This is my second post on using focused attention to bring yourself to a grounded state. I went into why this is an important skill to learn previously. Today I want to share an exercise that combines physical presence, intentional breathing, and visualization. It is a simple yet powerful way to calm your mind, bring your attention back to the present moment and create a sense of safety and stability when you are feeling stressed or worried. Sure, this is a flower essence-focused blog most of the time. But when you don’t happen to have Emotional Recovery, Releasing Worry and Fear, or Rock Rose on hand, it’s good to have a few other options! And even if you do, flower essences can frequently bring you to a grounded state almost instantly (yay!), but they don’t teach you how to get there on your own. Knowing some simple grounding techniques is empowering! In a crisis, you can use both.
Just 2-5 minutes can make a world of difference. Practicing it daily or whenever you notice yourself becoming stressed can help you create a habit that builds emotional resilience.
1. Stand in Stable Position
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed between both feet.
- Unlock your knees if they’re locked. Practice having them in a slightly bent, stable but flexible position.
- Feel the soles of your feet pressing into the ground. Some people imagine their feet “gripping” the floor lightly. I prefer to imagine them sinking slightly into the ground, held by the earth.
2. Engage Your Center
- Place your attention on your hara (the area just below your navel). This is considered your energetic and physical center in martial arts.
- Imagine your hara as a calm, heavy center of focus that anchors you downward.
3. Breathe Deeply
- Inhale slowly through your nose, letting your breath expand your belly (not just your chest).
- Exhale fully and imagine releasing any tension into the ground.
- Notice how your breath feels as it moves in and out, continuing to release tension into the ground with each exhale.
- Feel yourself becoming more stable and connected to the earth with every breath.
4. Visualize Rooting
- Imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet deep into the ground.
- With each exhale, imagine those roots becoming stronger and deeper, anchoring you like a tree firmly planted in the earth.
5. Shift Awareness
- Gently sway forward, backward, and side to side, keeping your feet planted. Notice how your body naturally returns to a balanced center.
- This helps you feel the stability of being grounded and teaches how to recover balance quickly.
- Keep breathing. Reconnect to the ground if you lose the feeling of connection.
Some tips:
- Don’t worry about doing this perfectly—it takes practice! Just engaging with the process is helpful.
- If standing is uncomfortable, you can sit with your feet flat on the floor and imagine the same rooting process. (Do you have a desk job? Try this in your chair at work!)
- Place your hands on your lower belly to support your ability to keep awareness of your breath and hara.
Why Does This Exercise Help With Anxiety?
Physical Engagement
I find that anxiety often pulls people into their heads. Or is it the other way around? Living too much in your head can leave you physically unanchored (see my previous blog post). When you focus on your body, especially your lower body, you automatically feel more stable and connected to the ground.
Breath Control
Slow, intentional breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting the fight-or-flight response.
Visualization
Imagining roots going into the ground helps shift your mind away from chaotic or spiraling thoughts. It gives your mind something to do to interrupt the habit of repeating worries like some sort of anti-mantra! In fact, if you want to increase the effect, hum or chant “Ommm” as you exhale (one tone or Om per exhale) and feel the vibration in your body.
Is trouble with grounding a chronic issue for you? I’ll discuss that in a future blog post.
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Flower essences are used to assist with mind-body-spirit interactions and individual results may vary. They are extremely dilute which makes them quite safe. But because so little physical substance can be detected in a flower essence solution, these products are presumed to work on an energetic or vibrational level—something that cannot be adequately tested by western scientific methods. Claims made by me, therefore, are based on personal experiences and the evidence of the combined multiple decades of case notes by Dr. Edward Bach as well as Healing Herbs and Flower Essence Services (the companies who make the ingredients I use in my products). This is not, however, accepted medical evidence or substantiated scientific evidence from a modern allopathic point of view. I am not a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner.
Statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information provided on my blog, websites or by this company are not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical or mental health advice. Consulting with a health care provider is a must for anyone taking medications or working with a medical or mental health condition, and highly recommended before using any herbal product. Please consult your doctor or health care provider for any possible contraindications and/or interactions with current medications. I trust you to seek the medical guidance you need to use any of my herbal products healthily at your own risk.