Dropping Down Into Your Body
Last week we worked with your breath to connect with your body. This week we deepen the process, connecting breath with intention.
Finding your feet, your foundation, when your head is going off can prove difficult. The stress response sends a charge through your nervous system, which can temporarily de-rail your focus. Using grounding techniques help you to move from the spinning thoughts and endless what ifs to the present moment.
Grounding is the process of connecting through your body to the ground, the earth, your foundation. Grounding is both first aid and an on-going practice tool for every day because it brings you into your body in the present moment.
Breathing Tree:
Stand barefoot with your feet about shoulder-width apart, keep your knees soft, not locked, and lift your spine upward, as if there is a string gently pulling the top of your head upward, arms gently hanging by your sides.
Breathe gently, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your soft lips, for 3 full breath cycles.
Bring your inhale deeper into your belly, allowing the diaphragm (below your ribcage) to relax.
Exhale gently.
With each few breaths s-l-o-w-l-y bring your intention deeper into your body towards your belly,
then your pelvis,
then your thighs,
then your knees,
then your feet.
Rock gently forward and back on your feet, allowing your feet to spread and connect with the ground beneath them. Feel your weight sink down into your feet.
Now picture 100 dots on the soles of your feet.
As you inhale, imagine your breath sending roots down into the earth.
As you exhale, allow your hands and arms to raise over your head, as if your breath is going from roots up through your body and out your fingertips and the top of your head.
Allow your body to sway as you breathe in and out for 5 full breath cycles.
Now walk slowly around the room. Notice any shifts in your awareness of your body, your mind, or your environment.
* To change things up, switch the order of inhale and exhale, inhaling from your hands and head, down through the body and exhaling into the earth through your feet.
** Combine the two directions inhaling in through the mouth down through the body, exhaling into the earth, then inhaling through the soles of your feet and exhaling out through your hands and the top of your head.
Journal Prompts:
How was this activity for me?
Did I feel any resistance in my body? If so, where was the resistance? Describe the sensation.
Was the flow of my breath easier or more natural down into the earth or up from the earth?
What, if anything, has shifted in my body, my mind, my energy level?
How might I use this activity in my daily life?
Once you feel comfortable with these first two exercises, you may find yourself naturally going to one of them when you notice tension in your body or other signs of stress. Daily practice helps you get more comfortable. Just 10-15 minutes per day can gently build stress resilience and empower you to feel more safe and confident in working with your body, rather than feeling hi-jacked by it.
Want to more about how stress may be guiding your life unconsciously? Take the Stress Response Quiz Now!
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