If you are familiar with chakras, then you can tell from my logo that I love chakras. The rainbow-colored spheres within my logo are representative of the chakra system within the body.
If you are unfamiliar, here’s a quick lesson: There are seven energy centers called chakras (literally “wheels”) that store energy/life force/prana. They are along the spinal column and correlate to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. Each has a different relationship to a gland in the body’s endocrine system. Each stimulates different organs and systems in the body. Hatha Yoga activates these energy centers releasing the energy that flows through the spine. Yoga helps these energy centers/nerve bundles to function correctly clearing blocks that may be there. Each chakra also is associated with a mental/emotional focus. In each newsletter I’ll highlight how you can work with a particular chakra to correspond with the season.
This month, since we are headed into the holiday season and cooler weather, my favorite chakra is the first one, located at what is called the “Root Center” – the base of the spine or tailbone/coccyx. It is associated with the Coccygeal Plexus nerve bundle and with grounding. It vibrates to the color red.
We all need grounding this time of year. Instinctively I think we all know it too. Trying to fit so much extra activity into your normal schedule takes its toll—tension, stress, lack of energy and balance. Lack of balance is another way to say we aren’t grounded. Too much activity and not enough stillness is a recipe for stress. Yet, I don’t think we take the time to do what we need when we need it most because we don’t feel we have the time. It’s a vicious cycle, isn’t it?
The more we don’t ground when we need to, the more ungrounded we feel, and the more we need to ground. This month’s “Meditation to go” and “Hand Mudra” sections offer suggestions for grounding and creating a balance of energy. Those new to the concept of grounding may be wondering just what it is I’m talking about.
Wondering if you need to work on your Root Chakra? Have you ever felt like you are spinning out of control, you can’t focus, or you have too much to do and not enough time to do it in? Maybe important things fall through the cracks and you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you are chronically tired and lacking in energy. Or perhaps you worry about the future and meeting your obligations. Maybe you are nervous, and can’t figure out why. This is a common one for me. That is the opposite of grounding. I can relate to Beyoncé’s quote: “I get nervous when I don’t get nervous.”
Sometimes I just like to acknowledge “nervous” like an old friend—calling it “out” so to speak. “Hi. There you are again. You’re baaaack!” It’s as though by making it seem common place, I can gain a little control. When you figure out ways to gain control of your emotions, you are on the way to being grounded—and having a strong Root Chakra. When you take the time to start your day with a grounding exercise of your choice, your whole day will go better.
I met a wonderful life skill’s advisor, soul mentor and coach earlier this year, Julie Lyden. I am always amazed at the synchronicity of the Universe. The email from her I just received says: “Welcome to November!!! The month of Remembering. As I was being with what was wanted to support others in this month, I kept hearing “We do know” it just may not seem familiar! So what I want to offer this month is experiences that will support you in remembering ‘You Do KNOW’”.
Her message is what I’m getting at. We all know what we need to feel grounded. We all know that when we come from a place of “groundedness”, we feel more secure, safe, centered, and at peace. This is where it all starts. Without feeling grounded, all the rest is just that much harder.
So while you may feel you don’t have time to add a grounding exercise to your daily routine, I would contend that you don’t have the time not to. Time expands when you are grounded. You know the old saying—it’s not the stressor, it’s your attitude toward the stressor that creates the stress. When you’re grounded, things bother you less. Going back to Julie Lyden’s comment above—you do know that.
This section contains some of my favorite ways to ground. “You do know” your own. Without even considering it “grounding”, I’ll bet you know what activity always makes you feel at peace, you just never labeled it as “grounding”.
Yoga is my go-to method for grounding. Yes, you’d expect me to say that wouldn’t you? We start each Yoga class by being present in the moment. We come to Yoga for ourselves—as a gift to ourselves. My YogaFit® training encourages “breathing, feeling, listening to the body, letting go of judgment, competition, expectations—just being present”. Don’t you feel more grounded just reading that affirmation?
Yoga relieves back pain, panic attacks, headaches, allergies, PMS, anxiety, arthritis, constipation, high blood pressure, stress, among other thing—as you have read in both my newsletters and my Facebook page So do more Yoga!
