A grounding routine to do anytime and anywhere.
I’ve recently starting implementing this grounding routine into my life, and I absolutely love it. I usually do a morning and evening routine centred around journaling, but I’ve recently started doing this routine. I find it helps make me more present and brings a new sense of awareness into my life.
It’s an 8-minute practice that can be done anytime and anywhere. I love using it first thing when I wake up and before bed, but it’s great for any time that you’re feeling stressed or want to refocus and reenergize. It can be done standing, seated comfortably on a chair with your legs on the ground, sitting on a couch, or on the floor cross-legged. I love doing it curled up on my couch and follow it with a bit of journaling.
Time
This practice is broken into 2-minute segments. The 2-minutes can be timed with a great app called Calm, it offers ‘Open Meditation’ where you can click for a bell to ring every 2 minutes, allowing you to freely transition from segment to segment. Once you get comfortable with the timer, you can stop using it and just do it by feel. You can also just freestyle the exercise, and do each part for the amount of time that feels right.
The 8-Minute Practice
Part 1: Breathing
For this first segment, focus on your breathing. A five second deep inhale, a two second pause, and an eight second exhale. Really focus on your breathing, your chest rising filling with air as you inhale and lowering as you exhale. Be aware of your stomach, your chest, your shoulders and your whole body as you breathe. Each long breath will take you 15 seconds, so you should be able to get through 8 cycles in the 2 minutes.
Part 2: Gratitude
For this second segment, in your head list all the different things you’re grateful for in your life. Recite everything you can think off from friends and family to the beautiful day.
I’m grateful for… waking up next to the person I love, my cozy bed, the peace and quiet, my flowers blooming, my wonderful family, my willingness to grow, etc.
Part 3: Visualization
For this third segment, visualize your day, your goals, and your dreams. How do you want to tackle the day and your goals? Visualize what activities you need to do and how you will do them. Visualize yourself working hard, smiling, filled with energy and loving every minute. While you are visualizing try to feel the emotions connected to it – the joy, excitement, pride, and energy you’ll feel. Visualize your dreams and the steps you need to take to make them come true. Visualize yourself at your best and try to be as detailed as possible. Visualize the activity, the environment, the people, the scenario, the way you look and feel. The more detail you add, the more beneficial the exercise is.
Part 4: Prayer or Meditation
For this fourth segment, pray or meditate. Try to tap into the world around you and get connected. Listen to your hopes and dreams, and find how you can be of service to those around you. This a great time to clear your head, reflect on your values and gain awareness to what’s truly important in your life.
After completing this practice you’ll find yourself more grounded, aware, and ready to pursue your goals. At first this practice may seem hard to sit through. You may be squirming, unwilling to just sit and focus on these things, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. It’s so beneficial to take the time to do practices like this to help relieve stress, find happiness, live authentically, and achieve your goals.
With love,
Lucy
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