Breathwork Practice for Grounding

I haven't been feeling very grounded lately and I'm sure others are feeling the same. I crave for the feeling of connection with my surroundings, to know I'm on the right path, for some certainty. Instead the pandemic has led to uncertainty and frustration, and a sense of disconnect. As I am such a planner, not being able to plan with confidence has been hard, leading to worries and concerns. I have to keep reminding myself that over-worrying is helping no-one, but when stuck in an anxious thought cycle thats really hard.

So I’ve decided to draw a line in the sand, to search for that feeling of being grounded, bring back some control. When looking for a poem to read in class the page fell open here:

Play your cards

“You are the only one in charge of your life. Unfair things will happen to you, unfortunate times may come to you, but you get to choose how you respond. You can choose whether you’ll stay down or stand back up. You can choose to let hard times break you or you can choose to keep fighting strong. When unkind things happen to you, you can choose to live in frustration and bitterness, or you can find it in your heart to be the bigger person. In this world, not a single person chooses the cards that they receive, but every single person chooses how they play theirs.” Nikki Banas, Shine from Within.

This poem reminded me that I’ve been extremely lucky with the cards I’ve been drawn, and that acknowledging this is important. In addition, when tough times do arise, it’s so important to consider the way we react. As Steve Maraboli said, “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” This quote is so powerful, and at times within our lives we may need to hear this as a reminder.

If you’re searching for a more tangible way to bring a feeling of grounding into your life, here’s a breath work technique which can help:

• Lie down on the ground with knees bent, feet roughly the width of the mat and let knees fall in to touch.

• Place hands gently on the lower ribs, heel of the hands on the side body and then fingers wrapping around the belly, gentle touch.

• Breath in and out through the nose sending the breath down towards the area where the hands are resting, feel the rib cage as it rises and falls with the breath. Can stay here for as long as you need, you should start to feel the calming effect after a couple of minutes.

• This deep belly breathe can be really helpful in turning on the parasympathetic nervous system and calming us down.

Yoga and meditation can be an incredible way to bring grounding into your life. Join me every Wednesday in my Private Facebook Group HERE for a 30 minute class from 12:30-13:00.