Grounding Meditation: Being Embodied in the Physical World

Picture taken by Christina of my potted plant

During times of immense social change we are pushed to know what is going on locally and globally, and find ways to participate. In order to do this, it is essential to stay connected to ourselves and grounded in our own physical realities.

Civil Rights activist Audre Lorde said, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." Being intentional to do things like meditate, pray, play, eat well, drink water, get enough sleep, laugh, take a bath, or go outside are part of sustaining a social movement.

Taking Care of Yourself:

• Builds your resilience, lessoning the impact of trauma.

• Helps you see more clearly what role you are being asked to play, so you don't expend your energy in ways that are reactive or will exhaust you.

• Cultivates compassion towards yourself and others. 

• Strengthens your immunity, which we all still need.

Getting Started:

I invite you to make the following grounding meditation (that I have learned in several healing contexts and adapted for Ordinary Liturgy) one of your self-care practices. You may want to:

• Read through the meditation once and then give it a go, referencing sections for ques.

• Ask a friend to guide you by reading it out loud.

• Or use this meditation in facilitating a group practice.

Grounding Meditation:

Begin by sitting comfortably in your chair.

Straighten your back and take a deep breath, relaxing each of your muscles from head to toe.

Turn your palms face down on your knees.

Notice how, unlike lifting your gaze up, this posture shifts your body’s focus to the ground beneath you. Then notice your feet, planting them firmly on the floor. Take a stomp or two to feel how the floor doesn’t move, but stably supports you.

Next, picture a root originating from the center of your body.

Imagine its color and texture. Then picture this root going all the way down your midline, through the floor, and pushing into the earth. Imagine it pushing through layers of rock and soil, miles and miles deep, until it reaches the center of the world.

As your root reaches the center, picture it wrapping around a blazing, immovable ball.

See how your root curls around the ball, overlapping itself, into a tightly wound braid.

Now feel how your root pulls you down towards this anchored ball, like a heavy weight.

Feel yourself settle more into your body—your muscles now growing heavy, sinking downward.

Let your emotions and thoughts begin to slip down and off you.

Let them pool on the ground, and absorb into the earth. You may want to name them: fear, worry, grief, tasks and obligations. Feel them each falling away.

Take as long as you need to enjoy feeling both unburdened and rooted.

When you feel complete, gently wiggle your hands and arms, legs and feet.

Arrive back into your physical surroundings.

Take note of how it has felt to be grounded. This is now a sensation you have internalized and can access at any time throughout your day.

Going Forward:

Start noticing when you are feeling removed from your physical reality or disconnected from yourself. Pause and take a deep breath. What are you currently doing or talking about? Give yourself permission to shift your focus—turn off the news, stop looking at social media, or change the topic of conversation. Take some time to rejuvenate, knowing that you will rejoin and re-engage when you need to.