In a busy life, grounding can be challenging. However, a few simple changes can help you feel more grounded day to day.

UNLOCKING THE KNEES

Do you know that locking the knees can cut off blood flow to the heart, turn off muscles in the legs, and shift weight out of the feet? Standing with locked knees is less stable than standing with soft knees. This is why you’ll never see a martial artist or a professional wrestler with their knees locked in a fighting stance. If you try locking and unlocking the knees in a standing position, notice the weight drop in and out of the feet. Dropping your body weight into your feet by softening your knees can increase your awareness of them.

DIAPHRAGMATIC (BELLY BREATHING)

The function of the diaphragm impacts the body in more ways than imaginable — from heartbeat to movement to fluid balance. Part of this impact stems from the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the same system that activates during restful activities, like a massage. Chest breathing, which is shallower, activates the sympathetic nervous system, which fires in times of stress. When the nervous system is balanced, and the body and mind are relaxed, it’s easier to feel grounded and centered.

LIMIT SCREEN TIME

Spending hours in front of a screen can take us out of the present moment and away from the earth’s energy. Contact with the earth’s frequency can shift us back to a grounded, embodied state. It’s not always practical to go barefoot. But on soft surfaces like sand and grass, going barefoot can put us in touch with the earth’s grounding frequency.