I took my shoes off, isn't that grounding?

What does it mean to be grounded?

When I first heard the term "Grounding" I had no idea what that meant. I really did think all I had to do was take my shoes off. That is grounding Right? Wrong...

I don't want to waste your time by reciting the same old thing that everyone else does. If you're interested in the history of grounding, I recommend checking out YouTube, they have a great video selection that will explain just that. For now I am going to stick to my personal experience and the understanding that I have come to know throughout my journey.

Here are just a few ways that I have come to understand grounding to be and the benefits that it has on the body.

What is grounding?

Grounding is the act of getting in touch with the earth, that's right I said the earth. I want you to think of the physical earth and imagine for a moment that you are a plant lover. (Maybe you are, then this won't be hard for you to do) You decided one day to go to the local plant shop to buy your first plant. Well most of the time in this situation people will ask for help only when their at the store looking for the plant. The salesperson has no real idea of what you are looking for but can tell that you are still new to the plant life. They give a few suggestions and you pick one out. Not knowing anything about this plant except the fact that it needs water and sun.

You take the plant home that the salesperson recommends and you slowly watch it die. As you start to think to yourself, Oh... No, what did I do? I must have over-watered it, I must have under-watered it or maybe it's not in the right sunlight. You can torture yourself by asking all of these questions and coming up with some type of reasonable explanation. But the truth is that you missed the most importation part... The Soil!

All the way up to about 10 years ago I used to tell people that I had a black thumb, when in reality I wasn't grounded. When I started to look at what grounding really meant, I found that it is so much more than just taking off your shoes and feeling the earth beneath you, although that is the starting point. It is understating how you are connected to the earth.

We are just like the earth in one way or another. We were created out of love and just like the earth we have a core center. Now unlike the earth the core center that we have is not solid, in fact it's not even visible with the naked eye. It's the energy source that we hold in our bodies known as the Chakra.

Each Chakra holds its purpose in the body.

The Chakras:

There are many Chakras in the body, but we all tend to focus on the main 7.

The Root:- Located at the base of the spine, known as the Muladhara- meaning root

The Sacral- Located slightly above the genital area, known as Svadlisthana- meaning creativity

The Solar plexus- Located slightly below the navel, known as Manipura- meaning purpose

The Heart- Located at the center of the chest, known as Anahata- meaning Love

The Throat- Located between the collarbone, known as Vishuddha- meaning expression

The Third Eye- Located at the center of the forehead or between the eyes, known as Ajna- meaning Intuition

The Crown- Located above the head, known as Sahasrara- meaning Bliss

When I first learned all of these Chakras I was so overwhelmed. I found that I quickly wanted to give up and simply say "I can't do this". At that same moment I thought to myself "These imaginary energy sources are not going to get the best of me", that is when I decided to learn them one at a time. I plan on covering all 7 chakras but for this post I want to cover just the Root.

"A lot of people are obsessed with ascension, but have not yet mastered grounding"- anonymous-

First things first

There are a few ways to get started with connecting to the Root Chakra. One is to take off your shoes and walk around in the grass, sand or pavement, feel the soft wet grass or how hard the pavement is. The point is to start the process of getting connected to the earth. I suggest that when you are first starting out make a practice of doing this everyday. If you are anything like me and a 90's kid then bare feet are not going to be a problem for you. For those of you that struggle with this idea, it's okay you can do it! I would recommend starting out small, like walking around your floor or carpet with your bare feet.

If you still can't handle the idea of bare feet, get a plant and learn it's root system. Some other ways of grounding is by eating right. I am the queen of bad eating habits, and I would never recommend my habits to anyone but eating is important. It's the fuel for our body and without it we just can't run. Be mindful of what you are putting into your body.

Mix it up

Try adding this the next time you are mentioning and grounding. When in mediation, envision that your root Chakra spreading out like the roots from a tree. Feel the wet soil and absorb the nutrients that the earth is offering. With every breath you take imagine your roots are growing on the inhale and spreading out on the exhale. After a while of this practice I started adding in smells, like putting sandalwood in a defuser, It has such an amazing earthy scent, by adding this into my daily mediation I found that it helps me stay focused and present. The next thing I did was add in sound. I started with all kinds of mediation music but I found them to be very distracting. In my research I have found that there are tones that can help when connecting to the Chakra. They are known as the Solfeggio frequencies. These frequencies hold a powerful tone that is different and unique to each Chakra. The Root Chakra frequency is 396 Hz

Okay, now what?

Now you need to start a routine. I suggest that you set reachable goals. I don't know about you, but whenever I would start anything new I would want to do it all NOW!! This is a process that you need to dedicate at least 20 minutes a day to. Once you do this in 30 day you will start to feel a difference like having less stress, and who doesn't want that, right?

Last thing before I go...

I have learned that this is not an easy journey and to please be patient with yourself in your process. Life is not meant to be rainbows and sugar cookies. If you are interested in learning more about the Charka set up an appointment today! You want to see more? Leave a comment below with ideas for more content.