7 Ways To Ground Yourself

Tonight I had an acupuncture session with the wonderful Erin Telford. 

I was on the phone with Jamie this morning and mentioned to her that I would really like to get acupuncture for my tailbone injury. Isa had also recommended I get acupuncture, in order to release the tension in the muscles in the surrounding area, and get the energy moving. Because the injury was so high impact, and nerves were compressed, energy needs to get flowing again. 

I told Jamie I was looking for an acupuncturist who would not only give me needles, but talk to me about some of the more emotional/spiritual connections of being injured in the tailbone. I’ve been having a difficult time making decisions lately, I’m talking big decisions, foundational life decisions. I’ve had a feeling that having an injury in my tailbone, in the seat, the foundation, the very base of my spine…well, it all has to be connected. 

Jamie said, “Erin is who you want to talk to! She’s amazing.” I like to joke and say that Jamie is my “life concierge,” always hooking me up with the best resources for what I need, so of course I went to Erin’s website immediately and it turned out she had only ONE opening in the next few days…and it was today at 5:30pm.

I went to see her, and ended up having one of the most profound conversations of my life. I’m not joking at all. It was one of those unexpected, last-minute, “yes” decisions that I made, and ended up flipping my perspective on my reality. This is one reason I love New York City. So many things happen here, and you never know what’s going to happen in any given day.

I’m not going to go into all the nitty gritty of what we talked about because some of it was pretty personal, but one of the things she said is important for me right now is the practice of grounding myself more, connecting more to the Earth. 

Grounding and connecting to the Earth can be incredibly helpful when we’re feeling unfocused, unstable, unclear, or when we have anxious or nervous energy. 

Getting energetically grounded can also be helpful after you’ve eaten sugar or sweets (even juices), as it can rebalance any spacey energy. 

Listen, you all know how much I love being otherworldly. But sometimes, I can get lost *out there* and find it hard to ground in my human experience. Erin reminded me that many of the life decisions we make every day really do require us to have a more grounded energy. In order to feel strong and grounded in our lives and our life decisions, we need to connect more to the ground, to our HOME, to the FOUNDATION that’s providing us a place to live and breathe and work and grow from.

The Earth is our bedrock.

My tailbone injury is highly connected to a sense of ungrounding, as it’s the foundation and seat in my body. 

Loved this description of getting grounded from another Erin, Erin Pavlina:

“Are you grounded?  Or is your energy drifting off like a helium balloon in the sky?  

Being grounded means you are present in your life, not obsessed with the past or future.  It means your energy is planted firmly in your body instead of drifting off into airy-fairy land.  Being grounded means you have stability, security, and control over your life.  It means being ready to handle life’s challenges instead of burying your head in the sand and pretending they aren’t there.  It means you are checked in instead of checked out.”

Erin and I brainstormed some ways for me to really become a grounded Earth woman (hehe – new goal – I’m excited), and I added a few more too.

 

7 Ways To Ground Yourself

Touch the ground more.

Walking barefoot on the dirt and grass, sitting on the ground in the park or at the beach, touching the Earth. It’s so calming. This actually works out PERFECTLY for me because, as fate would have it, I actually signed up for a pottery class in Brooklyn yesterday before all this Earth talk even began, feeling a desire to work with my hands. My hands will literally be touching clay and mud for hours. I’ve never done that before. I’m so excited to physically make mugs and bowls with clay that came from the Earth, I can barely stand it.  I just looked up “what is clay?” and it says “a stiff, sticky fine-grained earth.” CLAY IS EARTH. This is awesome.

Admire the beauty of the Earth. 

“Connecting to the Earth can be so beautiful, and trippy,” Erin said. When you realize the sheer amazingness of everything the Earth offers us, it’s so wild. The colors, the ecosystems, the way everything is connected, the purpose each part of nature has…it’s hard to believe. Erin recommended taking a few moments to admire a tree, and to thank it for giving us oxygen. Especially in a bustling concrete city like New York. I admired the trees and smiled at them the entire way home, as I listened to my new favorite song on repeat. People probably thought I was high, but who cares? Trees are EPIC. And so alive. Seriously, I know I sound like a hippie right now but I have a new appreciation for the Earth in this moment. :) And don’t even get me started with SUN GLITTER. You know – the sun sparkling on the water? Are you kidding me? I can’t believe we don’t have to pay to watch that!!!!! Oh, the glorious Earth Show. It’s FREE. If the planet isn’t the coolest thing on the planet, I don’t know what is.

Eat from nature, especially root vegetables. 

One of the most delicious, grounding and energizing ways to connect with the Earth is to eat foods that are in season, fresh from the farmer’s market. Fresh from the farmer’s market means fresh from the Earth. Root vegetables (anything that grows underground) are especially grounding for our energy. They have a deep, rooted energy that’s great for stability and focus.

Use fresh herbs. 

One of the most celebratory ways to enjoy Earth is to cook with fresh herbs. Herbs, in my opinion, are one of Earth’s ALL TIME greatest gifts to us. Basil, cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme, there are so many herbs. Earth has gifted us the gift of FLAVOR. We gotta enjoy that while we can! Culinary, Medicinal and Sacred herbs.

Plant a garden.

An even more up-close-and-personal way to see the Earth working in all her glory is to grow your own plants and food and herbs. This isn’t a level of life I’ve advanced to yet, although it is in my future. Growing your own plants and food to eat is probably one of the most intimate exchanges you can have with the Earth. I remember the first time my Dad grew a cucumber and we picked it and ate it. It was so surreal.

 

 

Surround yourself with indoor plants.

One of the most game-changing things you can do to ground yourself with the essence and energy of the Earth when you’re in a city apartment is to bring plants in. I’m not the best at taking care of these lil guys, I somehow can never get on the right watering schedule, but I’m doing my best. :) Luckily I’ve had Amanda as a neighbor and she’s loved my plants back to health so many times…

Visualize yourself as a strong tree with deep roots into the ground. Many years back when I was at the Omega Institute, I went to a Reiki healer and she told me that I take on the energy of everyone around me (true) and I need to picture myself as a strong tree, with roots growing deep into the ground, so the winds of others couldn’t knock me down or carry me away. I think that’s a powerful visualization to do when you’re feeling ungrounded or carried away by other people’s strong energy.

Alright, I think that’s it for now.

Thank you, Erin, for your beautiful Earthly suggestions! 

Do you guys have any other suggestions for how to get grounded and connect to the mothership!? Share ’em!

With all the Earthly love I can muster,
Jenny