Every class I teach and every time I come to my mat I begin with grounding. A simple, brief meditation that takes only a couple minutes but changes everything.
There are days I feel like I'm sinking and finding solid ground proves more challenging than other days. Such is the way of life. There are times we just feel off, ungrounded, scattered. Knowing how to regain our center, to reground, to root our energy can feel like a small miracle.
The meditation:
First come to your mat, take any seated position, cross legged or whatever is comfortable. Start to focus on your breathe. Let the inhale and exhale be as deep and long as possible, creating a wave like motion with your breathe. Allowing the low belly to rise and fall. Let this rhythmical motion of the breathe begin to soothe and comfort you, like the ocean tide coming in and out. Become aware of your sitting bones and tailbone, feel the sensation of your sitting bones weighted into the floor, into your mat, gently press your sit bones and tailbone into the floor and be aware of an energy at the base of your spine, at your tail bone, draw your pelvic floor muscles slightly in and up to activate the root chakra energy. On your next exhale visualize an energy cord ( a line of energy) coming from your tail bone, through the floor and all the layers of the earth, all the way to core of the earth. Once there, visualize this energy cord rooting into the core of the earth. You could visualize tree roots growing into the core of the earth firmly taking hold, or an anchor dropping into the earth and anchoring you, providing an emotional anchor or an actual energy cord you can plug into the core of the earth could work too. Visualizing your tail bone turning into a literal tail and solidifying with the earth is another visualization. There are many, find one that works for you. It may change from day to day. If it is difficult for you to visualize this at first, don't worry about it, just have the intention that you are consciously grounding your energy into the core of the earth, energy follows intention. The visualization will come with time. Once you feel rooted and grounded, take a deep inhale and grow taller through your spine allowing the crown of your head to lift to the sky. Here visualize another cord or beam of light (energy) coming from your crown all the way up into the heavens. Connecting with something greater than you, that is part of you, that is your essence. It doesn't matter the name you give it (Source, God, Universe, Spirit Divine, whatever) what is important is the connection. Find that connection, see it in your mind's eye. On your next inhale draw your arms up to the sky, let your palms meet and come to your heart. Recognizing & honoring the light within your own being. As you also take a moment to honor this light within all beings everywhere by offering a namaste...
Balanced:
Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple and can be very insightful as to where you are energetically in this moment. There are days I'm anchoring into sand and it takes some time ( and focused intention) to turn that sand to concrete and reground myself.
When we are both rooted and connected, we realign our energy centers. We find our balance and feel centered and grounded within our own energy, creating an energetic boundary of protection. We can serve others and ourselves more effectively from this more grounded and enlightened perspective. Finding our center and returning to balance allows us to reconnect with our own nature and our own nature is infinite.