Even a daily ten-minute practice is a start. Yoga Heals Your Back by Rita Trieger has several 10-minute routines you can try that end back and neck pain. I sometimes use the “Morning Stretch” sequence as part of my warm up in class for the longer 75-minute classes I teach. And for the ultimate grounding visualization, I cue the visualization of sending roots deep down into the earth from your feet—just like the roots of a tree—while standing in Mountain Pose. (See the “Meditation to Go” above for the grounding breath.)
Ten minutes of mindfully practiced poses at the beginning of your day can bring a day’s worth of centeredness and peace—even as simple as sending roots down into the earth as you step out of bed. Then perhaps add the “gratefulness exercise” to your walk from Rhonda Byrnes book, The Secret, by saying “Thank You” with each step you take out your bedroom door to the bathroom.
Extend your “thank you” walk outdoors and turn it into a walking meditation. I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters that Thich Nhat Hanh’s book written along with Nguyen Anh Huong, called Walking Meditation, is an excellent resource.
No time for a walk? Try simply touching your bare feet to the earth and feel Mother Nature’s energy. Yes, I know us Minnesotans won’t be up for this practice in the dead of Winter…but even putting your bare hands on a snowball can be grounding; and just might add to your laughter quotient for the day when you participate in a fun toss towards your nearest loved one.
My August newsletter talked about the healing aspects of trees. What childhood or adult memory holds your favorite tree? Touching your bare hands to your favorite tree is another way to connect with Mother Nature and feel her energy. It’s also very grounding. Why not try connecting with your favorite tree and use the grounding breath tree visualization in the Meditation to Go section above—whether it’s on your next walk, or the one in your yard if you don’t have time for a walk that day. You can give your tree an all out hug, or simply place your hands to the tree with intention. No trees nearby? Choose your favorite plant. Find a way to connect with Mother Nature. Let Mother Nature nurture.
Planning for some star-gazing complete with winter coat and blanket can ward off the chills and also connect you to nature reminding you that the stars are always there for you as they were for your ancestors. The simple act of looking up to the sky and experiencing nature’s light show will leave you feeling exhilarated—and grounded! The next meteor showers are November 17th and December 13th.
I’ve recently started a more formal meditation practice complete with mantra as part of a second 200-hour yoga teacher training program I’m participating in. There’s something to be said for building the energy of a goal or practice by doing it every day. This is a basic principle of manifesting anything you want in life. You begin to look forward to it because it becomes a ritual. The ritual takes on a life of its own; and soon, just like Pavlov’s dog, that time of day and location of your chosen spot becomes the time and place your body naturally prepares for your activity of choice. They say it takes 28 days to create a habit. Why not challenge yourself to add a healthy habit to your life for 28 days? Oh, and mantras can be your favorite prayer, word, phrase, etc. It doesn’t have to be Sanskrit! My November 3rd Facebook entry highlighted the mantra “blue skies”. Try it!
I still like to read from my favorite affirmation books every morning. Here are some books I pick and choose from depending on my mood and time available—some days it’s only a quick affirmation and I’m out the door:
365 Yoga Daily meditations by Julie Rappaport
A Year of Living Your Yoga, Daily Practices to Shape Your Life, by Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, PT.
Yoga in Every Moment, Contemplations of a Yogi in the Midst of Life, by Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati
Meditations from the Mat, Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga, by Rolf Gates and Kathryn Kenison
Yoga Gems, A Treasury of Practical and Spiritual Wisdom from Ancient and Modern Masters, Edited by Georg Feuerstein
Science of Mind Magazine, A Guide for Spiritual Living
Daily Guidance from Your Angels, 365 Angelic Messages to Soothe, Heal, and Open Your Heart, by Doreen Virtue, PhD
Archangels & Ascended Masters, A Guide to Working and Healing with Divinities and Deities, by Doreen Virtue, PhD
The Oracle Within, by Dick Sutphen
The Invisible Force, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise L. Hay
My books may not appeal to you. So find your own. Believe it or not, the list above is not complete. I love books, and have them scattered throughout the house for easy reading.
If time permits, I also do my own card reading using one of the various decks of cards I highlight in my newsletters. The random readings from the books and cards are my way of opening up to whatever message the Universe might have for me that day. It makes me feel watched and cared for like I’m in good company, surrounded by family—Grounded.
