‘I’m a Meditation Practitioner of 10 Years, and These Are the 6 Top Grounding Techniques That I Personally Use’

In this article, Susan Chen, founder of Susan Chen Vedic Meditation, shares her top grounding techniques that she personally uses to stay grounded and centered in her daily life. Having experienced the benefits of meditation herself, Chen has developed a full arsenal of grounding techniques that she incorporates into her daily routine. She believes that grounding practices are essential for infusing calm and peace into our lives, especially in a world filled with constant distractions and busyness.

The Importance of Grounding Techniques

Chen explains that feeling ungrounded can lead to a sense of being scattered and unable to focus. It’s natural to feel excited at times, but when the feeling of being unmoored becomes overwhelming, grounding practices can bring us back to a state of calm and orderliness. Grounding techniques help bring the mind and body into a more peaceful state amid the chaos of everyday life.

Meditation, yoga, breathwork, and specific grounding rituals like the five senses grounding ritual or the 54321 grounding technique are all effective ways to anchor ourselves and create a sense of stability. Chen emphasizes the importance of finding what works best for each individual and incorporating grounding practices that resonate with them.

The 6 Grounding Techniques

1. Daily Vedic Meditation

The core grounding practice for Chen is her daily Vedic meditation. Vedic meditation, rooted in the ancient Veda texts, involves a twice-daily mantra-led meditation. Chen starts her mornings with a 20-minute meditation and does another session later in the day. This practice takes the mind and body to a deep level of stillness and calm, which carries over into the rest of the day. Daily meditation provides an extra buffer of rest and nourishment, helping to counteract the effects of stress.

2. Sticking to a Daily Routine

Chen emphasizes the importance of sticking to a daily routine as a grounding practice. Routines help set us up for success by ensuring we prioritize essential activities such as sleep, movement, and stress management. According to Ayurveda, establishing and sticking to a regular routine is crucial for grounding and maintaining overall well-being.

3. Sipping Warm Liquids

Chen always keeps warm drinks like water and tea within reach and sips on them throughout the day. The warmth of these liquids has a calming and soothing effect on the body and mind. This practice aligns with Ayurvedic wisdom and the knowledge passed down from our mothers and grandmothers who knew the benefits of consuming warm, comforting foods for grounding.

4. Giving Warm Oil Massages

Chen starts her mornings with Abhyangha, a warm oil massage practice rooted in Ayurveda. This practice involves covering the body with oils and is associated with reduced stress and a sense of calm. The rhythmic massage helps reset energy and brings the body back into a balanced state. Chen describes it as giving her nervous system an additional layer of armor and resiliency for the day.

5. Performing Sun Salutations

Sun salutations, also known as Surya Namaskar, are an essential grounding technique for Chen. This sequence of yoga poses, meaning to bow to the sun in Sanskrit, combines physical movements with a focus on connecting the mind and body. Chen incorporates multiple sun salutations into her morning routine and also uses them as pattern interrupts throughout the day to signal transitions between activities.

6. Earthing

Earthing is another grounding technique that Chen highly recommends. This practice involves physically touching the earth, whether by standing barefoot or lying down, to connect with the earth’s ions and induce a feeling of calm. Earthing has been associated with reduced stress and inflammation. Chen uses this technique as a pattern interrupt when she’s feeling particularly ungrounded, finding that it brings her a sense of relaxation and presence.

Key Points:

– Grounding techniques help create calm and orderliness in our lives, counteracting the feeling of being unmoored.
– Meditation, yoga, breathwork, and specific rituals are effective grounding practices.
– Daily Vedic meditation takes the mind and body into a deep state of stillness and calm.
– Sticking to a daily routine helps establish a sense of grounding and stability.
– Consuming warm liquids has a calming and soothing effect on the body and mind.
– Warm oil massages promote reduced stress and a balanced state of being.
– Sun salutations connect the mind and body, offering stress relief and a sense of grounding.
– Earthing involves physically connecting with the earth to induce a feeling of calm and reduce stress.

Source Article: https://www.wellandgood.com/grounding-techniques/