What is Centering?
When you are stressed, overwhelmed, or just busy with daily responsibilities, your energy can become scattered in different directions. This can leave you feeling weak, tired, and unfocused, and can even cause symptoms of anxiety.
The technique of Centering is to focus on your energy bringing it inward to your center, which will bring you a sense of peace.
The first step is to focus on your breathing using your diaphragm.
The easiest way to experience this is to lay down on your back and place your hand on your abdomen. As you breathe in through your nose you should feel your stomach rise up against your hand, and as you exhale slowly through your mouth, your stomach should fall.
Your shoulders and chest shouldn’t move.
A great breathing method is the 4 Fold Breath, which helps to bring about a relaxed state:
- Breathe in as you count to 4
- Hold for a count of four
- Slowly exhale for a count of four
- Hold for another count of four
- Repeat
The next step is to find your center. You can find your center by visualizing and focusing your energy inward to your physical center of gravity, which is around your navel.
Focusing your energy to this part of your body will help you to feel stable and grounded.
Any time you feel stressed, bring your energy to your center and focus on your breathing. This will help you to feel balanced, stable, and grounded.
As you breathe, imagine that you are inhaling positive energy and with every exhale, imagine that you are releasing any negative energy, fears, worries, or anxieties.
What is Grounding?
Grounding revitalizes and helps us to maintain our connection to the Earth and its energies.
It is the technique of securing your energy within your body and to the physical Element of Earth.
We all receive energy from the Earth and we also return our energy to the Earth.
All energy flows in this similar input and output system.
We are all made of energy and therefore are one with the Universe.
We are physical and spiritual beings, receiving energy from the Universe, from the Earth, and from our own physical bodies.
We stay healthy and centered by balancing the energy from these 3 sources.
Our busy lifestyles not only cause stress, but generally keep us away from Nature, causing us to become disconnected from the necessary grounding Earth energy.
Being out in Nature is a wonderful way to ground yourself and to heal Spiritually.
If you can perform grounding techniques out in nature that is really optimal, but if you can’t it’s ok, the techniques will still be helpful.
Using Grounding techniques will help you feel relaxed and less anxious or worried. It will help you to feel focused and stable instead of feeling scattered and overwhelmed by daily stress.
It’s also great to ground yourself before and after performing any rituals or spiritual work.
Here are a few Grounding techniques:
- Walk barefoot outside
- Sit against a tree
- Hold a Gemstone - Smoky Quartz and Hematite are great stones for grounding
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Go for a walk
- Eat something and drink some water
- Do something creative
- Meditate
I wrote an Earth Element Grounding Meditation that I plan on recording soon, but I’ll post it below in the meantime.
Just reading through it then closing my eyes and sitting in quiet meditation helps me.
I hope it helps you as well.
Earth Element Grounding Meditation:
This Earth Element meditation works wonderfully when out in nature.
If you can’t be outside at this time it’s ok, just sit or lie down on the floor.
If you happen to have a Hematite or Smoky Quartz crystal then hold them in your hand, if not
that’s ok.
Close your eyes and sit or lay in quiet meditation, focusing on your breathing,
Gently breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold your breathe for a count of 4, slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4 and hold for another count of 4.
Continue this 4 Fold Breath.
Notice your stomach expanding as you inhale and flattening as you exhale.
Imagine, with each breath that you inhale, that you are breathing in beautiful, positive energy.
And with each exhale, that you are breathing out all worries, anxiety and negativity.
Now, Imagine a bright light above you.
A warm, golden light that gently warms you.
Feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed.
Feel this light from above, enter through your crown, moving through each chakra of your body, warming you, relaxing you.
This relaxing golden light extends through your entire body all the way to the center of the Earth, centering you, and grounding you.
Feel yourself as one with the Earth: stable, strong, secure.
Feel how you are connected to the Earth.
Feel how we are all connected.
Now call to mind the Earth element with ourselves: our physical presence, our weight, our solid form.
Now turn your focus to the external Earth element.
Visualize and fully experience the ground which we sit on: our beautiful surroundings, the rocks, the pebbles, the soil, the trees and plants, the blades of grass.
Take in all the scents around you: the sweet smell of the grass and trees.
Feel the openness that surrounds you, the gentle breeze.
These are the gifts of Nature.
Understand that the Earth element within us and the Earth element outside of us are the same.
We are not separate.
We are one.
The Earth element that is in each of us comes from outside of us and eventually returns to the outside.
Now place your hands upon the Earth.
Experience how it feels: its temperature, its texture.
Imagine that you can feel a slow, deep pulse rising up from the center of the Earth.
Feel this pulse connect to your own internal pulse.
Visualize and feel any negative energy within you, flowing down out of you and into the Earth.
The Earth wants to help you and it openly receives this energy, neutralizing it and recycling it.
We are all physical and spiritual beings.
We are all an extension of Source Energy.
We are all connected as one through Source.
All matter is crystalized spirit.
As we evoke the Earth Element, we are calling upon what is already present within us.
The internal and external are one. So drawing from the self is ultimately drawing from the All.
We now ask the presence of Mother Earth to be here to offer her nurture and support as we connect with the energy of Earth with a feeling of Divine love.
We open our hearts and minds, sending out positive, welcoming energy and receiving the same in return.
The Earth Element help us to maintain the balance of our physical bodies.
It brings blessings, abundance, healing, and prosperity.
It teaches us to be patient, rational, centered, and grounded.
Every tree, plant, bush, and blade of grass has a frequency that aligns with every part of our bodies.
Contemplate this as you breathe in all these different healing frequencies of the plants and trees, and breathe them in with all of your senses.
The Earth Element connects us to our roots and ancient wisdom.
It helps to clear our bodies and soul of negative energies, clearing out anything that we are ready to let go of, helping us to release any resistance that we have built up.
Teaching us that if we want wellness, then we need to focus on and vibrate wellness.
Remember that our relationship with the Earth Element is a reciprocal one.
We all receive energy from the Earth and we also return our energy to the Earth.
We are all made of energy and therefore are one with the Universe.
We are physical and spiritual beings, receiving energy from both the Universal, Divine, Source energy and from the Earth energy as well as our own physical energy.
We stay healthy, centered and grounded by balancing this energy within ourselves, and from these 2 realms.
Now, feel that relaxing, golden light that came from above, and flowed through your body and deep within the Earth, centering and grounding you…….feel it slowly rise back up and shower all around you like a fountain, forming a protective, healing bubble around you.
With each breath, feel it growing stronger and more protective.
You are now firmly grounded into Mother Earth, stabilized and centered.
You are now grounded and protected.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I truly hope that you found it helpful.
