When we recognize that we are feeling insecure, unsure, even flighty, we naturally gravitate (pun intended) towards working on regaining a sense of rootedness, security and a reawakening of our understanding of being held by the earth. We turn to ground.
How can we regain a sense of stability and security when we feel vulnerable and uncertain?
One way is to just sit in a cross-legged position (or in a chair if that is more comfortable for you), and notice where your body is connecting with the floor or the chair. You can sense all of the connection points, feel the weight of your body, feel the familiar pull of gravity on your bones and muscles, your organs. And you can even repeat some grounding phrases – maybe you can name three things that bring a sense of stillness and security. Right now, as I write this, I might say:
Feet flat on floor. Back against chair. Arms resting on dining room table. These are all simple physical truths that bring me back from whatever mind loop I might have been following, that bring me back to the here and now.
When you sit down to meditate, it’s a good practice to orient yourself like this. Note, the sense of connection to the cushion or chair, note where your body is touching surfaces, note the quality of that connection and allow tension to drop away from the crown of the head to the very base of your pelvis, the perineum.
From this sense of groundedness you can begin to explore your energetic structure.
Some traditions describe energy centers that run the length of your body, all the way from this root area to the crown of your head. These are called Chakras and have been described and meditated on since at least 500 BC. Some practices identify 7 chakras, some 6, others 5. We can get very caught up in over identifying with one system or another. That, to my mind, is counter-productive.
I look at it this way. Our bodies are energetic structures that engage in relation to the wider world (material), people (relationship), the universe (soul/spirit). Focusing on energy centers within our physical structures that then radiate out into or engage with the larger world (whether it is the physical world or the spirit world) gives us deep insight into the nature of our own relationship with, well, everything.
In an energetic meditation that is related to our physical body, we can start at the base, the top, our heart, our core – no matter where – we will find access to a deeper reality. And at each energy center, you can drop the labels (this energy center should correspond to this feeling, this one to this) and you can note just how it is for you right now.
You can note physical sensations first, then maybe images that come to mind in association with the energy center. You can allow emotions to interplay with your energy centers – memories may spring up. Whatever comes up, take note, treat your experience with curiosity and friendliness.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable to the experience if that feels comfortable for you. You might make a fist and lay the back of your hand on your thigh or a surface and then, as you open to your emotions, slowly and gently open your hand. Until your hand (heart and mind) open to what is. And rest in this moment, even if it is uncomfortable. Allow the thoughts to rise, note their quality, see if they fade or change.
If you feel unsafe, you can cradle this open hand in your other hand and you can return to your grounding elements – the body touching the seat or the cushion, the breath moving naturally in and out.
A meditation for energetic alignment and connection:
Locate your energy and attention into your root center, the perineum. Then begin to bring your attention to this area, breathing naturally. Allow whatever thoughts, sensations and emotions that come up to arise and fall away. In this way, you can begin to note any imbalances. Maybe there’s a sense of fear when you engage with the very root of your body, maybe a sense of protectiveness. Perhaps you feel strength and power. Whatever it is, can you be open and gentle with your experience? And now, allow a sense of your connection to the earth to infuse your lower body, feel the strength of your connection. Breathe. And moving that sense of power and strength, bring the energy slowly up through the torso, through the heart, up through the throat, to the center just above your eyebrows and now up through the crown of the head. Let the beautiful energy flow up, down and through these areas – each radiating outward and inward. Now, gently increase the level of this energy and bring it up and out the crown of the head as far as you can imagine, up beyond the gravitational field and through the atmosphere. And pull that energy source back down, through your body, down to your root and further beyond, as far below the ground surface and you can travel, into the earth.
And returning back. You can bring this flow up and through yourself several times. Feel the body as beacon, as an energetic field – in relation to all that is. And now, take a few deeper breaths and note the solidity of your body, the top of the skull as strong and secure, the root of the body in the same way. Take a moment to recreate your boundaries, understanding that you are part of a larger system AND an organic body that moves and breathes and interacts here on the ground.