Journaling without a purpose can empty the mind of extraneous thoughts allowing you to ground into the present moment. Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way, is an excellent resource for this type of writing to clear the mind.
In my June newsletter, I mentioned how a practice from Ayurveda (sister science to Yoga) can be a very simple, but very grounding ritual. One of the easy treatments we can do every day to de-stress is to treat yourself to a foot rub with a natural oil at the end of the day—perhaps one that balances your dosha. Try it. Tell me you don’t feel loved and cared about after giving yourself a foot massage. I’ve been making it a point to do it daily since my May Ayurveda class. It helps me sleep better too. Don’t know what your dosha is? Take my dosha quiz! Aurveda is like eating potato chips…you can’t stop with just one piece! You’ll want to consume all you can! Remember, you have all three doshas in you so you’ll find attributes of each:
Let’s regroup here. What do all of the above have in common? Being mindful about whatever it is you are doing at the moment. That is being present in the moment. That is the key to grounding. Anything that makes you feel loved and cared about is grounding, and strengthens your Root Chakra. Being mindful lets your body know that you love and care for yourself.
So if you still don’t feel you have time to carve out something new, take something you do every day and do it more mindfully. Even brushing your teeth can become a ritual if you do it while focusing on all sensations as you brush.
I referenced John Kabat-Zinn’s “eating meditation” in my April newsletter, and paraphrase it here. It was designed to remove the idea those of us have that meditation is somehow unusual, mystical or out of the ordinary. We all eat every day. Even those of us who feel we have no minutes to spare must eat! Do it mindfully, as in the eating meditation:
Bring your attention to observing your food “as if you’ve never seen the food before”. Feel the texture of the food if it’s a finger food; roll it around in your fingers. Notice the color and the innuendos of its surface. Notice any thoughts you have about the food or food in general. Do you like what you’re about to eat? Dislike it? Note that. Smell your food. Finally bring one bite mindfully to the mouth—with awareness. Be aware of the movement of the hand to mouth. Be aware of how you position it to your mouth. How it feels on your lips, your tongue. Then chew it s-l-o-w-l-y. Experience the actual taste of the food in your mouth. Notice when you are ready to swallow being aware of that impulse too. Too often we swallow without thinking perhaps swallowing too soon. Now even imagine that your body is one mouthful heavier.
As my meditation in April mentioned, if we ate this way all of the time, we’d eat less but enjoy more what we ate. Adding a prayer of thanks before your meal is another way to ground yourself. It can be a simple acknowledgement of all that went into bringing the food before you.
Taking a few minutes to connect with someone you love—be it human or animal—can be very grounding. I know from experience that when I’m the most stressed, just feeling my husband’s arms around me provides the most nurturing, grounding experience. It’s immediate.
Each month in the Chakra section I highlight the gems associated with the Chakra we are highlighting. Holding a Root Chakra gem will connect you to the grounding earth energies contained within the stone. See the gem section below for some good ones to try slipping into your pocket or placing on your desk to use as your grounding stone for the day. Touch the stones throughout the day, similar to the old time “worry stones”.
You can also wear your favorite Root Chakra gem within a favorite piece of jewelry. Wearing jewelry can be an emotionally grounding practice. Not only does your favorite piece of jewelry hold precious memories by association, but if it contains a Root Chakra gem, all the better!
What peace-provoking practice can you fit into your daily realm? Promise yourself ten minutes a day to strengthen your Root Chakra and ground. Ground yourself with your favorite peaceful practice, and watch your life become filled with more of what makes you happy because you’ll approach life with more happiness.
Breathwork and Visualization:
Find a comfortable position, preferably with your back straight. Close your eyes, and begin breathing deeply through your nose without separation between inhalation and exhalation. Feel yourself relaxing. Pay attention to your breathing for the first few minutes allowing it to get deeper and more rhythmic with each breath. Next, bring your attention to your first chakra at the base of your spine. Then begin breathing in and out from your first chakra.
