The concept of grounding has been on my mind a lot recently, due to major changes in my life in the past few months. These changes began with having my life and plans uprooted by covid, which sent me into a "floating" stage. About a year ago, I thought that I would be spending my first year post-grad traveling the world and exploring. However, I ended up finishing college online, moving to a new state where I knew nobody, and feeling for a few months like I was totally lost with zero tangible plans for the future. I know wasn't alone in having these feelings, as so many of my friends expressed the same thing. However, I am human and it kind of felt like the end of the world. A few months out from all of these changes though, I've been able to ground myself again.
I've mentioned in other posts and on my Instagram that I am currently in a 200 Hour RYT course (this is to become a registered yoga teacher for those of you who aren't familiar). This has been a much bigger spiritual journey than I had originally anticipated because we have been diving deep into the history and philosophy of yoga. This is basically a philosophy of morality and focuses on being at peace with oneself and the world. The books we have read have made me reflect a lot on my own life- my relationship with myself, the energy I put out into the world, what motivates my actions, etc. I have related to these teachings the most though in the study of the chakras.
My introduction to the idea of grounding in came from the study of the seven chakras. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of the chakras they are basically centers of energy located throughout our bodies that influence with the way we feel and the way in which we interact with the world. When our chakras are out of alignment -being underused or overused - this can manifest in physical world through financial problems, poor digestion, poor sleep, etc. In order to align, expand, or explore the upper chakras, we have to start at the bottom with the first one so we can build a foundation and ground ourselves.
The first chakra is called Muladhara, also referred to as the root chakra. It is located at the base of the spine and its purpose is to promote survival, to create our foundation, and to ground us. This is really important in yoga, because in order to be able to do the more difficult poses, we need to build strength in our foundations - usually our feet. Similarly, in life we need a steady foundation before we can grow spiritually. The root chakra connects us to the earth. When we are balanced in this chakra, our ideas are able to manifest and become reality. This is because our mind is connected to the physical world. Muladhara is considered the right to have - to have a home, to have stability, to have food to nourish our bodies, etc. When we feel balanced in this chakra, we feel that we have the right to stability through our relationships, a steady job, a home, or whatever else provides comfort and trust into our lives. Once we have this foundation, we are able to move up through the other chakras to experience pleasure, personal will, love, and so on - basically our hearts and minds can't grow if we aren't grounded to the physical world.
Coincidentally, the day after I started studying this chakra more in depth I had a conversation with my mom about being grounded. It began when she mentioned that she thought my relationship was so good for me because I seemed so much more grounded. She was definitely right in recognizing that I had been able to pull myself from my post grad "floating phase" where I felt like I was lost with no goals and no stability in my life. I've become super comfortable in the place I am in the past few months - part of which is because I began to establish my life here (my foundation!). I feel super connected to nature because I am able to spend so much time outside since the weather is almost always nice. I have a more stable job now than waitressing, and its helping me to pursue my career goals. My boyfriend is super supportive of me and my career goals, and has definitely been another source of stability in my life through that support - and honestly by just making me happier (I think emotional stability and happiness are important aspects of grounding too!). While I had a lot of dreams and ideas in college (that felt like they would only ever be dreams a few months ago), I feel like I've been able to choose some to focus on that I could actually make happen. These dreams manifested in enrolling in my RYT program, finally getting my blog started, and starting a health plan with my friends to help other people achieve their goals too (The 2021 Total Revival).
Embracing my new location, starting a new job, and being in a relationship were all major steps in setting my foundation, but there are a lot of little ways that I've always practiced grounding myself. First of all, taking care of my body is super important to me - I think a healthy body is key to a good foundation. Cooking and exercise are both grounding practices for me, because these things fuel and strengthen my body. Like I also mentioned earlier, being outside helps me to feel grounded because it gives me a connection to the earth. All of these things helped me find some sense of grounding during my "floating" phase.
Grounding yourself in your yoga practice and balancing your root chakra on the mat helps to balance this chakra in the real world too!
GROUNDING YOUR ROOT CHAKRA:
Yoga for the root chakra:
Down Dog
Child's Pose
Tadasana (Mountain pose)
Seated position
Forward fold/ Rag doll
Shavasana
These are all poses that provide stability in yoga! They build strength in our foundational muscles and are the basis for more advanced postures!
Other ways to ground this chakra include spending time outside (walking barefoot so we can feel our earth-body connection!!), establishing routines, and through a healthy diet! Protein is the nutrient associated with the root chakra because protein stays in the digestive tract for a longer time than other nutrients and therefore keeps us full longer. However, a balanced diet promotes balanced chakras!
Although I had heard of the chakras before I started my teacher training, I have learned a lot more through my classes and reading the book Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System by Anodea Judith, which I totally recommend if you're interested in learning more!
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