Tune into Your Body with These Grounding Tips

If you routinely practice yoga, you’ll definitely hear the word in class. We are cued to “ground down through the four corners of your feet” in standing poses, “ground your sit bones into the earth” in seated poses, and “ground yourself” when you meditate. Despite the frequent use of the word, many people are not entirely aware of what it means to “ground.”

Busy, stressful schedules often require that you move quickly and spend a great deal of time thinking critically. Spending so much time in your head creates an upward movement of energy into the mind, which can leave you feeling imbalanced, scattered, confused, and emotionally unstable.

Yet, there is a solution to this imbalance: you can ground yourself by focusing on connecting your body with the earth – and grounding into the earth – in your yoga practice.

These techniques can help you to ground both physically and mentally:

1. Alternate Nostril Breathing or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

To breathe consciously is a powerful act. The process of breathing falls at the intersection of your voluntary nervous system (conscious acts) and your autonomic nervous system (unconscious acts). Pranayama, or conscious breathing, can help to balance the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and relax) branches of the nervous system.

Alternate Nostril Breathing balances the two hemispheres (left and right) of the brain and body, resulting in a balance in your physical and mental well-being. While practising this technique, focus on feeling your sit bones connect with the earth.

HOW TO PRACTICE ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING:

• Sit in a comfortable seated position. Ensure that your spine is straight and roll your shoulders down your back
• Rest your left hand on your left knee or lap
• Bring your index and middle finger of your right hand into a “peace sign” and either fold them into your palm or rest them on the bridge of your nose
• Place your thumb gently on your right nostril and your ring and pinky fingers onto your left nostril
• Begin with an exhale out of both nostrils
• Close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril. Pause for a moment
• Close your left nostril with your ring and pinky fingers
• Release the right nostril and exhale through it. Pause for a moment
• Inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Pause
• Release your left nostril and exhale through it

This completes one round of Nadi Shodhana. Repeat this pattern for 5 to 8 rounds.

Box Breathing or 4 part breathing

Despite the somewhat exotic name, box breathing is a very simple and even familiar type of stress management exercise. If you’ve ever found yourself inhaling and exhaling to a rhythm while you run or listen to music, you’ve taken the first steps. Box breathing is a type of paced breathing that follows a certain rhythm, and it can help you to minimise stress.

How Box Breathing Works

Box breathing, also known as four-square breathing, involves exhaling to a count of four, holding your lungs empty for a four-count, inhaling at the same pace, and holding air in your lungs for a count of four before exhaling and beginning the pattern anew.

HOW TO PRACTICE 4 PART BOX BREATHING

Box breathing is exceedingly simple to practice. Simply relax your body and do the following:

That’s it! You can vary this in a few different ways. As mentioned before, you can invite in the silent repetition of an affirmation by syncing it with your breath rather than counting to four. “Mississippi,” or something with four syllables can work well—”I feel so calm,” “I’m here right now,” or even just “O-o-m-m,” stretched out to four counts can work. I like to choose a mantra in the pauses between breaths.