Feel as though the breath doesn’t stop at the bottom of your lungs on the inhalation but goes all the way down to the base of your spine. Again, without separation between inhalation and exhalation, breathe out naturally through your nose. On each exhalation feel as if the energy at the base of your spine is growing stronger. Visualize the energy there as a ball of fiery, red energy. Continue both experiencing and visualizing the energy growing brighter for two or three minutes. Let your consciousness, which for most people is centered around the shoulders and neck, move downward until it reaches the base of the spine and becomes centered in the ball of energy. Become the ball of energy and feel yourself being drawn downward into the Earth. As this happens, pay attention to how you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Source: Chakra Therapy For Personal Growth and Healing, by Keith Sherwood.
Affirmations:
- I am safe, secure, centered, and at peace
- I move into my greater good
- I love and approve of myself
- Life supports and loves me
- I trust the process of life
- All I need is always taken care of
- I am safe
- I am strong
- I am confident
- I am comfortable with change and growth.
- My good is everywhere and I am safe
- I relax completely for I now know I am safe
- I trust Life and I trust myself
- I am totally safe in the Universe
- I am at peace everywhere
- I am safe and secure and understood
- I belong wherever I am
- I bless my future and no that it is safe and wonderful
- I affirm my right to the life I know I want
- I accept myself as I am
- I am grateful for the experiences of my life
- I am sustained and nourished by nature
Sources:
The Book of Chakras, Ambika Wauters.
A Handbook of Chakra Healing, Spiritual Practice for Health, Harmony and Inner Peace, Kalashatra Govinda.
Power Thoughts, 365 Daily Affirmations, Louise L. Hay.
Diet and the Root Chakra: Eating in general energizes the base chakra. I’ve compared the chakra system to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. You have to take care of your physiological needs before anything else! “Eating especially high protein foods energizes the base (root) chakra. Taking a good mineral supplement may also help. A shortage of zinc is one of the commonest causes of ‘spaciness’ and lack of mental focus.” Healing with Crystals and Chakra Energies, by Sue and Simon Lilly.
Eating root vegetables like beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, yams, etc., is also very grounding. Beans, legumes, nuts, tofu and soy products are also grounding, comfort foods as are seeds like pine nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Aromatherapy and the Root Chakra: Scents can also be very grounding. I’m sure you all have your favorite scent from childhood. So that may be a good place to start. Some possible grounding scents to try: Sandalwood, patchouli, pine, cedar, balsam fir or frankincense. There’s also the scent that balances your dosha—refer to the dosha references earlier!
If aromatherapy interests you, I use Young Living Essential Oils™ which are therapeutic, food-grade oils. Please inquire if you are interested in purchasing a favorite scent and I can add your request to my personal monthly order.
Gem therapy and the Root Chakra: Gemstones amplify the energy when placed in contact with your chakras. For those of you unsure on this subject, consider that it’s scientifically proven that everything is energy. Nothing is really solid. Why wouldn’t the energy of a stone work effectively with the energy in our bodies just as some research speculates that the energy of computers, cell phones, and microwaves may affect our bodies? At the very least, I find that holding a favorite stone is like a talisman for me, or a “worry stone”. As my favorite author, Wayne Dyer, likes to say, “If it’s a placebo effect, I’ll take two”.
Some Root Chakra gems are: Grounding stones to consider include: Hematite, smokey quartz, garnet, and black tourmaline, black onyx, fire opal, kunzite, red jasper, among others.
If gem therapy interests you, you can find a great selection at www.crystallinelight.com. I’ve known Jennifer, the owner, for many years and love her products!
Yoga poses for stimulating the Root Chakra:
All yoga poses are essentially grounding. Warrior poses are all very grounding—see Warrior III above. Warrior I and Warrior II were in my two preceding newsletters. Other grounding poses are:
Forward bend “establishes the link between the root and crown chakras that runs the length of the spine. This is one of the most important chakra connections and it promotes a strong flow of energy.” Chakra Energy Plan, by Anna Selby. Mountain pose (mentioned above with the tree root visualization), chair pose, knees to chest pose, easy-seated pose or lotus pose, seated cat/cow pose, child’s pose, and final relaxation pose, among others.
Please refer to the archives of November 2009, April and August newsletters for more on the Root Chakra. I’ll be working on archiving the old newsletters into my new Website as fast as I can! This newsletter is the inaugural newsletter for my new Website! Thanks for your patience!
