You're in a beautiful spot with people you love, and your mind is somewhere else. It's already in tomorrow's to-do list and in everything the next few weeks will ask of you. Maybe you know that feeling, and maybe it's louder now that the year is speeding up towards Christmas.
Grounding brings you back. In this episode of the Soul & Strategy podcast, I share the practices that help me, and then I guide you through breathwork and a visualisation to reset your nervous system. I'm a yoga teacher as well as a soul business coach, so a lot of this comes straight from the mat ✨
Listen to the full episode above or save it and jump straight to the breathing and visualisation whenever you need a reset.
What grounding means
Grounding means moving out of your head and into your body, into the physical world around you. When you're in your head, you aren't really present, even in the best company. When you're grounded, you're in the here and now, and you feel more relaxed.
Grounding is more of a spiritual word; from a scientific perspective, this would be the regulation of your nervous system. They describe the same thing, so whatever regulates your nervous system also grounds you, and the other way around.
Why a regulated nervous system helps
Stress comes from everywhere: kids, work, your partner, life circumstances, what's happening in the world. It can show up as anxiety, overwhelm, sadness or avoiding things, and you lose your centre.
In fight or flight, you act out of survival mode, from fear and protection. That version of you is trying to keep you safe. Grounding happens when you recognise and feel that you are safe in this very moment, and you need that calm to hear your intuition. I talk more about that in episode 13 and episode 20.
Start with your body
The easiest way to ground is to feel into your physical body. Give yourself a hug, squeeze your arms, massage your shoulders, stretch your body (e.g. through a gentle yoga practice) or tap along your body with your fingertips. Each of these tells you: this is me, I'm here, I'm in this room, I'm safe.
It works because touch gives your nervous system something real to hold on to, and that pulls your attention out of your thoughts.
The 5-4-3-2-1 method
This one uses all your senses, and you can do it right now. Look around, even if you're outside, and find:
five things you can see
four things you can hear
three things you can feel, like your clothes, the wind or the chair underneath you
two things you can smell (if there's nothing, that's fine)
one thing you can taste
Then notice how you feel. For me, it's one of the easiest tools there is. I used to do it almost every night before bed, together with stroking my arms, as part of my evening routine.
Slow down
When you rush, you don't notice what's around you. You rush out of the door and miss the leaves changing colour or the neighbours' new paint on their front door. Sometimes you wonder whether a shop has always been there, and it has; you were just in your own head.
Slow down in your daily routines, for example, while you cook dinner, eat your lunch, or get ready for the day ahead. Waking up five or ten minutes earlier before work gives your day more space, and that space is grounding in itself.
Use your voice
Humming and singing regulate your nervous system. I hum in my morning routine for about a minute or two, depending on how I feel, and the silence afterwards feels so much calmer. You can hum your favourite song or a mantra. There are also songs on Spotify that are nothing but humming sounds.
Essential oils
I've recently come back to essential oils. I mostly use a diffuser, because the smell helps me get into the mood for work and for being creative. Lavender is my choice before bed.
Choose scents that make you feel like you're coming home, and smell a few in a shop if you're not sure which one is yours. If you apply oils to your skin, mix them with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil first, since undiluted oils can irritate your skin.
Breathe into your belly
When we’re stressed, we tend to breathe into our chest: this means that the chest lifts as you inhale and the belly pulls in. Healthy breathing works the other way round. Your belly expands as you inhale and comes in as you exhale, the way a baby's belly moves up and down in sleep.
Belly breathing brings more oxygen through your body and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our rest and digeststate. Your breath is a tool you always carry with you, which makes it a beautiful anchor that grounds you in the present moment.
Connect with the ground
It might be obvious, but one simple way to ground is to literally connect to the ground underneath you. Take your shoes off and walk barefoot in nature, on a forest path or a patch of grass. We wear shoes so often that we lose touch with what's under our feet, and bare feet bring you back to the earth.
A guided practice you can come back to
Pick one or two of the tools above to take into your day, and then listen to the guided visualisation and breathwork on this episode.
If you’ve enjoyed this practice, leave the podcast a rating, send the episode to a friend whose year is running at full speed, and come say hi on Instagram @sabinelehnhardt. I’d love to hear from you! ✨
And if you're based in Sydney and would like to ground together, I'm hosting an in-person workshop on 22 November in Freshwater. In this workshop, we practice yoga, a powerful visualisation, breathwork, journaling, and share in a beautiful circle.
With love,
Sabine 🤍
