Grounding & Centering

Interestingly enough grounding and centering are both used in psychology as well and my therapist even has helped me use both. 

When not centered it can feel like you are out of touch and unbalanced, like if you were standing on one foot, swaying back and forth all wibbly-wobbly. To center, you bring your other foot down, stand tall, securing both feet once again on the floor. You now find your balance and are centered. But this balance is often more mental, spiritual, and emotional. It is calming the rough waters of the mind, bringing it all together and in check. Instead of chaos, we have calm. We pull all the static mess that frizzles our from us and bring it back inside.

We focus our breathing, release our troubles, release the negativity, find our center and relax into it. 

Grounding is feeling secure and steady. Picture a large tree with thick roots digging deep into the Earth, dirt, and rock. Grounding is used to stabilize you. 

At the beginning of a ritual, I ground myself to secure and stabilize myself so I am fully prepared for ritual. Afterward, I ground myself once again to release excess energy and restabilize myself.

For me, centering and grounding is first finding my balance, bringing my focus into my center, then deepening my roots allowing them to seep into the Earth and both strengthen and secure me. 

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Techniques:

Centering- Breathwork. This breathing exercise is used in therapy and is proven to release stress, calm you, and to help during a panic attack even. You want mindful breaths. Focus on each one, breathing deeply and purposefully, feeling it in your core.

Inhale for a count of 5

Hold for 5

Exhale for a count of 5

Hold for 5

Repeat

Grounding- This can be done by using breathwork, focusing on your breaths. Picturing yourself with roots connecting you to the Earth below. Touching the earth or floor as you do. Exhaling while releasing the energy allowing it to flow through you. 

Eating and drinking can also be helpful in grounding at the end of a ritual. 

Other ways to ground can be to practice mindfulness and self care- ritual shower/baths, meditation, brushing your hair, taking a walk, etc....