?? Grounding and Centering ??

?? Grounding and Centering ??

Hello, my friends!

Yesterday, I shared with you a short lecture on the creative power of the attention.

Today, I follow with the next lecture in the course, this one focusing on practice, rather than theory.

So, this post shares two practices. One for gathering the threads of attention and getting centered, and another for getting grounded.

All of this is very basic energy work, able to be done anywhere, anytime, with no outer tools whatsoever.

I hope you enjoy!

*

"Welcome to the Tools and Practices section of Week 7: Strengthening Focus.

This week is all about understanding the attention and learning how to place it where we want it to go.

In short, learning how to use the creative power of the attention in ways that serve us and improve our quality of life.

But, before we can use the attention in more intentional ways, we first have to call it back in.

*

Just think about it.

What are you paying attention to right now?

Is it this post you are reading?

And maybe some thoughts about what you’ll be doing next?

And some nagging concerns about things that might have to be addressed later.

Maybe some memories of things that have happened, that just seem to linger?

And how about the phone? Might have to check that a few times in there, just to make sure you’re not missing anything.

And maybe you left the stove on, or the door unlocked, or have to get that next cup of coffee, or whatever else.

*

Most people’s attention is drawn so thin, it’s a wonder they are able to function at all.

And, from this place, we’re operating at well below our true capacity.

Plus, since this is all we have ever known, for as long as we can remember, we think that this is our true ability. How we really are.

Distracted, unable to focus, unable to get still, thoughts constantly intruding and taking us away with them, thoughts spiraling when something intense happens.

Imagine how it might be if things got a bit quieter, and you were able to just Be.

Imagine how much more of the world around you that you would be able to see.

*

The attention is like a bubble of awareness around us.

When we focus on something, it’s as if this bubble of awareness extends and pools around the focus of our attention.

And, when we focus on many things, it’s as if many threads of awareness lead from us to different points in our inner and outer world.

With enough threads, – or even with intense enough focus on one thread – we are hardly aware of what is happening around us at all.

*

So, the first exercise that you will learn today is how to gather these threads of scattered attention, bringing all that potential awareness back to center.

In other words, getting focused.

Focus happens when all of our attention is placed at one point.

So what we are practicing with gathering the threads will help us to get focused, but it takes it one step further. You will also be learning to get centered.

When we bring all of those threads to a single point at the center of our being, we reclaim all the bits and learn to focus them in the now, in the body, where we can actually work with them.

*

Once you have all of your awareness focused at your center, you can go even further.

Next, we’ll explore how to take the center of your attention and ground it, deep within the earth and within your body.

This promotes health, vitality, and access to energy.

Plus, when we are grounded, our functional dexterity and coordination improve more than we might expect.

In fact, every single area of human life benefits immeasurably from our grounded attention.

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

*

1. Gathering the threads

Gathering the threads is a simple and extremely powerful exercise.

We’ve already discussed the finite bubble of the attention, how it can be stretched into threads and pooled around the focal point.

We know that this happens naturally in the course of the day, and we know that the attention is responsive to the will.

And you’ve been practicing check-ins and listening within, refining your awareness of the inner world, just as you have learned to pay attention to the outer world.

With the practice of gathering the threads, we bring all of these things together.

*

The process of gathering the threads is simple:

1. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly, allowing yourself to relax completely as you do

2. Take note of your attention. Where is it focused?

On the breathing? The body?

On something that you will have to do, or a person or situation that stands out in your mind, or a lingering thought or emotion or story?

3. Notice these points of focus, and visualize them as threads leading away from the center of your consciousness

4. Simply observe for a moment, breathing smooth and steady, relaxing deeper with each breath

5. And then, envision all of these threads of energy pulling inward, swirling together and gathering in a bubble around you, centered on your body, your Being.

6. Breathe smoothly and evenly, relaxing with each breath, and noticing the field of your awareness gathered in this bubble around you.

7. Notice the center of this bubble, envisioning it in the center of your chest. Breathe and observe this feeling, noticing the subtle sensations in the body that accompanies it. Key in to this subtle feeling and remember it, so that you have an easy access point back to this state.

8. And, when you are ready, open your eyes and engage with the task at hand, noticing how you feel from within as you do.

That’s it. Gathering the threads in a nutshell.

You will want to do this any time you feel scattered, or have lingering thoughts or doubts or concerns.

With each thread, you may wish to ask yourself if you are willing to let it go, or, if not, what you must address in order to be willing to let it go.

If this is the case, make sure to address that concern when you are next reasonably able to do so. Otherwise you run the risk of practicing a very artful bypass.

*

The key here is not to suppress or repress thoughts, but to release those which are no longer serving us, and which interfere with our ability to best navigate the current moment.

When you are centered, you will feel far more clear, more present, and more capable of thinking things through effectively.

In essence, when you’re centered, all the bits of yourself gathered together, you’re more capable. Stronger, smarter, faster. More here.

And that’s amazing. But there’s more.

*

Let’s take a look at a beautiful and powerful form of energetic grounding:

2. Grounding

Most of the time when I mention grounding, people talk about going barefoot. Which is amazing. I love to go barefoot as often as possible.

But the type of grounding that I’m talking about here is getting centered, present, and energetically rooted.

And the cool thing about it is that you can do it barefoot or with shoes, standing on a rock or up in an airplane.

No matter what you’re wearing or where you are, you can get grounded in your body and connected powerfully to the supportive and nurturing energy of the earth.

*

Here’s how to energetically ground yourself:

1. Gather the threads and get centered, just as we described.

2. Envision that point in the center of your field, now centered at the chest. Breathe and sit with it, getting a stronger feel of it as you do.

3. When you are ready, envision/feel this center dropping down the spine, down into the earth, reaching all the way down to the center of the earth and linking in, growing strong roots that link you to the earth

4. Feel the energy of these roots, supporting, vitalizing, composting everything that no longer serves you, offering solidity and firmness.

5. Feel as these roots grow a little bit stronger with each breath, anchoring you firmly, but flowingly, to the abundance of living energy.

6. Feel this groundedness in your body, a slightly stronger awareness of your body, more present to even the slightest sensation. More here.

7. When this feels strong and steady, open your eyes, and engage with the task at hand, keeping the feeling and the image of roots in the back of your mind, reinforcing it with the solid feel of your feet upon the earth.

*

This is a fast-paced world with many distractions, so it will be important to center and ground often, whenever you feel triggered, rushed, overwhelmed, pressured, overstimulated, anxious, concerned, depressed, frustrated, flustered... you get the idea.

Grounding and centering are keys to facing all of those challenges with grace.

Getting grounded and centered helps you with all of the things that take away your focus and lead to mistakes, errors, oversteps, freakouts, fumbles, all of that.

The more grounded and centered you are in your life, the more present you will be and the more capable of handling any situation that you may encounter."

*

Thank you for taking the time to explore this lengthy share.

If you would like to hear more like this, or to explore meditation, inner work, and energy work, more deeply, this is what I specialize in. Feel free to reach out anytime.

Thanks and blessings, beautiful beings!