REST.

Finding Your Ground: Being Here Now by Miriam Lelah Moussaioff

Grounding is about being Here. Now. Really being here fully, in this moment. Just as you are. For most of us, this is no small task and takes practice. But I can tell you after practicing and teaching grounding for many years that the rewards are well worth the effort.

Grounding helps you connect with your inner strength; it helps you plug in so that you can listen to and follow your intuition. A strong grounding system also helps keep you healthy, balanced, clear and present.

Grounding is a tool for not getting lost in your thoughts about the future or the past. When you are ungrounded, your energy can plummet or rev up and spin out of control, like an engine idling too high. People and events can easily knock you off your feet. Being ungrounded often makes people feel easily overwhelmed, confused and/or drained. Sound familiar?

When stress runs high, grounding can calm you down, help you land and return to sanity. Grounding gets you back on your feet so you make better decisions instead of flying by the seat of your pants.

Like a tree rooting deeply in the earth, strengthening your ground helps plant your feet on earth so you can live life more fully. The grounding practice I teach is a guided meditation that, like all forms of meditation, brings awareness to what is happening in the present moment, in your body.

Here is a little taste: Take a moment to notice what is happening in your body at this moment. How do you feel? Is your breathing shallow? Are you feeling any tension or pain? Can you feel your feet….your belly….your chest rise and fall as you breathe….? Try taking a deep breath in and slowly let it go….Do you feel present as you read or is your mind racing all over the place planning, thinking, analyzing or problem-solving?

Everyone has a their own way to ground. You can ground through meditation using imagery, intention or sensation or just by bringing mindfulness or presence to what you are doing each moment. Some people ground by dancing or singing; others by writing, listening to music or hiking in the woods. Even washing dishes can be grounding if you practice being present and connected with your body.

Ultimately, grounding helps you become more present. As one of my teachers says, “You have to be present to win.” When you practice grounding you are basically showing up, saying yes to life even in the midst of all the ups and downs. For me, grounding is the foundation for all energy healing work because it opens the doorway to your real self/true nature/ Spirit. When you show up, you open to the light of your Being which is always here anyway, only now you get to taste it and feel and know and be that.