Spring Grounding by Michelle Kelleher

Have you ever heard someone say that they need to “get grounded?” Have you ever felt that way yourself? Do you read the phrase, and wonder what it means?

High-voltage appliances typically have a third prong, or “ground.” The purpose is to give a pathway for excess charge to return to the earth, without the excess electricity causing a fuse to blow.

Our bodies and minds function similarly. We are full of energy. Our energy can be directed in different ways. Spending time in one’s mind, at the computer, thinking about the future, planning, contemplating abstract ideas, journeying through time and space to accompany stories and images from places other than here and now, are uses of energy that can be complimented by grounding techniques, to create more balance in your system.

Here are five techniques that I use to ground, to return my awareness to my body, and re-direct my awareness to the present moment.

• Eat plant-based foods, especially roots.

Ever hear that you are what you eat, and that each bite you take either contributes to causing or preventing disease? Eating foods that are close to the Earth, such as whole plants, is one way to practice grounding.

• Do a body-based practice that requires concentration.

Practicing yoga and martial arts are two of my favorites. Anything that requires awareness of your center of gravity, its connection to the ground, and continual awareness of that in order to maintain balance, can offer grounding.

• Get in the water!

Going swimming, taking a shower, or soaking your feet, particularly with Epsom salts, are great ways to discharge excess energy and become more grounded quickly.

• Touch the ground.

The Earth is called the great neutralizer by many. Getting your hands and feet in the dirt is quick way to ground.

• Return to your senses.

One technique I use is counting down from 5, using each sense. I observe five things I see. Four things I hear. Three things I can feel. Two things I smell. Anything I taste.

All of these are ways to re-direct energy from your mind, which may be off in the past or future, back where we are here now, offering us the opportunity to continually show up. I hope one of these practices serves you, grounding the excitement and potential of new life into centered awareness of the present moment.