How To Start Grounding Exercises
Grounding exercises can help a great deal when it comes to striking the right balance between your physical and spiritual body. The body scan is diagnostic in nature and can help you become more wholly aware of the subtle as well as the not-so-subtle sensations of the physical body. It is an excellent process to identify all the physical upsets and stresses, particularly any underlying imbalances that you probably don’t even know about.
You should use grounding exercises in conjunction with other measures, such as making sure you have a healthy diet, adequate physical activity, and quality footwear from an orthotic shop.
Grounding and Pain
Pain can sometimes be so overwhelming in a particular part of the body that it overshadows the imbalances in other parts of the body. The body scan involves assembling the larger hurts along with the smallest details of stresses that you might have overlooked within the body. It can be quite helpful to bring your awareness to what’s less obvious.
Besides the apparent grounding benefits of the exercise, the most painful hurts are sometimes miraculously lifted from the physical body during the process of body scanning. For instance, you might experience temporary relief from a throbbing headache if you divert your focus towards the feet and away from the throbbing headache. However, this will depend on the severity of the hurt experienced in the head.
You will probably be surprised by the discoveries you make about your own body during the exercise. Remind yourself not to rush throughout the process of body scanning. Allow anywhere from 25 minutes to 1 hour for the grounding process.
Suggestions and Tips Before You Begin
Never rush the process. Take your time moving upwards to all parts of the body.
Never touch yourself. A better idea would be to let the mind switch focus from wherever it is and mentally consider the body’s sensations.
Doing the body scan exercise just before going to bed will work well for anybody who has a hard time falling asleep easily. However, anybody that tends to fall asleep quickly after lying down should instead sit upright in a chair.
Body Scan Grounding Exercise
Lay flat on the back on a bed, floor, or couch. Position hands and arms comfortably at the sides. Place a rolled towel or pillow under the knees if the lower back needs support.
Start the body scan by diverting thoughts away from mental chatter and focus on the feet first to switch gears. Don’t rush. You will slowly change your focus from one part of the body to the next during the process. Let the mind switch focus from wherever it is. Start with the feet and move upwards.
Notice your toes, soles of the feet, in-between the toes, the top of the feet, heel, and ankles. Do they feet cold or hot? Do they hurt? Are they swollen or numb? Are you able to feel the blood that circulates through them? Do they feel tired? Just notice how they feel without judging why they might feel this. Wiggle the toes and think about how that feels.
Once you establish a strong connection with the feet, you should move your attention upwards past the ankle and switch your focus from the feet to the lower legs before moving to the knee caps, behind the knees, thighs, and so on.
Throughout the process of scanning, you should allow yourself to breathe evenly. If you encounter areas of discomfort such as soreness or stressed muscles, or if you come across a spot that feels like there could be stuck energy, take 2 to 3 deep cleansing breaths to break through energetic blockages or ease the tension.
Drop your focus at your fingertips after you move your attention through the torso and up to the neck. Move your attention through the length of the fingers and into your hands. Keep up with the energy scan up the arms and at the shoulders and return your attention once more to the neck before you finish up with your focus on the scalp, ears, and face.
